US Muslim group backs Trump’s push to lift Syria sanctions

(MENAFN) A US-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization expressed support Monday for President Donald Trump’s initiative to remove sanctions on Syria, emphasizing the importance of allowing the country to rebuild without external interference. According to reports, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement on X that “We welcome President Trump’s support for the full removal of Assad-era sanctions on Syria, which must rebuild and recover without foreign roadblocks.”

CAIR urged Trump to advocate for an end to “the Israeli government’s occupation of Syrian land, its lawless attacks on the Syrian people, and its support for separatist militias.” The organization also congratulated the Syrian-American community, the Syrian people, and the Muslim world on the one-year anniversary of what it termed Syria’s “liberation.” “We thank God for this moment that so many spent decades praying for, and we pray that He comforts the countless families who lost loved ones to the horrors of the Assad regime, including many Syrian-Americans and American Muslims,” the statement added.

The comments coincide with moves by the US Congress to fully repeal the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2026. This follows Trump’s May meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, where he announced plans to lift all sanctions and later issued a series of waivers, while urging lawmakers to remove the restrictions permanently to facilitate Syria’s post-war recovery.

Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on December 8, 2024, ending the Baath Party regime that had been in power since 1963. Al-Sharaa, who led the anti-regime forces that ousted Assad, was appointed president for a transitional period in late January.

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