Released representative of Syria's Shiite community reassures public
3 Min Read
Syria's General Security Administration had arrested Sheikh al-Khatib, his son, and his assistant outside the Sayyeda Zainab shrine without any reasons being disclosed.
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A screengrab from the video posted on the Facebook account of the Islamic Scholarly Authority for the Followers of Ahl al-Bayt in Syria, in which Sheikh Adham Al-Khatib delivered a statement following his release by the General Security Administration
Sheikh Adham al-Khatib, the representative of the Shiite community in Syria, confirmed that his arrest by the General Security Administration on Wednesday morning was a "limited issue that has been resolved."
Al-Khatib had returned to his office in the Sayyeda Zainab area following his release, he confirmed in a statement delivered via a video posted on Facebook.
The cleric reassured the public about his situation, urging them not to worry about his personal status or that of the Shiite community.
Sheikh al-Khatib stated that "all issues are addressed through cooperation and coordination with the new regime," adding that "certain complications, which can be resolved amicably, may arise—especially as we emerge from a 14-year war."
In this context, the representative of the Shiite community in Syria emphasized that "comprehensive coordination between the state's official institutions, in all their diversity, and the followers of Ahl al-Bayt and their representatives helps prevent such complications, which might otherwise be misinterpreted as a hostile stance" against the Shiite community.
He continued, "We have declared our support for the new regime and are coordinating with officials to resolve any issue."
"We are Syrians, standing with our country and homeland, and we want to be part of this nation alongside all our people, hand in hand, to build a modern Syria—a state of justice and law that embraces all its citizens and communities in a unified, fully sovereign country."
Sheikh al-Khatib's statement comes following his release by the General Security Administration, approximately two hours after his arrest outside the Sayyeda Zainab shrine, along with his son and assistant, without any reasons being disclosed.
It is noteworthy that a couple of days after al-Assad's ousting, armed groups attempted to assault the Sayyeda Zeinab shrine.
Footage showed armed men attempting to enter the shrine with their weapons but were forced to remain in the courtyard and were banned from entering the shrine where the tomb is located.
According to Al Mayadeen's exclusive sources, this occurred after the shrine’s defenders withdrew to avoid escalating tensions, having been assured that the site would remain protected from desecration.
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