Among the various contingents of ‘muhajirin’ (foreigners who came to the insurgent-held areas of Syria during the war against the Assad regime), a clear alliance has emerged between a contingent of Idlib-based Uzbeks who are skeptical and critical of the current Syrian government and a contingent of French under Omar Omsen who are based in north Idlib and have issues not only with the current government but also the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham-led order in northwest Syria that preceded it.
Recently, Abd al-Razzaq al-Mahdi- a Syrian Salafi cleric who has himself been critical of what he sees as excessive inclination towards secularism on the part of the government as well as continued practices of arbitrary arrest- suggested that ‘muhajirin’ in general should either merge into government institutions, focus on da‘wa (religious outreach efforts) or simply engage in business. In response, both contingents have issued a joint statement.
A New Joint Statement from French and Uzbek ‘Muhajirin’ in Syria
Translation and Overview
