Latest news with #sectarianviolence
Japan Times
3 days ago
- General
- Japan Times
Israel's Syria policy could fuel more conflict and disorder
After months of sectarian violence, kidnappings and cross-border clashes, the last thing Syria's fledgling government needs is a neighbor stoking tensions. But that is what Israel is doing, as it erects military bases in the countries' demilitarized 'buffer zone,' strikes military sites and kills security officials — all part of a well-worn strategy of backing minority groups against Sunni majorities in the Arab world. But by pursuing it in Syria, Israel is risking strategic blowback. Along with neighboring Lebanon, Syria has the most diverse population in the Middle East. While Sunni Arabs comprise 65% of the population, their majority is far smaller than in, say, Egypt (around 90%). The remaining 35% of Syria's population includes members of heretical Islamic offshoots, along with Sunni Kurds and Christians. Managing this diversity has proved challenging for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which came to power after Syrian President Bashar Assad's ouster in December. Its cadres are drawn from al-Qaida, which believes that Sunni Arabs should hold all the rights — and all the power — in the Islamic world. And while the HTS leadership has tempered its religious zeal, some of its foot soldiers have not. In March, clashes between HTS and Assad's Alawi sect, a heretical Shia offshoot accounting for around 12% of Syria's population, left more than 1,000 dead. The violence rattled Christians, who largely supported the toppled government. Meanwhile, groups loyal to Turkey have skirmished with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast. But it is tensions with the Druze, another heterodox group, that are proving most vexing for Syria's young government. After a spurious audio recording attributed to a Druze leader blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad circulated on social media, masked gunmen descended on the Damascus suburb of Jaramana. After the melee drew in HTS security officials, Israel declared that it would protect the tiny sect. It has since targeted members of Syria's security forces who clashed with the Druze and mounted airstrikes near the presidential palace. Israel's machinations in Syria are nothing new. Within months of Israel's birth, senior Foreign Ministry officials mused about sponsoring a coup there, in order to strengthen their position in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. More broadly, Israel has often used support of minorities to undermine Sunni power. In Lebanon, it was the Christians. In 1955, Army Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan floated the idea of convincing a Christian military officer to 'declare himself the savior of the Maronite (Christian) population,' before invading Lebanon to help install a Christian regime that would ally itself with Israel. In the 1970s, Prime Minister Menachem Begin — claiming that Israel had a 'duty' to prevent the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from committing 'genocide' against Christians — supported a renegade Lebanese Christian sergeant-major, in the hopes of creating a buffer zone along Lebanon's southern border, where it could exert some control. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon, expelled the PLO and installed a Christian president, Bashir Gemayel, soon assassinated by a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. Israel's efforts to undermine Sunni regimes have also entailed partnerships with Shia countries. Beginning in the 1960s, Israel worked with the Shah of Iran to support the besieged Iraqi Kurds in their fight against the central government. The resulting insurgency was so devastating that then-Iraqi Vice President Saddam Hussein ceded the Shatt al-Arab waterway to Iran, in exchange for its pledge to stop supporting the Kurds. In light of this history, it is not surprising that Israeli leaders now seek to carve out a Druze enclave on the Syrian border, thereby creating a buffer between Israel and the Sunnis. Nor is it surprising that Israel has identified ambitious Druze figures eager to challenge both the central government and their own sect's traditional leadership. This effort has broad support among Israeli politicians, from the prime minister to the opposition leader. In their view, a fractured Syria desperately attempting to put out regional and sectarian fires would lack the resources and capacity to threaten Israel. But this vision is short-sighted. After all, upheaval and division could bring down the HTS government — and Israel might not like what replaces it. The Turks who back the group and support factions on the northern Syrian border may be persuaded to deploy troops deep inside the country. A resurgent Islamic State in Iraq and Syria could exploit the chaos of HTS's downfall to expand its influence, just as it did when the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011. After Gemayel's assassination in 1982, Hezbollah stepped into the breach in southern Lebanon. By 2000, Hezbollah had driven Israel from Lebanese territory and in 2006 launched a devastating war that ended in a stalemate. Following the Assad dynasty's collapse, Israel has attained near-supremacy in the Middle East. Destabilizing a nascent government that has no desire to tangle with a stronger neighbor will do nothing to strengthen this position. On the contrary, a policy based on reflexive hubris risks paving the way for the emergence of a formidable new threat. Barak Barfi is a former research fellow at New America and a former visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. © Project Syndicate, 2025.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pupils cross the divide by walking Derry's Walls
Pupils from two primary schools in Londonderry have joined forces to take part in a unity walk along the city's historic walls. The children from the Fountain estate and Long Tower on the edge of the Bogside said they wanted to show that working together was the best way forward for everyone. The walk was organised after recent sectarian violence flared in the city. Long Tower Primary School principal Joyce Logue said there had been several incidents over the Easter holidays in and around the interface at the Fountain. She said the schools had been left disappointed by the outbreak of violence. "It's not what we want for our children and it's not who we are. We thought a unity walk would show that we work together and underline the good things in this area rather than highlight what is not so good," she said. About 50 pupils from Long Tower and Fountain primary schools stepped on to the ramparts to complete a circuit of the city's historic walls. They were joined by representatives of different churches in the city in a show of solidarity. The walk was focused on the unity that exists between both schools. The principal of Fountain Primary School, Stephen Torney, said it was a powerful symbol for the wider city and beyond. "Bringing our communities together is so vital," he said. "We want to focus on the positives and all the work that the school and the communities can do together." There have been a spate of disturbances in Derry, some of which the police are treating as sectarian hate crimes. Youths attacked each other and the police and there were a number of assaults. Mr Torney said friendships formed between pupils at a young age could prove enriching in the long term. "The children often come back to me and tell me how they have later met children that they worked with through shared education and they've built friendships with them so that's really important for me," he said. The children from both schools welcomed the opportunity to take part in the unity walk. "It's good to get together and have fun and have a laugh," Long Tower pupil Niall said. "More people will want to become friends with different schools and people from different faiths." Raghd from Fountain Primary said it was a good idea to meet new people and make friends. Harry, who also attends Fountain Primary added: "I think that shared education is really good because we get to work with other people instead of just our friends."
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Derry: Pupils cross the divide by walking city's historic walls
Pupils from two primary schools in Londonderry have joined forces to take part in a unity walk along the city's historic walls. The children from the Fountain estate and Long Tower on the edge of the Bogside said they wanted to show that working together was the best way forward for everyone. The walk was organised after recent sectarian violence flared in the Tower Primary School principal Joyce Logue said there had been several incidents over the Easter holidays in and around the interface at the Fountain. She said the schools had been left disappointed by the outbreak of violence."It's not what we want for our children and it's not who we are. We thought a unity walk would show that we work together and underline the good things in this area rather than highlight what is not so good," she 50 pupils from Long Tower and Fountain primary schools stepped on to the ramparts to complete a circuit of the city's historic walls. They were joined by representatives of different churches in the city in a show of solidarity. The walk was focused on the unity that exists between both schools. The principal of Fountain Primary School, Stephen Torney, said it was a powerful symbol for the wider city and beyond. "Bringing our communities together is so vital," he said."We want to focus on the positives and all the work that the school and the communities can do together."There have been a spate of disturbances in Derry, some of which the police are treating as sectarian hate crimes. Youths attacked each other and the police and there were a number of assaults. Mr Torney said friendships formed between pupils at a young age could prove enriching in the long term."The children often come back to me and tell me how they have later met children that they worked with through shared education and they've built friendships with them so that's really important for me," he children from both schools welcomed the opportunity to take part in the unity walk. "It's good to get together and have fun and have a laugh," Long Tower pupil Niall said."More people will want to become friends with different schools and people from different faiths."Raghd from Fountain Primary said it was a good idea to meet new people and make friends. Harry, who also attends Fountain Primary added: "I think that shared education is really good because we get to work with other people instead of just our friends."
The National
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Six Syrian Alawites killed in outbreak of sectarian violence
Gunmen have killed six Alawite civilians on the coast and in the interior of the country in the past 24 hours, sources in the community said on Sunday, days after Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara discussed protecting the country's minorities during a visit to France. France, the first western nation to receive Mr Al Shara as President, has been at the forefront of a European drive to ease sanctions on Syria and provide recovery funds since Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, formerly linked to Al Qaeda, led a rebel offensive that toppled the regime last year. The country has been a major refugee destination for Syrians who fled the 14-year civil war. On Saturday evening, former rebels still allied with HTS, who had taken over an army compound in the coastal area Jableh after the toppling of Bashar Al Assad, drove through the Alawite countryside area of Zama and killed four people, including an eighth grader, according to Mohammad Al Zuaiter, an Alawite civil figure who has been tracking sectarian killings. 'It was a drive-by shooting – their way of projecting power ' said Mr Al Zuaiter, who was a political prisoner for years during the rule of Bashar Al Assad and his father Hafez. Coastal areas comprise the heartland of the Alawites, the same sect as that former president Mr Al Assad. In the mixed city of Homs, residents reported the killing of two taxi drivers on Saturday after their cabs were stopped by unidentified gunmen. The two men were from Karm Sham Al Shams, an Alawite neighbourhood on the edge of Homs. International calls to protect Syria's minorities intensified after two mass killings against Alawites and Druze communities in the past two months. Ethnic and religious minorities comprise about a quarter of the population in the Sunni majority country. Their members have been generally wary of an eventual imposition of Islamist rule under the new HTS order. On Wednesday French President Emmanuel Macron told Mr Al Shara the new authorities must protect 'all Syrians without exception. Mr Al Shara said the state is committed to persecute any perpetrators but that the incidents have to be first investigated. Mr Zuaiter said although the coast has 'somewhat stabilised', Alawites are living in fear with continued killings, as well as abductions. 'The international attention may have helped lessen the killings but many [Alawites] are seeking to escape to Lebanon or to Europe,' he said, referring to the abduction of three Alawite men at the weekend in Astamu, a village north of Jableh. Last month, more than 100 members of the Druze community were killed in Syria after a fake video of a Druze Sheikh being derogatory of the Prophet Mohammed surfaced, according to war monitor the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. On March 7 and 8, about 1,300 Alawite civilians were killed in connection with a military campaign by the government and allied militias to subdue the coastal area, which was met with ambushes. The Alawites, who comprised 8 per cent to 10 per cent of Syria's 22 million population in 2010, were a major reservoir for regime troops, especially during the civil war. The Druze, who comprised 3 per cent, remained on the sidelines until the last 14 months of Mr Al Assad's rule when they mounted a protest movement demanding an end to the regime.
The National
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Six Syrian Alawites killed in continuing sectarian violence
Gunmen have killed six Alawite civilians on the coast and in the interior of the country in the past 24 hours, sources in the community said on Sunday, days after Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara discussed protecting the country's minorities during a visit to France. France, the first western nation to receive Mr Al Shara as President, has been at the forefront of a European drive to ease sanctions on Syria and provide recovery funds since Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, formerly linked to Al Qaeda, led a rebel offensive that toppled the regime last year. The country has been a major refugee destination for Syrians who fled the 14-year civil war. On Saturday evening, former rebels still allied with HTS, who had taken over an army compound in the coastal area Jableh after the toppling of Bashar Al Assad, drove through the Alawite countryside area of Zama and killed four people, including an eighth grader, according to Mohammad Al Zuaiter, an Alawite civil figure who has been tracking sectarian killings. 'It was a drive-by shooting – their way of projecting power ' said Mr Al Zuaiter, who was a political prisoner for years during the rule of Bashar Al Assad and his father Hafez. Coastal areas comprise the heartland of the Alawites, the same sect as that former president Mr Al Assad. In the mixed city of Homs, residents reported the killing of two taxi drivers on Saturday after their cabs were stopped by unidentified gunmen. The two men were from Karm Sham Al Shams, an Alawite neighbourhood on the edge of Homs. International calls to protect Syria's minorities intensified after two mass killings against Alawites and Druze communities in the past two months. Ethnic and religious minorities comprise about a quarter of the population in the Sunni majority country. Their members have been generally wary of an eventual imposition of Islamist rule under the new HTS order. On Wednesday French President Emmanuel Macron told Mr Al Shara that the new authorities must protect 'all Syrians without exception. Mr Al Shara said the state is committed to persecute any perpetrators but that the incidents have to be first investigated. Mr Zuaiter said that although the coast has 'somewhat stabilised', the Alawites are living in fear. with continued killing, as well as abductions followed by the disappearances of many. 'The international attention may have helped lessen the killings but many [Alawites] are seeking to escape to Lebanon or to Europe,' he said, quoting the abduction of three Alawite men this weekend in Astamu, a village north of Jableh. Last month, more than a 100 members of the Druze community were killed in Syria after a fake video of a Druze Sheikh derogatory of the Prophet Mohammed, according to tally by war monitor, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. On 7 and 8 March, 1,300 Alawite civilians were killed in connection with a military campaign by the government and allied militias to subdue the coast, which was met with ambushes. The Alawites, who comprised 8 to 10 per cent of Syria's 22 million population in 2010, were a major reservoir for regime troops, especially during the civil war. The Druze, who comprised 3 per cent, remained on the sidelines until the last 14 months of Mr Al Assad's rule when they mounted a protest movement demanding an end to the regime.
