Ahl al-Bayt Association Head: Islam’s core promotes coexistence, religious pluralism

Sheikh Adnan Alawi, Head of the Ahl al-Bayt Association in al-Tabqa Canton, attributed the spread of distorted concepts of Islam to a set of interrelated factors, foremost among them the absence of moderate religious references, the marginalization of centrist scholars over many years, and the exploitation of religion for political ends by extremist groups and political Islamist parties. He also pointed to religious ignorance, weak sound religious education, and the wide space given to populist and emotional rhetoric.

Alawi explained that the harsh conditions experienced by Syrians nwar, poverty, and displacement have played a major negative role, making some segments of youth easy prey for extremist thought that exploits pain and feelings of injustice.

He also pointed to the role played by unregulated media and social media platforms in spreading fragmented religious edicts (fatwas) and inciteful discourse, which have contributed to entrenching these false concepts.

Alawi emphasized that understanding and explaining Islam should only be undertaken by trustworthy scholars who combine sound religious knowledge, an objectives-based understanding of religious texts, and awareness of people’s realities and their time. Religion, as he stated, is not a field for experimentation or unregulated individual interpretations; leaving it to the ignorant or self-proclaimed figures leads to distorting Sharia and transforming it from a message of mercy into a tool of conflict.

He noted that Syrian society is, by nature, a centrist and moderate society, raised on tolerance, coexistence, and respect for religious and sectarian diversity. Despite the intellectual fragmentation it has been subjected to, it still possesses a sound religious memory and the capacity to return to moderation whenever sincere discourse and trustworthy scholars are available. However, this awareness requires continuous reinforcement through education, balanced religious discourse, and the role of religious and social institutions.

The Head of the Ahl al-Bayt Association in al-Tabqa Canton stressed that it has become more necessary than ever for senior Muslim scholars in Syria and the wider Islamic world to unite in establishing a clear religious framework that criminalizes takfir, extremism, and violence in the name of religion, and that affirms the objectives of Islamic law in preserving life, intellect, religion, and human dignity. He emphasized that individual efforts are no longer sufficient and that there is an urgent need for a unified, collective scholarly stance.

Alawi underscored that Islam is a religion of reform and construction before it is a system of governance; it came to build the human being, refine morals, establish justice, and safeguard human dignity. Authority in Islam, he said, is a means to serve people, not an end in itself, and a moral responsibility rather than a tool of domination. He noted that many parties erred by turning Islam into a project of power, which distorted its image and alienated people from it.

The Message of the Democratic Islam Conference

Alawi explained that the message of the Democratic Islam Conference is based on affirming that Islam is a religion of justice, mercy, and coexistence, compatible with the values of freedom, human dignity, and pluralism. Among the conference’s main objectives are correcting misconceptions about Islam, reviving a moderate and centrist religious discourse, and confronting extremist ideology in all its forms through intellectual, societal, and awareness-based efforts that communicate with people in their own language and address their lived reality.

He affirmed that the values of religious coexistence are clearly applied in the regions of North and East Syria, where different religions, sects, and ethnicities live together in peace, all places of worship are respected, and people practice their religious rituals freely without exclusion or discrimination. This model reflects the true essence of Islam, based on the Qur’anic verse: “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion” (Qur’an 109:6), and the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Whoever harms a non-Muslim under protection harms me.”

Alawi concluded by stressing: “The Islam we believe in and call for today is an Islam of moderation, mercy, and justice not an Islam of the sword nor an Islam of chaos.” He emphasized that the responsibility of restoring this voice to its rightful place lies with scholars, institutions, and society together, so that Syria may once again become a land of moderation, tolerance, and living faith.

ANHA