Jurist: Damascus's exclusionary policies open the door to new civil war in Syria

Regarding the exclusionary policy practiced by the Damascus authority against the Syrian people, regardless of their components, political and human rights activist Gabriel Mustafa told ANHA's agency that these components will not accept any settlement imposed by force or that marginalizes their rights.

Mustafa Gabriel explained: "Regarding the parties that seek to create discord and exclude other nationalities, components, and ethnicities in Syria under the pretext of state sovereignty, they themselves do not serve national sovereignty or the unity of Syrian territory, as Syria has historically been a mosaic and relies on geographical and historical foundations based on ethnic, cultural, and sectarian diversity."

The policies of the transitional government and the possibility of the return of the defunct Ba'ath Party scenario

Mustafa pointed to the danger of exclusionary policies on Syria's future and the possibility of the return of the oppressive Ba'ath regime scenarios, affirming: "When these people exclude these nationalities and ethnicities, they are repeating the scenarios of the fallen Ba'ath regime that ruled Syria all these years, under the pretext that the Ba'ath Party is the leading party of the state and society with slogans of the national state and others. We have seen the result of these slogans, which contradict the geographical, historical, cultural, and ethnic diversity of Syria, leading to the destruction and displacement of more than 8 million Syrians within their homeland, while the other half of the population became refugees in neighboring countries, in addition to the martyrdom of more than a million Syrian civilians and other cases of poverty."

Mustafa highlighted the cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity in Syria and said: "When we want to build a new, unified Syria, we must rely on historical and geographical foundations, which are confirmed by archaeology. Historically, Syria has ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity among Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Alawites, Druze, and Ismailis, in addition to the Yazidi faith, Sunni and Shia Muslims, and Christians. Therefore, there should be objectivity and courage in restructuring the new Syrian government according to this diversity, without excluding anyone."

"The continuation of massacres and calamities is a result of Damascus's exclusionary policy and the prevailing hate speech."

The activist recalls the results of the current Damascus authority's policies on Syrians during its rule, which lasted no more than a few months, saying: "As a result of the formation of the government and what is called the National Dialogue Conference, which was held on the basis of a single nationality and a single color, we have seen catastrophic effects resulting from it. The massacres against the Alawites in the Syrian coast, which left more than 20,000 civilian victims, in addition to the violations occurring against the Druze, as well as the violations we witness and document daily against all components, sects, and ethnicities in the other Syrian provinces."

Gabriel Mustafa pointed out that: "The policies followed by the Damascus authority are causing a rift and increasing hate speech among the Syrian components, and they fall under the category of a special war, which is very dangerous. These speeches will lead this people to a civil war. Therefore, the honorable, the wise, and the patriots should reject these practices and speeches, and the transitional government should issue decrees and laws that criminalize any sectarian speech, in addition to holding meetings to raise societal awareness among all Syrians."

The system of decentralization and autonomous administrations is a solution for Syria.

Mustafa emphasized: "It is necessary to draft a new Syrian constitution and launch a new Syrian National Conference dialogue, in which all Syrians participate according to national, ethnic, cultural, and social diversity, so that we can build a new Syria for all Syrians, a democratic, pluralistic, decentralized Syria." He stated that excluding any components, ethnicities, or nationalities would lead Syria to a civil war, and this war would be a disaster for all Syrians.

Gabriel Mustafa addressed a message to all Syrians, both inside and outside the country, urging them to "play their national role and rely on historical and social foundations; for example, before the Ba'ath Party took power in Syria, there was no distinction between Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, and Christians. Instead, there was a societal cohesion among the Syrian people. Therefore, the Syrian people must restore this societal cohesion based on cultural and religious diversity and respect for this diversity, in order to avoid another civil war in the country where there will be no winners and all Syrians will pay the price."

T/S

ANHA