The International Organization for the Protection of Minorities, based in Brussels, continuously receives reports from Shiite and Alawite minority communities in Syria. We are following with serious concern the escalating intensity of takfiri hate speech, which has recently evolved into direct acts of violence. Most notably, this included the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Homs known as the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque. The Syrian government announced that the perpetrators belonged to the terrorist organization ISIS. However, in our assessment, and from the standpoint of human rights advocates, this claim does not absolve the Syrian government of its responsibility to address and prevent incitement to violence against minorities, particularly when such incitement is carried out by groups operating under or affiliated with the government itself. The primary responsibility for the protection of civilians—whether minorities or otherwise—rests with the state, and any failure in fulfilling this duty constitutes a breach of its obligations under international law.
Furthermore, we have documented the government’s poor management of minority affairs, including its tolerance of demonstrations and slogans targeting religious figures and shrines held sacred by Shiite and Alawite communities in the countryside of Damascus, in Homs, and along the Syrian coast. It is also important to note that the issue of the Druze minority remains unresolved, especially given the authorities’ continued disregard for the role played by Bedouin tribes aligned with the government. These same tribes were later relocated to the countryside of Damascus and settled in homes belonging to Shiite families who had lived for decades in the Damascus countryside and in the Sayyida Zaynab area. This practice indicates a deliberate attempt at demographic change and at asserting control over religious sites sacred to minority communities.
Accordingly, as an international organization dedicated to the protection of minorities, we call upon the Syrian government to fundamentally revise its approach and methods in managing minority-related affairs. We further intend to submit documented evidence and eyewitness testimonies to international intergovernmental organizations demonstrating the urgent need to strengthen monitoring mechanisms and protective frameworks for minorities in Syria.
