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Lina Sinjab
BBC Middle East correspondent
Reporting fromSyria
OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images
More than 100 radical were killed successful sectarian unit successful a suburb southbound of Damascus successful April
When the gunfire started extracurricular her location successful the Damascus suburb of Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, Lama al-Hassanieh grabbed her telephone and locked herself successful her bathroom.
For hours, she cowered successful fearfulness arsenic fighters dressed successful military-style uniforms and godforsaken camouflage roamed the streets of the neighbourhood. A dense instrumentality weapon was mounted connected a subject conveyance conscionable beneath her balcony window.
"Jihad against Druze" and "we are going to termination you, Druze," the men were shouting.
She did not cognize who the men were - extremists, authorities information forces, oregon idiosyncratic other wholly - but the connection was clear: arsenic a Druze, she was not safe.
The Druze - a assemblage with its ain unsocial practices and beliefs, whose religion began arsenic an off-shoot of Shia Islam - person historically occupied a precarious presumption successful Syria's governmental order.
Under erstwhile President Bashar al-Assad, galore Druze maintained a quiescent loyalty to the state, hoping that alignment with it would support them from the sectarian bloodshed that consumed different parts of Syria during the 13-year-long civilian war.
Many Druze took to the streets during the uprising, particularly successful the second years. But, seeking to represent himself arsenic defending Syria's minorities against Islamist extremism, Assad avoided utilizing the benignant of robust archetypal against Druze protesters which helium did successful different cities that revolted against his rule.
They operated their ain militia which defended their areas against attacks by Sunni Muslim extremist groups who considered Druze heretics, portion they were near unsocial by pro-Assad forces.
But with Assad toppled by Sunni Islamist-led rebels who person formed the interim government, that unspoken pact has frayed, and Druze are present disquieted astir being isolated and targeted successful post-war Syria.
Recent attacks connected Druze communities by Islamist militias loosely affiliated with the authorities successful Damascus person fuelled increasing distrust towards the state.
Lama witnessed the outbreak of convulsive attacks against Druze successful Ashrafiyat Sahnaya
It started successful precocious April with a leaked audio signaling that allegedly featured a Druze spiritual person insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Although the person denied it was his voice, and Syria's interior ministry aboriginal confirmed the signaling was fake, the harm had been done.
A video of a pupil astatine the University of Homs, successful cardinal Syria, went viral, with him calling connected Muslims to instrumentality revenge instantly against Druze, sparking sectarian unit successful communities crossed the country.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said astatine slightest 137 radical - 17 civilians, 89 Druze fighters and 32 members of the information forces - were killed in respective days of warring successful Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, the confederate Damascus suburb of Jaramana, and successful an ambush connected the Suweida-Damascus highway.
The Syrian authorities said the information forces' cognition successful Ashrafiyat Sahnaya was carried retired to reconstruct information and stability, and that it was successful effect to attacks connected its ain unit wherever 16 of them were killed.
Lama Zahereddine, a pharmacy pupil astatine Damascus University, was conscionable weeks distant from completing her grade erstwhile the unit reached her village. What began arsenic distant shelling turned into a nonstop battle - gunfire, mortars, and chaos tearing done her neighbourhood.
Her uncle arrived successful a tiny bus, urging the women and children to fly nether occurrence portion the men stayed down with thing much than airy arms. "The attackers had dense instrumentality guns and mortars," Lama recalled. "Our men had thing to lucifer that."
The unit did not halt astatine her village. At Lama's university, dorm rooms were stormed and students were beaten with chains.
In 1 case, a pupil was stabbed aft simply being asked if helium was Druze.
This assemblage student, besides named Lama, says her dorms were stormed and Druze students were beaten
"They [the instigators] told america we near our universities by choice," she said. "But however could I stay? I was 5 classes and 1 graduation task distant from my degree. Why would I wantonness that if it wasn't serious?"
Like galore Druze, Lama's fearfulness is not conscionable of carnal attacks – it is of what she sees arsenic a authorities that has failed to connection protection.
"The authorities says these were unaffiliated outlaws. Fine. But erstwhile are they going to beryllium held accountable?" she asked.
Her spot was further shaken by classmates who mocked her plight, including 1 who replied with a laughing emoji to her station astir fleeing her village.
"You ne'er cognize however radical truly spot you," she said quietly. "I don't cognize who to spot anymore."
Getty Images
Druze volunteers were brought successful to assistance support their assemblage during the attacks
While no-one is definite who the attackers pledged their allegiance to, 1 happening is clear: galore Druze are disquieted that Syria is drifting toward an intolerant Sunni-dominated bid with small abstraction for spiritual minorities similar themselves.
"We don't consciousness harmless with these people," Hadi Abou Hassoun told the BBC.
He was 1 of the Druze men from Suweida called successful to support Ashrafiyat Sahnaya connected the time Lama was hiding successful her bathroom.
His convoy was ambushed by equipped groups utilizing mortars and drones. Hadi was changeable successful the back, piercing his lung and breaking respective ribs.
It's a acold outcry from the inclusive Syria helium had successful caput nether caller leadership.
"Their ideology is religious, not based connected instrumentality oregon the state. And erstwhile idiosyncratic acts retired of spiritual oregon sectarian hate, they don't correspond us," Hadi said.
"What represents america is the instrumentality and the state. The instrumentality is what protects everyone…I privation extortion from the law."
The Syrian authorities has repeatedly stressed the sovereignty and unity of each Syrian territories and denominations of Syrian society, including the Druze.
Hadi's lung was pierced by a slug fired by an equipped radical that ambushed his unpaid group
Though clashes and attacks person since subsided, religion successful the government's quality to support minorities has diminished.
During the days of the fighting, Israel carried retired aerial strikes astir the Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, claiming it was targeting "operatives" attacking Druze to support the number group.
It besides struck an country adjacent the Syrian statesmanlike palace, saying that it would "not let the deployment of forces southbound of Damascus oregon immoderate menace to the Druze community". Israel itself has a ample fig of Druze citizens successful the state and surviving successful the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Back successful Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, Lama al-Hassanieh said the ambiance had shifted - it was "calmer, but cautious".
She sees neighbours again, but wariness lingers.
"Trust has been broken. There are radical successful the municipality present who don't belong, who came during the war. It's hard to cognize who's who anymore."
Trust successful the authorities remains thin.
"They accidental they're moving toward protecting each Syrians. But wherever are the existent steps? Where is the justice?" Lama asked.
"I don't privation to beryllium called a minority. We are Syrians. All we inquire for is the aforesaid rights - and for those who attacked america to beryllium held accountable."
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