Syrian Alawites Demand Autonomy After Deadly Mosque Bombing Claims 8 Lives

At least three people have been killed in clashes between Alawite protesters and Syrian security forces in the western city of Latakia, as thousands took to the streets to condemn a deadly mosque bombing in Homs that killed eight people on Friday. The attack, claimed by the Sunni extremist group Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, has reignited fears among Syria's minority communities under the new Islamist authorities. Alawite spiritual leader Ghazal Ghazal called for protests, saying the community cannot be humiliated or marginalized. Demonstrators in Latakia and other coastal provinces carried pictures of Ghazal and banners demanding decentralised government authority, regional autonomy, and an end to sectarian speech. They also called for the salaries of civilians and former soldiers to be paid. Syrian forces were deployed to disperse the protests, with reports of gunshots and injuries. The Observatory for Human Rights reported similar violence in Homs, with several people injured. The Alawite community has been targeted by violence since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The community's faith stems from Shiite Islam, and they make up a minority in the predominantly Sunni Muslim country. The latest bloodshed comes as Syria's minorities remain wary of their future under the new Islamist authorities, who have rejected calls for federalism. The country has seen several sectarian flare-ups, including massacres in March and clashes in July that killed over 2,000 people in the Druze-majority city of Sweida. The national commission of inquiry on the March violence reported at least 1,426 Alawite deaths, while the Observatory put the toll at over 1,700. Authorities have carried out a massive arrest campaign in predominantly Alawite areas, which are also former Assad strongholds. The Alawite Council in a statement accused authorities of attacking unarmed civilians demanding their 'legitimate rights' and urged supporters to return home. The community is demanding a degree of regional autonomy and an end to the violence that has targeted them since Assad's fall.