Son of Syrian PM risks citizenship withdrawal for smoking shisha

Syrian loyalists reportedly started a campaign to denounce the “lazy” and “leisure” lifestyle of the Prime Minister’s son and asked for the withdrawal of his citizenship.

According to Al Arabiya.net, the online campaign started after Mohammed al-Halqi appeared smoking shisha and enjoying his free time, contradicting recent statements from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Last week Assad, said during a rare televised speech: “The homeland is for those who fight in its defense [and not] for the one who smoke shisha while its people are being killed.”

The loyalists published a collage of the son of Wael al-Halqi – the country’s PM – smoking shisha alongside the son of Brig. General Essam Zahreddine in a military uniform.

The collage was accompanied by the caption: “From what Bashar al-Assad said: The homeland is not for who lives in it or holds the citizenship but for who defends and protect it.”

Mohammed al-Halqi has previously sparked controversy after publicly saying that some Syrians people “do not deserve” the efforts of his father who has “faced assassination” threats many times.

This article is available in Arabic.