Syria's religious leadership: Osama Al-Rifai appointed Grand Mufti

Shafaq News

29-03-2025

Shafaq News/ Syria's transitional President Ahmad Al-Sharaa has appointed Sheikh Osama bin Abdul Karim al-Rifai as the country's Grand Mufti.
During a conference to inaugurate the newly formed Supreme Fatwa Council, a body tasked with issuing religious rulings, Al-Sharaa said, 'We were compelled to rebuild what the fallen regime had destroyed across all fields — and among the most important of these was the office of the Grand Mufti.'
'Today, this post is held by one of the most distinguished scholars of the Levant, the esteemed Sheikh al-Rifai — may God preserve him,' he continued.
According to the presidential decree, the Fatwa Council — chaired by al-Rifai and comprised of 14 members — will hold collective responsibility for issuing religious rulings. 'The fatwa is a sacred trust, a declaration made on behalf of God,' Al-Sharaa said, emphasizing that the council must deliberate carefully before issuing any decision.
The council's mandate reportedly includes providing religious guidance on new and evolving issues, issuing rulings on referred matters, appointing regional muftis and fatwa committees, supervising fatwa institutions across the provinces, and offering advisory support.
Decisions will be made by majority vote. In the case of a tie, the Grand Mufti will have the deciding vote. Al-Rifai will also oversee the council's operations and implement its resolutions and recommendations.
Born in Damascus in 1944, al-Rifai is a Syrian preacher and jurist who was a vocal critic of both Hafez and Bashar al-Assad. His support for the 2011 uprising led to state pressure, including alleged beatings and assassination attempts by then-regime loyalists. He was reportedly forced into exile, living in Saudi Arabia and later Turkiye, where he co-founded the Syrian Islamic Council in 2014 alongside other exiled scholars. After the regime's fall, al-Rifai returned to Syria.
On Friday, former regime-appointed mufti Ahmad Hassoun was detained while attempting to leave the country via Damascus Airport. Hassoun was allegedly en route to Jordan for medical treatment when he was taken into custody under an arrest warrant accusing him of "evading justice." His current whereabouts remain unknown.