Syrian Observer: Al-Qa’ida-linked Rebel Group Imposing Islamic Dress on School Girls

An Al-Qa’ida-linked rebel group that is in control of the Syrian town of Tweihineh has ordered all school girls to dress in modest Islamic garb – including the abaya (gown), gloves and veil — in order to be allowed to attend school according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is also requiring boys to wear “traditional Pakistani clothing and a cap,” according to the Observatory. Last week, a coalition of 13 rebel groups signed a letter demanding that Syria become an Islamic state when President Assad’s regime is finally toppled. The groups disavowed the authority of the Western-recognized umbrella organization of anti-Assad groups. Days ago, ISIL gunmen torched churches and Christian symbols in towns in northern Syria that fell under its control. Local observers have been reporting abuses committed against local residents and non-Islamist rebels including kidnapping and public executions according to the French AFP news agency.