Syrian Grand Mufti: 'They want to divide us into several quasi-states'.

Syrian Grand Mufti: 'They want to divide us into several quasi-states'. (RBTH).

The civil war in Syria is witnessing the participation of representatives of the most varied faiths and from all sides. Some of the conflicting sides are using religious slogans for mobilizing their adherents. Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun speaks about how to stop the bloodshed and why the root of the conflict lies not only in religious antagonisms.

There is a common narrative that the civil war taking place in Syria is an interreligious conflict. Is this so?

It is true that in the four years of the war it has always been depicted as an interreligious war. But it's not so. Everyone is running from the places controlled by the Islamic State (IS) or the al-Nusra Front: Christians, Sunnis and Alawites. And they are running to places where the Syrian army is established. The provinces of Al-Raqqah and Idlib are regions where only Sunnis live, yet for some reason those same Sunnis are running away from the al-Nusra Front, which positions itself as the "protector of the Sunnis."


Syria is a secular state and 70 years ago we even had a Christian prime minister. We are currently the only country in the Middle East where children in school have only one subject on religion. In the universities Christians and Muslims study together. In order to enter the government it is not necessary to represent one faith or another.

How would you then characterize this conflict?

The war is now being fought between religious terrorism and the secular government. The war in Syria is not an interreligious war and not a war to topple Assad. It is a war to destroy Syria as the last secular government in the Middle East. All the other Middle Eastern countries became states with a defined religious order a long time ago. This is the case even for Lebanon. It is clearly divided according to religion in several parts: the former president was a Maronite Christian, the speaker of parliament is a Shiite and it is only this balance that helps maintain peace there.

In Jordan the king must be a Hashemite. In Saudi Arabia the ruling dynasty is Sunni and must be composed of members of the Saudi family. In Iraq the president must be a Sunni and the prime minister a Shiite. In Turkey the president must only be a Muslim.

Syria remains the only country where the president and the prime minister can be Christians or Shiites or Alawites or Sunnis or even atheists. They want to divide us into several religious quasi-states.

Why then did the war begin and why are government opposition so strong?
In this sense, what is happening in our country has a non-Syrian nature. It is enough to say that from the first day of the war there were two bases: one in Jordan and another in Turkey. For three years Syria had resisted all these forces rather successfully. Then they provoked the entry of the IS into our country. Now there are 30,000 Uyghur Muslims from China and militants from Chechnya, the UK and a series of European countries fighting against us. They are all killing people regardless of the faiths that the victims adhere to. By the way, these terrorists have killed more Sunnis during the war than anyone else.


When representatives of Saudi Arabia said that Russia is supporting the Shiites against the Sunnis, Putin correctly responded that Russia is just supporting the Syrians in their war against terrorists and not the government of the country or the Shiites or anyone else. Read the full story here.

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Video - Turkish border cameras capture 2 ISIS fighters get blown up on own landmine

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Syria - Assad's troops plant landmines along border to stop refugees fleeing to Turkey: official.

Syria - Assad's troops plant landmines along border to stop refugees fleeing to Turkey: official.(AA).(TheDailyMail).As the Syrian revolt entered its second year on Thursday, around 1,000 refugees crossed into Turkey in one day, Turkish officials said.
Turkey said 1,000 refugees had crossed into Turkey from Syria in the last 24 hours, bringing the total of registered Syrian refugees in Turkey to some 14,000.An official said: “We expect this to continue as long as the operation goes on in Idlib.”
Troops have planted landmines along routes used by people trying to flee President Bashar Assad's regime, it has been claimed.Activists said government forces laid the banned weapons, which they fear will hurt citizens for 'years to come', in areas close to the Turkish border.
The shocking new tactic was revealed as it was confirmed Syria would be sending a team to this summer's Olympics in London, and they will compete under the existing national flag.
New York-based Human Rights Watch's Steve Goose said the mines were planted in the past few days, and added: 'Any use of anti-personnel landmines is unconscionable.
'There is absolutely no justification for the use of these indiscriminate weapons by any country, anywhere, for any purpose.'
The continuation of violence came as the International Olympic Committee today said a small group of Syrian athletes could qualify for the Games.
The United Nations estimates that more than 8,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting. Some 230,000 Syrians have been displaced from their homes, including 30,000 who have fled abroad, raising the prospect of a refugee crisis.
In Syria, the official media announced that government forces had cleared “armed terrorists” from the northwestern city of Idlib and said supporters of President Bashar al-Assad would hold rallies across Syria.
But opponents of Assad’s regime show no sign of backing down and there were reports of continuing clashes in areas around Idlib, as well as close to the central city of Homs, which has been pummeled by the army in recent weeks.
Syrian state television said there would be a “Global March for Syria” to honor those killed by the rebels and video footage showed crowds gathering in a central Damascus square.
The government has blamed foreign powers and “terrorists” for the chaos and say 2,000 soldiers have died in the conflict.Assad confidently predicted at the start of 2011 that Syria was immune from the “Arab Spring,” in which the autocratic leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen were swept from power.
But on March 15, a few dozen protesters braved the streets of Damascus to call for more freedom. Days later riots broke out in Deraa, on the border with Jordan, to protest against the torture of local boys caught writing anti-government graffiti.
Syrian forces are carrying out more than 30 types of torture on prisoners, a report claims.
Amnesty International said civilians held by security forces in the crackdown on anti-government protests were being horrifically abused.The torture methods include crucifixion-type beatings, electric shocks and rape, according to a report based on accounts from Syrians who had fled to Jordan.
A contact in Deraa told Reuters most schools and shops in the main commercial area were closed on Thursday, with hundreds of security forces patrolling the streets. State employees were being ordered to stage a pro-Assad rally, residents said.
A coalition of 200 human rights watchdogs urged Russia to back U.N. action to end the bloodshed in Syria, in a joint statement issued on Thursday marking one year since the violence erupted.“A coalition of 200 NGOs from 27 countries... is demanding that the U.N. Security Council immediately unite and pass a resolution calling on the Syrian government to stop indiscriminate shelling of civilian neighborhoods and other violations of international law, stop arbitrary arrests and torture and grant urgent access to humanitarian workers, journalists and human rights monitors,” the statement said.
The call for the international community to “Unite for Syria: Stop one year of bloodshed” was backed by activists across the world, as well as celebrities including British actor Stephen Fry and Canadian singer Nelly Furtado.
“For a full year, the death toll in Syria has escalated to the horrifying total of more than 8,000 dead, including hundreds of children. Isn't it time for the world to unite behind effective steps to stop this now?” said Ziad Abdel Tawab of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights.
The Institute signed the statement along with the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Christian Aid, CIVICUS and the International Federation of Human Rights.
“Russia and China have twice blocked Security Council action, a defense of Assad that he has interpreted as a licence to kill,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.
“Moscow and Beijing should stop providing diplomatic cover for Syrian atrocities, and start demanding an end to indiscriminate shelling and attacks on peaceful protesters,” he said, quoted in the statement.The NGOs called on the U.N. Security Council to demand the Syrian regime stop shelling protesters; urged the international community to back envoy Kofi Annan; demanded humanitarian access to areas in need of aid; and appealed for the “Friends of Syria” coalition to uphold its aid pledges.Read and see the full story here.More here.