A Cry For Humanity: The Druze People Amid The Tragedy In Syria
Sheikh Dr. Kasem Bader
On July 15, reports from southern Syria indicated that Syrian government military forces forcibly shaved the moustaches of Druze men. Jews endured the same treatment under the Nazi regime.
On July 16, 2025, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) published on its Facebook page a video showing a Syrian soldier wearing an ISIS patch on his body armor. In the video, the soldier said that the Ansar Al‑Tawhid Brigades of the Syrian 82nd Division were preparing to enter the Druze city of Sweida in order to "purify it" from what he called the "filth" of Druze leader Hikmat Al‑Hijri and his followers. (Source: See MEMRI TV clip 12156, Syrian Soldier Wearing ISIS Patch Says Before Entering Druze City Of Sweida: We Will Purify The City Of Druze Filth, July 16, 2025)
What Is Happening In Sweida Is A Humanitarian Crisis
As someone from this community, I speak with both heartbreak and urgency. What is happening today in Sweida and the surrounding regions is not just a regional conflict. It is a humanitarian crisis. Extremist groups have targeted our people simply for who we are – people of faith, of peace, of coexistence.
We do not seek vengeance. We do not raise weapons in hate. We raise our voices in truth. The world must know: The silence surrounding these atrocities is deafening.
Where is the international community? Where are the protectors of human rights? Where is the justice for children executed in front of their parents? For mothers who have buried their sons? For holy men who were dishonored in their homes?
This is a call for action – not tomorrow, but today.
We, the Druze, are few in number but strong in spirit. We are not asking for privilege. We are demanding protection. Recognition. Intervention.
*Sheikh Dr. Kasem Bader is a Druze leader, President and Founder of the Universal Peace Council for Human Rights.
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