Masyaf's Liberation Through Ismaili Eyes

Interview with the Masyaf Ismaili Council

Masyaf was well-known among opposition circles as a “shabiha hotbed”. The region provided some of the most notorious pro-regime militia leaders, particularly within the Desert Hawks and Tiger Forces, and also became one of, if not the, most prominent recruitment hubs for soldiers as the war went on. However, the city itself is majority Ismaili and had a deep history of anti-Assad activity - both before the war among Ismaili communists and leftists and in 2011 with many anti-regime protests.

Like Salamiyah, Masyaf has a prominent Ismaili Council. However, unlike Salamiyah, the Ismailis of Masyaf are Moumeni, not Aga Khani, and therefore have no connection to the Aga Khan. While they maintain relations with the Aga Khan councils in other parts of the country, they do not have the sort of close international support that Aga Khani Ismailis do. Nonetheless, this city has also developed a close relationship with the new Damascus authorities. Like with Salamiyah and Qadmus, this new relationship really underscores the primacy of politics, not religion, in how sectarianism plays out in Syria today.

I visited Masyaf in early May, meeting with Ismaili activists and members of the council. Below is a edited transcript of some of our discussions on the evolving relations with local officials, the security situation, and what happened on March 6.