People From Riyadh

"By the grace of God, we broke the chains, freed the tormented, and wiped away the dust of humiliation from Damascus’s shoulders. The sun of Syria rose once more."

"The people rejoiced, chanting “Allahu Akbar!” for it was the clear conquest and the great victory—the day when the rightful triumphed over falsehood, justice over oppression, and mercy over torture."

"The fallen regime has left deep wounds—social, economic, and political and other. Healing them requires a lot of wisdom, relentless effort, and tireless perseverance. Those who believe the time for struggle has passed and that comfort has arrived are deluded."

"If arrogance consumes the victor, and he forgets the grace of God, he will be led to tyranny. Victory is not merely an achievement; it is a responsibility. The burden on the victorious is heavy, and their duty is immense."

"Syria was liberated by the martyrs, male and female detainees, men and women who were tortured, missing men and women, and all their nursing mothers and their oppressed people, because of all their sacrifices and your sacrifices I stand here today, so that together we can open a new chapter in the history of our beloved land."

"From here, I address you today in my capacity as president of Syria in this fateful period, asking God to grant us all success so we can revive our homeland, and overcome the challenges that we are facing, and that will only be through all standing together in people and leadership. I address you today not as a ruler but as a servant for our wounded homeland, striving with all power and will I have been given to realise Syria’s unity and renaissance, as we should all understand that this is a transitional stage, and it is part of a political process that requires true participation by all Syrian men and women, inside and outside the country, so that we can build their future with freedom and dignity, without marginalisation or sidelining."

"First of all, Syria was under the control of the previous regime for 54 years. During these 54 years, Syria went through many disasters. Syria has retreated regionally on the level of the development of human resources, the level of economy, and also the level of political relationships with neighbouring countries. Previously Syria was a source of concern for all neighbouring countries. At the same time, it was not fulfilling its basic duties towards the people. The most important thing for the previous regime was to maintain power and to use security methods to remain in power. The security method means torture, as you have seen in Saydnaya prison, and arresting and beating people, and when people revolted against him, he used chemical weapons, explosive bombs, and other methods."

"Therefore, the next phase of five years will revolve around rebuilding the state on new and modern foundations. It is going to promote justice and counseling, and it is going to be based on the participation of all segments of society in running the country. The next five years are going to have several milestones. We hope to overcome all these difficulties and obstacles in a smooth manner, and we are counting on the wisdom of the Syrian people and the forgiveness that is shown by all the sections of the Syrian people."

"First of all, in the Islamic system women play a role. Whoever says that a conservative Islamic system does not allow a role for women has a misunderstanding of Islam. Of course women are almost half of society, and the majority of the human resources at universities now are women, and the job market is a wide labor market for women. The Syrian women are already working, so if a woman wants to work then the labor market is open to her."

"First, a federal system in Syria does not have popular acceptance, and I believe it is not in the best interest of Syria in the future because our communities are not used to practicing federacy, so people’s opinions would go to complete independence in the name of federacy."

"I am trying as much as possible not to have Syria live on aid and support, but rather build its economy. Syria has a huge opportunity for investment, and these countries can, through their sovereign funds, make wide investments in Syria."

"In light of the new Syrian state, I believe any illegal military presence should not continue. Any military presence in a sovereign state should take place under a certain agreement, and there has been no such agreement between us and the United States of America."

"To be honest, my chest tightens in this palace. I'm astonished by how much evil against society emanated from every corner. I have a balcony that overlooks Damascus. When I look at Damascus every day, I say: how could the previous regime look at Damascus and feel comfortable with what was happening there."

"We do not want to distribute positions in Syria as gifts to sects, ethnicities, and other parties - rather, we distribute positions according to competence."

"Any chaos in Syria will damage not just neighboring countries but the whole world."

"Syria has been committed from the beginning, before we reached Damascus, to preventing its land from being used in any way that can threaten any foreign country."

"The battle for reconstruction has just begun, so let us all join hands and seek God’s help to create a bright future for a glorious country and people who deserve."

"From the heart of Aleppo, I declare to the world that our war with tyrants has ended, and our battle against poverty has already begun."

"The past is present in the eyes of every person, on every street, in every family. But our duty now is not to repeat it. Not even as a softer version. We must create something entirely new."

"We are not starting from zero, We are starting from the depths."

"I want to be clear, the era of endless tit-for-tat bombings must end. No nation prospers when its skies are filled with fear. The reality is, we have common enemies and we can play a major role in regional security."

"Peace must be earned through mutual respect, not fear. We will engage where there is honesty and a clear path to coexistence and walk away from anything less."

"Syria’s Druze are not pawns, they are citizens deeply rooted, historically loyal, and deserving of every protection under the law. Their safety is non-negotiable."

"I want to express our satisfaction with the strong will that my brother Ahmet Şara has demonstrated in the fight against terrorism. … God willing, I believe that by acting in solidarity, we will fully establish an atmosphere of peace and security, free from terrorism, in our shared geography."

"There were no portraits of him on the wall, no slogans, no flags. Just a man trying to unite a map of Syria into a country of equals. He stands tall, firm in his resolve, with the odds set against him — but determined."

"He wants to build a future for his people, for the region, and for Syria to come out of the dark and take its rightful seat at the table of the world."

"He was cheered by even larger crowds and people picked up the car he was driving and carried it on their shoulders through the streets of Damascus. And the reason that they did this is that the man who preceded him, Salah Jadid, was so hated that they welcomed any change."

"The president of Syria is working very, very hard – strong guy, tough guy, pretty rough resume. But you're not going to put a choir boy in there and, you know, get the job done. I spoke with him yesterday because we were talking about the prisons and, you know, what was going on. We have some of the worst terrorists in the world in those prisons. And he's watching it."

"Building is harder than war."

"Al-Nusra Front doesn't have any plans or directives to target the West. We received clear orders not to use Syria as a launching pad to attack the US or Europe in order to not sabotage the true mission against the regime. Maybe al-Qaeda does that, but not here in Syria."

"The Sunnis in Syria today are in a phase of loss and are defending their survival and existence. If, God forbid, the Shiite project hostile to the Sunnis in Syria succeeds, it will extend to the Sunnis in the entire region."

"There are many things I just don't have the right to talk about because they are legal issues."

"Providing security and food for people is the core of Sharia law."

"No nation has ever united without growing stronger... and no nation has ever been divided without weakening."

"Syria expresses its deep solidarity with the peoples suffering from climate disasters."

"No matter how great the challenges, the will of the people is capable of overcoming them."

"If the Levant is liberated, and if the Muslims come together in a well-guided Islamic government, a well-guided Muslim state that enforces the sharia of Allah Almighty, I will be the first soldier of such a government, and I will be under its jurisdiction. Even Dr. Ayman [al-Zawahiri] will be a soldier serving under the command of such a government [that] enforces all the instructions of Islam."

"With this spirit … we will not only reach Damascus, but, Allah permitting, Jerusalem will be awaiting our arrival."

"How many dangers we have avoided by not abandoning Syria, leaving it as a farm for Iranian expansion, spreading sectarianism in it, and stirring corruption, making it a place of innovation in the world."

"One virulent critic of Western influence, and a rising star, was a young blind cleric named Abdelaziz bin Baz. His influence would shape the minds of those who would transform the region in the decades to come. In 1940, Bin Baz, neither an Al-Saud nor an Al-ash-Sheikh, had the audacity to call for a ban on all non-Muslims on the Arabian Peninsula. He landed in jail. After his release, he would continue to issue anachronistic religious opinions; among them were refusing to believe the Americans had landed on the moon, insisting the sun orbited the earth, complaining about the introduction of radio and television, of girls’ education, of anything that was modern and novel. But he had understood the lesson of his time in prison: never undermine the House of Saud and the pillars of its power. No matter the failings of the Al-Sauds, the clerics saw them as a bulwark against worse dangers, like communism and secularism."

"I only deemed it lawful to kill whoever claims that the sun is static (thābita la jāriya) and refuses to repent of this after clarification. This is because denying the circulation of the sun constitutes a denial of Allah (Glorified be He), His Great Book, and His Honourable Messenger. It is well established in the Din (religion of Islam) by way of decisive evidence and Ijma` (consensus) of scholars that whoever denies Allah, His Messenger or His Book is a Kafir (disbeliever), and their blood and wealth become violable. It is the duty of the responsible authority to ask them to repent of this; either they repent or be executed. Thanks to Allah that this issue is not debatable among scholars."

"He is a very active statesman, we have really warm relations. This is a person who knows what he wants and can achieve his goals. At the same time I consider him to be a reliable partner with whom one can negotiate and be sure that agreements with him will be implemented."

"I believe MbS is a nationalist who loves his country and wants it to be the strongest but his problem is that he wants to rule alone."

"MBS is attempting to undertake LBJ-like social reforms and Thatcher-like economic reforms."

"Adopting unrealistic policies to reduce emissions by excluding main sources of energy will lead in coming years to unprecedented inflation and an increase in energy prices, and rising unemployment and a worsening of serious social and security problems."

"We are simply reverting to what we followed – a moderate Islam open to the world and all religions. 70% of the Saudis are younger than 30, honestly we won’t waste 30 years of our life combating extremist thoughts, we will destroy them now and immediately."

"As we tried to make sense of Donald Trump's positions or when one of us tried to argue against them, we first had to ask: Why is the president so attracted to autocrats? After a contentious meeting about the president's engagement with a foreign dictator, a top national security aide offered me his take. "The president sees in these guys what he wishes he had: total power, no term limits, enforced popularity, and the ability to silence critics for good." He was spot on. It was the simplest explanation. For instance, Donald Trump sympathized with Saudi crown prince bin Salman's violent internal purge in 2017, saying the country's leaders "know exactly what they are doing" and adding that "some of those they are harshly treating have been 'milking' their country for years!" This included long-time US interlocutors who were allegedly held against their will, beaten, imprisoned, or put under house arrest."

"We have our values: it is important to us, the participation in decision making; it is important to us to have our freedom of expression; it is important to us to have human rights. We have our own factors, values and principles as the Saudi society and we try to make progress according to our own needs."

"My dream as a young man in Saudi Arabia, and the dreams of men in Saudi Arabia are so many, and I try to compete with them and their dreams, and they compete with mine, to create a better Saudi Arabia."

"We know that we are a main goal for the Iranian regime. We will not wait until the battle becomes in Saudi Arabia but we will work to have the battle in Iran rather than in Saudi Arabia"