Activists circulated pictures on Facebook showing opposition fighters standing on the wreckage of a statue of Ibrahim Hanano – one of the leaders of the Syrian revolution against the French occupation – in the city of Idleb.
Ibrahim Hanano continues to be an important national symbol in Syria’s history, where he was a leader of the resistance against the French occupation. Hanano fought in several battles against the French, also holding various political positions in Syria during his lifetime.
Opposition forces recently seized the city of Idleb, after fierce battles with regime forces ended in their withdrawal from the city.
The success was followed by orders from the interim government to enter Idleb, prompting Abdullah al-Muhaisni (the Sharia judge of the Army of Conquest) to respond to the interim government, saying that "who will rule Idleb are those who shed their blood on its land" – an expression of his defiance towards the Coalition.
Many monuments and statues have recently been destroyed in Syria and Iraq by ISIS and a number of other radical factions, who argue the statues are "haram and against Sharia".
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
