Hekmat al-Hijri: statement of spiritual leadership of the sect issued under pressure

In a video address to the people of Sweida, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria, announced that the recent statement issued in the name of the Spiritual leadership, which welcomed the entry of Interior and Defense Forces into the city, came under pressure and coercion, not of their own free will.

Sheikh al-Hijri said that what is happening in Sweida is worrying and dangerous, emphasizing his absolute rejection of the governorate becoming an arena for violence and fighting. He emphasized that the blood being shed in the streets does not satisfy conscience or religion, calling on the people of the mountain to adhere to wisdom and dignity and reject dictates imposed by force.

He added, "We do not accept that anything we do not believe in be written in our name. The statement was issued under intense pressure. From this moment, we absolve ourselves of any position that does not express our true voice." He emphasized that the Spiritual Presidency stands with the people, not with the parties that besiege or terrorize them.

The statement issued earlier today, in the name of the spiritual leadership, welcomed the intervention of state forces and called for the surrender of weapons. This sparked widespread resentment among residents, who felt the statement did not reflect the true position of the spiritual leadership.

With Sheikh al-Hajri's announcement that the statement was imposed on them under pressure from local and regional powers, the political equation in Sweida shifts, raising new questions about the course of the security escalation and the role of the authorities in it.

In his speech, al-Hajri emphasized that the solution in Sweida cannot be repressive, but rather through honest dialogue and respect for the dignity of the people, adding: "We will not sell our children or compromise our freedom, and whoever thinks that the mountain will kneel is delusional."

These statements come amid unprecedented security tensions in Sweida, with ongoing clashes and the deployment of transitional government forces around the city, amid a stifling siege and widespread fear that the situation could escalate into something more dangerous, with a massive wave of displacement.

Sh-S

ANHA