MENA Minorities

Jordan based journalist Madeline Edwards has a nice article at Middle East Eye about the mere chaotic situation in Suwaida, I am briefly cited as well. ' Security chaos': Kidnappings and clashes threaten relative peace in Syria's Sweida   by  Madeline Edwards, Middle East Eye "... When protests broke out across Syria in 2011, they appeared too in Sweida.  Like elsewhere, citizen journalists and activists took to social media to tell the story of the war as it soon began to unfold. Opposition militias also sprang up.  And yet the Syrian government has largely spared Sweida the kind of mass arrests and bombing campaigns it waged elsewhere, seeing the province’s Druze as a politically sensitive minority group with whom it didn’t want to sour relations.  “Even though there was violence in Sweida too, the crackdown of the regime was not on the same scale of brutality as in other parts of the country,” says Tobias Lang, an analyst who has focused on Druze ...

Syria Druze faction detains regime security members by AlbinSzakola and Ullin Hope, Now (...)The Men of Dignity—which considers itself independent of both the Bashar al-Assad government and the opposition— announced Tuesday morning that Sheikh Anas Abu Hala had been detained the day before “at the Al-Masmiyeh checkpoint by the Military Intelligence [Directorate].”   “As a result security elements have been detained by the Men of Dignity [and will remain in our custody] until he is released,” the paramilitary group added. According to the statement, a prisoner swap will take place later Tuesday between the regime and the Men of Dignity.   The administration of the Men of Dignity’s Facebook page issued a clear warning to the regime not to detain any figures linked to the faction, which the regime’s Suweida security chief said he wanted to destroy in a leaked video late last year. (...)

Likewise rumors have been circulating for a while but it was officially announced earlier this week: Sheikh Rafat al-Bal'us (Abu Yusuf) is the successor of his assassinated brother Wahid as leader of the autonomous minded Syrian Druze dignity movement. Sheikh Rafat, who was wounded at the bomb attack in September, is obviously still not in best shape. However, the movement is alive despite the elimination of most of its leadership. Even the formation of a new unit,  bayraq al-maqdad,  was announced. On the same occasion Fahad, the oldest son of Wahid al-Bal'us, also gave a speech in full combat dress, indicating that he might play a leading role in the future. Rafat al-Bal'us speech bayraq al-maqdad insignia   Druze figure takes up assassinated brother’s mantle, Now BEIRUT – Rafaat Balaous has taken over the leadership of Suweida’s Druze Sheikhs of Dignity movement, issuing a fiery statement blaming the Bashar al-Assad regime for the assassi...

Mazen Ezzi, editor of the Beirut-based Al Modon online newspaper and author of a series about the early days of the revolution in Suwaida , provides a full length analysis about the situation of the Druze community in Syria. The Arabic version has already been published in July, so the assassination of recently emerged Druze leader sheikh Wahid al-Bal'us (Abu Fahd) is not featured. Nevertheless, Ezzi provides some  interesting points especially regarding Bal'us and his "men/sheikhs of dignity" movement, making it more plausible why the regime might have perceived him as a threat. The Druze of Suwayda: The Embers of Dissent by Mazen Ezzi, Al-Jumhuriya English (...)Al-Balaous accused the Syrian regime of betraying the Druze and then he continued, talking about al-Assad, “If he cannot protect us, we do not want him. We will go to the presidential palace to topple him down.” A few days later, a statement by the three Sheikhs was issued, excommunicating al-Balao...

Syria's Druze reject calls for anti-government uprising by Nour Samaha, Al Jazeera English On September 5, Balous, a popular anti-government Druze leader, had just finished eating lunch in a village in Syria's southern Sweida governorate. A short time later, an explosion hit the convoy Balous was travelling in - killing him, his right-hand man, and several others.   As the victims were arriving at the government hospital, there was another blast at the hospital's entrance. More than 25 people were killed and several dozen more were wounded in both bomb explosions. According to SANA, a Syrian state news agency, someone has since confessed to being responsible for the explosions and to belonging to the Nusra Front, one of the rebel groups fighting to end the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.(...)   According to Tobias Long, a researcher and analyst on minorities in the Middle East, the Druze have limited options moving forward. "It's too early to tel...

I'm cited in the leading French daily Le Monde about the situation in Suweida : Le dilemme de la minorité druze de Syrie Par Laure Stephan et Piotr Smolar Mais pour le journaliste et opposant Fadi Dahouk, réfugié à Beyrouth, cet alignement sur le régime pourrait changer, avec l’essor des Cheikhs de la dignité, une autre milice, formée en 2014 par un religieux druze, cheikh Ouadih Al-Bal’ous.  « Nous sommes contre tous ceux qui nous attaquent.  (…)  Si l’Etat nous attaque, il sera notre ennemi »,  affirme le cheikh, qui a pourtant combattu aux côtés du pouvoir. A Soueida, il a obtenu le retrait de points de contrôle militaires. Il a aussi réclamé le retour de prisonniers.  « Le fait qu’il ait eu gain de cause et qu’il puisse ouvertement critiquer la corruption ou les services de renseignements indique  qu’il a acquis une certaine notoriété, et que le régime ne veut pas se mettre à dos les forces druzes » , analyse le politolog...

The news are allover: The Druze in Syria are said to face an existential crisis. This is of course not fully true but it is undeniable that during the last weeks some extremely worrying developments have occurred: 1. ISIS has increased its activity in the East of Suwaida’. They attacked the village of Huquf on May 15, killing six inhabitants including 18 years old Mariana as-Sman. True or not, on Druze social media massive allegations circulated blaming the regime for allowing ISIS into the province. Later ISIS entered the Lajah area between Suwaida’ and Dar‘a and started to fight against rebel forces. 2. This brings us to the next hot spot, the West of Suwaida’ which is currently penetrated by different rebel groups including Jabhat an-Nusra. Especially around the Thula-airbase a fierce battle is fought. Here Druze militiamen are also involved, who had refused to fight in Dar‘a during rebel-offensive earlier this year. 3. The massacre of 23 Druze villagers by Jabhat an-Nusra...

Firas Maksad from the University of Maryland has an opinion piece about the situation of the Druze in Suwaida' on the German online-portal Qantara  (run by the Deutsche Welle ). The author follows the same line of argument as in his article published last year in Foreign Affairs : i.e. the Druze are a potential ally of the west against ISIS and could be a game changer in Syria. Makasad modified his argument a little, while in his 2014 piece he also implicitly proposed the Druze as an ally against Assad, now it is mere alone about the coalition against ISIS. Even though I fully agree with the author that the Druze are increasingly drifting away from the regime, I consider a break off with Assad and therefore a game changer role as very unlikely-remember the regime is still the biggest power in Syria. Even though its position in Suwaida' is weaker than ever before a Druze break off with Assad might only happen if the overal situation changes dramaticly against the regime's a...

As war swirls around Suwayda, a complex picture emerges of Druze interests  by Kristen Gillespie, SYRIA:direct The Druze of Syria have largely attempted to remain neutral in Syria’s four-year old uprising, although an estimated 14,000 Druze are currently wanted for fleeing mandatory conscription, a pro-opposition Druze human rights activist told Syria Direct last month. Likewise, some Druze have participated in the civil disobedience that marked the beginning of the Syrian uprising, and periodically clash with regime forces in Suwayda, but the sect has not taken up arms against the government—a possibility many analysts consider far-fetched. Still, Sheikh Abu Fahed Waheed al-Balaus, leader of the “first real [Druze] political movement to emerge during this crisis,” delivered a widely circulated speech earlier this year in which he called the Druze “more honorable than the Alawites” and alluded to Assad’s ouster from power if he did not “undertake to prese...

The website of Al-Araby al-Jadeed, a Qatari owned media venture (which is btw "supervised" by former Arab-Israeli politician Amzi Bishara), reports about the latest developments around Druze sheikh Abu Fahd, who is allegedly facing troubles with the mashaykh al-ʿaql, the highest Druze insitution. The article is also giving some background on Abu Fahd, stating that he was instrumenal in the large scale counter kidnappings of Sunnis from Daraʿ a while ago. The piece is a bit vague and seems to be mainly based on a conversation with an anonymous associate of the sheikh but it nevertheless contains some interesting information: The 'neutral' Druze sheikh angering Syria's regime by Alexander Ayoub, Al-Araby al-Jadeed Edit: There is a short piece in the Daily Star as well Non-profit journalism organization SYRIA:direct featurs an interview with a pro-opposition activist, mainly about the issue of recruitment to the military: Druze activist: 'Fatigue, anger' i...

Over the last year sheikh Abu Fahd Wahid Bal ʿ us has emerged as a new leader among the Syrian Druze. While  so far  the mashaykh al- ʿ aql  have hesitated to  openly   criticize the regime, Abu Fahd made a name for himself as a firm defender of Druze interests (I have discussed his role  here before).  Abu Fahd's  first appearance in a wider public was as a leader of the clergy-led protests in Suwaida ʾ  last April but in the meanwhile he became also somewhat of a militia leader. Last week a video was shared on social media in which he is is challenging openly Assad and the regime. Noteworthy is also the presence of sheikh Hammud al-Hinnawi, the leader of the three mashaykh  al- ʿ aql . His presence could be  interpreted as support for Abu Fahd.  Watch the video or read the article below from The Daily Star , this is a major development implying crucial Druze-regime tensions in the near f...

The Assad Regime Under Stress: Conscription and Protest among Alawite and Minority Populations in Syria by Christopher Kozak, Institute for the Study of War

An interesting series of first hand reports about the developments in Suwaida between 2011 and 2013 can be found at Al-Jumhuriya . It‘s a rare source and strongly recommended for everyone who has an interest in Syria's minorities. The articles are a preview of a forthcoming reader on minorities in Syria since 2011 by the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung , which will present accounts from members of various communities. Sweida: The Static Revolution by Mazen Ezzi part 2 part 3

Suwayda residents speak out against military service   by Syria Direct  ENOUGH IS ENOUGH : Pro-regime activists took to the streets of the Druze-majority city of Suwayda to distribute pamphlets condemning the mounting death toll among Suwayda's young men performing mandatory service in the regime army, reported pro-opposition Orient News Wednesday. Here, a pamphlet reads “Enough is enough...the sons of Suwayda are being murdered in A-Raqqa and elsewhere...for whose sake...until when...the chair [of power] is for you [Bashar al-Assad]...and the tomb is for our sons,” while women in the picture to the left mourn over their deceased relatives. The discontent with mandatory military service articulated in these pamphlets has surfaced in other pro-regime areas. Alawite activists—co-religionists of president Bashar al-Assad— distributed pamphlets in the Alawite-majority city of Tartus in August, reading “the chair for you [Assad], the coffins for our childre...

After a period of relative calm in the overwhelming Druze province of Suwaida ʾ  the situation dramatically changed in the middle of last August. The villages of Dama (and Dair Dama) were attacked by a group of local Bedouin. Größere Kartenansicht Al Monitor reported that the attack came after local NDF members had responded with targeting Bedouin gatherings to the beheading of a Druze man . The Bedouin were allegedly joined by rebel elements, according to some reports from al-Qa ʿ ida affiliated Jabhat an-Nusra. The number of the casualties on the Druze side differs from 12 to 24 and reportedly includes a high number of religious sheikhs (according to opposition outlet Zaman alWasl even seven). Harming religious people ( ʿuqqal ) is generally a red line for the Druze. This was illustrated in April 2014, when the arrest of a sheikh led to rare public protests in Suwaida ʾ  and temporary a precarious situation for the regime. However, as Aymenn al-Tami...

A version of this article first appeared on the Carnegie Endowment 's blog  Syria in Crisis  edited by Aron Lund   by Tobias Lang    Protests led by Druze religious sheikhs erupted in the city of Sweida in southern Syria around April 9. The province of Sweida has an overwhelming majority of Druze, a small religious minority that makes up around 3 percent of Syria’s population. Few Druze have so far participated in the protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and the Sweida region has accordingly been spared the worst of the civil war, even though fighting seems to have increased recently . At the beginning of the uprising, the Druze of Sweida generally adopted a more neutral stance. But with the growing prominence of Islamist forces within the opposition, attacks on Druze civilians by rebels, and sectarian manipulation by the regime, the Druze community has been increasingly pushed over to the regime’s side. The Druze Leaders...

" What About the Druze? " asks Swedish analyst Aron Lund on the Syria in Crisis blog by the Carnegie Middle East Center and rises some important points concerning the current state of the Druze community in  Suwaidaʾ.

Aymenn al-Tamimi wrote a piece for Joshua Landis' great blog Syria Comment about the increasing activity of Druze militias in southern Syria . So far it seems to be the first explicit discussion of this phenomenon - definately worth reading. Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi: "The Druze Militias of Southern Syria" Edit: In the meanwhile a follow up has been published

On Monday the death of five pro-Asad  Druze  was reported in 'Arna, a village on the Syrian controlled side of Mount Hermon in the Golan near the ceasefire line of 1974, not far from the Lebanese border. It turned out that the five had been supporters of Lebanese politician Wi'am Wahhab and his Arab Tawhid Party , which was admitted by the party in an official statement cited by the Daily Star : “The Arab Tawheed Party mourns its martyrs who perished on Nov. 4, 2013, in the battle of defending pride and dignity during clashes with terrorist groups in the village of Arna in Mount Hermon,” the party said in a statement. Arna, a predominantly Druze Syrian area of Mount Hermon, has seen battles between Syrian opposition groups and forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, a Lebanese security source said. The Arab Tawheed Party is headed by former Cabinet Minister Wiam Wahhab, a staunch supporter of Assad. Describing them as “champions,” the party sa...