Speaking to YNetGlobal, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, pointed out that the threat does not stem solely from the current rulers but from a continuous ideological current:“The previous regime also acted against us, but the current one is the most brutal. They do not want to eliminate only the Druze, but any minority that is not like them.”
“We are paying a heavy price, but we struggle to remain steadfast and preserve our identity with dignity and pride,” he underlined.
Regarding the one of the deadliest massacres the Druze community suffered last July, in which more than 2,000 Druze were killed, Hikmat al-Hijri said, “”The only crime for which we were murdered was being Druze. This is an ISIS-style government, established as a direct continuation of al-Qaeda.”
“The latest massacre proved that we cannot rely on anyone else to protect our community,” he said. “The price was extremely heavy, but it will not be in vain. We are seeking a future in which the Druze are no longer victims.”
The reality in Sweida is dire. There is no entry and no exit. Those who worked outside the province cannot return to their jobs. Students are avoiding universities across Syria. Patients are denied treatment in hospitals outside the province, and terminal cancer patients are effectively sent to their deaths because there is no oncology department in Sweida.
Entire villages have been burned, and residents have taken refuge in schools and public buildings. There is a severe shortage of food and medicine. “People are coping with an extremely harsh reality,” he said.
“There is international support through the media and human rights organizations,” Hikmat al-Hijri said. “We demand not only self-administration but an independent Druze region.”
The Druze leader expresses deep disappointment with the Arab world. “There is not a single Arab country that supported us. They chose to stand with the murderer, not the victim. The Arab press portrayed us as devils,” he said. No Arab leader condemned the massacre, and some countries, led by Turkey, are directly involved in supporting the regime, he added.
“There is now no contact whatsoever with the Damascus regime,” Hikmat al-Hijri stated. “Its ideology is rooted in al-Qaeda, and the Druze community can’t live under it.”
Hikmat al-Hijri remarked that until March 2025 there were attempts to build a civil state with an equal constitution, but these collapsed. “Anyone who engages with this regime will make it easier for jihadists to enter their country,” he warned. The regime still holds more than 200 hostages, including children whose fate remains unknown.
The Druze leader stressed that their central demand is full independence, though a transitional phase of self-rule under the supervision of an external Arab actor may be possible.
“Syria is heading toward partition and the creation of autonomous, independent regions. That is the future. This is how a better future for minorities and regional stability across the Middle East will be built,” he added.