Emily Wither meets Syrian Alawites that have fled to Lebanon.
In the wake of the Assad regime’s fall in Syria, thousands of Alawites—a minority Shia sect historically linked to the former regime—have fled to Lebanon. They are seeking refuge from discrimination and sectarian violence that has left over 1,000 civilians dead, including women and children.
An offshoot of Shia Islam, the Alawites are commonly misunderstood and the group’s beliefs and distinct interpretation of Islam is often shrouded in mystery. Throughout their history the group has been persecuted but their fate in Syria was redrawn by the Assad family.
The late Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, became the most powerful Alawite when he seized control of Syria in a coup in 1970. While many Alawites insist they continued to suffer, just like other Syrians, from the grinding poverty and brutal repression under the rule of Hafez al-Assad and then his son Bashar - the ruling Assad’s recruited heavily from the Alawite community placing them in top posts in state, security and intelligence branches.
When opposition fighters finally toppled the regime in December last year, Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa - once the leader of a self-declared Sunni Muslim militant group - promised to protect Syria's minorities. But he has struggled to contain a wave of violence directed towards the Alawite community.
The BBC’s Emily Wither has travelled to the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli to meet with Syrian Alawite refugees and a new youth movement that ionately believe the sect needs their own political identity away from the Assad regime.
Alawite Angelina Bilal is collecting testimonies of atrocities, including killings and sexual violence, to demand international ability. She belongs to a fledgling group of young Alawites who have launched ‘The Alawite Project’ - a youth movement aiming to redefine Alawite identity beyond the Assad legacy and amplify their global voice.
[Photo credit: Emily Wither, Photo Description: Alawite Angelina Bilal in a shelter for refugees in Lebanon]
Producer/ Presenter: Emily Wither
Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
