First, they came for Syria's Jews

(JNS) — The burning of a Christmas tree by gunmen in the Syrian city of Hama is a sinister portent of what minorities might expect under the evolving situation in the country.

The dominant group in charge, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has sent out messages reassuring religious and ethnic groups that they will be protected. It blamed “foreign fighters” for the tree burning, but can HTS be trusted? Its leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, has jettisoned his nom de guerre and his Kalashnikov rifle, preferring to be known by his real name of Ahmed al-Sharaa. Projecting his new image of moderation and respecta...