Religion had often been a TOOL to CONTROL Humanity.
How else would a mere mortal when ALL Humankind are flawed & not perfect, rely on ancient scriptures that were meant to progress Humanity, but TWISTED by those who command legions for their own egoistical lusts to wealth & power, thru ACCONTABILITY upon powers beyond even their own naive understandings, let alone the masses?
An ancient general once said - pray to your gods for your own & loved ones safety, & if your prayers are NOT answered, you had been praying to a false god.
It had been proven in Raqqa, Iraq when legions of foolish ISIS local & INTERNATIONAL troops - long feared by most of Humankind hiding under blankets over the threat of terrorism & their horrific depredations upon innocents, congregated there to fight a final battle, between Civilization & tyranny, led by the courageous INTERNATIONAL troops of USA, in an once and for all battle, proved REALITIES, with the long feared ISIS totally decimated & incapacitated for years, whom resorted to pathetic online pleas for help upon the naive....
Sharia laws by the prophet Muhammad was meant to elevate the lives of nomads living in the harsh conditions of Arabia, where there was little cultivation to prosper & trade. Their lives were dependent on brutal & cruel methods to survive, by raiding caravans on the trade routes. Even with such brutalities, there MUST be honor, as each life is precious & mean something special to another, including within the nomadic tribes to achieve civilization, when the prophet came into history in the 7th century....long before fossil fuels was discovered to elevate the lives of the Arabic nomads, as progress & scientific achievement takes time...
But even before the deathbed of the mortal prophet had gone cold, already a revert back to barbarism grew & saw the sectarian division upon Islam which was meant as a message of peace, between the Sunnis & Shias...
It is commendable that the military leaders of Syrian seeks for Sharia laws, but in the end...whom are the followers of Islam - a message of Peace & progress to others - are the naive following - the commanders whom used religion as a tool for CONTROL & personal lusts, or the TRUE teachings of prophet Muhammad?