Since the collapse of the Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024 in an offensive led by rebel militia group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the country’s religious and ethnic minorities have been confronted by the specter of sectarian violence.
Outbreaks of violence between armed groups have complicated the efforts of the led by former HTS commander Ahmed al-Sharaa to rebuild the nation following Assad’s ousting, particularly in light of a .
is a diverse country with an estimated population of about 24.3 million as of 2024, according to the United Nations Population Fund and the US government.
Of , around 70% of the population, are Sunni Muslims, the dominant denomination of Islam, and around 3% are Shia Muslims.
However, there are many other faith and ethnic groupings within the country, some of which have expressed concerns for their safety as the country transitions from 54 years of dictatorship.
Alawites
Estimates suggest that Alawites, a minority esoteric sect of Islam, make up around 10% of Syria’s population. They are considered the country’s largest minority group. Much of their community is concentrated along Syria’s Mediterranean coastal region, including in provinces such as Latakia and Tartus.
It is also the group to which the Assads belong and
that this connection will lead to them being targeted as a result of Bashar Assad’s ousting.
In March, an attack by pro-Assad forces on new government security forces led to primarily across the country’s coastal areas in the worst bloodshed since December 2024.
Alawites made up the majority of more than 1,700 civilians reported killed, according to independent monitoring organizations.
Druze
The are estimated to make up around 3% of Syria’s population, living mainly in the south of the country near Jabal-al-Druze, close to the Jordanian border.
They are based mainly in Syria but also neighboring Lebanon and Israel. They are ethnically Arab and speak Arabic. In contrast to many in the region, they do not identify as Muslims, Christians or Jews but adherents of the Druze faith.
Syrian Druze leaders have repeatedly voiced support for a united Syria.
However, recent clashes between the Druze community and armed groups, some of which may be allied with the new government, have caused concerns.
According to media reports, days of sectarian conflict left around 100 people dead, including civilians and armed militia.
The unrest was triggered by an audio recording, in which a person of the Druze community was purportedly blaspheming against Prophet Muhammed.
According to the German news agency dpa, Syria’s interior ministry found no evidence for that claim.
Christians
According to the most recent data from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), around 10% of Syrians identify as Christian.
include Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, Maronite, Syrian Catholic, Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic.
Most Christians live around the Syrian capital Damascus, and the cities of Aleppo, Homs and Hama, as well as in the Latakia and Hasaka provinces.
EUAA data reported in 2024 that churches and adherents were targeted by government forces in more than 100 attacks by Assad forces throughout the civil war, which began in 2011, as well as by the so-called Islamic State (IS) and its allied groups.
Less than a quarter of Syria’s pre-war Christian population is believed to still be in Syria, according to the EUAA, with many having applied for refugee status in Europe and the US.
Kurds
The Kurdish community is Syria’s largest ethnic minority, numbering around 2.5 million, who are mostly concentrated within the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
Syrian control this administration, which in March with Syria’s interim government.
Recently, they called for Syria’s future governance to be decentralized. However, their demand was rejected by the current government.
Edited by: act
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