Alawites, Christians, and Druze are in fear in Syria
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The ongoing religious and political turmoil in Syria is being quietly supported by both Gulf and Western powers through a combination of diplomatic, economic, and political strategies. This backing persists despite a series of brutal attacks on Alawites, as well as massacres targeting Christians and the Druze community. As a result, these external actors appear increasingly willing to engage with, or even accommodate, the growing influence of Islamist power brokers within Syria.
Syrian Sunni Islamists and international jihadists adhere to an extreme interpretation of Islamic ideology. Despite the collective tone of some of al-Sharaa’s statements, he openly supported the inclusion of radical foreign Islamists within the military ranks.
Last month, Christian worshippers gathered at Saint Elias Church in search of peace and a deeper connection with God. Tragically, their sanctuary was torn apart when two Islamist extremists, acting on behalf of ISIS, launched a savage attack. At least 22 Christians lost their lives, and many others were injured in this senseless act of terror.
In March, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported a brutal pogrom against the Alawites, with some Christians also falling victim to Sunni Islamist violence during this period. However, the Alawites were the primary target.
According to the SOHR, “…security forces and allied groups killed over 1,700 civilians, the vast majority of them Alawites, during several days of violence that erupted on March 6.”
Alawites had already been targeted and killed by Sunni Islamists in Syria before the recent pogroms in Latakia, Tartus, and other areas such as Hama and Homs provinces. As a result, the beleaguered Alawites, along with other minority communities, urgently require international support across economic, political, and social dimensions.
In May, the BBC reported, “Deadly clashes between Islamist armed factions, security forces and fighters from the Druze religious minority near Damascus are another sign of the continuing fragility of the security situation in Syria after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.”
Despite the Sunni Islamization of Syria and the ongoing massacres of religious minorities, Gulf and Western powers are rushing to acknowledge and accommodate the shifting dynamics in the country.
In Iraq, the upheavals forced countless religious minorities to flee the country. As a result, the Christian population dwindled, while Yazidis were subjected to enslavement by the Islamic State (ISIS).
The Kurdish question also remains in Iraq and Syria.
Overall, religious minorities and secularists have much to fear in the evolving Syria.
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