Druze and Alawite Leaders Endorse Decentralized Syria, Sparking Fierce Rebuke from Damascus

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — In a significant development for the political landscape of Syria, prominent religious leaders from the country's Druze and Alawite communities have issued landmark calls for a restructured, decentralized state, lending their considerable weight to a vision of governance being advanced in North and East Syria. Speaking via video messages to the "Unity of Components" conference in Hasakah, His Eminence Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, the head of the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council, articulated a future for Syria built on pluralism, minority rights, and a federal-style system.

Their endorsements, made during a gathering aimed at strengthening inter-communal partnership, represent a powerful articulation of an alternative to centralized rule and have elicited an immediate and forceful condemnation from the Syrian government in Damascus, which characterized the conference as a separatist endeavor aimed at fragmenting the nation.

The most direct and politically explicit call came from Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, who presented a clear blueprint for a new Syrian state. He advocated for the creation of "a civil, secular, pluralistic, and decentralized state," asserting that "this is a model that can be the solution to the problems and guarantee a stable and just future for all Syrians."

Delivering his speech to the conference from afar, Sheikh Ghazal stressed that the vision was not for a religious state, but "for a state in which the dignity of all is protected, and where the solution to problems is based on rights, not power." Highlighting the gravity of the current moment, he noted that Syria is passing through a "sensitive period in its modern history" and made a pointed reference to recent events, pointing to "scenes of crimes committed against communities in Syria under modern rule in Sweida."

For Sheikh Ghazal, the path forward required a fundamental constitutional change. He stated unequivocally that "a decentralized or federal system is the real guarantee for securing the rights of the communities in a new Syrian constitution," adding an urgent plea that the killing must end and a process of reconciliation and trust-building must begin.

This call for structural reform was complemented by a deeply philosophical and moral appeal from Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri. In his video address, he framed the unified stance of North and East Syria's peoples as "not merely a political meeting, but a call to the national conscience and a response to the cry of a people exhausted by wars and marginalization." 

Speaking on behalf of the Druze monotheists, His Eminence pledged to stand in solidarity with all of the region's communities, explicitly listing "the Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, Yazidis, Turkmen, Circassians, and the other components."

He articulated a core principle for this alliance, affirming that "diversity is not a threat, but a treasure that strengthens our unity." Sheikh al-Hijri articulated a profound hope for the conference to be "the beginning of a new path," one that "establishes human freedom in a homeland where a person is measured not by their affiliation, but by their humanity and their contribution to building."

The sentiments of the Druze and Alawite leaders reflected the broader consensus of the two-day conference, which concluded by emphasizing that the region's rich diversity represents "a source of strength and wealth, not a threat."

In its formal closing statement, the gathering called for a comprehensive review of the country's current constitution, which it concluded "does not fulfill the aspirations of Syrians for freedom and dignity." The final document championed the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) as a viable "participatory governance model" and lauded the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as a "necessary nucleus for a future professional Syrian national army." 

The collective resolve was to build a "free, democratic, pluralistic, and decentralized Syria."

This emerging consensus in Hasakah, however, was met with total rejection from the Syrian government.

In a detailed and sharply worded statement carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), a government official accused the DAANES and its partners of "attempting to fragment the country and undermine ongoing national reconciliation efforts."

While Damascus acknowledged the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, it stressed this was conditional on being "within the framework of a unifying national project committed to Syria’s territorial integrity, unity of its people, and sovereignty." The government statement dismissed the conference as lacking a genuine national framework, characterizing it as a "fragile alliance of actors disgruntled by 'the Syrian people’s victory and the fall of the former regime era.'"

The government’s rebuke was absolute, insisting that "the form of the state is not to be decided through factional agreements" but through a national referendum on a permanent constitution. The statement accused the organizers of convening the conference to "evade future obligations" and to "reject the principles of a unified state—one army, one government, and one country."

Damascus held the SDF and its leadership "fully responsible for the consequences," describing the conference as an effort to "internationalize the Syrian issue, invite foreign intervention, and reimpose sanctions." In one of its most severe allegations, the government accused the conference of serving as a cover for "systematic demographic change policies" targeting Syrian Arabs, which it alleged were "carried out by extremist Kurdish factions taking orders from Qandil."

The diplomatic fallout was immediate. Damascus announced that the event had "dealt a blow to ongoing negotiations" and that it "would not attend upcoming meetings in Paris" and would refuse to "negotiate with any party seeking to revive the former regime era under any guise."

The statement concluded with a demand that all negotiations be relocated to Damascus as the "sole legitimate and national venue for Syrian dialogue," and it urged the DAANES to engage seriously in implementing prior agreements. The dueling narratives—one of a decentralized, pluralistic future championed by a diverse coalition including prominent minority leaders, and the other of an indivisible, centralized state fiercely defended by Damascus—illustrate the profound and widening chasm over the very identity and structure of a future Syria.