[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 156 (Tuesday, September 26, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         APPRECIATING THE DRUZE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 26, 2023

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to have 
spoken with Sheikh al-Aql Hikmat Alhajiri, one of the three senior most 
Druze religious leaders in Syria, to discuss his impactful work at the 
forefront of the mass mobilization of Druze against the Assad regime.
  The Druze is a religious sect that grew out of Islam a thousand years 
ago, with a population of 1.5 million, living mostly in Syria, Lebanon, 
Israel, and Jordan. Due to the courageous leadership of Sheikh 
Alhajiri, thousands of Druze residing in the southeast province of 
Swaida, adjacent to Jordan and Israel, have rallied together demanding 
the downfall of the current regime. Unfortunately, last week marked a 
tragic turn of events, following weeks of extensive protests, as the 
regime fired at Druze demonstrators, further adding to the grim toll of 
over half a million Syrians who have been killed by the criminal Assad 
regime.
  As Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle 
East, North Africa, and Central Asia, I am proud to have led H.R. 3202, 
the Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act, which places responsibility on 
the Bashar al-Assad regime, supported by war criminal Putin and the 
terrorist Mullahs in Tehran, for its crimes against the Syrian people 
and highlights the significant consequences of governments considering 
normalization with the Assad regime. This bill successfully passed the 
committee, reinforcing the bipartisan commitment to punish offenders, 
while enhancing protection for humanitarian organizations serving the 
Syrian people.
  I am grateful for the great leadership and strength of Sheikh 
Alhajiri and the Druze, and look forward to continuing to work together 
in the fight for a free and democratic Syria.

                          ____________________