Druze leader forms committees to carry out state duties in Sweida

In a move described by observers as "a clear attempt to fill the state vacuum," the Spiritual Presidency of the Druze Unitarian community, headed by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, announced the formation of a series of legal, humanitarian, and logistical committees to monitor the repercussions of the recent bloody events in Sweida Governorate.

Although the statement issued by the Spiritual Presidency contained expressions of solidarity and condolence, it included an explicit announcement of the formation of specialized committees to investigate the facts, document violations, assess damages, and distribute financial and relief aid, in addition to medical and service committees, under the direct supervision of judges and lawyers. Activists considered this an attempt to dominate state functions and institutions under the pretext of "civil society work."

📌 "Institutionalization" of the De Facto

The announced committees have an institutional character and include well-known judicial and legal figures. They are divided into six main files, led by a "Supreme Legal Committee" that oversees all subcommittees, resembling the administrative structure of a parallel government.

According to the statement, the goal of these formations is to "ensure the fair distribution of aid, prevent politicization, and support civil society organizations." Activists have warned of the danger of excluding legitimate state institutions and exploiting the state of chaos to consolidate a religious-military leadership that exercises executive and judicial powers outside any general legal framework.

📌 The Danger of Dual Power

Independent legal sources who spoke to Zaman al-Wasl confirmed that what is happening "goes beyond civil society work to the formation of an entity parallel to the state," particularly since the spiritual leadership has not limited itself to issuing recommendations but has also assigned its committees sensitive executive responsibilities such as documenting crimes, distributing aid, and assessing damages—tasks that fall within the purview of the judiciary, the public prosecution, and official civil bodies.

Members of the Supreme Legal Committee:

• Judge Muhannad Boufaour

• Judge Ayman Al-Harfoush

• Judge Mufid Amasha

• Judge Issam Al-Arawi

• Judge Ikhlas Darwish

• Judge Khazama Masoud

• Judge Shadi Murshid

• Judge Moataz Al-Sayegh

• Attorney Anas Hatoum

• Attorney Kayan Al-Sabbagh

• Attorney Moataz Radwan