In November 1979 , a Brotherhood leaflet stated : We reject all forms of despotism , out of respect for the very principles of Islam , and we do n't demand the fall of Pharaoh so that another one can take his place . Religion is not imposed by force ... . Widescale assassinations led up to 16 June 1979 slaughter of cadets at the Aleppo Artillery School . On that day a member of school staff , Captain Ibrahim Yusuf , assembled the cadets in the dining hall and then let in the gunmen who opened fire on the cadets . According to the official report , 32 young men were killed . Unofficial sources say the " death toll was as high as 83 . " This attack was the work of '' Tali'a muqatila '' , or Fighting Vanguard , a Sunni Islamist guerrilla group and spinoff of the Muslim Brotherhood . ` Adnan ` Uqla , who later became the group 's leader , helped plan the massacre
slaughter
Aleppo Artillery School massacre
Islamist uprising in Syria