Syria's spiritual leaders call for halt of bloodshed amid massacres

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen + Agencies
8 Mar 2025 21:05
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Spiritual leaders in Syria reject the systematic killings and call for dialogue among the country's people.

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Reinforcement Syrian security forces deploy in the outskirts of Latakia, Syria, Friday, March 7, 2025 (AP)

The Christian churches, while strongly condemning any act that undermines civil peace, also denounce and reject the massacres targeting innocent citizens, the patriarchs of Syria said in a joint statement, as a war monitor said more than 500 people from the country's minority Alawite community have been killed in recent days.

The patriarchs said that in recent days, Syria has witnessed "a dangerous escalation in violence, abuse, and killings," resulting in harm to innocent civilian citizens, including women and children.

They noted that these acts also involved the violation of homes and their sanctity, as well as the theft of property.

The statement emphasized the urgent need "to put an end to these horrific acts that contradict all human and ethical values."

The churches also called for an expedited effort to create the conditions necessary for national reconciliation among the Syrian people and to establish an environment that facilitates the transition to a state that respects all its citizens and fosters a society based on equal citizenship and genuine partnership, "free from the logic of revenge and exclusion."

At the same time, they reaffirmed Syria's territorial integrity and rejected any attempt to partition the country.

The patriarchs urged all relevant parties within Syria to bear their responsibilities in halting "the cycle of violence" and to work toward peaceful solutions that preserve human dignity and safeguard national unity.

"We pray that God preserves Syria and its people, and that peace prevails across its land," the statement concluded.

'Fires ignited under sectarian banners will burn all of Syria'

On his part, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria, called for an immediate cessation of military operations along the Syrian coast, expressing his rejection of "systematic killings".

"We appeal to all parties to adhere to the law, international principles, and conventions that prohibit the killing of innocent civilians," Sheikh al-Hajri stressed in a statement.

The Druze leader underscored that offenders must be held accountable under the rule of law, justice, and fair trial, "away from the language of violence and revenge."

"We place the responsibility on the guarantor countries for all parties to take immediate and effective action to end this tragedy without delay," he asserted.

Sheikh al-Hajri warned that "the fires ignited under sectarian banners will burn all of Syria and its people," urging "the rational voices from all sides to intervene immediately to halt the bloodshed and prevent the country from descending into an irreparable abyss."

"Let the disputes be settled at the negotiating table, not in the battlefield with the killing of innocents," he indicated.

'Cycle of violence will bring no good to anyone'

Similarly, Sayyed Abdullah Nizam, the President of the Islamic Scholarly Assembly for the Followers of Ahl al-Bayt in Syria, asserted that "the cycle of violence sweeping through the country and the sectarian rhetoric will bring no good to anyone."

"Blood does not stop blood, and violence does not end violence," he said, underscoring that "it is imperative for everyone to halt the violence and engage in genuine, serious dialogue that defines the social and political face of Syria, one that is accepted by the majority of its citizens and that takes into consideration the diversity of all its segments."

Sayyed Nizam stressed that Syria belongs to all its citizens and that every Syrian has the right to live on its land in peace, security, dignity, and honor.

"Our people must not fall for calls to engage in armed conflict or to attack the state," he added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Saturday reported that 532 Alawite civilians "were killed in the coastal regions of Syria and the Latakia mountains by security forces and allied groups."

The Alawites are a religious minority to which the toppled president Bashar al-Assad happens to belong.

The Britain-based Observatory said they were killed in "executions" carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters" and accompanied by "looting of homes and properties".

The civilian deaths brought the overall toll since Thursday to 745, after clashes killed 93 members of the new government's security forces and 120 militants reportedly affiliated with the former regime, according to the Observatory's figures.

The Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the offensive that toppled al-Assad in December, has vowed to protect Syria's religious and ethnic minorities.

The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria, has reported multiple massacres in recent days, with women and children among the killed.

"The vast majority of the victims were summarily executed by elements affiliated to the ministry of defence and the interior," the monitor pointed out on Friday.