Ed Husain, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations:
In the Syrian opposition, it’s no exaggeration to say that there are Saudi Salafis, as well as al-Qaeda elements, and others who are included toward more extreme versions of religiosity present in that conflict. Given that we don’t really know who the Syrian opposition is composed of in detail, how wise is it to then bring down another regime and put in its place yet another Muslim Brotherhood-led government?
Priest from the Syrian district of Hamidiya:
“Some Christians who tried to escape a week ago were stopped from leaving by the rebels and were instead forced to go to a mosque to act as shields,” he said. “They thought that, because Christians support Assad, the government would not attack them.”
