Our academic and human rights institutions express their deep concern for the fate of Dr. Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun. We address this message to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, His Holiness the Pope of the Vatican, the Secretary-General of the World Council of Churches, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and all those who believe that the recognition of the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the international family constitutes the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.
Sheikh Hassoun earned his Ph.D. on the Shafi’i school of jurisprudence from Al-Azhar University and served as an imam in several mosques in his hometown of Aleppo. He held the position of Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic between 2005 and 2021.
On the religious level, Sheikh Hassoun played a prominent role in promoting rapprochement between Islamic schools of thought and interfaith dialogue. He firmly opposed the formation of religious political parties, arguing that their failure would be wrongly attributed to the failure of the religion they claimed to represent. He described himself as a believer, a Muslim, and a secularist. Sheikh Hassoun publicly opposed the U.S. and U.K. military interventions in Iraq and NATO’s intervention in Syria, which led to serious disagreements with the Association of Muslim Scholars and its Secretary-General, Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who supported NATO’s intervention in Libya.
On the Syrian front, Sheikh Hassoun maintained good relations with the peaceful national opposition and called for adherence to the Geneva Communiqué and later to UN Security Council Resolution 2254. On June 25, 2012, he stated that “whether the Syrian regime wishes it or not, it must change, because the whole world is changing.” He considered non-Syrian fighters to be in violation of both Syrian and international law. Sheikh Hassoun paid a heavy price for his positions: his son Saria was assassinated, yet he forgave the killers to prevent civil strife, while extremist Salafist-jihadist groups declared him an apostate.
It should not be forgotten how decision-making processes under the former authorities worked. Regrettably, there is now an attempt to falsify all the religious and intellectual efforts undertaken by Dr. Hassoun. Instead of engaging in dialogue with him regarding his positions on sectarian reconciliation and interfaith dialogue, campaigns are being waged to discredit him, portraying him alternately as an agent of the Iranian axis or a servant of the former Syrian regime. We recall the tragedy of the assassination of Dr. Muhammad Said Ramadan Al-Bouti and how long it took to fully understand this distinguished religious figure and his true positions. We fear a similar tragedy may occur again.
Our human rights and academic institutions, after collecting testimonies from various parties—including new officers in the military and security apparatus—call on the Syrian authorities to put an end to this grave violation of Dr. Hassoun’s rights, to release him immediately, and to allow him to receive the necessary medical treatment to avoid a fatal outcome. The attached medical reports clearly indicate that his right to life is at imminent risk and urgent treatment is required.
Signatory Organizations:
– Scandinavian Institute for Human Rights / Haytham Manna Foundation (Geneva)
– International Institute for Peace, Justice and Human Rights (Geneva)
– Pulse for Humanitarian Solutions (Geneva)
– Syrian Center for theoritical Studies and Civil Rights (Damascus)
– International Refugee Committee (Geneva)
– Geneva Academy of International Law and Diplomatic Relations
– Damascus Center for Theoretical Studies and Civil Rights (Sweden)
– Syrian Medical Committee (Paris)
– Arab Commission for Human Rights
– Amman Center for Human Rights Studies
– Arab Organization for Human Rights in Libya
– Al-Damir Association for Human Rights – Gaza, Palestine
– Tunisian Association of Democratic Women
– Khiam Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture – Lebanon
– Organization for the Support of the Rights of the Palestinian People (Hashd)
– Global Coalition for Solidarity and Defense of Palestinian Prisoners
– Tunis Center for Freedom of the Press
– Shams Center for Media and Human Rights – Palestine
Annexes:
Annex 1: Account of the Arrest
Annex 2: Copies of Medical Reports
