Jazira canton notables: rooted popular consciousness discourages conflict

Social leaders and prominent figures of al-Jazira Canton in North and East Syria released a broad dismissal of attempts to drive discord and destabilize the social coexistence among the region's communities, with them indicating that there is no stronger loyalty than those between them for thousands of years that is more dominating than sectarian or ethnic desires.

For this purpose, Mohammad Rashad Izzat Haj Khalil, notable of al-Umari tribe of the Kurdish people residing in the city of Ad-Darbasiyah, narrated: "Efforts to stoke divisions among the populations in North and East Syria are being made by the transitional government in Damascus, as was the case with the previous Baath administration before it."

He also said, "The provisional government committed massacres against Syrian minorities, among them the Alawites and Druze of the Syrian coast and Sweida, but the tribes of northeastern Syria know of these attempts and stand under the banner of coexistence. They cannot be divided. All need to beware sedition and treachery."

He also emphasized that "the people's only hope today is the Syrian Democratic Forces, which unites our people from different communities. The people have lost thousands of martyrs and wounded for the sake of coexistence and a free and dignified life, and we support the Syrian Democratic Forces in confronting all the attacks."

In his turn, Nasr al-Abdullah, leader of the al-Bakara tribe in Tal Tamr, explained, "We have been coexisting decades as Muslims and Christians, Arabs and Kurds, and Syriac and Assyrian, and we are proud to be a living witness of coexistence between the communities."

He also added, "All attempts to bring about discord between the people have failed throughout the years because of social awareness. Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, many parties have tried to bring about chaos and disintegration, but we, tribes, have been united as we are certain that we are powerful if we stand united."

Al-Abdullah called for "enhancing the language of dialogue and understanding, and preventing fanaticism and hate speech," commending the efforts of civil institutions and the autonomous administration in support of the values of coexistence.

Social leader Professor Musa al-Wakaa in al-Hol said, "We have coexisted since ancient times, being the Syrian social fabric as one hand, one family."

Al-Wakaa called for "prudence against being drawn into any nationalist or sectarian path that could result in undermining this robust fabric," concluding his speech, emphasizing, "Desperate racist attempts will not split us today."

ANHA