Rebel Group in Syria Claims it formed an Islamic State

Damascus, Capital of Syria

While the situation between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues, that is not the only area of concern in the Middle East. Although the French government has now officially recognized an opposition group in Syria, there is another opposition group that is more clear about what it wants–an Islamic state–and it says it has already formed one:

November 19, 2012

A group of extremist Islamist factions in Syria has rejected the country’s new opposition coalition, saying in a video statement they have formed an “Islamic state” in the embattled city of Aleppo to underline that they want nothing to do with the Western-backed bloc. The video appears to be a reaction to the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces, formed Nov. 11 in Qatar to unify groups trying to topple the regime of President Bashar Assad…

The statement by 13 radical factions that was posted on a militant website late Sunday suggested the extremist elements — including the al Qaeda-inspired Jabhat al-Nusra — are suspicious of the new coalition. They rejected what they said was a “foreign project” and declared the northern city of Aleppo, where many radical groups have been fighting, an “Islamic state.” http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57551712/islamic-extremist-rebel-groups-reject-new-syria-opposition-coalition/

I have been warning for quite a long time that Syria will eventually change and support the confederation (Ezekiel 30:1-9) that the Bible calls the final King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43). Notice, for example, what I posted on May 11, 2011 (Syria Continues Using Tanks Against Protestors) related to Syria and the government of its President Assad:

No matter what the Syrian government attempts to do to stop this, an pan-Arabic confederation is going to form which will cross current national boundaries…What is currently happening in Syria seems to aligning with the rise the leader of a pan-Arabic confederation that all should watch for.

Steps aligning with the idea of a pan-Arabic Islamic confederation have continued to take place in Syria and elsewhere since I wrote that.

It needs to be understood that even though the more “recognized” opposition party in Syria is not considered to be directly pushing for a more Islamic state, the reality is that much of the opposition in Syria want to have more of a Sunni Muslim state and thus want to move further away from Shi’ite Muslim Iran–the nation that is Syria’s, under its current President Assad, closest ally. Thus, pretty much all the opposition wants more of an Islamic state.

Also, the same news item that I cited above had the following quote from Islamic cleric Mouaz al-Khatib, who is the new head of the “recognized” opposition group in Syria:

“We will listen to our brothers who have not joined this alliance,” al-Khatib said after a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr. “We will keep in contact with them for more cooperation in the interest of the Syrian people,” al-Khatib said. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57551712/islamic-extremist-rebel-groups-reject-new-syria-opposition-coalition/

So, even the Western-supported opposition considers those that have claimed to establish an Islamic State in part of Syria as “brothers.”

The fact that the leader of the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces is an Islamic cleric suggests that he and his group are at least sympathetic to the idea of pan-national Islamic cooperation. The fact that he is meeting with the Egyptian Foreign Minister also shows he wants pan-national Islamic cooperation. It may not be coincidental that a group that officially wants to have a confederation of Islamic states is called the Muslim Brotherhood, and is based out of Egypt. It would seem obvious that Islamic cleric Mouaz al-Khatib considers both the rebels who declared and Islamic State in part of Syria as well as the government in Egypt both as Muslim brothers.

The biblically-prophesied Islamic confederation (Ezekiel 30:1-9; Daniel 11:40-43 ) is in the process of being formed.

Much is happening in the Middle East.

“And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?