Druze demand self determination in largest protest held since deadly clashes in Syria
Some of the protesters waved Israeli flags to thank Israel for intervening on their side during heavy clashes in mid-July between militias of the Druze minority and armed tribal groups and government forces.
Protesters raised Druze flags and pictures of Sheikh al-Aql Hikmat al-Hajri. They chanted, 'Sweida is free, free… al-Golani must get out.' Protesters also held up signs reading, 'The right to self-determination is a sacred right for Sweida,' 'We demand the opening of a humanitarian crossing,' and 'Expel the General Security forces from our villages.'
Some posters thanked Israel for intervening on their side during the heavy clashes in mid-July between the Druze and government forces
Interim president Ahmed Sharra used to be known as Abu Mohammad Al Golani, when he headed up the al Qaeda linked al Nusra Front which created many problems for the Druze community
Saturday's demonstration comes as Syria grapples with deep ethnic and religious divisions following the collapse of the Assad regime last December. The transition has proven fragile, with renewed violence erupting against the Aalwites in March along the coast and in July in Sweida, a city with a significant Druze population, highlighting the continued threat to peace after years of civil war.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian war monitor, said the protesters expressed their rejection of the interim central government in Damascus and demanded that those responsible for atrocities against Druze be brought to justice.
Rayyan Maarouf, who heads the activist media collective Suwayda 24, said Saturday's demonstration in Sweida was the largest since last months's clashes, and that there were similar gatherings in areas including the nearby towns of Shahba and Salkhad.
He added that this is the first time people protested under the slogan of self determination.
'This is an unprecedented change for the Druze in Syria,' Maarouf told The Associated Press.
Clashes erupted on July 13 between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes in Sweida. Government forces then intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up essentially siding with the Bedouins against the Druze.
Israel intervened in defence of the Druze, launching dozens of airstrikes on convoys of government fighters and even striking the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus.
Atrocities were committed during the clashes that left hundreds of people dead.
The new interim government set up a committee last month tasked with investigating attacks on civilians in the sectarian violence in the country's south. It is supposed to issue a report within three months.
The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Islam. Over half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most other Druze live in Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981.
Fear
According to observers 'More than a decade after the Syrian revolution began, a new chapter is being written—but instead of hope, it is soaked in fear, especially for Syria's minority communities. With the collapse of the Assad regime, the rise of a Sunni-majority leadership under figures like
Ahmed al-Sharaa
has brought not stability, but renewed anxiety. Minorities such as the Druze, Alawites, and Christians—once wary of Assad but now terrified of what follows—are facing systematic violence and abandonment. Thousands have been killed since Sharaa took over'
The observers added: 'These aren't isolated incidents. They are part of a disturbing pattern that suggests the new rulers are either unwilling or incapable of protecting Syria's rich mosaic of identities. The result is a growing exodus, as minorities increasingly view departure as their only guarantee of survival.'
'This failure to govern inclusively not only betrays Syria's remaining social fabric, but it opens the door to international fragmentation. External powers, already present in Syria in various forms, are monitoring closely. Some may seek to intervene under the guise of humanitarian concern; others may exploit the chaos to carve out influence. Either path leads to the same end: the partition of Syria into sectarian or ethnic cantons, forever ending the dream of a unified state.'
AP/ YL
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Islamist fighters sign a petition to obtain Syrian citizenship
Foreign fighters who participated in the Syrian civil war have recently requested Syrian citizenship from the new Islamist government in Damascus, arguing that they have earned it for the role they played in seizing power alongside the rebels who overthrew former leader Bashar al-Assad last December, Reuters reports. The fate of foreign fighters has been uncertain since Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took power, as few states are willing to host these individuals, often considered extremists, and whom Syrians themselves distrust. Many fighters and their families, as well as others, including humanitarian workers and journalists who joined the rebels, do not have proper documentation. Some have been stripped of their original nationality and fear long prison sentences or even death in their home countries. However, granting them Syrian citizenship could harm Syria's relations with the foreign states in question, even as the new Syrian government seeks their support for unifying and rebuilding a country devastated by war and shaken by sectarian massacres, the agency notes. A petition submitted Thursday to the Syrian Ministry of Interior argues that foreigners should be granted Syrian citizenship so they can settle, own land, and even travel. 'We have shared bread, we have shared pain, and we have shared the hope of a free and just future for Syria… Yet, for us, the muhajireen (emigrants), our status remains uncertain,' the letter reads. 'We respectfully request that the Syrian leaders, with wisdom, insight and fraternity, grant us full Syrian citizenship and the right to hold a Syrian passport,' it continues. The letter was submitted to the ministry by Bilal Abdel Karim, an American actor turned war journalist who has been living in Syria since 2012 and is a prominent figure among foreign Islamists in the country. He stated that the petition aims to help thousands of foreigners from more than a dozen countries. These include Egyptians, Saudis, Lebanese, Pakistanis, Indonesians and Maldivians, as well as British, German, French, American, Canadian and people of Chechen and Uyghur origin. It was not possible to determine how many people supported the petition for citizenship, but three foreigners in Syria — a Briton, a Uyghur and a Frenchman — confirmed that they had. A spokesperson for the Syrian Ministry of Interior said that it is up to the Syrian presidency to decide on the issue of foreign citizenship. In the weeks following his rise to power, interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former HTS leader, stated that foreign fighters and their families could obtain Syrian citizenship, but no public information has been provided on the matter since.
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
The mayor of a town on the southern Lebanese border comes under Israeli fire
The Israeli army opened fire toward the mayor of Mari, Salmane Abou al-Alaa, while he was inspecting the border area of Abbasieh, reports our correspondent in southern Lebanon, Muntasser Abdallah. 'During a tour I was conducting with members of the Southern Council to inspect the border village of Abbasieh, the Israelis deliberately fired near us, forcing us to halt our tour and leave the area,' the elected official told our publication. These shootings come as the Israeli army continues to violate the truce concluded nearly nine months ago between Israel and Hezbollah. In this context, an Israeli drone dropped a sonic bomb on the town of Kfar Kila in the Marjayoun district and on the village of Ramieh in the Bint Jbeil district on Saturday. Another Israeli drone targeted an excavator on the outskirts of Aitaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, near the town of Blida. Katz confronts Aoun On another note, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz sent 'a direct message' to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday. 'We consider you, along with the Lebanese government, directly responsible for maintaining Lebanon's sovereignty and implementing the cease-fire agreement. We will not return to the situation that prevailed before Oct. 7 and will continue to act forcefully against any violation,' he emphasized, shortly after the Israeli army carried out strikes in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Army, General Rodolphe Haykal, inspected on Friday the site of last Saturday's explosion at a weapons depot in the Sour district, which had killed six soldiers. 'The army has no option but to continue fulfilling its duty in the face of repeated aggressions by the Israeli enemy, as safeguarding the homeland is a sacred mission for which sacrifices are required,' he stressed. Recently, the Lebanese authorities tasked the Lebanese Army with developing a plan to disarm Hezbollah, a decision strongly contested by the party.
LBCI
7 hours ago
- LBCI
Protesters in Syria's Druze heartland demand right to self-determination
Hundreds demonstrated in Syria's Sweida on Saturday, denouncing last month's sectarian violence and calling for the right to self-determination for the Druze-majority province, an AFP correspondent reported. A week of bloodshed began on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin, but rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and volunteers from other parts of Syria. Syrian authorities have said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses, Druze factions, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have accused them of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses against the Druze, including summary executions. The Observatory has said the violence killed some 1,600 people, many of them Druze civilians. In one of Sweida's main squares, some demonstrators waved the Israeli flag, the correspondent reported. Israel, which has its own Druze community, bombed government forces during last month's violence, saying it was acting to defend the minority group as well as enforce its demands for the demilitarisation of southern Syria. Other protesters chanted "free free Sweida... Jolani out," referring to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose nom de guerre as an Islamist rebel commander was Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. Some held placards, one reading "the right to self-determination is a sacred right for Sweida," while another demanded an aid corridor from neighbouring Jordan. "Today Sweida has taken a stand... under the slogan of the right to self-determination," resident Munif Rashid, 51, told AFP. "This is Sweida's position today, and no one can blame it because the assault it faced was not normal." A live broadcast by the Suwayda 24 news outlet showed a woman telling the applauding crowd: "We do not want self-administration or federal rule, we want full independence." Demonstrator Mustafa Sehnawi, who said he was a U.S.-Syrian dual national, told AFP: "We've been under siege for more than one month. We call on the international community... to open (humanitarian) corridors." Residents have accused the government of imposing a blockade, something officials have denied, pointing to the entry of several aid convoys. State media said another convoy entered the province on Saturday. But the Observatory said the main Damascus-Sweida highway was still cut, accusing armed groups linked to the government of blocking the resumption of normal trade. Last month, authorities announced the formation of a committee to investigate the Sweida violence. AFP
