"Anything is Possible," except in Baniyas?

Sunni and Alawi extremism and identity politics as witnessed by a Christian

I visited Baniyas last week, my fifth visit since the fall of Assad, to meet with some activists I have come to know over the past year. Last week I published a partial transcript of one of these interview with a group older Alawi men, long-time anti-Assad leftist political activists, who discussed their view of the social and political challenges in Baniyas after the March 6 massacres.

Later that day I met with a Christian activist, the same man who I interviewed for my report on the insurgency and massacres in the city in March. You may recall in that report how this man, “S”, was highly critical of both the Alawi insurgents and the state-backed forces that responded.

What follows is a partial transcript of my most recent interview with “S”, discussing many of the same topics as I discussed with the Alawi men that same day as well as a deeper examination of the bifurcated Sunni urban and rural community. “S” provides some important push back and critiques of the other men’s perspectives, while also confirming much of their critics of the local government. I highly encourage readers to read both interviews together to get more accurate view both of the current conditions in Baniyas and of the complexities of drawing full pictures from only some perspectives.