Care not to throw the first stone

The retaking of Palmera has been a publicity success for Russia. The driving out and retaking of land held by ISIS is perhaps a turning point in the war but given the nature of this war it still has a long way to go.

Effectively the war is in three parts. Initially the uprising against Assad created the conditions for a civil war. Then a coalition of nations decided to oust Assad purportedly because of his brutality towards sections of his own population, from whom the bulk of the opposition came. And finally the attempted implementation of a Caliphate in that section of Syria which had become outside the control of the Assad national force.
Listening to the arguments one is struck by the short term memory of those who wish to pick a side with or against Assad in the fight with ISIL.
Assad's tribal/religious background, is the Alawites,  themselves an Islamic sect, representing 12% of the Syrian population, a group who have been persecuted by the Sunni Muslims.
They a line themselves as an offshoot of the Shiite sect and in the fratricide which goes on within the Muslim family and all too evident in their history, is it any wonder that the bombing and killing which we see on our screens, is not the manufacture of one madman but a mindset which has run for century's and has at its root, religious intolerance.
ISIL are nothing more than an extreme example of what Religious Belief can spawn. It is no worse than the megalomania and inhumanity displayed by Hitler, Stalin or Mao but it is no better.
Man has, within him a deep deceit when unbridled power is placed in his hands. His word becomes law and his magnanimity for others is lost in his omnipotence.
We should beware soothsayers and all who have an answer for all !!
We should be understanding of the whys and the wherefores before rushing to judgement.
And as always we should, to use a religious tome, be careful not to throw the first stone.