Long queues of young Syrians waiting to receive books by the controversial 13th-century Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyyah in Damascus have sparked international concern that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is systematically recruiting a new generation of extremist fighters in the heart of the Middle East.

Video footage circulating online shows hundreds of people lined up to obtain writings by Ibn Taymiyyah, the medieval theologian whose fatwas and political jurisprudence have served as ideological foundation for modern Takfiri terrorist organizations including al-Qaeda and ISIS.