Following Bashar al-Assad’s fresh ouster, ethnic Syrian Alawites have discovered themselves increasingly more apprehensive over the long run beneath HTS rule, whilst requires rights coverage and inclusive governance proceed to upward push.
As 1000’s rejoice the ousting of President Bashar Al-Assad in Umayyad Sq. in central Damascus on a daily basis, many Syrian Alawites say considerations over the way forward for their nation lead them to stay wary, if now not outright apprehensive.
After Al-Assad fled to Russia on 8 December following a lightning army operation led by way of the rebels headquartered within the northern province of Idlib that took them the entire method to the Syrian capital, a brutal civil struggle that’s lasted for over 13 years got here to an finish.
However Ahmed*, a middle-aged receptionist, fears this may well be the start of a brand new time period of oppression for his circle of relatives.
“We’re seeing movies from Latakia, the place the HTS is rounding other folks up,” he says, regarding the militant team Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, led by way of Ahmed al-Sharaa.
“My spouse is crying on a daily basis and desires to depart,” he says, whispering.
HTS, which at previously espoused a world jihadist technique, is designated as a terrorist organisation by way of Ecu international locations and america alike. Al-Sharaa, aka Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is a Sunni Muslim with previous ties to al-Qaeda, and its Syrian satellite tv for pc, Jabhat Al-Nusra.
Previously, there was once even a $10-million (€9.6m) bounty on any knowledge that would result in al-Sharaa.
However lately, america, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, and others have all coated as much as make high-level authentic touch with the crowd.
Since al-Assad’s fall, Jolani has began making statements in civilian clothes or even shortened his beard, a transfer in large part believed to be a sign of his extra average ideals — however this hasn’t in reality helped Ahmed and his circle of relatives let cross in their worries.
Ahmed says his nervousness over former jihadis now doesn’t imply that he prefers al-Assad, beneath whose rule he and his compatriots suffered in poverty whilst tens of 1000’s of other folks disappeared, masses of 1000’s have been killed, and thousands and thousands of other folks turned into refugees the world over.
“However they don’t glance anything else like us,” he says with worry, appearing the headshots of the transition cupboard the HTS arrange.
Idlib, the place the HTS is based totally and has dominated since 2017, portrays an overly conservative way of living, the place most girls duvet their hair, arms and from time to time their faces from an early age and the place maximum men have lengthy beards.
To an out of doors observer, a few of it could be paying homage to puts dominated by way of different spiritual extremists: In August, the Syrian Salvation Executive, HTS’ government logo, imposed gender segregation in faculties throughout Idlib.
The coverage foresaw “distancing from [fashion] traits which are other to our faith’s teachings and our traditions” and the enforcement of “Sharia-compliant apparel”.
Sharia courts exist around the province, in keeping with the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights NGO.
The transitional executive set to rule all the nation and led by way of the meantime High Minister Mohammed al-Bashir, comprises transient ministers of inner, financial system, well being and judiciary, amongst others, who’re anticipated to carry their positions till March, in keeping with the HTS.
All the meantime cupboard is made up of Sunni males. But Syria, a heartland of numerous civilisations, is a lot more various than that.
Whilst a majority of the rustic’s inhabitants of 24 million is made up of Sunnis, between 10-13% are Alawites, a department of Islam and the biggest minority team in Syria, which may be house to Kurds, Christians, Druze, and others.
Bashar al-Assad and his father, former President Hafez al-Assad, are themselves Alawites from Latakia and have been identified to have put in other folks from their ethnic team to high-level positions within the army and executive for the reason that Nineteen Seventies, the start in their dynasty.
But Syria’s abnormal Alawites, principally residing within the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, but in addition an important quantity dwelling in Damascus and Homs, weren’t favoured beneath al-Assad with regards to their freedoms, one younger Syrian says.
“It was once worse for me beneath al-Assad,” Hussein*, a 21-year-old engineering scholar, explains, status in entrance of a small marketplace dotting a small highway in Mezzah 86, a neighbourhood of Damascus the place many Alawites live.
“I wasn’t proud of al-Assad, but when I stated that, I’d be (regarded as) a traitor. So, double dangerous for me.”
Now, taking a look forward, he says he wish to consider the guarantees made by way of the HTS since 8 December, together with to give protection to his rights as a minority and to not cross from one oppression to the opposite.
“Nobody has the appropriate to erase every other team. Those sects have coexisted on this area for centuries, and no person has the appropriate to do away with them,” al-Sharaa stated in a tv interview following the rebels’ victory.
On Wednesday, he promised, too, that Syria is not going to turn out to be “Afghanistan” on the subject of women’ training.
Those guarantees are necessary however wish to be watched very intently, says Adam Coogle, deputy director of the Center East-North Africa department at Human Rights Watch.
“Syria’s transitional government will have to offer protection to the rights of all Syrians similarly and shed light on that acts of revenge out of doors the rule of thumb of legislation is probably not tolerated,” he urges.
In the meantime, studies of Alawite squaddies being stored in HTS-held prisons proceed to flow into, despite the fact that Euronews can’t independently examine those claims.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Construction Birthday celebration or AKP, the political actor with just right family members with the HTS, has underlined the will for this to be a style that’s “respectful of freedom of religion”.
In an interview given to native media lately, Ömer Çelik, the celebration’s spokesman, stated, “Sunnis will admire Shias, Shias will admire Sunnis … A style the place all ethnic and non secular teams are living in combination. We are saying, ‘Syria belongs to Syrians’.”
He additionally instructed: “If there is not any inclusive governance style, sadly, positive aspects are misplaced and larger conflicts rise up. There must be a style of commonplace will.”
Final Thursday, Syria’s new executive iced over the charter and the parliament for a duration of 3 months.
Nowadays, it’s now not but transparent whether or not a brand new Syria could have a civil charter that is the same as all other folks from other backgrounds.
Syrian Alawites who spoke to Euronews all stated they would like that, and a Syria for all Syrian other folks.
*The names of Syrians who spoke to Euronews have been modified to give protection to their identities.