Protection of Minority Rights in Syria: An International Demand After the Fall of Assad's Regime

The issue of protecting minority rights in Syria has become an urgent international concern following the opposition factions' control over the situation in the country and the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

In statements made on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to an agreement among diplomats from the United States, Turkey, the European Union, and Arab countries on the necessity for the new Syrian government to commit to respecting minority rights. Blinken's remarks came after talks held in Jordan, where a joint statement issued from the meeting emphasized the importance of forming an inclusive government that reflects the diversity of the population and respects the rights of all minorities, while stressing the need to avoid providing "a base for terrorist groups."

The Syrian armed opposition factions, including Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, are leading during this phase, despite having formerly been known as the Nusra Front before severing ties with al-Qaeda, which led to international sanctions and their designation as a terrorist organization by the United States.

Composition of Sects and Minorities in Syria

Syria is home to a diverse array of ethnic and sectarian minorities, including Christian, Ismaili, and Shia communities, as well as Kurds, Armenians, Circassians, Assyrians, and others. According to official U.S. estimates for 2023, the population of Syria is approximately 24 million, with more than half of the population displaced since the onset of the conflict, negatively impacting demographic analyses.

Currently, fewer than six million Syrian refugees have been registered in neighboring countries with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, while 6.8 million are internally displaced within Syria. Estimates suggest that about 74% of the population are Sunni Muslims, while Arabs, Kurds, Circassians, and Chechens make up some of the cultural components of the country.

As for other Muslim groups, including Alawites, Ismailis, and Shia, they collectively represent around 13% of the population, with the Alawite community largely concentrated in Latakia. Sunni Muslims are spread throughout the country, while the majority of Shia Muslims reside in rural areas, particularly in Idlib and Aleppo, with Twelver Shia found in Damascus, Aleppo, and Homs.

The highest concentration of Ismaili Muslims is in Hama province, and Druze constitute about 3% of the total population, with many residing in the Jebel Druze area in Sweida, where they form a majority.

U.S. estimates indicate that about 10% of the population are Christians, but reports suggest that the actual number is much lower, approximately 2.5%. Of the 2.2 million Christians who lived in Syria before the war, it is estimated that about one third, or 579,000 people, have not left the country.

The Christians in Syria belong to independent Orthodox churches, Eastern Catholic churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and other Nestorian sects, with most still residing in the cities of Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia, and surrounding areas, as well as in Hasakah province.

#### International Meeting on Syria

Blinken met with several senior officials, including the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, and the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaia Kallas, in addition to foreign ministers from Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, while no representative from Syria was present.

Earlier, Arab diplomats met separately, calling for a comprehensive peaceful political transition that leads to new elections and a constitution for Syria, highlighting the importance of working towards stability and peace in the region after years of conflict.