Syrian religious leader gives al-Sharaa’s U.N. speech the cold shoulder

Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa made his international debut last week before the U.N. General Assembly, promising solidarity and stability. But his failure to mention sectarian violence against religious minorities has frustrated some who say he hasn’t done enough. 

Mr. al-Sharaa spent much of his speech detailing the horrors of the regime of former President Bashar Assad, whose family ruled Syria from the 1970s until last December, contrasting those abuses with his regime, which he said is dedicated to respecting the rights of all Syrians.

“Syria has transformed from an exporter of crisis to an opportunity for peace for Syria and the region,” he said. “This unique Syrian achievement and the solidarity between our peoples have led us to try to uproot sectarianism and to fight against attempts to divide our country once again, but the Syrian people are aware enough to understand and to resist.”

Despite his insistence that his administration will bring those who have “blood of Syrian people” on their hands to justice, religious minorities have experienced waves of violence since Mr. al-Sharaa assumed power. Human rights analysts say Alawites, Christians, Druze and Kurdish minorities have faced violence this year at the hands of government-affiliated forces, resulting in thousands of deaths. 

Thousands of Alawite community members were reportedly killed in March by government-aligned forces.

Alawites are an Islamic religious minority who believe that Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, is the true heir to the prophet. Their beliefs are considered heretical in mainstream Islamic thought, and Alawites have been persecuted the past 10 centuries.

Morhaf Ibrahim, president of the Alawites Association of the United States, said Mr. al-Sharaa’s failure to mention the violence committed against religious minorities is a serious failure and reflects a disconnect with reality. 

“It is the culture, and it is the policy of this regime to keep targeting Alawites, minorities, including Kurds and Druze and Christians, who are in a dire situation,” Mr. Ibrahim told The Washington Times. “We believe that President al-Sharaa speaks nicely, but his speech isn’t reflective of what is going on in Syria and what his actual plans are. The words are nice words, but the reality is different.”

Christian churches in Syria have been under threat since the fall of the Assad regime. The Mar Elias Church was bombed in June, killing 30 people and injuring more than 50. Christian churches and homes in Suwayda province have also been attacked, with nearly 40 Christian homes burned or vandalized in July.

Druze minority members in Suwayda experienced perhaps the most dramatic confrontation with Syrian government forces this year. After violent clashes with anti-Druze Bedouin tribes in the province, Syrian government forces went as peacekeepers there in July. However, fighting broke out among Druze militia, Bedouin fighters and government troops. 

The violence escalated further when Israel, which sees Druze minorities in Syria as an ally in the region, bombed government forces in Suwayda and Damascus. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, over 1,000 people were killed, including hundreds of civilians.

A ceasefire agreement was then announced, with Mr. al-Sharaa handing over security responsibility in the region to Druze community leaders.