The Contentious Legacy of Bin Ladin in al-Sham

Abstract

Since 2012 Syria has arguably taken over the position previously held by Iraq as the focal point for the broader jihadist movement. The conflict has witnessed the rise of a new alQaʿida affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, the entrance of an existing affiliate into the country, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and the emergence of non-al-Qaʿida-affiliated Salafi-Jihadi groups of which Ahrar al-Sham is a prominent example. However the growing presence of Salafi-Jihadi groups in Syria has not manifested itself as a unified or homogenous movement. Rather the self-proclaimed Salafi-Jihadi groups have largely been unable to efficiently unify their efforts or ranks despite the creation of numerous coalitions. ISIS was rebuked by the al-Qaʿida leadership and has engaged in military and ideological rivalry with Jabhat al-Nusra. Arguably at stake is the title of the inheritor and guardian of the legacy of Usama bin Ladin. This study outlines the larger underlining ideological differences for this rivalry as extracted, from the groups ample bibliography within the timeframe of January 2012 and May 2014, and subsequently structured and analysed.