With the participation of the human rights organization Ezdina Organization, 68 civil society organizations, among them: Yazidi, Assyrian, Christian organizations, most of them working in the context of community integration and promotion of the rights of different social components, issued a call for the protection of religious and national pluralism in Syria.

In the appeal, the organizations called on the countries concerned about the conflict in Syria to work to stop military operations in Syria and eliminate external threats that hinder a decent existence and create an unstable atmosphere for public dialogue.

The organizations also called on countries to prioritize the fight against extremist organizations exploiting religion, such as ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra and to stop supporting organizations with extremist religious ideology, such as the Army of Islam and others.

The signatory organizations recommended that the ruling government, forces in control of the land, organizations and individuals create a constitutional and structural framework to ensure the free expression of religious and national diversity in society.

Organizations also called for the implementation of a plan to prevent hate speech and to invite stakeholders to participate in the plan, including religious communities, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, media representatives and specialists working in the field of education.

The appeal of the organizations explained that "a common future and destiny" is the basis on which cooperation in resolving issues and conflicts and refraining from religious, sectarian or regional racism, as well as strengthening cooperation between society with its various components, and rejecting voices that call for hatred and rejection of the other.

The electronic information and propaganda campaign aimed at protecting religious and national pluralism in Syria took place in the context of the Olive Flower project launched by the Ezdina Organization last May to promote a culture of brotherhood and respect for religious and national pluralism, countering hate speech and extremism and eliminating stereotypes, capacity building for minorities and displaced youth, and an emphasis on the importance of protecting the interests of child survivors of the war in Syria.

In the appeal of the electronic campaign, the protection of religious and national pluralism was considered as the most important duty of the Syrian State to ensure human rights, since the State under international law is the official guarantor of these rights, including the right to freedom of religion.

The organizations that signed the appeal indicated that the ruling authorities, including the countries concerned, as well as those involved in the conflict in Syria, bear full political and moral responsibility in creating a safe environment away from the military conflict and thereby pushing for a political dialogue, taking into account the support and building of a genuine democracy that protects all components of the territory.

The organizations point out that numerous experiments have shown that the interference of religion in political work is always associated with many risks, expressed in discrimination against minorities.

The appeal of the organizations added that social, economic and political integration should be encouraged regardless of age, gender, race, religion or economic status.

ezdina.com