The Prime Minister in charge of the transition in Syria, Mohammad al-Bashir, assured Wednesday that the rights of all faiths will be guaranteed in the country, in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
Acknowledging “the erroneous behavior of certain Islamist groups,” Mohammad al-Bashir insisted that “the meaning of Islam, which is the “religion of justice,” has therefore been distorted.” “It is precisely because we are Islamic that we will guarantee the rights of all people and all faiths in Syria,” he underlines, after promising calm and stability to the Syrians this Tuesday, two days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s power during a dazzling offensive by a coalition of rebels.
Comments which echo those made by Pope Francis this Wednesday, at the end of his general audience in Saint Peter’s Square where he called on the various religions in Syria to “friendship and mutual respect”.
Bad memories of ISIS
Speaking of “this delicate moment in its history”, the sovereign pontiff expressed the hope that “the Syrian people can live in peace and security in their beloved land and that the various religions can walk together in friendship and mutual respect. “. He also called for finding “a political solution that can responsibly promote the stability and unity of the country without further conflicts and divisions.”
Syria’s Christian community has generally supported the regime since the start of the civil war, with President Assad, himself from a Muslim minority, the Alawites, having established himself as protector of minorities. It particularly suffered when the jihadist group Islamic State extended its hold over parts of Syrian territory.
Christians were then targeted by Daesh, which resorted to mass kidnappings and the destruction of churches, before being defeated in 2019.
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