In moments of great national transformation, the seriousness of rebuilding the state is not measured by the quantity of weapons or the speed of their deployment, but rather by the depth of awareness that governs the use of force, and by the system of values that regulates the behavior of those who wield it.
Hence, moral guidance emerges as the most sensitive and critical pillar in the process of rebuilding the military and security institutions in the new Syria.
Beyond Restructuring and Training:
Rebuilding the army, public security, police, and intelligence services cannot be limited to administrative restructuring or combat and technical training.
These elements are necessary, but insufficient if they are not complemented by a firmly established system of moral, intellectual, and ethical guidance, capable of shaping the mind before the hand, and the conscience before the decision.
Recent experiences, both locally and regionally, have proven that weapons without awareness are dangerous, that power without values becomes an instrument of oppression, and that the intellectual vacuum within military and security formations is the most fertile ground for extremism, deviant behavior, moral decay, and even terrorist infiltration. Therefore, moral guidance is not a mere formality or a marginal function; rather, it is the critical mind within the institution, a safe space for extracting the hidden thoughts, concerns, perceptions, fears, and contradictions within the minds of its members, then refining, updating, and—so to speak—reprogramming them within a comprehensive national framework.
The Role of Scholars and Religious Figures:
When we speak of the role of scholars and religious figures in moral guidance, we do not mean mobilization or ideological rhetoric, nor lofty preaching that merely issues pronouncements.
Instead, we mean the scholar who understands the state, believes in the law, balances text and reality, and the constant and the changing, and who skillfully manages dialogue with the security and military establishment instead of confronting it.
This role can only succeed if undertaken by individuals possessing specific qualities, foremost among them:
- A political awareness consistent with the national ideology, ensuring it does not clash with it.
- A firmly established religious moderation that rejects extremism and takfir (excommunication).
- The ability to engage in dialogue and persuade, not to dictate and indoctrinate.
- Moral independence that protects them from becoming tools of justification or cover-up.
Damascus: A School of Balance
Here, Damascus stands out, not merely as a geographical city, but as a historical school capable of producing this balanced model, which blends modernity and tradition, the spirit of the state and the spirit of society, and offers a religious and national understanding that fortifies the institution without ideologically indoctrinating it.
A Warning Bell:
It cannot be ignored that some of the recent attacks carried out by ISIS have revealed a disturbing truth: some of these elements did not emerge from a vacuum, but rather from military or security environments linked—directly or indirectly—to formations that arose in turbulent transitional circumstances.
This reality does not imply accusing the new institutions, but it genuinely sounds the alarm! Without strict moral guidance and genuine intellectual vetting, some formations could turn into ticking time bombs, even if they raise nationalistic slogans at times.
The Syrian Future Movement’s Vision:
We in the Syrian Future Movement believe that moral guidance is not only for protecting the state, but also for protecting society from the state, and the state from itself.
It is the instrument that ensures weapons remain in the service of the law, that security personnel remain servants of the citizen, not their masters, and that the military doctrine remains national and inclusive, not sectarian, factional, or vengeful.
In Conclusion:
Building the new Syria does not begin with organizing the barrels of guns, but with correcting the minds of those who wield them.
It is not simply a matter of redeploying forces, but of reshaping consciousness. This path cannot succeed without the participation of enlightened scholars and religious figures, at the heart of the institution, not on its margins, as partners in building the state, not merely formal additions to it.
This vision is not a fleeting personal opinion, but a national warning, a reform project, and a duty to speak out before the danger is reproduced under new names.
