Once the imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Moaz al-Khatib is a well-respected figure among the Syrian opposition. Seen as a political threat by the regime for his outspoken stance against Assad, Khatib was forced to flee to Cairo, Egypt in 2012. As a moderate Sunni Muslim with no political party allegiances, many see Khatib as the potential future president of Syria. Khatib served as president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces from 2012 until he resigned from the position in 2013.
