Syria's sects: delicate mix for its new Islamist leaders

15/3/2025 6:21

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose fighters led the offensive that toppled the Assad family dynasty in December, has said he will build an inclusive society in a country with a delicate sectarian and religious mix.



His pledge is being tested by a campaign of killings against Syria's Alawites - the minority sect to which ousted leader Bashar al-Assad belongs - that was triggered by an attack on new government forces by Assad loyalists.



Some Syrians and foreign powers have worried that Sharaa may impose strict Islamic governance or exclude some communities from positions of power in a country with numerous minority groups such as Druze, Kurds, Christians and Alawites.



Syria kept a central role for Islamic law in a constitutional declaration issued on March 13.