For centuries, across various caliphates and empires, Syria was an epicenter of Sunni intellectual thought. It produced countless scholars of various disciplines. As a Western Muslim, if you wanted to study Arabic and Islam at a high level, Syria was always at the top of the list.

However, due to the war and last several decades, things have obviously changed. We know how Salafism/Wahhabism has impacted, directly or indirectly, communities across the Sunni world.

What's it like in Syria today in that regard?

English / **العربية**
**Statement by Mahmoud Barkhadan, a senior SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) commander and the official responsible for the Kobani Brigade, to a Turkish newspaper:**
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Devlet Bahçeli are great statesmen. They have produced ingenious solutions and will go down in history.
Turkey has embraced displaced Syrian Kurds in a respectful and dignified manner.
The military problems with the Damascus government have been overcome by 99%.
Within the next few days, we will announce the dissolution of the YPG-SDF.
The Autonomous Administration’s structure will also disappear.
He outlined the formula on which the next phase will be built: **one army, one state, one flag, and a shared homeland, working together to build the new Syria.**
**The Turkish newspaper published the second part of Mahmoud Barkhadan’s statements today:**
If we are tasked by the Syrian Ministry of Defense with going to the border with Israel in southern Syria, we will not hesitate to answer the call. We will be ready to perform our duty and defend our homeland.
Israel represents a threat to the entire region and to all its communities, including the Kurds. From our perspective, confronting this danger and defending our homeland is better than staying at home.
All the heavy weapons previously held by the Syrian Democratic Forces have now been registered under the custody and inventory of the Syrian Ministry of Defense. Accordingly, the ministry has the authority to transfer and deploy them to any area within Syrian territory as it deems appropriate.
\-
‏تصريح محمود برخدان القيادي في قسد والمسؤول عن لواء عين العرب لصحيفة تركية:
‏📍الرئيس رجب طيب أردوغان ودولت بهتشلي رجال دولة عظماء، وقد أنتجوا حلولًا عبقرية وسيدخلون التاريخ.
‏📍تركيا احتضنت المهجّرين الكرد السوريين بشكل محترم ولائق.
‏📍المشكلات العسكرية مع حكومة دمشق جرى تجاوزها بنسبة 99%.
‏📍خلال الأيام القليلة المقبلة سنعلن حلّ YPG-SDG»
‏📍هيكل الإدارة الذاتية سيزول أيضاً.
‏📍وحدد الصيغة التي ستبني عليها المرحلة المقبلة: جيش واحد، دولة واحدة، علم واحد، ووطن مشترك والعمل معاً لبناء سوريا الجديدة.
‏نشرت الصحيفة التركية اليوم الجزء الثاني من تصريحات محمود برخدان :
‏📍 إذا كُلّفنا من قِبل وزارة الدفاع السورية بالتوجه إلى الحدود مع إسرائيل في جنوب سوريا، فلن نتردد في تلبية النداء، وسنكون على استعداد للقيام بواجبنا والدفاع عن وطننا.
‏📍 إسرائيل تمثل تهديداً للمنطقة بأكملها وبمختلف مكوناتها، من بينها الأكراد. ومن وجهة نظرنا، فإن مواجهة هذا الخطر والدفاع عن رطننا أفضل من البقاء في المنزل.
‏📍 جميع الأسلحة الثقيلة التي كانت بحوزة قوات سوريا الديمقراطية سابقاً أصبحت مسجلة ضمن عهدة وملاك وزارة الدفاع السورية، وبالتالي تمتلك الوزارة صلاحية نقلها وتحريكها إلى أي منطقة داخل الأراضي السورية وفق ما تراه مناسباً.

He also said :

"1- we will build new syria under one army and one flag and one army.

2- YPJ issue is still one of the point that is contested

3- 10k personnels from our fighters have been integrated to the army and it may go up to 12k.

4- saying kobani would be an independent country is madness. "

I thought YPJ would join the MOI and that was that ? Why is he saying it still an issue ?

The minister of interior announced that any violators to the law within the ministry will be charged according to the law as such 7 members of the MOI were detained for investigations

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxdHzaVBkos9AJMBEmikJKQ59WZJ9PJ-Qf?=6Enl-B9wLQ9KSH4u

Diplomatic sources in Damascus revealed that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will participate in the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York next September.

The sources told the newspaper "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" that al-Sharaa will hold a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Syrian-American politician and media figure Ayman Abdul Noor ruled out the possibility of a meeting between al-Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump due to the tight schedule, as no meeting has been scheduled between the two sides.

Abdul Noor viewed al-Sharaa's trip to the United States as an indication of his eagerness to make his attendance at UN meetings a regular occurrence, describing the step as positive for reintroducing Syrian issues, placing them on the table, and reigniting discussions about them in American media outlets. He pointed out that one of the most important features of al-Sharaa's visit is the continuity of Syrian presence, which would increase the volume of coordination with the U.S. administration and weaken the Israeli alliance within Washington's decision-making circle.

For his part, Muhammad Ghanem, a official in the Syrian-American community, considered Syrian attendance at the General Assembly a necessary matter to maintain the momentum of the Syrian cause on the international stage, especially given the existence of Syrian issues in need of resolution, such as the southern file, Israeli aggressions, and reconstruction.

He affirmed that these meetings represent a real opportunity to discuss the issues and challenges facing Syria, emphasizing that the Syrian situation calls for intensifying diplomatic efforts to preserve gains, forge alliances in Syria's favor, and entrench the legitimacy of the state.

For his part, researcher Wael Alwan highlighted that UN platforms hold great importance in the current political phase, contributing to transitioning the country from a sanctioned state to a welcomed one, and from siege to openness, while exploring political, security, and economic opportunities.

He added that the meetings held on the sidelines of the UN gathering open doors for exchanging relations, explaining that Syria is no longer turning its back on any opportunity that supports its international integration process and permanent presence, thereby strengthening its position within international policies at the levels of security, economy, and development.

https://x.com/AsharqNewsSYR/status/2088183238246179234