see, the american media calls these people "political prisoners", but the truth is that they're mostly fundamentalist jihadist extremists that would shoot you on the street for belonging to the wrong cult, or eating the wrong thing, or having sex with the wrong person.

to be clear: this is a sensationalist report that may very well essentially be bullshit designed to influence donald trump. as journalism, it's pretty lacking. it's not unbelievable, though.

but, had the outcome been the other way, there'd be just as many - probably many more - dead secularists executed in poorly run jails for breaking sharia law, and some of these people would be the executioners.

it's the nature of this kind of a war - a lot of people are going to die. you need to look at it like this: at the end day, there's little comparison in terms of death counts, when you compare the secular and religious regimes. if what the post is saying is even true, this is a brutal means to an end, but the end is worth striving for.

you can't stamp out religion with force. but, sometimes, there's little option but to try....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/world/syria-bodies/