The Grand Mufti of Syria and Chairman of the Supreme Fatwa Council, Sheikh Osama al-Rifai, on Friday (June 19th) called for adherence to "calm and tranquility" and to refrain from any acts of reprisals that might open the door to "strife", stressing the need to speed up the implementation of transitional justice and hold accountable those accused of crimes committed during the era of the former regime.
His call came in a video speech published by the Supreme Fatwa Council, commenting on the protests taking place in Syrian regions demanding justice and accountability for those involved in violations, and the accompanying security tensions and sporadic incidents.
Warning of individual revenge
Peaceful gatherings demanding justice are legitimate as long as they are disciplined and respect the law, al-Rifai said, but stressed that any deviation from this framework or resort to individual revenge could open a "wide door of strife" and threaten civil peace.
He called on the government to speed up transitional justice procedures, noting that officials "will not fall short" and that they are the sons of this people and their suffering, but at the same time stressed the need to punish those convicted to alleviate the pain of the victims.
Al-Rifai praised the Interior Ministry's arrest of "a large number of defendants", saying it contributes to calming the street, but stressed that ending the suffering requires the completion of trials and the implementation of sentences against those involved.
A call for restraint and recourse to the law
The Grand Mufti urged Syrians to be wise and not to be dragged into calls for revenge, stressing that those involved in crimes and violations must be held accountable through the competent judicial authorities, and that any violation of the law threatens stability and undermines state-building efforts.
Al-Rifai pointed out that Syrians have suffered for decades of injustice and violations, and that the effects of that period are still present in the conscience of society, which makes the demand for justice a legitimate right that cannot be ignored. However, he stressed that this right must be exercised within legal frameworks, away from chaos and emotional reactions.
The mufti warned against parties that may exploit the state of popular anger to stir up strife and destabilize security, calling for not being dragged into any calls of this kind.
At the end of his speech, Al-Rifai called on Syrians to preserve the unity of society, stressing that justice and the rule of law are the only way to address the effects of the past and build a more stable future. He also expressed his confidence in the ability of state institutions to manage this file in a way that achieves fairness and preserves civil peace.
Protests and leaflets threatening
Over the past week, Syria has witnessed protests and demonstration points in a number of provinces, calling for the speedy implementation of transitional justice and the refusal to "refloat" figures who were affiliated with the former regime.
Last week, residents of the city of Deir Ezzor set up a sit-in tent called "Al-Karama Sit-in" to protest the return of one of the families who had been influential in the apparatus of the ousted regime and the militias loyal to it.
In Aleppo, demonstrations spread to several neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city, demanding the speedy accountability of those it described as "shabiha and feloul", while scraps of paper were spread in many areas of the Damascus countryside threatening the deposed regime loyalists and fighters and demanding that they stay at home and "wait for the reckoning."
In Damascus, residents demonstrated in the Mezzeh neighborhood to demand accountability for the "remnants of the regime" who was ousted, and similar protests were also held in the Barzeh neighborhood.
In Idlib, the province witnessed many demonstration points concentrated in Saraqeb, Kafr Nabl, Urum al-Joz, Jisr al-Shughour, Maarat al-Numan, Kafr Takharim, Kafr Oweid, and others, demanding the expulsion of the "shabiha of the ousted regime", holding them accountable and accelerating the implementation of transitional justice.
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