10.04.2025, Moscow.
Radical Islamism was formed and strengthened in Syria with the active involvement of Turkey and the West, and the Islamist groups were replenished mainly by residents of Central Asia and East Turkestan (now the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China), philosopher, political scientist, the leader of the Essence of Time movement Sergey Kurginyan said on March 21 on the Conversation with a Sage program on the Zvezda radio channel.
Due to the regressive trends that took place in Central Asia after the disintegration of the USSR, people experienced a vacuum of greater meaning, which was filled not with a nuanced understanding of Islam, but with Islamism, which is more understandable to less educated, the expert noted.
“One needs to be motivated in order to leave for another place and begin fighting fanatically, even if you are poor. All these Islamist mosques, a new type of Islamist mosques created this motivation,” Kurginyan said.
In turn, Turkey welcomed every Islamist willing to fight, provided additional training, and sent them to Syria. Then they were sent to Al-Qaeda (organization banned in Russia), becoming Western-supported vector of attack directed against the then Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“They were already strong in terms of military training. There were also militants from the Caucasus – Chechen fighters and others. There was one organization that facilitated their quick transfer. But Islamists from Central Asia and the Uyghurs have dominated,” the political scientist added.
The current leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani) proved to be the most advanced and flexible among the members of Al-Qaeda (organization banned in Russia). He managed to forge an army from the militants who had gathered in the Syrian province of Idlib.
“He was obsessed with the concept of an army: discipline, order, technology, the West, skills, competence, motivation. And since their achievements in defending Idlib and everything else were significant, they were granted these territories. Settlements of Uyghurs, Uzbeks, and others emerged,” the expert said.
According to Kurginyan, huge military camps were set up in these territories, which look similar to Cossack settlements. But these camps were created for outrageous purposes. They conducted constant training there and did not allow internal conflicts. As a result, the army created with the support of Turkey was thrown against the weakened and collapsing Assad regime, and the Islamists seized power in Syria.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
