The Jordanian-born Sami al-Oraidi was previously a leading figure in the al-Qa'ida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra and then broke off from the successor group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham on account of the breaking of ties with al-Qa'ida. In this statement released through the media arm of the al-Qa'ida-loyalist group Hurras al-Din, Sami al-Oraidi is described as a member of Hurras al-Din's Shari'i committee, but the appendix to the statement notes that he is in hiding as the members of the committee are either imprisoned by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham or being hunted by the U.S.-led coalition and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.
In this statement, Oraidi responds to a statement by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's Shari'i council that in turn responded to Hurras al-Din leader Abu Himam al-Shami's own criticisms of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. Oraidi's points are as follows:
1. Hurras al-Din does not arbitrarily apply rulings and names to Muslim groups and individuals, but rather relies on the scholars (Ahl al-'Ilm), and in fact Hurras al-Din has not applied a ruling to Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. Rather, Abu Himam was pointing out Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's inconsistencies in its actions.
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