Sectarianism in the Syrian Conflict

Syria has always been a multi-ethnic land of many religions. Ancient Christian communities, Alawi and other Shi'a, Druze, and a few Jews (app. 22 per wikipedia) live alongside the Sunni Muslim majority (estimated at around 60-70% of the population). "The people of Syria" have risen up, but those are mostly Sunni, and not even a majority of that majority. The opposition claim genocideand other discimination by the "Alawite regime" headed by Alawi president Bashar Al-Assad. Their propsed answers vary. The infamous slogan among some rebels "Christians to Beirut, Alawites to the grave" should suffice as an introduction to the problems Syria faces as these people, heavily armed, impose their will, if temporarily, on city after city across Syria.

The following is a stub page for the moment, with some material to start, and more at the discussion page.

Persecution of Syria's Sunni Majority by the Government
It's alleged by some among the rebels that genocide against Syria's Sunni majority is the main factor behind the government ("Alawite regime") repression of the rebel struggle. There can be little doubt that most of those killed fighting with the mostly-Sunni insurgency are primarily Sunni. But it's other things, like the prevalent Shabiha massacres of Sunni civilians, women and children, those making the argument point to. These stories, widely accepted as true, would clearly indicate genocidal intent of a truly monstrous nature. But their truth is far certain, as much of the existing work at this site illustrates.

Persecution of Syria's Minorities by the Rebellion
This issue has only slowly come towards, if not yet to, the forefront of Western and world concerns. There's been much hand-wringing about weapons getting into the hands of people who would use them against "Western interests." That they might be used for massive sectarian genocide has remained a more muted concern, even as evidence piles up that the weapons rebels have now are already being used to kill and chase away Syria's minorities from the few places they're able to"liberate."

Alawi/Alawite
Alawites, preferring Alawi, are a sub-set of Shi'ite Islam, taking a moderate interpretation, mixed with other ideas, and since blurred, with specifics hard to establish. Related to the Alevi of Turkey, the Alawi began in Syria 900 years ago; Syria remains their heartland, where they represent around 13% of the population.

The rebel threat "Alawites to the Grave" is not uttered as much now as it was in early 2012. But since then especially, it's gone more from a loud threat to a quietly delivered-on promise. For just some of the larger examples, see:

Houla Victims: Shumariyeh/Shomaliya May 25, 2012

Aqrab Massacre Dec. 2-11, 2012

Maan Massacre Dec. 23, 2012

Continuing threats of worse: Tekkim Chemical Test Video Late 2012

Other Shi'a/Shi'ite
(forthcoming)

Kidnapping and mutilation: The BBC reports:
 * Bassam Wahbh's kidnappers filmed as they cut off his finger and sent the video to his family ... Bassam Wahbh holds up his hand to show where his finger was severed with an axe - another victim of Syria's growing epidemic of kidnapping....Mr Wahbh was held for 53 days by the rebel Free Syrian Army. ... Mr Wahbh played me the two video messages they received. ... Asked why he was kidnapped, Mr Wahbh tells me: "For material and sectarian reasons. I'm a Shia. The sectarian factor was clear, they directed sectarian insults to me and my sect. "They consider me an infidel. They hold a firm belief that we should be slaughtered and killed. This surprised me a lot. I didn't expect that such ignorance existed, and such hate existed."

Salafist rebel forces destroyed a Shi'ite mosque in Azaz, near Jisr Al-Shughur (northern Syria) in mid-December, 2012, and filmed it. Reuters/DailyStar, Dec. 14: Sunni Syrian rebels burn Shiite mosque: video Reuters reported "A fighter holding a rifle says the rebel group is destroying the "dens of the Shiites and Rafida," a derogatory term meaning "deserters," which is used against Shiites."

Shia Muslim civilians, in unknown numbers, were singled out for execution in the Al-Shaddadi Petroluem Company Massacre of mid-February, 2013. A facility of the Syrian Petroleum Company near Hasakah (far northeast of Syria) was overrun by rebels of the Al-Nusra Front. Five apparent guards were shown after execution, being cursed as Shi'ite pigs, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The SOHR also heard about "tens of Syrian Petroleum workers were killed by the rebels after al-Nusra took over the management buildings and the workers' residential quarters," perhaps for the same offense.

The Wikipedia page for the Shia city of Sayyidah Zaynab explains, under recent history:
 * On June 14, 2012, the town became the target of a suicide car bomb attack where around 14 people were heavily wounded.[6] Since mid summer 2012 the town has been under attack from extremist militant fighters in neighbouring Sunni towns. Many Shia and pro government families were driven out of their homes in southern Damascus and sought refuge in Sayyida zainab district. Constant shelling became more frequent in this predominantly Shia town, and rockets landing on random places in the town became common. In January 2013 a mortar shell landed on the Sayyida Zainab shrine causing some damage to one of the minarets.

Christians
Threats and attacks of various kinds against Syrian Christian communities have recurred throughout the rebellion.

In March 2013, AP reported on the Christian town of Yacoubieh, in the north, conquered by rebels in February, as a prism for looking at the national problem of minorities in "liberated" areas. Churches were damaged and taken over as rebel militant bases, and many residents fled. But the rebel commander spoken to ("Hakim") promised freedom for the remaining majority - Christians could even drink alcohol, privately, for the time being. No gross violations come through in the report, but locals apparently weren't interviewed. It's been assured that Christians will be tried fairly in the Islamic courts set up "in the absence of any other government," and stoning and hand-severing will be suspended until after the war.

Two dispatches from the Catholic FIDES news agency relate the suffering of Christians in the north following the Turkish-assisted rebel attack on Ras Al-Ayn in November. 2012-11-30 ASIA/SYRIA - A young Christian of the opposition: "Minorities crushed in the conflict" According to a note from a young man of a Christian family in Syria, the FSA attackers had a "black list," with which ...
 * ''...they went from one house to another looking for their enemies. Among these were the names of the heads of Christian families. Why? ".
 * [...]
 * In Ras al-Ain, the victims were not only Christians, but Christians were the only ones who were immediately expelled from their homes, carrying babies in their arms, put to flight the streets strewn with corpses. Such intervention is that of an army of invaders and not an army of liberators, as the Army of the opposition call themselves.

Another - [http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=32723&lan=eng 2012-11-23 ASIA/SYRIA - Christians in high Mesopotamia refuse to take up arms. Bishops' appeal to the Pope and the leaders of Nations: avoid the catastrophe that is upon us] - notes a growing refugee problem, the threat of a rebel advance into high Mesopotamia with its large Christian population. Clerics and Bishops in Syria united to demand the goverment and the "Salafists" stay out. Some at least were refusing offers of defensive weapons, renouncing any fighting against anyone, instead issuing an "urgent appeal to Benedict XVI and the Leaders of nations, asking them to put pressure so that armed groups do not come in our region."

His mother's Christian religion (signaled by a necklace) might have had a role in an apparent rebel sniper attack in Homs, November 2011, that killed young Sari Saoud. Rebels took possession of his body and made propaganda videos, arguing that the government doesn't protect Christians, it shoots them.

Persecution of Syria's Minorities by the Government
The rebels and opposition often accuse the government of using the minorities against them in various ways, frightening them with scary stories of post-Assad Syria. Sometimes, as at Jaramanah in late November, it's alleged the government scares them with things like car bombs in a Christian neighborhood that, otherwise, would look like a rebel attack. (see A Damascus Whodunnit)

One of the more troubling examples is the alleged Aqrab Massacre of some 200 Alawite civilians. Rebels said a house with 200 hostages was blown up by their (Alawite) Shabiha captors, and then shelled and bombed by the Syrian military, just to blame the rebels. That was a lie, the world has decided, and only the rebels are responsible for what happened (and we don't know what happened).