In an alarming context of escalating hate speech in Syria, Sheikh Alaeddin al-Sayeq delivered statements during a Friday sermon on May 1, 2026, at the Al-Iman Mosque in Damascus, containing incitement and sharp societal division. The speech targeted a segment of Syrian society—the Alawite community—in a discourse that constitutes a clear violation of human rights principles and the values of peaceful coexistence.
During the sermon, al-Sayeq described the chant “The Syrian people are one” as “one of the most hideous chants,” adding: “We are not one; we do not harmonize with you, nor do you harmonize with us. We are not of your kind—neither in humanity, nor in religion, nor in national belonging.” This statement constitutes explicit hate speech involving collective exclusion based on religious and sectarian grounds.
Al-Sayeq also referred in his sermon to what he described as the “burrows” of those he deemed adversaries, in the context of discussing the individual known as Amjad Yousef. Yousef is the primary suspect in the Al-Tadamon neighborhood massacre in Damascus on April 16, 2013—a documented massacre that showed the mass execution of dozens of civilian detainees.
Al-Sayeq stated: “You seek to recycle yourselves through civil peace, yet here are your burrows where that impure filth hid.”
It is noted that Sheikh Alaeddin al-Sayeq was previously active in proselytizing under the auspices of the former Syrian regime; video recordings exist in which he glorified the regime’s army and its former president, Bashar al-Assad, raising questions regarding the shifts in his rhetoric and his current motives.
These statements come amid a state of security breakdown in several Syrian regions, particularly Homs Governorate, where the effectiveness of security apparatuses is declining in parallel with the spread of hate speech that fuels violations and societal tensions.
Furthermore, these developments coincide with the circulation of leaked video clips from inside the Tishreen Military Hospital during the former regime’s rule. These leaks have brought past violations back into public debate and contributed to increased societal congestion.
Earlier, the “Rights Monitor” platform expressed its deep concern over the escalation of incitement and collective accusations against the Alawite community and the residents of the village of Nab’ al-Tayyib, following allegations regarding the harboring of the accused. The platform emphasized that holding any local community collectively responsible constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of justice and human rights.
Data indicates that the persistence of hate speech and sectarian incitement, as evidenced in Sheikh al-Sayeq’s statements, keeps the risk of escalation high and undermines efforts to achieve stability and civil peace, amidst an urgent need to promote an inclusive rights-based discourse that rejects exclusion and violence.
