by Andrea Tucci,
It was foreseeable that they might settle scores with those who worked for or collaborated with the Assad Alawite regime was expected. Such is the precarious position of Syria’s Alawite minority roughly 10 per cent of the population ( around 2.5 million) .Thousands of officials, service members and businessmen that benefited from their proximity to the regime have already been arrested and many more will be, if they haven’t managed to flee the country.
Maybe one percent of the community worked on behalf or collaborated with the regime, Mohammed told: ( the name is invented because of fear of reprisals )”but the majority of the Alawite community suffered at the hands of the regime, like most of the country’s residents, and now their lives are also in danger.”
Hayat Tahrir al-Sharaa (HTS), that became the de facto leader of Syria quick to promise that he would protect the rights of minorities and women. The fact that he himself belongs to a minority, the Druze community, could certainly ensure a strong commitment to promoting the protection and cultural and religious independence of these communities.
The ties that Sharaa has begun to forge with representatives of European countries, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, do not yet dispel the concerns and suspicions regarding his intentions.
However, according to reports from the field, it appears that some of these militias are still operating independently and have not yet agreed to disarm and comply with the central government’s directives. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, these rebels are responsible for the brutal murder of about 150 Alawites, mainly in Homs and Hama, since the December 8 fall of the Assad regime.
Controlling them is just one of the military challenges facing the Druze Sharaa: He is currently busy finding a political and military solution to the status of the Kurdish forces in northern Syria and the Druze community in the south. The Druze and Kurds declare their support for “unity of the state,” but at the same time each of these minorities is demanding administrative and cultural autonomy, and even the creation of separate cantons.
Alawites and Druze Historical Religious Background
The Alawites form a religious group primarily found in Syria,Turkey, and Lebanon. Of Shia Islamic origin, they use the term Alawi to express their reverence for Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.
Traditionally, they have been labeled as “extremists” (ghulāt) and are considered outside of Islam by much of the mainstream Muslim community (primarily Sunni), due to their near-deification of Ali.
The Alawite doctrine, being secretive and rejecting converts, has not led to the publication of their sacred texts. Most Alawites know very little about the content of these texts or their theology, which is guarded closely by a small circle of male.
Alawite believers hold that they must transform or be reborn seven times before they can reclaim a place among the stars, where Ali is the prince. Those deemed blameworthy may sometimes be reborn as Christians or Jews, among whom they remain until their atonement is complete. Non-believers are directly reborn as animals.
The Druze primarily live in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, where they practice a monotheistic doctrine derived from Shia Islam.
They are not considered Muslims, do not fast during the month of Ramadan, nor do they undertake pilgrimages to Mecca. Having separated from Islam, they are now effectively an entirely independent religion.
The Druze doctrine is quite complex: in addition to Islamic elements, it incorporates aspects of Judaism, Hinduism, and Christianity.
The Druze believe in the transmigration of souls after death, that is, reincarnation (metempsychosis), but their entire belief system is shrouded in mystery. The core aspects of their doctrine are revealed with great caution and only by a master of a higher rank.
Despite having suffered various persecutions in the past, the Druze community in Syria( also in Lebanon) has often played an important role in shaping the modern state of the country. Although they are a minority, they continue to exert significant influence on the Syrian political scene.

Photo: Druze woman with a traditional costume
Without an understanding and agreement with these ethnic minorities, is liable to witness the outbreak of a new civil war. Western Syria, are demanding the establishment of an autonomous canton perhaps even asking Israel’s assistance.
“Most of my Alawite friends don’t support the Assad family,” says an anonimous student. “They were stealing from us, literally all the country’s resources were going to them. They forced us to live in poverty, without electricity or water, whilst prices rose dramatically.”However it is also trues that the Alawites were very close to Bashar’s regime” and served as “regime protectors”.
As of today, the government, as a sign of transitional and to stabilise the situation, have opened nationwide “Registration Centres” where former regime personnel declare themselves and surrender weapons.
At one such centre in Latakia, hundreds queue daily former soldiers and police officers hand over weapons.“We expect at least 10,000 people, maybe more 20 or 30 thousand,” says who runs the centre explains: “We give them a three month permit for protection, and time for investigation. Those who committed serious crimes will face the judiciary.”
A young Alawite man at the registration center said: “We’re tired of war. We want to live in a peaceful and civilised country. We need security, just security.”
Analysts see three potential scenarios for Syria’s Alawite community:
Revenge, Marginalisation, or Reintegration…