The founding congress of the Ahl al-Bait Association took place in the autonomous region of northern and eastern Syria on Saturday. The association, whose full name is Al-Ashraf Ahl al-Bait, is a component of the umbrella organisation Democratic Islamic Congress (DIK). Its main aim is to oppose the politicisation of Islam in North-East Syria and in the Middle East region in general by the Turkish state and Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

Around 500 spiritual delegates from all regions of northern and eastern Syria took part in the conference, which was held at the Arts and Culture Centre in the city of Tabqa. It took about two months to prepare the content and organisation of the meeting, whose slogan was "With your morality, O, the Messenger of God, we will rise". Representatives of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and its institutions and members of the Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) were also invited to the conference.

In speeches, it was emphasised that the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in particular was reaching far beyond the borders of his country and misusing Islam for his own purposes. “Under AKP rule, both the Islamisation of politics and the politicisation of Islam have been forced. This approach from above has not only resulted in socio-political and territorial fragmentation along confessional and ethnic lines of tension within Turkey, but also has a direct impact on AANES and other countries in the region. Therefore, it is necessary to fight the Turkish occupation in every way. This will also lead to a strengthening of trust and respect between religions and peoples.”