Syria’s minorities seek security as country charts new future | Global News Avenue

Driving into Mezzeh 86, a working-class neighborhood in western Damascus, we were waved through a checkpoint manned by HTS fighters.

The building is dilapidated and in need of repairs.

The area’s population comes largely from Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam whose members are one of Syria’s largest religious minorities.

During the 50 years of Assad family rule, Alawites have controlled power in the predominantly Sunni Muslim country, holding senior positions in the government, military and intelligence services.

Now, many in the community fear reprisals after Assad’s regime was overthrown by HTS-led rebels. HTS is a Sunni Islamist group that was once an affiliate of al-Qaeda in Syria.

Dozens of Alawites we contacted by phone declined to talk to us, and many said they were scared.

In the Mezzeh 86 incident, the presence of HTS fighters at checkpoints did not appear to cause anxiety.

Many Alawites did come to talk to us – keen to distance themselves from the Assad regime.

“The stereotype of Alawites during the Assad regime was that they got all the jobs and they were rich. But in fact, most Alawites were poor and you could only find one in a thousand One of the richest people.” Mohammad Shaheen, a 26-year-old pharmacy student.

“Even when HTS went to Alawite villages near the coast, they found that all the villages were poor. Only the Assad family had accumulated wealth,” he added, referring to the Alawite heartland in the west of the country.

Shopkeeper Hassan Daoud interjected: “We are his slaves – the driver, the cook and the cleaners.”

There is also a feeling of betrayal.

Mohammed said: “Assad is a traitor. The way he escaped was cowardly. He should have at least addressed the people and told us what happened. He left without saying a word, which made the situation chaotic.”

But people from, and even from, the Alawite community do serve in Assad’s brutal security forces. We asked, are they afraid of retaliation?

“Those who have done bad things in the army have fled. No one knows where they are. They are afraid of reprisals,” said Thaier Shaheen, a construction worker.

“But those who didn’t have blood on their hands were not afraid and stayed behind.”

Several revenge killings have been reported in parts of the country, but so far there is no evidence that these were committed by HTS.

“So far we are okay. We are talking to Tahrir al-Sham and they are respectful. But there are people who are not from HTS but are pretending to be them and making threats. They want our society to fail and they are the ones we fear, “Muhammad said.

After taking control of Damascus, HTS and its allies said those involved in the deposed regime’s torture and killings would be held accountable, although it was unclear what form justice would take.

HTS also said the rights and freedoms of religious and ethnic minorities will be protected.

The group has a history of jihad but has distanced itself from it. But it has an Islamist presence, and many are asking what that means for Syria’s plural society.

“I’m happy because the Assad regime fell. It’s like a dream come true. No one wants to live under a dictatorship. But there are people who are worried. I have to be realistic,” said Christian lawyer Yusuf Sabbagh .

“HTS is here now and they are an Islamic militia. That’s what they are. I hope, I pray, they will become a modern Islamic militia.”

“I say it not just as a Christian to a lot of Syrians, to Muslims, to everybody, we don’t want Syria to be another Afghanistan, we don’t want to be a new Libya. We’ve suffered a lot.”

Syria’s Christian community is one of the oldest in the world, and the country is home to some famous holy sites.

When the uprising against Assad began in 2011, Christians were initially wary of taking sides, but eventually community members sided with both sides of the conflict.

The Archbishop of Homs, Jacques Murad, told the BBC in the past week that there had been three meetings with HTS and they were able to express their views and concerns honestly.

So far, these signs are reassuring to many Christians.

Bars and restaurants serving alcohol are open in the Christian Quarter of Old Damascus and elsewhere in the city. Christmas decorations were also hung in many places.

In a restaurant in the Old City, we met Ouday al-Khayat, a Shiite Muslim lawyer.

“There’s no doubt there’s a lot of anticipation and anxiety. The signs from HTS are good, but we have to wait and see,” he said.

“It’s impossible to know the opinions of all Shiites, but there are concerns about a situation similar to that in Libya or Iraq. However, I believe Syria is different. Syrian society has long been diverse.”

We drive about 110 kilometers (70 miles) southeast of Damascus through black volcanic hills to the city of Suwayda, where most of Syria’s Druze live.

The Druze faith is another branch of Shiite Islam, but has its own unique identity and beliefs.

Many Druze are loyal to the Assad regime, which they believe will protect minorities.

But opposition grew during the war, and protests have become more frequent in recent years.

The most recent incident began in August 2023 in the central square of Suwayda and continued until the day the regime fell.

Activist Wajiha Hajar believes the protests were not met with a brutal crackdown like others in Syria because Assad wanted to show the world and his foreign allies that he was protecting minorities.

“They did try to suppress our protests, but in a different way – not with weapons or shelling, but by depriving us of our passports and civil rights and access to official documents. It became difficult to leave Suwayda, and some kind of Under siege,” she said.

Hundreds of people still gather in the square every day. When we visited, there was an air of celebration everywhere. Singing blared from the loudspeakers as young girls and boys performed gymnastics as their families clapped and cheered.

“We celebrate the fall of the regime, but this gathering is also a show of strength. If an extreme regime and extreme laws emerge, we are ready to stay in this square, demand our rights, demand equality,” Wajiha said.

Suwayda has enjoyed quasi-autonomous status under Assad, and the Druze hope this will continue.

This is just one example of the diversity and complexity of Syrian society and the challenges facing the country’s new government.

Additional reporting by Aamir Peerzada, Leen Al-Saadi and Sanjay Ganguly