An Alawite's Perspective of Security in Homs City

Follow-up interview after March's massacres in the coast

In mid-February I published an interview with an Alawite woman in Homs City. She has lived her entire life in the city, including through the brutal fighting from 2012-2015. We discussed her thoughts on the security situation for Alawites after December 8, especially amid increasing reports of violence in the city and later in western Homs, where she has some family. A the time, she provided a unique and very grounded perspective heavy with optimism for the future.

I spoke with her again this week about how the violence in the coast last month has affected her and her community, what happened in Homs during the coastal massacres, how she feels about the new interim government, and if she is still as optimistic as she was two months ago. As we spoke, it became clear that there is a distinct difference in how some Alawites in Homs view the situation compared to those in the coast. Those in Homs City have lived through a decade and a half of sectarian violence and massacres, but the city also began to reconnect after 2016, according to the interviewee, with neighborhoods of all sects coming out of isolation and engaging with each other once more. These experiences, in addition to the security forces diligent work protecting Alawite neighborhoods on March 6, seem to have left some in the community here with a different perspective of the violence. Of course, every person’s opinion on these charged topics differs, but this interviewee provides an optimistic angle rarely given voice in media coverage.

The March Massacres

Can you describe your experience in Homs on March 6 when the violence began? Did you expect something like this would happen? How did your friends and family react as news of the massacres spread?

I was in shock, things happened all of a sudden and I wasn't able to follow the news, and after months of spreading false news I wasn't able to believe it in the beginning, but after seeing too many pictures of doctors and pharmacists that have been killed I was really shocked, I didn't expect something as savage as this could happen, and things seems to be out of control and whether the government couldn’t or didn’t want to control it I couldn't tell. It was terrifying, those three days were like hell and the violence spread between the internet users made it even worse.

You lived through all of the events in Homs city during the war, how did that week compare? Did you feel like you were back in 2012, or was it a different feeling entirely?

It was completely different, in 2012 till 2015 we were under unknown attack but no one ever entered our neighborhoods, there were snipers, bombs, exploding cars or terrorists, kidnapping but no one ever attacked the neighborhood or entered it as a group of criminals.

What was life like in the Alawite neighborhoods in Homs during that week, and in the time since then?

We were very scared, I didn't go to work, we thought our turn would be next and the massacre would reach Homs soon, we were very sad and afraid, my sister was a doctor in Tartus Hospital, many of her friends have been killed, I knew people there that have lost members of their family, we were mourning really.

The General Security forces played a huge role in protecting the Alawite neighborhoods. They gathered more forces and forbade any armed groups to enter our neighborhoods, I may be able to say that without their protection, Alawite Homs could have faced the same destiny the coast had been facing.

Why do you think they put so much effort into protecting your neighborhoods?

Actually they were protecting our neighborhoods since the liberation day, and they said that they are not here to take revenge from anyone and their responsibility is to protect all citizens. Of course there are some of them that don't follow the orders and violate people because of sects, religion or ethnic roots, but that's not the common thing among the general security forces.

Have you spoken with Alawite friends in the coast about their experiences in March? How have they reacted to the violence compared with the Alawite community in Homs?

In Homs we somehow have been there before, so I think we are mentally stronger than them, but of course even for Alawite Homs we would be terrified if we have faced what they had.

I spoke with some of them, thankfully they are fine now, but still they are hurt and sad, they find it really hard to return to the same places they saw their families murdered in, most of them want to leave the country now. They say ‘it's really hard to forget what happened here, we don't want revenge we just want to leave.’

Have you discussed what happened on the coast with your Sunni friends?

Yes of course we talked and so many of them were empathizing with people there and didn't want anyone to be hurt. A few of them were blaming people there [coastal Alawites] for not reporting about the intentions of the previous military men under the leadership of Mikdad Fatiha [pro-regime insurgents], and because they didn't report things it led to what happened. I don't agree with this opinion but I surely understand why would they think this way.

Life in Homs

How is life in your neighborhood today? Have services or the economic conditions improved? Does the neighborhood have a locally elected mayor or council?

It is way better now, the general security forces don't cover their faces anymore, like in my neighborhood some of the checkpoints don’t have masks and they seem more relaxed too. They are more kind with people here, the services have improved a little and traders started to open their shops more late as days start to be longer, so it makes the place more safe.

We already have a locally elected mayor in our neighborhoods, we call them Mokhtar, and they are actually doing their best to make people return to their normal lives and keep them calm and give people the true information after any gossip or rumors may spread. They are doing a great job.

Has there been any changes in the behavior of security forces in Homs during the past two months, since we last spoke? Do you find that there is a difference in behavior between the military men and the general security men?

I didn't interact with the military members that much, but i believe they are more like fighters than civil police men, maybe somehow more harsh and cold. Security men are more professional in solving problems peacefully and they try to keep all things under control, otherwise military members act more quickly and direct and do just what they are ordered to do, they make a scene every time they do something.

Some of the new members may commit violations, they haven't been trained long and good enough in my opinion, and some of them joined the security forces just to get revenge, or maybe because they love to be in power or in control over people, absolutely this is not acceptable, but their violations expose them and I hope the government will deal with them.

All the checkpoints I pass by are general security, they wear black and have the logo of the general security forces on their arms, I have not seen any military check points inside the city since a while.

Are there new members of the General Security that come from different parts of the country or from different religious backgrounds?

No, not yet, General Security members all come from the same sect, except for one member called George [a Christian]. He joined them maybe two weeks ago, and he is the only one so far, no Alawite or Shia'a or other minorities have joined the security force till now, but there are members from all Syrian cities, they all are Muslim Sunni.

I’ve seen reports of members of the security forces in Homs city using their new positions to intimidate or threaten Alawite residents. We talked in February about some of the bad officials that were appointed in the first weeks. Has this issue gotten worse since March, or have you seen any efforts by the officials to stop criminal security force behavior?

I didn't see the efforts directly, they didn't announce any case of punishment or something like that, but I've seen an improvement in their behavior and I believe it's because of some direct orders from the government to stop any bad behavior and treat people more kindly and in a respectful way.

What about the kidnappings and murders, like the family in al-Sabeel neighborhood and the four men kidnapped and executed yesterday? Do you feel like the security forces are doing enough to protect Alawites or that the situation is getting worse?

I think they should put more effort into protecting everyone, I mean General Security is not enough, there should be criminal security, police men and cars in the streets, and of course they must re-view all the cases that they freed from jail on liberation day. Whitening the jails was a huge movement to free all innocent prisoners, but there were criminals in jails as well and they should return there as soon as possible. There were thieves, murderers, and all kind of criminals and they are free in the streets now.

About the al-Sabeel family murder, it turned out to be a revenge case between two families, and this could happen in any neighborhood and any sect, that's why there should by more General Security and police men in the streets, and the numbers of the General Security members now is not that much, and they should allow all men that want to join them to join.

The New Government and Future for Alawites

What is your and your friends' opinions of the new interim government appointments? Are you happy that there are people from every sect?

Yes of course it's a good thing, but what is more important is that the chosen ministers are really very good ones, highly educated, very effective in society, most of them have brilliant background. This is what really matters.

And most of them are young which is a very hopeful thing. In the Assad regime days, all ministers were old and that was annoying somehow. But for example, the minister of my directorate is 32 years old, that's really impressive.

Have there been any changes in your department from this new government?

Not that much, but the new manager is very kind and respectful and he is trying his best to hear our complaints and solve most of them.

Is your new manager Sunni?

Yes, he is Sunni from Idleb, and the previous manager from Assad days was Sunni as well. It's normal to have more Sunni managers, they are more than 75% from the population. But our previous manager wasn't good, at all, he was chosen by the sect not by his effectiveness, because for the regime they thought as long as he is Sunni it's okay to silence the Sunni people.

What do you think the government can and should do now, in the next days and weeks, that might help the Alawite community feel like they are part of Syria's future and not at risk of being murdered any day?

I think they should allow and chair the Alawite men to join the police and security forces, I understand if they have their reasons to forbid them from joining the army in the right condition, but police and security are not risking.

And the Alawite should elect a group of active and educated and religious men to make a council or something that speak in their behalf and meet with the president Ahmad al-Shara and make some kind of deal to protect and save their rights and to reactivate their existence in society in an effective way.

When we spoke in February you seemed very optimistic, even with the crimes and violations happening in Homs. Do you still feel this way?

No I'm still optimistic and I believe as long as the government is trying to find a solution to every problem we face and speak up about it, the things will be better by time and all sections of this newborn government will evolve.