Issam al-Attar (Arabic: عصام العطار; 1927 – 3 May 2024) was a Syrian dissident politician and Islamic preacher who was the former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria.
He was a vehement opponent of the United Arab Republic, fearing police state repression against the Islamists,[2] in which he was arrested several times during the existence of the Union.
[3] He led the Talaa'i organization in Germany since the late 1970s, working mostly with non-Syrian Muslims, which was centered around the Bilal Mosque in Aachen.
[3] After the catastrophic outcome of the uprising, al-Attar was accused of being too reserved towards the Assad regime at a congress in Baden-Baden in 1982 by other Syrian Muslim Brothers.
[3] During the Syrian revolution, he emphasized unity and modernity, rejecting sectarian conflict and prioritizing national development over regime change.