Why are over 1,000 Alawite Muslims, Christians being killed in Syria?
More than 1,000 people had been killed in the attack, including 745 civilians, 125 members of Syrian security forces and 148 Assad loyalists
Pune: Close on the heels of the brutal massacre of 70 Christians in the Democratic Republic of Congo by the Islamic terror outfit aligned with ISIS, another round of massacre has once again erupted in Syria against the Alawite Shia Muslims, a minority community and the Christians.
Clashes between fighters affiliated with Syria’s new government, headed by al-Sharaa, and those loyal to ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad, erupted on March 6, killing hundreds in what is being termed as one of the deadliest outbursts of violence since the Syrian civil war began 14 years ago.
The Alawite sect makes up 12% of the population of Syria, whose majority belongs to the Shia Muslim sect. They mainly inhabited the coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus.
“The brutal massacre of the Shia Muslim Alawites and other minorities is shocking,” said Dr Abraham Mathai, former Vice-Chairman of Maharashtra State Minorities Commission.
He said the deafening silence of the international media is disturbing.
Quoting UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), an NDTV report stated that more than 1,000 people had been killed in the attack, including 745 civilians, 125 members of Syrian security forces and 148 Assad loyalists. Civilians were shot at close range.
“The scenario unfolding in Syria now is not merely an internal conflict but a systematic sectarian and ethnic cleansing campaign led by Sunni Muslim armed groups, with seemingly political governmental cover and military support from regional and international powers,” Dr Mathai, also chairman of Harmony Foundation, said.
He said the Western powers, despite their claims of fighting terrorism, should come forth boldly to halt the massacres against minority Shia Alawites and other minorities, to demonstrate their commitment in ensuring that the current scourge in Syria by the Sunni terrorist outfit is halted.
Dr Mathai said despite being associated with the previous Syrian regime is not a justification to legitimize the mass killings of minority Shia Alawites.
“Using the excuse of political affiliation to target them is outright sectarian genocide perpetrated by the Sunni terrorist group,” he noted.
Dr Mathai said as massacres against Alawites and other minorities continue, the need for urgent international intervention should become more pressing than ever. Major powers must abandon their narrow self-interests and assume their moral responsibilities.
He said the United Nations should issue a clear condemnation of these atrocities. “Otherwise, this deafening international silence reinforced by global media channels raises questions about the integrity of these institutions and their ability to protect human rights in the face of clear political complicity.”
The UN, along with global powers, should ensure that strict sanctions are imposed on states supporting armed groups and on the government that is openly conducting field executions, Dr Mathai stressed.
Additionally, an international investigation committee should be established to hold those responsible for these crimes accountable under international law, he said.
“In Syria today is not just a political conflict but a systematic sectarian genocide unfolding before the international community,” he noted.
Dr Mathai said the international community, key global players from the fraternity of civil society and human rights organizations must assume their responsibilities to prevent the recurrence of past genocides.
“Ignoring these crimes will only lead to more chaos and extremism and will forever remain a stain on the conscience of all who remained silent or were complicit in these atrocities,” he said.