Sheikh Muhsin El Hıdır, member of the reconciliation committee that has been operating in Homs since 2011, told Sputnik about the efforts required to ensure peaceful coexistence between various religious confessions.
"We pursue several goals. One of them is to establish dialogue and establish a connection between all social stratas regardless of their religious views," he explained.
According to Sheikh El Hıdır, the committee members travel to the volatile regions of the country attempting to communicate with representatives of different social groups seeking to create common ground for future reconciliation.
He also added that Homs became "a target of external influence that causes interreligious strife."
"We work hard to protect the people of Homs from this influence. We cannot allow religious differences to affect political life and cause armed conflicts," El Hıdır said. "We seek to establish peaceful coexistence of all religions on our territory."
According to Sheikh El Hidir, it is wrong to condemn people simply for them being adherents of a different religion
"A great many innocent men, women and children have already been killed, unfortunately. We must put down arms and engage in peaceful dialogue. My son was killed as well, but I cannot allow myself to give in to hatred and vengeance and continue this wicked circle of violence. We try to explain this to people, to help them communicate with each other," he concluded.
The reconciliation committee works alongside the local humanitarian organizations and UN-affiliated groups seeking to deal with tensions, mutual mistrust and prejudice among the people of Homs.
The city of Homs returned under government control in December 2015 following a local ceasefire agreement between Damascus and the militants. A number of similar deals have been inked recently, raising hopes that a nation-wide ceasefire would soon be reached.
