In 1982, when the Muslim Brotherhood mounted an anti-government Islamist insurgency, Hafez Assad staged a military offensive against them known as the Hama massacre. Syrian officials, of course, bridle at such comparisons. Alkan, N. Fighting for the Nuṣayrī Soul: State, Protestant Missionaries and the ʿAlawīs in the Late Ottoman Empire, Die Welt des Islams, 52 (2012) pp. Advertisements for Shia pilgrimages line the walls. They labeled Assad as the "enemy of God" and called for a jihad against his rule. More fighting would create fresh opportunities to reward loyalists and tilt Syria’s demography to his liking. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. 868). All rights reserved. Though he rules most of the population, about 40% of Syria’s territory lies beyond his control. Few Sunnis get one. [60] Under the Mandate many Alawite chieftains supported a separate Alawite nation, and tried to convert their autonomy into independence. [72] Many Alawites fear a negative outcome for the government in the conflict would result in an existential threat to their community. The National Museum in Damascus, which locked up its prized antiquities for protection, is preparing to reopen to the public. sfn error: no target: CITEREFAlianak2007 (, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, "Constitution of the Syrian Arabic Republic – Syrian Arab News Agency", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=President_of_Syria&oldid=978688901, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Acquire the support of at least 35 members of the People's Assembly, Have lived continuously in Syria for 10 years before the election, Be Syrian by birth, of parents who are Syrians by birth, This page was last edited on 16 September 2020, at 11:29. Those that remain have taken to speaking Araglish, a hotch-potch of Arabic and English, as many plan futures abroad. In Damascus University’s civil-engineering department, two-thirds of the lecturers have fled. [102] however, according to associate professor Stefan Winter, this letter is a forgery. The capital cities of eleven of the fourteen governorates have Sunni majority populations, except for the cities of Latakia, Tartus, and Suwayda. Ali Sulayman al-Ahmad, chief judge of the Baathist Syrian state, has said: We are Alawi Muslims. (CNN) - How did Syria go from an internal uprising to a wider clash drawing funding and fighters from across the region? In 1970 Air Force General Hafez al-Assad, an Alawite, took power and instigated a "Corrective Movement" in the Ba'ath Party. In spite of early hopes that he would support democratic reforms, he largely continued his father’s authoritarian methods. In March of 2012, the EU restricted the travel of a dozen Assad family members from entering the European continent because of the brutal oppression of political dissenters by his regime. Almost everyone your correspondent spoke to had buried a close relative. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]. Alawites are a minority, believed to make up 12% to 15% of the population. Bashar al-Assad (born 11 September 1965) is the president of Syria and the head of the Ba'ath Party in Syria. A Syrian printing press worker prepares July 1, 2000, pictures of Bashar al-Assad ahead of the July 10 referendum where he is the only candidate for the presidency. Alawites also live in Syria's major cities, and are estimated at about 11 percent of the country's population[78][124][125][126], There are four Alawite confederations — Kalbiyya, Khaiyatin, Haddadin, and Matawirah – each divided into tribes based on their geographical origins or their main religious leader,[44][127] such as Ḥaidarīya of Alī Ḥaidar, and Kalāziyya of Sheikh Muḥammad ibn Yūnus from the village Kalāzū near Antakya. [56] In November, General Henri Gouraud mounted a campaign against Saleh al-Ali's forces in the An-Nusayriyah Mountains. In theory the territory is classified as a “de-escalation zone”. Economic sanctions (the Syria Accountability Act) were applied long before the Syrian Civil War by the United States and were joined by the European Union at the outbreak of the civil war, causing disintegration of the Syrian economy. “Groom of Heaven”, proclaims a billboard featuring a photo of a Christian soldier killed in the seven-year conflict. In the 1965 census (the last Turkish census where informants were asked their mother tongue), 185,000 people in the three provinces declared their mother tongue as Arabic; however, Arabic-speaking Sunnis and Christians were also included in this figure. The arabic on the billboard reads "Together, we will build it. President Assad and Syrians are fighting for humanity and civilization as the West, including Canada, seeks to destroy humanity and civilization in Syria. 5. [144][verification needed] Due to foreign occupation of Syria, the same dialect is characterized by multiple borrowings, mainly from Turkish and then French, especially terms used for imported inventions such as television, radio, elevator, etc. [142] however according to Al-Marsad Alawites were forced to undergo a process of naturalisation [143]. A civil defence member holds a rescued schoolgirl after what activists said was a barrel bomb dropped by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and hit a school and a residential building in Seif al-Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, May 3, 2015. Men under the age of 42 are told to hand over cash or be sent to the front. of Ed. Those that do have little money to restart their lives. [118], Barry Rubin has suggested that Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad and his son and successor Bashar al-Assad pressed their fellow Alawites "to behave like 'regular Muslims', shedding (or at least concealing) their distinctive aspects". [53][54] Alawites were not allowed to testify in court until after World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.[55]. Tens of thousands remain “captured” in camps, says the UN. [3], On 31 January 1973, Hafez al-Assad implemented the new Constitution, which led to a national crisis. Turkey, Israel and America have drawn red lines around the rebels under their protection. He has distributed thousands of empty homes to Shia militiamen. Martial bands, dancing girls, children’s choirs and a Swiss opera singer (of Syrian origin) crowded onto the stage. [18] At the core of Alawite belief is a divine triad, comprising three aspects of the one God. The term is frequently employed as hate speech by Sunni fundamentalists fighting against Bashar al-Assad's government in the Syrian civil war, who use its emphasis on Ibn Nusayr in order to insinuate that Alawi beliefs are "man-made" and not divinely inspired.[22]. [24][25], The origin of the genetics of Alawites is disputed. However, some people in rural areas (usually members of notable Alawite families) may support secular, conservative parties such as the Democratic Party. Member State of the Arab League .mw-parser-output .nobold{font-weight:normal}(Suspended), The president of Syria, officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, is the head of state of the Syrian Arab Republic. Jihadists were released from prison in order to taint the uprising. Born on September 11, 1965, Bashar Hafez al-Assad is the second son of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, and his wife, Anisa. Now the economy is shrinking; GDP was $12bn last year. The group is believed to have been founded by Ibn Nusayr during the 9th century. How many calories burned doing house work? A NEW Syria is emerging from the rubble of war. The French Mandate Administration encouraged Alawites to join their military forces, in part to provide a counterweight to the Sunni majority (which was more hostile to their rule). The reason many Christians in Syria support Assad is because he has vowed to protect them from IS and other jihadists. The French also created microstates, such as Greater Lebanon for the Maronite Christians and Jabal al-Druze for the Druze. Another name, Ansari (Arabic: انصارية‎ Anṣārīyah), is believed to be a mistransliteration of "Nusayri". During the Islamist uprising in Syria in the 1970s and 1980s, the establishment came under pressure. Skirmishes between the militias and Syrian troops have resulted in scores of deaths, according to researchers at King’s College in London. Aleppo and Damascus were also separate states. The religious group also dominates the Syrian security forces. These aspects, or emanations, appear cyclically in human form throughout history. Since the beginning of the Regime Change war against Syria, Western -supported sectarian terrorists — al Qaeda, ISIS and affiliates — have actively sought to destroy and extinguish Christians and Christianity from Syria. Although this term is obsolete, it is still used by some older people as a euphemism. But the Iranian-backed Shia militias that fight for Mr Assad have expanded the city’s Shia quarter into Sunni and Jewish areas. [56][57] Al-Ali responded to French attacks by laying siege to (and occupying) al-Qadmus, from which the French had conducted their military operations against him. They account for over three-quarters of the staff in the religious-affairs ministry, a hitherto male preserve, says the minister. Yaron Friedman does not suggest that Alawi did not consider themselves Muslims but does state that, The modern period has witnessed tremendous changes in the definition of the ʿAlawīs and the attitude towards them in the Muslim world. [128] Those Alawites are concentrated in the Latakia region of Syria, extending north to Antioch (Antakya), Turkey, and in and around Homs and Hama.[129]. Among the signatories was Sulayman Ali al-Assad, father of Hafez al-Assad. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. After World War II, Sulayman al-Murshid played a major role in uniting the Alawite province with Syria. Women are prohibited from religious studies, since they came from the devil and have no souls, according to Alawite beliefs. Oxford University Press. President Assad and the Syrian people have been fighting against and destroying these terrorists. [115][116][117], The Christian elements in the Nusayri religion are unmistakable. Sunni states, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, provided them with arms, cash and preachers. The head of the camp, a Christian officer, says inmates can leave once their security clearance is processed, but he does not know how long that will take. Alawite theology and rituals break from mainstream Shia Islam in several remarkable ways. Ask Chuck: Are you considering retirement? The Great War and the Climax of French Imperial Expansion", 1981 Thames and Hudson Ltd, London. The President of Syria in 1990 was Hafez al-Assad. Sunnis, it warned, really wanted winner-take-all majoritarianism. Other cities have also emptied out. In Homs, which Syrians once dubbed the “capital of the revolution” against President Bashar al-Assad, the Muslim quarter and commercial district still lie in ruins, but the Christian quarter is reviving. [119] During the early 1970s a booklet, al-'Alawiyyun Shi'atu Ahl al-Bait ("The Alawites are Followers of the Household of the Prophet") was published, which was "signed by numerous 'Alawi' men of religion", described the doctrines of the Imami Shia as Alawite. When the jihadists retreat, liquor stores are the first to reopen. According to Samuel Lyde, who lived among the Alawites during the mid-19th century, this was a term they used among themselves. Estimates of the cost of reconstruction run to $250bn. The Ka`ba is our qibla, and our Dīn (religion) is Islam. Last week, as he has done for years, President Barack Obama announced that Assad must be replaced if Syria is to have a chance at peace and stability.