Alawite villagers fear Tripoli violence could spread

16 November 2013

MASSOUDIEH, Lebanon: Alawites in Akkar fear that violence in Tripoli could spread and reach their villages, jeopardizing decades of coexistence between members of their community and fellow Lebanese from other religious sects.

Some staunch opponents of the Syrian regime are suspicious of Lebanese Alawites and believe that they are loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s Alawite sect.

Akkar’s Alawites have reason for concern. Scores have been killed and wounded in on-and-off clashes between supporters of Assad in the mainly Alawite Tripoli neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen and rivals in the adjacent predominantly Sunni district of Bab al-Tabbaneh.

Fearing similar eruptions of violence, some members of the Alawite community in Akkar, which is predominately Sunni, have become increasingly insular.

The situation in Akkar became even more strained when the Military Tribunal summoned Alawite leader and former MP Ali Eid for questioning over his alleged involvement in helping Ahmad Merhi, a suspect in the twin Tripoli bombings, to flee the country. Eid heads the pro-Assad Arab Democratic Party, part of the March 8 Alliance.

The two car bomb attacks rocked two mosques in Tripoli in August, killing 47 people and wounding hundreds.

After Eid was summoned, media reports emerged that Syrian tanks gathered on the other side of the border, which is very close to Eid’s residence in Hikr al-Daheri, where he currently resides.

Some Alawites fear that their community would pay a price, however, if the Syrian army targets Akkar. “Syrian tanks [on the other side of the border] are aiming at Akkar. Unfortunately, Alawite villages in Akkar will pay the price once the first shell is fired,” a source familiar with the community in Akkar told The Daily Star.

Eid did not show up at court for questioning Tuesday, claiming the charges were fabricated by the Internal Security Forces Information Branch. Alawite religious figures say that the allegations target their sect.

Prior to the civil war, there was effectively no sectarian violence involving Alawites in Akkar. Over the past decades, many Alawites in the region married outside their faith and coexisted with Sunnis in several villages, integrating them into the community.

Villages predominated by Alawites stretch along the Syrian border near the Nahr al-Kabir River. The Villages include Tal Hmeira, Simaqieh, Hikr al-Daheri, Massoudieh, Talbireh, Rihaniyeh, Hikr al-Hawshab, Abboudieh, Qanbar, Ain al-Zayt and Haysa. The number of Alawites in Akkar is estimated to range between 9,000 and 13,000.

These villages often lack essential services. The road leading to the area is not well-paved, but does reach the Arida and Abboudieh border crossings with Syria.

Dilapidated houses and open sewage networks could be seen in Massoudieh, referred to as “Akkar’s Jabal Moshsen,” because it is the only Akkar village with a pure Alawite population. A poster of Assad and banners expressing support for the embattled president are on display in the village center.

But despite their staunch backing of Assad, Alawites in Akkar insist they are not interested in a confrontation with fellow Lebanese from other sects and would not rely on the Syrian regime to help if clashes broke out.

Mohsen Abed, an Alawite figure in Akkar, played down any differences between his community and Sunnis and March 14 parties. He said the main problem was takfiri groups that targeted Sunnis and Alawites alike.

“If there are any differences, these are political rather than sectarian. We Alawites are a component of the society of this region. We have been calling for abandoning violence for 50 years. Civil peace is our choice,” Abed said. He added that war would only bring destruction to the area.

Abed acknowledged that members of his sect were being harassed for their support to Assad, while the majority of Akkar residents backed the uprising.

“We wish that we would be left alone ... all Lebanese should realize the fact that we do not want wars.”