Who Are the True Advocates of Separation?

Who Are the True Advocates of Separation?
By Baraq Al-Nabhan

When we talk about the threat to Syria’s unity, our minds should not immediately go to those who raise slogans of autonomy, federalism, or decentralization. These proposals, whether we agree or disagree with them, are essentially political projects open to discussion, to be accepted or rejected based on national interest. The real danger to the unity of the country, however, does not always lie in political texts, but in rhetoric that gradually unravels the social fabric from within.

The greatest threat to Syria today is the language of sectarianism, ethnicity, and regionalism—the language that excludes one group, despises another, and mocks a third. Anyone who uses this kind of rhetoric—regardless of their affiliation—is, in reality, an advocate of separation, even if they claim to be against division. A nation is not only divided on maps; sometimes it is first divided in hearts, and when that happens, dividing the land becomes inevitable.

Separation Is Not Just a Political Slogan… It Is Behavior and Rhetoric

Those who speak in a hateful sectarian tone, attack a particular sect, judge the members of an entire region for individual actions, or base their discourse on ethnicity, sect, or geographical area are practicing the most dangerous forms of separation.

Those who lack a unifying national identity and replace it with narrow affiliations are, in truth, more dangerous to the country than any political project under discussion.

Anyone who uses exclusionary language, questions others based on their birthplace, sect, or social history, or engages in insults and incitement is directly contributing—intentionally or unintentionally—to fragmenting society and creating fertile ground for division.

Unity Is a Responsibility of Discourse Before It Is a Matter of Borders

Syria’s unity is not preserved through slogans, but through daily practice, the words we speak, and the intentions behind our rhetoric.

Those who truly want a united Syria must:

• Speak a unifying national language that excludes no one.

• Reject any discourse that provokes animosity or sows hatred.

• Stop using sect, ethnicity, or region as a criterion for judging people.

• Place national interest above all personal, regional, or sectarian considerations.

• Stand—through words and actions—against anyone attempting to divide society before dividing the land.

Troublemakers… They Are the Real Danger

The true advocates of separation are those who ignite fires in hearts, manipulate identities, and sow doubt among the citizens of one nation. These individuals must be confronted, because their rhetoric does not build but destroys, does not unite but divides, and does not heal wounds but deepens them.

Everyone—especially the educated and aware elite—must bear the ethical and national responsibility to confront this type of discourse. Words can sometimes be more dangerous than bullets, and surrendering our society to them opens the door to all forms of fragmentation and division.

One Language… One Nation

The path to a united Syria begins with one language: the language of love, respect, recognition of the other, and the belief that the identity of the nation is broader than any sub-identity.

It is only with this spirit that we can protect Syria—not from division projects on paper, but from the division that may grow within hearts without us even realizing it.