Systemic attacks on Alawite communities in Syria since the beginning of 2025 have caused great concern in the international community and human rights organizations. According to reports from reliable sources such as the BBC, Wikipedia and the Association for Peoples in Danger (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker – GfbV), Alawite villages in the rural areas of Idlib and Latakia in particular have been the target of coordinated attacks by radical groups.

Increase in Attacks and Signs of Possible Ethnic Cleansing

According to the BBC’s report on February 15, 2025, massacres and forced displacements have been taking place in Alawite villages in recent months, with no distinction made between women, children and the elderly. It is reported that hundreds of civilians have lost their lives in the attacks and many are missing.

The Wikipedia page titled “2025 Massacres of Syrian Alawites” states that the attacks were organized by radical organizations such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The villages around Qadmus, Safita and Masyaf were particularly targeted. These attacks raise suspicions of “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” because they were systematic, based on religious identity and targeted civilians. International Silence and Academic Responsibility

In its statement dated February 26, 2025, GfbV (Association for Endangered Peoples) criticized the silence and inadequate response of the international community and called for an immediate investigation into the attacks on Alevis as crimes of genocide. The organization emphasized that academic circles, human rights organizations and governments in particular should not remain indifferent to this process.

The Importance of Academic Solidarity

These attacks on Alevis are not just a sectarian conflict, but a deep crisis in terms of international human rights and genocide law. As academic communities, it is an ethical responsibility to condemn violence based on sect, ethnicity or belief and to be the voice of the victims.

Silence is Being Complicit in Crime

Another news report by the BBC on February 28, 2025 emphasizes that the inadequate responses of international institutions embolden radical groups. History shows us that remaining silent in the face of similar attacks in the past has led to greater disasters.

Therefore, strengthening the call for academic and social solidarity against the attacks on Alawites in Syria is not only a humanitarian but also a moral duty.