Over the past week, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani used Eid al-Adha to hold intensive meetings with elders and civilians in the Idleb governorate as well as with the Cabinet of the Salvation Government, with significant media attention.
Julani held meetings with the elders of the eastern region in Idleb, the military wing of HTS, the elders of Idleb and its countryside, and the Council of Ministers of the Salvation Government (the civilian arm of the organization).
Building a Sunni entity
“The salvation government is an important stage in the history of the Syrian revolution. It is a transition from the chaotic situation in which the liberated areas were toward organization,” Julani said.
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According to Julani, the project is no longer only a revolution against injustice and tyranny but has turned into a “Sunni entity.” Despite their large number, Sunnis are exposed to an existential danger in Syria. The Assad regime is working to change the Sunni identity with another identity by naturalizing many Iranians, Lebanese, and others.
Julani described “militarization” as “the fence that protects the region.” However, he noted that the idea of a revolution is not only military. Limiting the revolution to a military or security sense is a false description of reality because the goal is to build a Sunni Islamic society and entity that preserves the identity and heritage of the people and fits with its nature and history.
Idleb has surpassed all areas
During the meeting with the elders of Idleb, Julani said their mission is not limited to liberating and managing an area. He added that during the period of relative stability for the past two years, many things have been worked on, such as educational, police, security, military and judicial institutions.
He described Idleb as a “beacon of knowledge and science. It became an infrastructure for economic and human development, even with all the pressure imposed on it. ” He added, however, “it has exceeded all areas, even with the scale of the conflict in Syria, the areas of regime control, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with all western support provided to them, and the areas of the olive branch and Euphrates shield operations controlled by the national army, with all the support directed at them.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
