Muslim clergyman in Syria’s Shaddadi: Deir ez-Zor violence runs counter to our religious teachings
SHADDADI, Syria (North Press) – An Islamic clergyman in the city of Shaddadi, south of Hasakah, said that the assassinations committed by sleeper cells against tribal figures and civilians in Deir ez-Zor run counter to religious teachings.
Ahmed Issa said in a statement to North Press on Monday, “Islam is a religion of peace and mercy, and Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, forbade Muslims to fight with their Muslim brothers.”
Issa warned that there are some external forces seeking to provoke sedition and civil war among the people of the area.
In August, the town of Hawaij in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor witnessed attacks by gunmen on Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) checkpoints.
Those attacks started after protests calling for an investigation of the assassination of a sheikh from the Akidat tribe.
Sheikh Mutashar and Ibrahim al-Hafl, notables and sheikhs of the Akidat tribe, were attacked by unknown persons in late July while they were returning from a tribal reconciliation session.
Ghasan Youssef, co-chair of the Deir Ez-Zor Civil Council, said that people and entities affiliated with the Islamic State, the Syrian government, and Iranian forces in the region are behind what he called riots in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor.