Syria's post-Assad leader vowed the country is for all. Some Syrians have their doubts

It is uncommon to spot a state look from the devastation of a 13-year civilian warfare and much than 50 years of authoritarian rule. 

Yet Syria, six months aft the autumn of President Bashar al-Assad, is attempting conscionable that.

Reconstruction is underway. The suspension of long-standing U.S. sanctions has opened caller economical opportunities. Foreign delegations are returning to the capital, Damascus.

Despite the signs of progress, however, increasing concerns person emerged implicit reports of civilian rights violations and the targeting of spiritual minorities — incidents that officials person characterized arsenic isolated.

Syria's colonisation is predominantly Sunni Muslim — astir 74 per cent — alongside different Muslim minorities, which correspond astir 13 per cent, including Alawites. Christians correspond astir 10 per cent, and 3 per cent are Druze.

Despite repeated assurances from the caller Syrian president, Ahmad al-Sharaa — formerly Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani — that minorities are afloat and adjacent citizens, a bid of incidents, peculiarly against Alawites and Druze, has sparked concern. Reports person emerged of violations targeting a nightclub successful Damascus, adding to the unease.

Syrian writer Abssi Smiesim, who relocated to Damascus from Turkey pursuing the autumn of Assad, links existent concerns to the behaviour of immoderate Muslim extremist groups.

"I visited each the number regions recently," helium said. "You tin consciousness fearfulness — not from the authorities itself, but from its inability to power groups with jihadist backgrounds."

When rebels, galore with Sunni backgrounds, accompanied by groups of jihadist fighters, succeeded successful toppling Assad's authorities successful December, number communities feared retaliation. 

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Concerns were peculiarly beardown among those disquieted astir ideological leanings of the caller leadership, galore of whom person ties to Salafist oregon jihadist backgrounds and who typically travel strict spiritual conservatism. Some individuals with specified backgrounds advocator for rigid societal norms, peculiarly astir women's dress, sex mixing gatherings, intoxicant depletion and governance.

A changing societal fabric

At a bistro connected a constrictive alleyway successful the bosom of Old Damascus, a territory known for vibrant bars and pubs, Ghani Isaac, a Christian, spoke of his unease astir what lies ahead. 

"You tin bid an alcoholic drink," Isaac said, looking astatine his beer, "but you're ne'er sure" erstwhile a Muslim extremist oregon a overseas jihadist combatant who arrived successful Damascus with the caller enactment "might onslaught you due to the fact that of it" due to the fact that spiritual Muslim groups judge successful banning intoxicant consumption.

Reports suggest the authorities is considering integrating much than 3,500 fighters who came to Syria during the civilian warfare to combat for rebel factions into the nationalist army. 

"These radical didn't travel retired of emotion for Syria," Isaac said. "They're gaining influence, sometimes much than the locals."

In Bab Sharqi, a Christian 4th of Damascus, residents accidental the ambiance has shifted to a much pessimistic outlook since the governmental transition. 

Isaac and his friend, Khalil Salloum, didn't permission Syria passim the warfare and are acrophobic astir what they telephone expanding sectarian rhetoric and extremism. 

"Community events person dwindled since the authorities change," Isaac said. "The authorities offers immoderate information for our celebrations and events similar Christmas and Easter, but we are much comfy relying connected Christian unpaid guards, thing we ne'er needed before."

Salloum said that galore Christians they cognize are actively seeking to emigrate, fearing for their information from unlawful attacks and seeking the state to practise their civilization without restrictions.

Sectarian clashes adjacent Damascus

In Jaramana, a predominantly Druze suburb extracurricular Damascus, tensions stay precocious pursuing deadly unit successful April. The unrest was sparked by an audio signaling that allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammad, the astir revered fig successful Islam, and was falsely attributed to a Druze cleric, Marwan Kiwan. 

Although the authorities confirmed the signaling was fake, clashes betwixt Syrian information forces and equipped groups adjacent Damascus near astatine slightest 10 radical dormant and led to a little information lockdown.

Among those who witnessed the unrest was section nonmigratory Dima Masoud, who is Druze.

"The authorities did effort to incorporate the violence," she said, "but it besides thanked those who 'defended the Prophet,' which felt similar a signifier of indirect encouragement." 

Masoud is unconvinced by assurances from authorities officials that the incidental was isolated.

"These aren't conscionable isolated accidents," she said. "I don't cognize whether the president genuinely lacks power implicit the factions oregon if we're watching a deeper fracture look among Syrians."

When asked whether al-Sharaa has fulfilled his mantra that Syria is for all, Masoud offered her opinion: "Of people not."

She said she fears secularists and defenders of civilian liberties present look arsenic overmuch marginalization arsenic spiritual minorities.

Secularists besides consciousness threatened

In a unrecorded euphony café successful Damascus, publication writer Jaber Yehya expressed a hopeful yet guarded outlook. 

"My optimism depends connected america [secular people] moving hard to beryllium ourselves," helium said. "If the extremists basal successful our way, we volition propulsion back." 

Yehya, a erstwhile exile successful Europe, returned to Syria for bully pursuing the authorities change, driven by a imaginativeness for a much inclusive future. 

"I came backmost to assistance physique a Syria that embraces everyone." 

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Linda Bilal is not portion of a number group, but belongs to a ellipse of wide activists warring to sphere their beingness and civilian liberties against rising extremism successful Syria. She returned from Europe aft Assad's fall.

She recalled a tense brushwood successful April successful the metropolis of Idlib, the rebel stronghold successful northwest Syria from which Al-Jolani ran a benignant of shadiness government. A overseas combatant she thought came from Egypt confronted her implicit not covering her hairsbreadth with a hijab, telling her to "respect the country."

Bilal said: "I fled Assad, and present I'm being lectured connected however to beryllium Syrian by idiosyncratic who isn't adjacent from this country?"

Still, Bilal is resolute successful claiming her close to a dependable successful Syria's future.

"I won't change. We request to reclaim nationalist space, foster dialog and enactment visible."

Changing covering styles

In caller years, Syrian cities person reflected a blend of blimpish and wide formal norms.

Although nary authoritative formal codification has been introduced nether the caller regime, galore women successful antithetic parts of Syria person adopted a much cautious attack to their clothing.

Dima Masoud present has a much blimpish look, opting for agelong pants alternatively of shorts and wearing jackets with agelong sleeves. 

"I don't cognize what could hap if I support my aged dressing style," she said, "but I'm not consenting to try." 

Her concerns bespeak increasing power of hardline Islamist groups that beforehand strict modesty standards, including the hijab (headscarf) — and, successful immoderate areas, adjacent the niqab.

But not everyone shares those concerns. 

In Damascus, Yara Shafa Omri, who has agelong chosen to formal freely and without a headscarf, says she hasn't had to change her formal codification nether the caller authorities. 

She reports nary harassment implicit her casual attire oregon lifestyle. In her view, online disapproval claiming the authorities is imposing a rigid Islamic codification is exaggerated and doesn't align with her acquisition surviving successful Damascus.

"The societal country hasn't changed," she said, noting parties and gatherings with mixed genders are inactive going on.

Shafa Omri believes disapproval of the caller authorities is premature. 

"The caller authorities inherited a breached system," she said. "They've fixed america anticipation and a consciousness of freedom. We can't expect miracles overnight." 

Looking for much representation

In his inauguration speech, al-Sharaa promised to "work connected an inclusive authorities that reflects the diverseness of the country." 

While this was somewhat fulfilled, said Fadel Abdulghany, enforcement manager of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, "we had to spot a bigger practice — successful the constitution drafting committee, for instance."

Abdulghany, whose web has been pursuing the trajectory of the Syrian warfare since 2011, said his radical "had advised from the opening that for a genuinely inclusive governmental modulation successful Syria, number communities had to beryllium engaged not conscionable arsenic taste oregon spiritual groups, but arsenic governmental stakeholders. Many are highly qualified and susceptible of contributing astatine elder levels."

The caller authorities "had to attack Syrian number groups successful a amended way," helium told CBC from Doha, Qatar.

"I'm not advocating for a sectarian authorities enshrined successful the constitution. But during this captious period, broader inclusion was indispensable to debar antagonistic speculations."