Nadine Maenza, global fellow at the Wilson Center and former head of USCIRF, speaks to Rudaw on March 12, 2025. Photo: screengrab/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - What happened last week on Syria’s western coast was a “free-for-all” of indiscriminate killing in predominantly Alawite neighborhoods, a religious freedom advocate told Rudaw on Wednesday.
“They didn’t go into the neighborhoods, checking families and doing research,” Nadine Maenza told Rudaw’s Dilbixwin Dara, referring to forces aligned with the interim government in Damascus. “Instead of just going after the insurgents, they slaughtered entire families,” including Sunnis and Christians.
Maenza is a global fellow at the Wilson Center and former chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedoms.
Violence erupted in the Alawite-majority coastal areas of western Syria after loyalists of ousted president Bashar al-Assad launched attacks on security forces affiliated with Syria’s new leadership. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that around 1,500 people, mostly civilians, were killed, the majority of them by government or government-affiliated forces.
Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa ordered the formation of a commission to investigate the violence. The commission, which includes five judges, an army officer, and a lawyer, is tasked with examining the causes of the conflict and presenting a report within 30 days.
“I am pleased to see that al-Sharaa has vowed to pursue justice and announced that punishments will follow,” Maenza said. She noted the importance of holding accountable the “Islamist forces” that targeted communities based on ethno-religious identities or political leanings. She called for these individuals to be removed from the security services to help rebuild trust in the government.
“Arrest them, try them, and show the people of Syria that this is unacceptable. Or there is a possibility that the violence could continue,” Maenza added.
She acknowledged the uncertainties surrounding Syria’s future under the new leadership, but expressed hope for the sincerity of the government’s commitment to inclusivity. “While there are still concerns about this government and Sharaa’s long history of involvement in terrorism, there is hope that the promise of an inclusive government is sincere and that they want to move toward that,” she said.
Sharaa was named Syria's interim president in January a month after his Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led rebels in a swift offensive that toppled Assad’s regime. Sharaa promised to form an inclusive transitional government that would reflect Syria's diversity, hold free and fair elections, and preserve civil peace and territorial unity.
However, Sharaa drew widespread criticism after he signed a constitutional declaration on Thursday that centers on Islamic jurisprudence and stipulates that the president must be Muslim. The declaration also maintains the name Syrian Arab Republic and sets a five-year transitional period.
The new constitution has faced rejection domestically, including from the Kurdish and Christian communities. The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) condemned the document, saying it reinforces a “centralized mindset” rather than advancing a democratic transition. It also criticized the alienation of Syria's diverse ethnic and religious communities.
Naim Youssef, pastor of the Christian Union Church in Hasaka province, expressed similar concerns. He told Rudaw that basing the interim constitution on Islamic jurisprudence “makes all other laws hostage to religious interpretation,” which he said contradicts the principle of full citizenship.
“They didn’t go into the neighborhoods, checking families and doing research,” Nadine Maenza told Rudaw’s Dilbixwin Dara, referring to forces aligned with the interim government in Damascus. “Instead of just going after the insurgents, they slaughtered entire families,” including Sunnis and Christians.
Maenza is a global fellow at the Wilson Center and former chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedoms.
Violence erupted in the Alawite-majority coastal areas of western Syria after loyalists of ousted president Bashar al-Assad launched attacks on security forces affiliated with Syria’s new leadership. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that around 1,500 people, mostly civilians, were killed, the majority of them by government or government-affiliated forces.
Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa ordered the formation of a commission to investigate the violence. The commission, which includes five judges, an army officer, and a lawyer, is tasked with examining the causes of the conflict and presenting a report within 30 days.
“I am pleased to see that al-Sharaa has vowed to pursue justice and announced that punishments will follow,” Maenza said. She noted the importance of holding accountable the “Islamist forces” that targeted communities based on ethno-religious identities or political leanings. She called for these individuals to be removed from the security services to help rebuild trust in the government.
“Arrest them, try them, and show the people of Syria that this is unacceptable. Or there is a possibility that the violence could continue,” Maenza added.
She acknowledged the uncertainties surrounding Syria’s future under the new leadership, but expressed hope for the sincerity of the government’s commitment to inclusivity. “While there are still concerns about this government and Sharaa’s long history of involvement in terrorism, there is hope that the promise of an inclusive government is sincere and that they want to move toward that,” she said.
Sharaa was named Syria's interim president in January a month after his Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led rebels in a swift offensive that toppled Assad’s regime. Sharaa promised to form an inclusive transitional government that would reflect Syria's diversity, hold free and fair elections, and preserve civil peace and territorial unity.
However, Sharaa drew widespread criticism after he signed a constitutional declaration on Thursday that centers on Islamic jurisprudence and stipulates that the president must be Muslim. The declaration also maintains the name Syrian Arab Republic and sets a five-year transitional period.
The new constitution has faced rejection domestically, including from the Kurdish and Christian communities. The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) condemned the document, saying it reinforces a “centralized mindset” rather than advancing a democratic transition. It also criticized the alienation of Syria's diverse ethnic and religious communities.
Naim Youssef, pastor of the Christian Union Church in Hasaka province, expressed similar concerns. He told Rudaw that basing the interim constitution on Islamic jurisprudence “makes all other laws hostage to religious interpretation,” which he said contradicts the principle of full citizenship.
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