Posted on 07/19/2015 7:41:37 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
BEIRUT During four years of civil war, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could count on the countrys Druze to keep quiet. Like other religious minorities, the Druze community tended to back the strongman, fearing their fate could be worse under the rebels, who are mostly Sunni Muslims.
Recently, however, the Druze have been defying Assad's government. Many are refusing compulsory military service. Increasingly, Druze spiritual leaders are criticizing the embattled president and urging their community to adopt a neutral stance in the conflict.
The Druze are a tiny group in Syria about 700,000 people in a country with a pre-war population of 24 million. But their pivot away from Assad is a sign of the mounting difficulties facing the authoritarian ruler as the war drags on.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
If they take a neutral stance, then they will be fair game for all of the factions in Syria. All one has to do is to look at history of neutrality and the result is always the same. Being persecuted and then wiped out.
Position advisories from this source reflect the regimes view and should be viewed with suspicion if they will be carried out. But do reflect its wishes.
Switzerland?
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