JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
In Syria, a small Muslim sect used to hold a lot of sway and power. They are the Alawites. The deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad and his family hail from the group. But since his fall, this once-privileged sector has become increasingly fearful and has been targeted by some Syrians seeking revenge for the regime's crimes. NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi reports from Damascus.
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Dozens of people, mostly men, gather in the open courtyard of a school in the heart of this Alawite neighborhood in Damascus.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: An organizer is trying to convince the crowd that the government now in charge wants peace.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: "Now is the time to turn in any arms and ammunition you have," he tells them. Community leaders are abiding by calls from the new interim government, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, to disarm the nation. The rebel group that overthrew Bashar al-Assad wants all armed factions in the country to disband and come together under one Syrian army. And HTS is calling on civilians to disarm, too, and give up their personal weapons. Many here willingly did.
(CROSSTALK)
AL-SHALCHI: Volunteers pore through the turned arms. There are guns, assault-style weapons, even a few grenades and lots of ammunition.
(SOUNDBITE OF GUN CLICKING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: One volunteer clears bullets from a magazine.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: He says he's writing all the serial numbers and type of each weapon. Amal, an Alawite resident at the meeting, is scared of the armed rebels that patrol her street.
AMAL: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "They should give up their weapons just like we're giving up ours," Amal says. She's afraid to give her full name. She says she fears for her security as Alawites are being targeted. The new interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has repeatedly said this government will protect all minorities, but troubling evidence is starting to show otherwise. Multiple videos have been circulating recently showing violence allegedly against Alawites...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: ...Like this one last week, where a man praises God for burning an Alawite's home. And another shows masked men dressed in black HTS uniforms.
(CROSSTALK)
AL-SHALCHI: The video shows them kicking a row of men believed to be Alawite. NPR could not independently verify the videos. Security analyst Sarmad al-Bayati says Syria's new leaders must consolidate power quickly to stem sectarian violence, which is looming large these days.
SARMAD AL-BAYATI: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "If a government is formed that includes minorities in ministerial or decision-making roles, then perhaps things will calm down," Bayati says. He says if the sects don't all sit at one table, the crisis will prolong. Bayati is an Iraqi expert and has seen this type of violence escalate before after the fall of Saddam Hussein. There, Sunni and Shiite Muslims bitterly fought. Even the wrong name could get you killed in certain regions.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Arabic).
AL-SHALCHI: At the community weapon retrieval meeting, Amal remains skeptical of HTS' pledges of unity. She says she's harassed daily at neighborhood checkpoints manned by HTS rebels.
AMAL: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "Every time, I'm told, you can't come. You can't go," Amal says. Her neighbor Sleiman Mahmoud feels the threats. He dreads the endless questioning, too.
SLEIMAN MAHMOUD: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "Are you a soldier? Were you in the regime's army? Are you Christian? Are you Alawite," Mahmoud says he's asked. Until the harassment ends, he says, he won't believe the new government in Syria now will truly keep everyone safe. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Damascus.
(SOUNDBITE OF MAHALIA SONG, "LETTER TO UR EX") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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