Alawites’ strike continues in Syrian coast and interior 

Members of the Alawite community in the coastal and interior regions of Syria are observing the third day of the strike, initiated by Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, head of the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council, in the cities and rural areas of Latakia, Tartus, Jableh, Safita, and Darkish, as well as in the Hama countryside.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the village of Damskhro in Latakia witnessed a total shutdown, with all commercial shops closed, employees absent from work, and students and teachers not attending schools. In Tartus, helicopter flights were observed this morning, amid complete calm in the Alawite cities and rural areas.

In the town of Ain al-Kroum in western Hama countryside, the strike continued for the second consecutive day, with residents closing shops and maintaining total quiet in the streets.

The strike comes amid residents’ concerns over potential measures by the transitional government. The administration of Fidaa Al-Khatib School in Homs issued a notice to students stating that absence during the strike days would result in them missing lessons that will be included in midterm exams, requiring absent students to bring their parents and warning of further measures.

The SOHR confirmed that Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal’s call for the strike is a moral response to a series of events described by residents as “humiliating,” reflecting anger and rejection, and representing an expanding social movement within the community.

The strike is set to continue for five days, serving as a means of expressing social and political positions within Alawite communities and reflecting collective mobilization to assert demands and rights.

A-H 

ANHA