Bradley Martin
Newsweek, Mar. 7, 2025
“Is it any wonder why Druze in Syria are increasingly looking to Israel for sanctuary?”
There is no reason to believe that the situation of Druze and other minorities will improve following the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
During a rare interview with Al Jazeera in 2015, militant leader of the jihadist Al-Nusra Front now in control of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa—better known nowadays by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani—said that once his group wrested control from the now-deposed al-Assad, he would impose Sharia law over the country.
To receive protection in the future Islamic regime, al-Assad’s Alawite brethren—who comprise an estimated 10 percent of the country’s population—and the Druze—a gnostic offshoot of the Isma’ili sect of Shiite Islam—would not only have to disavow the former dictator but also “correct their doctrinal mistakes and embrace Islam.”
This leaves the Druze minority in a very dangerous situation. Druze form the third-largest religion in Syria, numbering an estimated 3 percent of the population today. They are concentrated in the rural mountainous areas east and south of Damascus, the capital city of Syria. The relationship between the Druze and Muslims have been characterized by intense persecution, since most Druze do not accept the five pillars of Islam and are thus considered “infidels” by Islamic fundamentalists.
Druze for centuries have experienced oppression under various Islamic regimes such as the Shiite Fatimid Caliphate, the Mamluks, and the Ottoman Empire. Attacks against the Druze included massacres, forced conversion to Islam and the destruction of Druze houses of worship and holy places.
Fast-forward to July 2018, when the Islamic State terror group targeted the Druze in Syria, which culminated in a string of suicide bombings that killed over 220 people. Druze girls and women were kidnapped by Islamic state terrorists. A particularly horrific video circulating among the Druze community depicted the beheading of a 17-year-old Druze girl. Considering al-Jolani’s past links to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorist groups, the future for Druze in the country looks increasingly bleak. …SOURCE