Sunni extremists aligned against Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime have at times made deliberate, extensive efforts to win hearts and minds. Al Qaeda officials, in general, are known to be concerned about the sensitivities of local populations. Documents and memos captured in Mali advise affiliates not to impose harsh sharia measures lest they alienate civilians.

There’s at least a chance that Al Qaeda-linked jihadists in Syria literally didn’t get the memo:

In Tweihineh, “the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant… has forbidden girls in primary education and above from attending school unless they wear fully Islamic clothing including an abaya (gown), gloves and a veil,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Citing activists in the ISIL-controlled northern village, the Britain-based Observatory also said boys were told to dress in what the extremist group considers Islamic clothing.

Al Qaeda-linked jihadists have in recent days attacked Christian churches in northern Syria, setting fire to statues and crosses. They’ve also reportedly demolished several ancient Jewish mausoleums and desecrated Jewish graves in Aleppo.

The jihadists’ Islamist moves had deepened tensions between them and Western-backed moderates elements of the Syrian opposition. Rebel on rebel violence broke out in mid-September, with an Al Qaeda spin-off targeting the Free Syrian Army. After the U.S. called off air strikes against the Assad regime, however, eleven of the largest armed rebel factions in Syria sought to realign with Al Qaeda-linked forces.

[Photo: Patricia Miller / YouTube]