Debating Sectarianism, Diversity and National Unity in Syria

The role of tribal law is a social role, it is not going to be a political role.

But it deepened the problem, meaning you are forced unfortunately to go back historically.

I mean, someone is playing us, doctor.

I mean, in 1861, in the Lebanese civil war between the Christians and the Druze,

the Sunni people of Damascus killed 3,000 Christians

as a show of support for the Druze of Lebanon. So how has it now flipped, with the Sunnis fighting the Druze and the Christians?

I do not know, so someone has put us on a chessboard, and this beautiful, lovely diversity that

is a positive condition, if a certain formula and laws are created for it—me, you, you ask me “the government”?

The government is supposed to immediately issue a law criminalizing sectarianism now.

If I merely ask you what your sect is, that means it is a crime.

- Is this not idealistic talk? - No, no, it is not idealistic…

You have… - Doctor, reality, reality imposes itself.

I, I am not reality, reality is only in an institution…

Like Syrian television you have, here at this table there are people who spoke in a sectarian way, and this…

Something that stirs up and worsens the problem. If you want to demand this criticism from me, I direct it at you.

— Yes, Abu Anas, criticism is allowed. Yes, so we are supposed to have an inclusive national discourse that

does not allow these voices that, like, a few days ago someone comes out and says Ali Ali, and someone else comes out and

tells you this is Sunni, I mean this is not the Syria we are looking for, nor is this the Syria, I mean, where do we want

to end up. — Yes, but this is the reality of Syria, Sheikh Ahmad, some people say to you this is the Syrian reality.

— Doctor, there is no such thing as reality… there is a legacy…

— And we overlook it out of idealism. — Not idealism, no, not idealism. Until very recently

we were one country and we did not have any problem, I mean, in the fifties before Gamal Abdel Nasser came,

we had this diversity, and Syria was ruled by…

— So these are the diseases of society? Some people tell you these are the diseases of Syrian society.

Are we going to just watch them or make them worse? — No, we treat them.

We treat them, you need to go back to the root of the problem, what it is.

So what is the main problem? Our diversity up to now

means that everyone has their own group.

And they call the other group infidels, or they tell you those people are going to kill you and come slaughter you, and this exists,

and we have esoteric sects, we have no idea what is inside them.

All of this needs to be brought to the surface, we need to confront each other and be honest.

Either we are Syrians, or fine, this country gets divided and that is it, I mean, if it gets divided.