Islamists from other countries have asked Citizenship in the Syrian state

The new Islamist-led administration has received petitions for citizenship from foreign fighters and others who joined Syria’s civil war from overseas, claiming they deserve it after the rebels overthrew former leader Bashar al-Assad.

Since Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) came to power, the destiny of foreign fighters has been a major concern. Some Syrians are afraid of their presence, and few states are eager to repatriate those they frequently consider to be radicals.

and their families, as well as journalists and relief workers who joined the rebels, lack proper documents. Some people dread death or long prison terms in their home nations after losing their original citizenship.

However, giving them Syrian citizenship would drive away Syrians and foreign governments that the new government is trying to win over as it attempts to rebuild and unite a nation shattered by sectarian slaughter and decimated by conflict.

According to a petition seen by Reuters that was delivered to Syria’s interior ministry on Thursday, the foreigners ought to be given citizenship so they can travel, own property, and settle down.

“We shared bread, we shared grief, and we shared the hope that Syria will have a free and just future… However, our status as muhajireen (emigrants) is still unclear,” the letter states.

“We respectfully request that the Syrian leadership, with wisdom, foresight and brotherhood, grant us full Syrian citizenship and the right to hold a Syrian passport.”

Bilal Abdul Kareem, a U.S. stand-up comedian who has been a war correspondent in Syria since 2012 and is a well-known voice among Islamist expats in the country, submitted the letter.

The petition was intended to help thousands of foreigners from over a dozen states, he told Reuters over the phone. Egyptians, Saudis, Lebanese, Pakistanis, Indonesians, Maldivians, Britons, Germans, French, Americans, Canadians, and members of the Chechen and Uyghur ethnic groups are all included in this.

Three foreigners in Syria—a Briton, a Uyghur, and a French citizen—confirmed they supported the petition for citizenship, however Reuters was unable to ascertain the exact number.

The Syrian presidency will make the final decision on foreigners’ citizenship, according to a spokesman for the country’s interior ministry. A request for response from a presidential media official was not answered.

Although there have been no public reports of such a step, Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former HTS leader, stated in the weeks following his inauguration that foreign fighters and their families might be granted Syrian citizenship.

Some Syrians are worried about the foreign fighters because they believe they are more committed to a pan-Islamic cause than to Syria, and they are afraid of their alleged fanaticism.

Foreign fighters have been charged with taking part in violence against Alawite and Druze minority religious communities in the months since Assad’s overthrow.

The majority of the executions were carried out by Syrian factions, but Uyghurs, Uzbeks, Chechens, and some Arab fighters also took part, according to a Reuters investigation into violence in Syria’s coastal districts in March that claimed the lives of over 1,000 Alawites.

“JUST OUTCOME”

After popular protests in 2011 descended into a civil conflict that was becoming more and more sectarian and attracted Shi’ite Muslim militants from all around the area, thousands of Sunni Muslim foreigners rushed to Syria.

They joined a variety of factions, some of which clashed with HTS, while others established a reputation as ferocious and devoted combatants, on whom the group’s leadership even depended for their own safety.

Many got married and had kids.

Because of the delicate nature of the subject, the Uyghur warrior, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that his objective had changed to establishing a life in the new Syria.

“I have a 4-year-old boy who should join school soon, and I have to think about his future away from the battlefields of jihad,” the terrorist stated.

In May, British humanitarian worker Tauqir Sharif, who has been in Syria since 2012, told Reuters that foreigners who made contributions to society should be granted nationality.

Sharif, who lost his British citizenship in 2017 due to alleged ties to an al Qaeda-affiliated organization, denied the accusations. “The muhajireen that came were not killers, they were life savers that came here to stop the oppression,” he added.

Syria appointed foreign fighters to high-level military positions after seizing power in December. The United States gave it permission to add thousands of soldiers, and it has given foreigners other responsibilities.

Proponents of granting citizenship to foreign combatants contend that doing so would hold them legally responsible.

“This would be the just outcome of the sacrifices these young brothers and sisters made to free the country from the clutches of Bashar al-Assad,” Abdul Kareem, who has also been critical of the new Syrian administration and HTS, stated.

The problem “should be addressed through dialogue with a broad spectrum of Syrian society, which still holds diverse opinions on the matter,” according to Orwa Ajjoub, a Syrian analyst who has been researching Syrian jihadist organizations since 2016.