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Druze

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  • Headshot of a woman with shoulder-length brown hair (Najat Abed Alsamad)
    Najat Abed Alsamad's "Kein Wasser stillt ihren Durst"

    Searching for life

    Najat Abed Alsamad's award-winning novel, "La Ma'a Yarwiha", has been published in German translation as "Kein Wasser stillt ihren Durst" (No water quenches her thirst). In it, she tells the story of a young Druze woman who roundly rejects the traditional rules imposed on her by her parents and relatives and begins a long fight for her freedom

  • Protesters hold up placards and wave Druze flags, Sweida city, Syria, 27 August 2023
    Anti-Assad protests in Syria's Sweida governate

    New wave of violence after protester death?

    Locals in southern Syria have been protesting peacefully for months now, despite their government's brutal crackdown. But in late February, for the first time, a demonstrator was killed

  • Druze conscription

    Youth reject ″sectarian″ recruitment to the Israeli army

    Conscientious objection among the Druze community is gathering support, particularly among the young men who are expected to serve in the Israeli army. One organisation that seeks to support those fighting the call to join up is ″Urfod″ or ″Refuse: your people will protect you”. Ylenia Gostoli examines the issues confronting the religious minority

  • Druze in the Golan Heights

    Squeezed between occupation and civil war

    The Golan Heights were unilaterally annexed by Israel in 1981. At the time, many Syrian residents fled. Most of those who remained belong to the Druze community. In this article, Ylenia Gostoli takes a closer look at the situation for the Druze in the Golan Heights and shines a light on their relationship with both Syria and their co-religionists in Israel

  • Archaeological artefacts and sites in Syria

    When historical treasures become pawns in a civil war

    The Druze region in southern Syria, home to numerous archaeological treasures, is still regarded as one of the strongholds of the Assad regime. But that may soon change. Will Suwaida become the next Palmyra? By Joseph Croitoru

  • The civil war in Syria

    When minorities become pawns in a power game

    The Assad clan is exploiting the multi-religious composition of Syria and holding its minorities in a fatal grip of dependency. By Haid N. Haid and Bente Scheller

  • Four years of war in Syria

    Where the uprising began and still lives on

    The southern Syrian city of Daraa is the "cradle of the revolution" and the last bastion of the uprising against the Assad regime. Kristin Helberg on the special significance the provincial city has held since the start of the Syrian rebellion four years ago

  • The Druze in the Syrian conflict

    Potential to tip the scales

    For many years, Syria's Druze community was regarded as a loyal ally of Assad. Yet their pleas to Damascus to protect them against extremist groups fell on deaf ears. Now, on account of their increasing distance to the Baath regime, the Druze are at risk of getting caught in the crossfire. Details by Firas Maksad

  • Interview with Rafik Schami

    Defending the Assad kingdom

    According to renowned Syrian-born writer Rafik Schami, Assad's survival concept is quite straightforward: to keep his clan in power at any price. He is being aided in this endeavour by the West's indecisiveness towards his regime. Interview conducted by Eren Güvercin

  • Syrian Christians and the Assad regime

    "Assad is only protecting himself"

    Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad likes to present himself as a champion of his nation's religious minorities, in particular the Christians. But increasing numbers of Syrian Christians in exile are resisting this narrative. By Martina Sabra

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