Tensions in al-Sayyida Zaynab, rural Damascus risk civil conflict

The security and sectarian tension continues to hang over al-Sayyida Zaynab area and rural Damascus, accompanied by a heavy security presence and increasing friction among the local communities, our correspondent reported.

Amid this tense atmosphere, residents are staying at home out of fear that any escalation could turn into military confrontations.

Last night, demonstrations took place in  al-Sayyida Zaynab, attended by dozens, during which slogans were raised calling for the "destruction of a Shiite shrine" and accusing Sheikh Adham Al-Khatib (representative of Shiite cleric Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah) of "inciting sedition."

These demonstrations came a week after the reopening of "Husseiniyat Al-Zahra" in the city, which drew objections from some residents, particularly those coming from the Golan and other parts of Syria, who consider the presence of Husseiniyat to "stir sectarian sensitivities."

Meanwhile, rural Damascus is witnessing a new wave of sectarian tension that threatens to explode, particularly in the town of Hajira, where the imam of a local mosque led a public campaign inciting against the Shiite community in the area, personally participating in demonstrations calling to "confront the Shiite expansion" and "expel them."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) documented this escalation, warning that it threatens the already fragile social cohesion in Damascus and its surroundings. The SOHR also cautioned against the growth of sectarian and exclusionary rhetoric, calling on international bodies to pressure the Syrian authorities to take immediate measures to prevent further deterioration, ensure respect for freedom of belief, and preserve coexistence among Syria’s diverse communities.

The SOHR reported that the imam played "a key role in inflaming sectarian feelings and urging residents to confront the Shiite community, raising serious fears of the tension spreading and sectarian alignments resurfacing in southern Damascus areas."

The current escalation is believed to be linked to earlier statements by Sheikh Al-Khatib, who, in a Friday sermon on August 12, criticized what he described as "violations and abuses" against the Shiite community, citing house confiscations, expulsions, and theft of property "under threat of arms" and on flimsy pretexts.

Shiite circles view the campaign against Sheikh Al-Khatib as part of a broader targeting of the Shiite presence in the region.

A-H

ANHA