As Western diplomats seek to establish ties with the rebels who have seized power in Syria, religious minorities are developing their own diplomatic efforts to ensure protection for their believers as the country rebuilds. .
Druse, the group's president, recently traveled to Washington to meet with lawmakers, members of the Biden and Trump administrations, and diplomats to make his case.
“We are very concerned about the future,” Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif said in an interview in Washington, adding that as part of his engagement with Syria's new government, he urged the U.S. to prioritize protecting Syria's 1.2 million Druze people. requested the authorities.
In December, after a long civil war, a coalition of Syrian rebels overthrew President Bashar al-Assad and established a transitional government. The revolt ended the brutal regime, but problems remained for Western countries. The Islamist group that led the uprising previously had ties to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and as a result was officially designated as a terrorist organization.
Rebel leaders have vowed to abandon old alliances and build a Syria that is tolerant of other faiths. And Western officials are eager to begin rebuilding and have expressed a willingness to work with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist group currently in power.
But members of Syria's ethnic minorities, such as the Druze, an offshoot of Shiite Islam that also exists in Lebanon, Israel and Jordan, remain skeptical. Syria's Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajari responded to the promises of tolerance offered by Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Shara in a recent interview with a German broadcaster. expressed a sense of caution.
Israel's Emir Tarif suggested Mr al-Shara was not moving quickly enough.
“He speaks well,” Sheikh Tarif said. “What I'm hearing is that the West is excited and they like what he's saying. But there's a lot of fear among minorities. We don't want that statement to be acted upon. I hope this will be confirmed.”
Al-Shara has sought to distance himself from his group's jihadist roots, vowing to draft a new constitution, expressing relatively moderate political positions, and seeking to reassure Syria's minorities. There is. For example, a Druze woman was recently appointed governor in the southern region of Suweida.
But some observers have suggested that Alshara may simply be positioning himself to open up the flow of foreign aid. Some moves by the new government, such as major changes to textbooks, have already raised concerns in Syria over his professed commitment to religious diversity.
In talks with Western officials, Emir Tarif called for much-needed economic aid to Syria and the lifting of sanctions imposed on the country, but the conditions were not met with evidence that the new government was keeping its promises. He said it is limited. He also said he seeks to position Druze communities in Syria and across the Middle East as important partners for Western powers seeking to influence national and regional outcomes.
For centuries, the Druze have survived throughout the Middle East by integrating politically into the countries in which they live, while keeping their religious practices distinct. In Syria, they played an important historical role, leading a revolt against French rule in 1925 that came to be considered the country's first nationalist uprising.
“The Druze paid a high price for Syria's independence,” said Sheikh Tarif.
When the uprising against Assad's regime began in 2011, some Druze sympathized with the rebels, but community support waned amid concerns that jihadist groups fighting the regime were hostile to their beliefs. It was a mixed bag. Druze fighters did take part in the rebel offensive that deposed al-Assad.
In Israel, the Druze community of around 150,000 people, led by Tarif, has been protesting in recent years against the far-right government's legislation that marginalizes the minority. “There’s a lot to improve on,” he said. But Tarif dismissed criticism of the Israeli military's recent moves to seize Syrian territory near the border, saying Israel was acting to ensure its own security.
He noted that Druze commanders and soldiers died fighting as part of the Israeli army in the conflict sparked by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, adding that 12 Druze commanders and soldiers died last summer fighting as part of the Israeli army. I was reminded of the young Druze who died in the Israeli army. Israeli-controlled Golan Heights killed by Hezbollah rocket from Lebanon.
Sheikh Tarif said he believed he could be a bridge, given that the Druze exist in multiple countries. “We can show them how to live in peace,” he said.
