A prominent Shia imam was assassinated outside a mosque in Damascus, Syria on 1 May.

Sheikh Farhan Al-Mansour, the Imam of Sayyeda Zaynab Mosque and Shrine in Damascus, was killed shortly after leaving the mosque after Friday prayers when an unknown assailant threw a hand grenade into his car which exploded and killed him instantly. The police arrived quickly and have launched a criminal investigation into the incident.

Sheikh Al-Mansour had taken part in several interfaith dialogue initiatives since the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024.

A Syrian journalist told CSW: ‘Perpetrators are still unknown but they could be part of an extremist group linked to IS – but I cannot exclude Iran. Sheikh Al-Farhan adopted a positive stance towards the new regime in Syria which undoubtedly upset Iran. Iran and its proxies in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon have been trying to destabilise Syria since December 2024.’

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘We extend our deepest condolences to the family of Sheikh Farhan Al-Mansour and to the Shia community in Syria. We strongly condemn this terrorist act and encourage the Syrian government to ensure that those who committed this heinous crime face justice. We also encourage the Syrian government to combat sectarianism and hate speech, and hold government officials and loyalists who engage in inciting hatred to account.’