HTS shuts down shops in Syria’s Idlib for selling Christmas products
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) shut down four shops in Idlib city and its countryside under the pretext of selling Christmas and New Year products.
A local source told North Press that an HTS patrol shut down four shops after their owners sold Santa Claus toys and Christmas trees.
The source added that the four shops were closed without prior notice and for three days. The patrol, which was headed by the so-called Abu Suraqa al-Shami, warned the owners of nearby shops of doing something similar as it is against Islam.
The source added that the only aim of opening a church in the western countryside of Idlib is to solicit The West’s sympathy and remove the HTS’ name from terror lists, but the truth is that Idlib is still subject to extremist ideology.
Since the HTS (then al-Nusra Front) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) took control of Idlib city and its countryside in 2014, Christmas and New Year celebrations and rituals have been almost absent from the region, saying such celebrations are prohibited in Islam, the source noted.