The New Syria: A Perspective from the Alawite Region of al-Qardaha

The very rapid collapse of the Assad regime is probably a source of some relief for concerns that the Syrian war would ultimately devolve into large scale, tit-for-tat sectarian massacres between Syrian Sunni Arabs (the demographic majority) and Alawite Arabs (the minority from which the Assad dynasty came). Some massacres on a sect basis did occur during the war between the Assad regime and insurgency (e.g. the Baniyas massacre of Sunni Arabs in 2013, and killings of Alawites in Latakia countryside in 2013 and in the Idlib village of Ishtabraq in 2015), but the final rapid demise meant that we did not see scenarios such as street-to-street fighting in Homs city or a final last stand for the Assad regime and any Alawites remaining to defend it along Syria’s coastal regions, which could have indeed resulted in a bloody end.

In the present circumstances, there have been clear attempts at leadership level to cool and tone down any sectarian animosities that may have built up over the years between those who stood by the regime and those who opposed it. For example, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s leadership has directed messages attempting to reassure minorities (including Alawites) that they will not be targeted on a sect basis. For their part, Alawite notables and shaykhs in the Assad family’s home region of al-Qardaha have issued a statement urging cooperation with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the other insurgents as part of the political transition process.

However, it is difficult to imagine that on the level of individuals, sectarian tensions will completely vanish overnight. In particular, footage has circulated of the execution of captured army personnel who are then derisively referred to as “Nusayris” (a term for Alawites). The use of the term, and more general anti-Shi‘a sentiment (e.g. calling Twelver Shi‘a “Rafidites”), became quite common within the insurgent-held areas during the course of the war. One person I know from the Twelver Shi‘i villages of Nubl and al-Zahara’ in Aleppo countryside and became displaced to Damascus during the course of the insurgent offensive has been reluctant to return home and trust insurgent and opposition promises of safety, having heard of rumours of capture and executions on a sect basis.

Nonetheless, other individuals on both sides are willing to express their rejection of sectarian animosity and move forward for a united Syria. Below is an interview conducted yesterday with Zayn al-‘Abidin Taraf, a beekeeper in the al-Qardaha region.

Q: How is the current situation in al-Qardaha?

A: The situation is fine, praise be to God. The tyrant and his relatives have fled from al-Qardaha, never to return.

Q: How do the people of al-Qardaha feel? Do they believe that Bashar al-Assad betrayed them?