Grand Mufti of Lebanon Abdel Latif Derian and his delegation posing with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus on July 5, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Following his first visit to Syria since starting his term as Lebanon's grand mufti in 2014, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian declared his hopes for "new relations" based on "cooperation and complementarity" between Beirut and Damascus.
His visit on Saturday also marked the first by any Lebanese Sunni religious leader in more than 20 years, after a long period of tense, even broken, relations between the two neighboring countries, and notably with Lebanon's Sunni community following the assassination of Rafik Hariri in 2005 in an operation largely believed to have involved Syria's then-ruling Assad regime.
Sheikh Derian, accompanied by an official delegation of muftis from several Lebanese regions and other officials from Dar al-Fatwa, held an hour-long meeting with the new interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, former leader of the rebel jihadist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, who led the coalition of opposition forces that toppled Assad in December, 2024.
The meeting was later described as “frank,” and reportedly addressed past estrangements and shared aspirations for renewal. As a gesture of goodwill, Derian presented Sharaa with the Dar al-Fatwa Gold Medal.
The resilience of the Syrian people
The Lebanese Sunni dignitary expressed his "joy at returning to Syria after a long absence," according to statements cited by the state-run National News Agency.
Derian praised the ongoing preparations for "free elections" in Syria and paid tribute to "the resilience of the Syrian people in the face of massacres, exile, terrorism, and destabilization campaigns."
Expressing his hope that Syria "regains its place as an influential Arab nation," Derian credited the country's people with becoming "a model of civilization and coexistence" again, and said he was confident in the capacity of expatriated Syrians to "participate in the reconstruction of their country."
Sharaa mentioned in early February a transitional period of "four to five years" before holding an election, allowing time to "rebuild the necessary infrastructure." Syria was torn apart by 13 years of civil war, and many of its towns and villages still lie in ruins.
Sharaa has many times reiterated his dedication to establishing an inclusive society in the new Syria, but the first months of his leadership were still marred by deadly episodes of sectarian violence, notably between the Druze population and forces associated with the coalition from which the new authorities came, as well as between forces loyal to Assad and those of the new regime, which resulted in massacres of the Alawite community.
Dar al-Fatwa's golden emblem
Sharaa and Derian's meeting also involved discussions of Lebanon's new government, headed by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, which Derian described as "promising." He called for "Arab solidarity" and hoped Lebanon's new leaders would foster "new relations based on cooperation and complementarity" between Lebanon and Syria.
Regretting the "years of rupture" between the two countries, Derian assured Sharaa of Dar al-Fatwa's support, and presented him with the "golden medal" of the Lebanese Sunni institution "in recognition of his Islamic and Arab positions, his efforts, and sacrifices for Syria." Derian has offered this medal on one other occasion: to Aoun.
In a separate meeting with Syrian Minister of Endowments Mohammed Abu Al-Khair, Derian emphasized Dar al-Fatwa’s role in promoting moderate Islam, citizenship and coexistence amid regional challenges.
During an event on Sunday in Bekaa, Derian noted that the Syrian foreign minister, Assaad al-Shibani, is scheduled to meet with Salam in the near future.