Skip to main content

Syrian Druze leader calls HTS extremist government in every sense of the word

· 2 min read

Syrian Druze leader calls HTS "extremist government in every sense of the word"​

The spiritual leader of Syria's Druze minority launched a scathing tirade against the new authorities in Damascus on Thursday, calling the government "extremist, wanted men", a day after a deal was signed to integrate the sect's militias into the state apparatus.

Syrian Druze leader calls HTS "extremist government in every sense of the word"

The criticism by Sheikh Hikmat Al Hijri, spiritual leader of the Druze Unitarian community in Syria and one of the most vocal critics of the post-Bashar Al Assad order, came after recent mass killings on the country’s west coast.

Syria is majority Muslim. However, the future of minorities under the current administration, dominated by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), took center stage after an estimated 1,400 people were killed last week in an HTS-led campaign in the coast against Alawites, the sect that President Beshar al-Assad stemmed.

"There is no concord with the existing government in Damascus. It is an extremist government in every sense of the word," Sheikh Al Hijri told a Druze delegation at his headquarters in the southern governorate of Suweida, according to footage taken at the meeting. One of his aides confirmed the footage was genuine.

"To be clear: it is a government whose members are wanted by international justice. We will not accept, as Syrians, any leniency in this regard," Sheikh Al Hijri said. HTS is classified as a terrorist organization by the UN, the US and most Western countries.

"Our goal is justice and law," said Sheikh Al Hijri, who has repeatedly demanded a civil state to replace the former regime, hinting that the Druze will not accept any imposition of Islamic rule. "These are our right. So we will go towards whatever suits us as a sect and suits our priorities."

source: tehrantimes.com