How the Assad Regime’s Policies Nurtured Sectarianism in Syria

Far from being a model for religious harmony, Syria under the Assads has remained an example of how sweeping religious differences under the carpet eventually makes things worse.

An image of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad (Photo credit: James Gordon via Wikimedia)

by Brian Whitaker

Looking at the turmoil in Syria today it is easy to conclude that one of the few virtues of the Baathist dictatorship was its opposition to sectarianism. Since the Syrian conflict began, President Hafez al-Assad has sought to portray his struggle for survival as an heroic effort to quell religious strife, but this strife is also partly a result of the regime’s own religious policies.