Damascus bombings prove extremism driving Syria crisis

TEHRAN, Jan. 9 (MNA) -- The recent wave of suicide bombings in Damascus proved that an extremist faction of the Salafi sect is stepping up their efforts to destabilize the country. Some of the leaders of the Salafi sect believe that it is permissible to kill Muslims because they think that Islamic societies are foolish and unwise. A similar pattern of thinking by terrorists in Iraq has left over one million Iraqis dead since 2003. The increase in the activities of the Salafis in the Syrian crisis paints a picture of the current political situation in the country. And the rift between the people and the government in Syria, which has been instigated by the Western powers and their regional proxies, can be used by Salafi extremists and other terrorist groups as a pretext to conduct more acts of sabotage. This could pose a serious threat to the country’s national security in the near future. Thus, the recent bombings had nothing to do with the arrival of the Arab League special mission to Syria, despite the claims of the critics of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The delegation of Arab League monitors has been in Syria since December 26 in order to assess if the government is pursuing a peaceful policy. However, the recent bombings may convince the Arab League monitors that extremism is really the driving factor behind the crisis.