The spiritual leader of Syrian Druze minority launched a tough Tirad against new authorities in Damascus on Thursday, calling the government “extremists, men of hope.”
The criticism by Sheikh Hikumat al-Hijiri, spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze Unitarian community and one of the most vocal critics of the post-Bashar al-Assad order, came after the recent mass murders on the country’s west coast.
Syria is a majority Muslim. However, the future of minorities under the current regime, controlled by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), has taken the central stage after 1,400 people estimated to have been killed last week in an HTS-led campaign against the Alawites, the sect that President Besha al-Assad attacked.
“It doesn’t match the existing government in Damascus. It’s an extremist government in every sense,” Sheikh al-Hij told the Druze delegation at his headquarters in southern Svaida, according to footage taken at the conference. One of his aides confirmed that the footage was authentic.
“To be clear: it is a government whose members are desired by international justice. We as Syrians in this regard, we will not accept,” Sheikh al-Hijiri said. HTS is classified as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, the United States, and most Western countries.
“Our goals are justice and law,” Sheikh al-Hijiri said. “These are our rights, so as a sect, we are heading towards what suits us and we are in line with our priorities.”