New prime minister says Syria will have religious freedom

Mohamed al-Bashir, decided last Wednesday (Dec 11, 2024) that the rebel group that overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime will guarantee the rights of all religions in the country. The new chancellor, who takes charge of the transition until March 1, asked Syrians who fled because of the war to return to the country.

Bashir has adopted a more moderate stance since taking power. For him, the true meaning of Islam has been distorted by the behavior of extremist groups. Despite having a Sunni Muslim majority, Syria has large Christian communities, as well as other lines of Islam.

“The bad behavior of some Islamist groups has led many people, especially in the West, to associate Muslims with terrorism and Islam with extremism. This arises from erroneous actions and a lack of understanding. Thus, the true meaning of Islam, which is the ‘religion of justice’, has been distorted. Precisely because we are Islamic, we will guarantee the rights of all people and sects in Syria”, Bashir told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

The Prime Minister also said that one of the priorities of his administration is to “bring back the millions of Syrian refugees abroad. Your human capital, your experience, will allow the country to prosper. My appeal is to all Syrians abroad: Syria is now a free country that has gained its pride and dignity. They come back. We must rebuild, be reborn and we need everyone’s help”said the chancellor.

Mohamed al-Bashir also explained that Syria addressed the international community to explain the objective of the revolution led by the rebels. “Since the beginning of military operations, we have addressed countries such as Iraq, the People’s Republic of China and many others to explain that our revolution was aimed at freeing Syrians from Bashar al-Assad. And we were understood. Therefore, we have no problem with any person, state, party or sect distancing themselves from Assad’s bloodthirsty regime.”commented the prime minister.