A closing memorial service was held for the victims of the massacre in the bereaved town of Majdal Shams, attended by many people from the town and its surroundings, with the participation of Sheikh Muafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community.

Sheikh Tarif gave a speech in which he said:

Your children are our children, your stance is our stance, and your pain was and will remain our pain. We are all with you, and our voice and call are one: If only the fires of war would be extinguished and put out, so that the buds of peace may bloom in the land of peace.

A week has passed since the Druze community bid farewell to its innocent, budding flowers, after they were plucked by the brutal hands of darkness in a massacre that shook hearts, brought tears to eyes, and saddened souls.

They are the martyrs of this wounded and bereaved homeland; they are the owners of sincere, tender souls and sweet, poignant memories, who have vanished from our sight to remain forever residents of our hearts.

Each one of them has a name, a picture, and a story.

Each one of them has a small dream that will never see the light after that dark, difficult day.

They are the martyrs of the community and the missing suns of Majdal, our departed loved ones: Fajr Laith Abu Saleh, Amir Rabie Abu Saleh, Hazem Akram Abu Saleh, John Wadih Ibrahim, Izil Nashat Ayoub, Vennes Adham Safadi, Yazan Naif Abu Saleh, Alma Ayman Fakhr al-Din, Naji Taher Halabi, Millar Mu'dad al-Sha'ar, Nazem Fakher Saab, Guevara Ibrahim Ibrahim – may they find forgiveness, and may their families find beautiful patience and solace after them.

Around the memory of these innocent, childlike souls, the Druze community gathers wherever it may be, and the world and its people weep.

Memories, as painful, regretful, and choked with emotion as they may be, have come to us as a clear human memento to assure us that the world is still doing well.

This comes after the world united in condemning the horror of this heinous massacre, which might move the consciences of people across the world to stop the scourges of war and plant the seeds of peace.

Witness to this are the thousands of mourners who came to Majdal Shams from all walks of society, united in their pain and condemnation of the tragedy, and thousands of calls, messages, and telegrams, all carrying the sincerity of condolences, emphasizing the depth and stability of our common denominator: our children, the children of all humanity, are above wars, above fighting, and above all politics.

In such a righteous moment, we must offer a word of thanks, appreciation, and gratitude to everyone who took the initiative to offer us condolences from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the Emirates, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, and even Saudi Arabia, and from all Arab nations, countries, and the entire world, and to everyone who endured the hardship of travel to offer condolences in Julis and at the site of the events in the Golan, emphasizing what these humanitarian stances contain in terms of signs of love and the ethics of loyalty and affection in alleviating the pain and impact of this affliction for us.

To the bereaved families of Majdal Shams, we say: Your children are our children, your stance is our stance, and your pain was and will remain our pain. We are all with you, and our voice and call are one: If only the fires of war would be extinguished and put out, so that the buds of peace may bloom in the land of peace.

We salute the stance of our people, the bereaved families, and the stance of the members of the Druze community in exercising reason and responsible behavior to overcome these difficult days.

Once again, we offer our condolences to you and to ourselves for this difficult and bitter passing, and we dedicate our sincere prayers to the injured, wishing them good health and recovery, praying for every bereaved, broken, sad, and longing person living on memories and nostalgia, for the cooling relief of contentment and solace, the easing of worries and troubles, and for beautiful patience and submission to the command of the Wise Creator.

May God reward you all, and indeed we belong to God and to Him we shall return.