Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat – The Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, described the battle that is currently taking place in Syria as a “battle against our roots”, adding that “if Syria collapses, this will lead to the collapse of neighboring states, starting with Lebanon and ending with Saudi Arabia, through Jordan and Iraq; this is because the plan for the Arab and Islamic world is to ensure that no strong state remains, and for our people to kill one another.” The Syrian Grand Mufti confirmed that “the West has authored the term ‘Arab Spring’ to contain the popular resistance [against Israel], in order to target the roots of the ummah and enslave us.”
Commenting on Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun’s recent statements, Syrian National Council [SNC] spokesman, Samir Nashar, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “Mufti Hassoun has become a promoter of the logic of Bashar al-Assad, and he is adopting these positions rather than standing with the Syrian people against the massacres being committed by this regime.”
In an interview with the Hezbollah affiliated al-Nour radio station, the Syrian Grand Mufti asserted that “what is happening in Syria today is not a process to topple the regime, but rather an operation to push Syria towards religious, cultural and ethnic fragmentation that will create centuries of chaos in the Arab world” adding “this chaos will benefit the Zionist entity that has impudently announced the establishment of the first religious state in the entire region.”
Sheikh Hassoun called on the Syrian opposition “not to be taken in by the Western project [the Arab Spring] and seize power [in Syria], thereby turning Syria into a democratic state in the western model” adding “this is a pipe dream.” The Syrian Grand Mufti also confirmed that “the West has authored the term ‘Arab Spring’ to contain the popular resistance [against Israel] in order to target the cultural and historic roots of the ummah, to strengthen its own position and enslave us.”
Sheikh Hassoun also expressed his confidence that “Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is prepared to step down from power in the event that the opposition is prepared to enter dialogue and present a convincing [political] program to the Syrian people.” He stressed that “we are not against the Syrian opposition…I have contacted the Syrian opposition abroad and, more than four years ago, called on them to return to Syrian and conduct dialogue [with the regime].”
Responding to the comments issued by Sheikh Hassoun, SNC spokesman Samir Nashar expressed his regret that “the Grand Mufti of the country is adopting the rhetoric of Bashar al-Assad and utilizing the same logic of conspiracy.” He also told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the Arab Spring revolutions, including the Syrian revolution, are revolutions for freedom and dignity, rejecting the marginalization of Arab citizens.”
Nashar added “the attempt to incite division between Syrians at home and abroad has been exposed, and this is part of an attempt to incite sedition between the Syrian people, because the Syrian revolution did not take place overnight via division and sectarianism, rather these are the allegations that are put forward by Bashar al-Assad and his cronies, including Grand Mufti Hassoun, who is citing the arguments of the regime at the expense of the demands of the Syrian people for freedom and change.”