SUWAYDA, Syria - In the streets of Suwayda, Syria’s southern city that is home to a large Druze community, many people think a decentralized government is the best way to guarantee their citizenship rights and those of other minorities across the country.
“In my opinion, I find federalism is the solution now, or decentralization as Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri proposed. Maybe others find something else, I mean, they're free to. This is my personal opinion as a citizen from Suwayda,” said Lujain Hamza.
The Druze are an ethno-religious group found mainly in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri is their spiritual leader.
Their community has been shaken by recent calls from the new de facto leader in Damascus, Ahmed al-Sharaa, for armed groups to lay down their weapons.
Druze militias on Wednesday forced a military convoy linked to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham to return back to Damascus without entering Suwayda province. The Druze said there had been no prior coordination.
The Druze spiritual leader has said that disarmament depends on constitutional guarantees.
Many Syrians and foreign powers are worried that HTS, the force that spearheaded the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, may impose strict Islamic rule and threaten minority groups such as Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Alawites.
“Syrians have the right to choose their system of governance. But this should be determined by a comprehensive conference for all Syrians. Currently, we are Syrians who want a unified Syria, land and people,” said Bassam al-Hassan, a Suwayda resident.
Ensuring the protection of minorities and religious groups was among the main topics of discussion when Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot met with Sharaa in Damascus on Friday.
“Ethnic and religious groups, involving men as well as women, must be included in the constitutional process and in a future Syrian government,” Baerbock said.
This was the first trip by top European officials to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad last month.
Rekar Aziz contributed to this article.