Assad's Endowments Ministry expels refugees from Damascus mosques

Reporting by Lama Shammas; Translation by Dani murad

DAMASCUS (Zaman Alwasl) - A lot of Syrians are now refugees in their own country, many living under the worst catastrophic humanitarian conditions in buildings, schools, mosques, parks and the cramped homes of relatives, crowded into single rooms. Others are trapped in neighborhoods isolated by military blockades, beyond the reach of aid groups.

To make matters worse, the Syrian regime through the Ministry of Awqaf, has announced that it’s in the process of conducting a maintenance plan that includes a number of mosques in Damascus, and in order to implement that, its forces have closed a number of mosques, including Masjid “Abdul Rahman” in Baghdad Street and “Hamzah wa al `Abbas” in the neighborhood of Tijara, after displacing the people who fled their areas in fear of regime’s aerial bombardment.

And according to activists in the eastern part of al-Tijara area in Damascus, the displaced have been transferred by Assad’s forces to the area of Adra in Damascus Countryside.

However, that was not the first of regime’s violations, because it had previously emptied the mosque of “Ghazwat Badr” and “Al ashmar” in Al Zahera area, displacing people who were staying there after their homes had been destroyed or bombarded, mostly in Damascus’s Ghouta.

On the other hand, activists have warned that the regime will use these civilians as “human shields” in its military offensives or in the prisoners “swap operations” with opposition’s detainees.

Abu Omar, a field activist in Damascus’s coordination committee, has warned the displaced families from complying with regime’s orders in transferring them to Adra or anywhere else, and the activist adds: “We know that the families have nowhere else to go, and that because they are in desperate need, they sought mosques as shelters, but that is better than being deported into the unknown by the unmerciful regime.

Moreover, Abu Omar has warned the displaced families to be fully alert and flee immediately once they know that they will be deported from mosques, adding that regime’s assurances and promises cannot be verified, and it’s likely that the regime aims behind evacuating and closing mosques in Damascus, to prevent the gatherings organized by the worshipers, and to obstruct solidarity and collaboration campaigns organized by the residents of neighborhoods surrounding the mosques, with the displaced.

“Ironically, since the beginning of the revolution, the Syrian government forces have targeted mosques and churches knowing that they contain civic gatherings and haven’t distinguished between civil and military targets; violating, by doing so, the International Common Law and committing what can be considered war crimes, and to claim today that it is rebuilding mosques in Damascus! This is no doubt a paradox from a regime that is known for being malicious and hates humans and even stones”, he concluded.