Northern Homs is home to a highly diverse set of towns, bringing together Shia, Alawi, Sunni, Christian, and Murshdi communities. The demographic map of this region played a central role in how the revolution unfolded north of Homs City. A swathe of Sunni towns extending along the international highway, anchored by Talbiseh on the south and Rastan on the north, quickly became encircled by regime forces, backed by militias from several nearby Alawi and Shia towns.
One of these towns is Mushrefa, just east of Talbiseh. Mushrefa is an originally Christian town which, through the demographic engineering policies of Hafez al-Assad, saw an influx of Alawi and Sunni residents during the second half of the 20th Century. Mushrefa sat on the frontline of the war for six years. A large checkpoint on the town’s western entrance marked the border with the opposition, and a military base on its northern edge was used to frequently shell opposition towns.
Given the long history of fighting and the diverse nature of the area, one might assume that Mushrefa would fall victim to intercommunal and vigilante violence. Yet the town has largely been peaceful and the old inter-communal ties between Talbiseh and Mushrefa have returned. Many residents credit the actions of the town’s mayor, Mrs. Eileen As-Sit, with easing the entrance of HTS-affiliation forces into Mushrefa in December 2024 and maintaining peace in the town since.
I visited Mushrefa early this year and met with one of the Christian influencers in the town to learn more about the post-Assad transition there. I recently returned and met with Mrs. As-Sit. Earlier this summer, Eileen worked with a civil activist from Talbiseh and with the Homs government to host the country’s first Peace Festival (since replicated across the country), highlighting the different cultures of the communities in northern Homs. Below is a partial transcript of our interview, discussing how she engaged with the first opposition factions to enter the town on December 6, 2024, her social cohesion work in the two years since, and the current situation for Christians.