by Raymond Ibrahim
July 8, 2015

Days ago, after the Islamic State [IS] entered the Syrian city of Hassakè, prompting a mass exodus of Christians, a familiar but often overlooked scene, took place: many otherwise "normal" Muslims joined ranks with IS, instantly turning on their longtime Christian neighbors.

This is the third category of Muslims that lurks between "moderates" and "radicals": "sleepers,"

Muslims who appear "moderate" but who are merely waiting for circumstances to turn to Islam's advantage before they join the jihad; Muslims who are waiting for the rewards of jihad to become greater than the risks.

There is no lack of examples of these types of Muslims.

The following are testimonials from non-Muslims, mostly Christian refugees from those regions of Iraq and Syria now under Islamic State (or other jihadi) control.

Consider what they say about their longtime Sunni neighbors who appeared "moderate"—or at least nonviolent—but who, once the jihad came to town, exposed their true colors....

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The (non-Iraqi) jihadists [in Syria and Iraq] were Afghans, Bosnians, Arabs and even Americans and British fighters....

But the worst killings came from the people living among us, our (Sunni) Muslim neighbours....

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And in Nigeria—a nation that shares little with Syria, Iraq, or Turkey, other than Islam—a jihadi attack on Christians that left five churches destroyed and several Christians killed was enabled by "local Muslims"....

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[explaining an ISLAMIC religious text.....] In other words, Muslims are not to befriend non-Muslims, unless circumstances are such that it is in the Muslims' interests to do so.

For example, if Muslims are a minority (as in America), or if their leaders brutally crack down on jihadi activities (as in Bashar Assad's pre-Islamic State Syria): then they may preach and even feign peace, tolerance, and coexistence with their non-Muslim neighbors.