The Syrian War: Irreconcilable Narratives

Abstract

The Syrian regime is frequently perceived as a by-product of the Alawite community which belongs to the Imamite Shiite trend. As the Alawite religious creeds and practices—proved or supposed—are named in Sunni medieval heresiography under the very depreciatory vocable of ghuluw (or doctrinal exaggeration), this community has been largely seen with despise since the ancient religious execrations remain engraved in the memories of mainstream conservative Sunnis. And this resentment is all the more virulent because the sensitive positions within the State’s apparatus have been mostly controlled by Alawite officers since 1970. Confronted to the brutality of the repression against the uprising which started in March 2011, the nationalist-Islamic and Islamist-jihadist rebel organizations can hardly call for change without intending to settle sectarian collective accounts. The analysis of the content of some media will explain the extent to which political claims can (or cannot) overlook religious antagonisms.