Press Release
Beware that Lifting US Sanctions could be a Prelude to Losing Sovereignty and a Prelude to Normalization with the Jews
(Translated)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the Gulf-US summit. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the meeting, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan participated via video conference, according to Saudi media.

The White House revealed on Wednesday part of the conversation that took place between US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa during their meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday. The White House spokesman said that Trump called on Al-Sharaa to join the Abraham Accords with the Jewish entity. Trump also called on al-Sharaa to deport Palestinian factions that Washington classifies as "terrorist" from Syria and "help America prevent the resurgence of ISIS."

In return, Al-Sharaa informed Trump that he invites American companies to invest in Syria's oil and gas sector, according to the White House.

Trump announced on Tuesday his intention to lift the sanctions imposed by his country on Syria.

If we start with the subject of sanctions, even though every sincere person would be happy to lighten the economic burdens (if they happen) on the shoulders of the people of the Levant, we remember the Almighty’s saying:

[مَّا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلاَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ]

“The disbelievers from the People of the Book and the polytheists would not want you to receive any blessing from your Lord.” [Al-Baqara 2:105]. We affirm that the continuation of sanctions was, in and of itself, a grave crime against the people of the Levant, and even if they were caused by the former regime, the reason for this has disappeared. Therefore, lifting them is not a favor bestowed by the enemies of Islam upon the people of the Levant. We emphasize that Trump and the West as a whole do not give anything without something in return. What they want from Syria is linked to issues that directly affect its sovereignty, as they impose numerous concessions: security, political, and economic. These include the issues of dependency, the "Abraham Accords," normalization with the Jewish entity, and the "combating extremism and terrorism." They impose a secular system and constitution on us that are alien to our faith, and they exploit the country's wealth to serve their interests, not ours.

It is worth noting that the rulers of secular regimes in Islamic countries, who squander hundreds of billions of the Ummah's money under the guise of "investments," in service of America, to please it, to protect their interests, and to preserve their seats of power, will not be concerned about our interests, and they never have been.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is selling off Syria's wealth and resources, just as he did when he sold Saudi Arabia's wealth and resources. He is selling what he does not own to those who do not deserve it, because these resources and other public properties belong to Muslims. The Islamic Khilafah (Caliphate) oversees their extraction and distribution to the state's citizens. It is forbidden to grant privileges or conclude treaties related to any matter related to public property, including oil, gas, minerals, and other assets.

The hundreds of billions of dollars that Bin Salman handed over to Trump without him batting an eyelid, had they been spent on Muslims and their interests, they would have been enough to bring them prosperity and progress.

What happened in Saudi Arabia today is a serious matter that cannot be ignored. Anyone who knows the true nature of America and its general mentality, and anyone who knows Trump's mentality and how he deals with it, will understand the gravity of what happened. Trump is a capitalist who knows only one thing: plundering the wealth and resources of peoples and tightening American control over them.

Submitting to America's attempts to impose normalization agreements with the Jewish entity and the "Abraham Accords" is a dangerous and grave mistake that must not be erred in. Rather, it must be confronted with all force. The Palestinian issue is a matter of faith and religion, and it is the cause of all Muslims. Under no circumstances can relinquishing it be the price of a crooked seat of power, one whose incumbent will only be allowed to remain stable for a while.

The arrogant policies of US President Trump cannot be met with the same response from the rulers of Muslim countries, who are subservient to and squandering Muslims' wealth, resources, and sovereignty, doing as they are commanded. Rather, we must adopt the principled positions imposed upon us by the Islamic faith and the legal rulings emanating from it, without fearing the blame of anyone for the sake of Allah.

Anyone who contemplates what happened in Saudi Arabia, in the presence of Bin Salman and with the blessing of Erdogan, who holds the upper hand and has the final say over the new government in Syria, and we, who have experienced his policies throughout the lean years of the revolution, will fully understand the magnitude of the dangerous slide and the huge hole they have plunged us into and how they have sold out our country and will plunder our resources, especially oil and gas, which belong to the people and no one has the right to dispose of them as they please.

Accepting the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with the Jewish entity, which is killing our people in Gaza and elsewhere, occupying our holy sites, and usurping our Al-Aqsa Mosque, is a major catastrophe and a grave crime in the eyes of Allah and His faithful servants.

What happened is extremely serious in all its dimensions and aspects. We must not fall into it. Rather, we must denounce it and warn against proceeding with it, especially now that we have learned about its parties, their history with us, and their dangerous role in our revolution and our Levant.

O Truthful People of the Land of the Levant: The matter is very serious, and we must be vigilant and cautious, and not betray the blood of our martyrs and the sacrifices of our people, who offered only to establish the rule of Islam on the ruins of the defunct regime. Let us be worthy of the blood that has been shed and the sacrifices that have been made, before a day when regret will be of no avail.

Allah says:

[وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ]

“And do not be inclined to the wrongdoers or you will be touched by the Fire. For then you would have no protectors other than Allah, nor would you be helped.” [Hud 11:113]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Wilayah Syria