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Foreign Fighters Settlement... Calls for Displacement and Demographic Engineering of the Syrian Coast
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The coastal region represents a strategic part of Syria that requires preserving its social and cultural diversity instead of manipulating its population structure for extreme ideological goals
Yahya Al-Farghali, a former religious official in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, of Egyptian nationality and currently residing in Syria, presented extreme ideas in an article he published titled "The Coast Is Not Important!!", in which he urged settling those he described as "mujahideen" and their families, especially foreigners, in the Syrian coastal region to create a permanent demographic transformation.
The article contained racist statements where Al-Farghali wrote: "Yes, I mean every word in the title literally, as racism has settled in the coast for centuries and their roots are concentrated in the mountains," describing the region with inflammatory descriptions calling for its seizure.
Al-Farghali highlighted the geopolitical importance of the Syrian coast, saying: "A strategic sea coast with unique geography on the entire earth, with abundance of food and water," emphasizing that "the geopolitical location of the Syrian coast... makes it the strongest fortified area in all of Syria."
In his article, Al-Farghali considered the Syrian coast the "cream of Syria," explaining that it is "extremely important" and that the area between Latakia and Tartus is considered "from Tartus to near Homs, the best areas of Syria, whether in terms of maintaining infrastructure."
Al-Farghali explicitly called for "settling the mujahideen and their families there, especially the immigrants for the ease of their social transition," calling for "changing the demographics of the place forever," considering it a historic opportunity that must be exploited.
These extremist calls point to a dangerous approach that contradicts the necessity of preserving social diversity in Syria and establishing a governance system that guarantees the rights of all components, instead of the centralized approach that prevailed under the previous regime, which led to concentrating power in the hands of a specific group and controlling the country's fate in an authoritarian manner.
This article reflects the continued approach of exclusion and extremism adopted by some hardline groups, which contradicts Syrians' aspirations to build a pluralistic democratic state based on principles of equal citizenship and good governance that ensures representation of all spectrums and components.
