A revered minority sheikh of Sweida, the cradle of Syria's revolutions against foreign occupation over the past century, said in an interview with Xinhua that the southern province's residents will not revolt against other Syrians during the country's current crisis.

Wearing a traditional white turban and a black robe, Sheikh Akel of el-Mowahideen el-Druze Sect, Sheikh Abu Wael Hamoud al-Hinawi, said the Syrian sects are not pitted against each other.

The Druze sheikh, who grows a busy moustache, told Xinhua that he will never raise his weapon against another Syrian, whatever his sect might be.

Since last March, Syria has been gripped by protests inspired by movement in other Arab nations. The once peaceful demonstrations aimed at democracy have evolved into armed insurgency with alleged army defectors fighting the government forces.

Damascus said some 2,000 army and security personnel have been killed since the start of the unrest, while the UN reported more than 5,400 deaths.

The current crisis, breaking out in an adjacent city to Sweida, is at a critical juncture as the daily grind of violence has stirred up fears that the country might be sliding toward a civil war.

"What is happening to Syria is tragic and something we never wished for," Sheikh Hinawi said. "However, the Syrian people, despite their diverse sects, are still united as one fabric and have never fought each other throughout the history."

Sweida became known as Jabal Druze in the second half of the nineteenth century due to its considerable number of Druze settlements. Its one-million-population was able to obtain autonomy under the Ottoman rule after winning many battles against the Turkish armies.

In the 1930s, Jabal Druze was also referred to as Jabal al-Arab in recognition of the nationalist role played by the Syrian Druze.

Under the leadership of Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, the Druze formed a major military force behind the Great Syrian Revolt against the French from 1925 to 1927. They led a successful revolt against foreign occupation in May 1945, making the Jabal the first and only region in Syria that liberate itself from the French rule without any foreign assistance.

"We, as a Druze sect, do not issue edicts to kill and do not call for inner fighting among Syrians," Sheikh Hinawi said.

Syrian forces stepped up their crackdown against restive areas in central Syria and the Damascus suburbs over the past couple of days. The government's patience is running thin and is sending a clear message that it is resolute to settle the situation once and for all and end the spiraling violence, which it blames on armed groups sabotaging the country's security and stability.

The escalation came after the Arab League's recent decision to turn to the UN Security Council for support for its new plan over the Syrian crisis, which calls for the formation of a national unity government that excludes incumbent Syrian President Bashar Assad. The plan was denounced by Damascus as a flagrant interference in the country's internal affairs. Millions of Syrians also took to the streets to voice their rejection of the plan.

Sheik Hinawi said the Arab League should work for the unity of the Arab world and heal the wounds.

"The Arab League should work to assist the Syrian people by taking an evenhanded and honest stand," he said. "Had there been corruption in the country, it couldn't be abated by killing and destruction... it can be eradicated by reforms."

He stressed that the Druze support the process of reforms, noting that they are not bystanders to the crisis.

"We have put forward our own vision and made contacts with the Syrian political leadership in an effort to help ride out the crisis, because the responsibility to resolve the crisis lies on every Syrian, regardless of their sects," he said.

However, the sheikh stopped short of expounding the nature of their initiative and the government's response to it.

"The homeland is what matters most to us... we have to protect it from foreign conspiracy," he said, adding that reforms cannot come from outside the country.

Sheik Hinawi shrugged off allegations that the crisis would enflame tensions among Syria's complicated mix of religions. Most of Syrians are Sunni Muslims but there are other minorities.

He said members of his Druze minority, an offshoot of Islam, are "Syrian nationals" who would never accept attempts to stir up sectarian fighting.

"Even if there are some media outlets saying Syria is on the brink of a sectarian rift, this is their own business... we will never call for any fighting except to defend out homeland," Hinawi stressed.

The Syrian opposition is still struggling to find a unified voice and has been careful to paint their movement as free of any sectarian overtones.

Sheikh Hinawi appealed to all Syrians to launch a national dialogue involving all spectra of ethnicities. "We call on all Syrians, and the Arab League, to salvage Syria."