STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
In recent weeks on this program, we've heard perspectives from many parts of Syria, where a new government is consolidating power after a civil war. Today, we visit the northwest of the country, the ancestral home of Syria's former ruling family. Bashar al-Assad and his father came from the religious minority Alawite sect. So what are Alawites thinking now? NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi just got back from a four-day trip to their region and is on the line. Welcome back.
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Thank you.
INSKEEP: This must have been an interesting trip, given that people so closely associated the Assads with Alawites.
AL-SHALCHI: I mean, it was really fascinating. Let me take you back a tiny bit. Alawites make up only 10% of the Syrian population of about 23 million people. And because so many of the top ranks were Alawite, when Syrians think Alawite, they think Assad. And millions did suffer terribly under the hands of the old regime. And then - so the truth is right now, some of them want revenge. And you can really feel how tense it is when you drive into Latakia, the main city of the Alawite heartlands, especially at checkpoints. Most of them are manned by masked armed rebels who belong to the group which led the overthrow of the Assad regime. It's called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS.
INSKEEP: Right.
AL-SHALCHI: And while many checkpoints, for example, around Damascus - you know, they'll just wave you through, in Latakia, it's way stricter, and there's more of them. The rebels routinely stop vehicles. They open doors, check inside. And when they stopped us once, we were even asked if anyone in our car had served in the former Assad regime. And then at one checkpoint, we even saw a rebel with an ISIS logo on his sleeve.
INSKEEP: Oh, this is interesting. It sounds less like the region has been liberated than perhaps occupied, at least from their perspective. But what happens when you go to the actual village where Assad's family comes from?
AL-SHALCHI: Yeah, so the village is called Qardaha, and it's in the middle of the Latakia province. And you wouldn't think this is where a powerful family comes from. It's so impoverished - broken roads, neglected buildings, shops with barely anything on the shelves. When we first got there, we visited a so-called reconciliation center in the village. That's where Alawites who served in the army come and hand over their weapons and collect this document, which basically says, I used to be in the Assad army, and now I pledge allegiance to a new Syria. Many of them told me that the Assad regime kept Alawites in poverty deliberately so they would have to join the army for employment. I spoke to Sleman Zena (ph). He's 25 years old. And his main concern was, how are we going to make a living now that we're out of the army?
SLEMAN ZENA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "I'm not optimistic," he says. "I don't have a salary to eat or drink or keep my family warm." But also, I should tell you, you know, every time I tried to talk to anyone there at the center, the armed HTS rebels who were manning the place or running it would kind of hover over us. You know, it was really making me intimidated to ask any delicate questions and for them to talk freely.
INSKEEP: Yeah, you don't know what would happen to them after you left. So did you manage to talk freely with any Alawites?
AL-SHALCHI: Yeah, so we had to leave the reconciliation center, and we went into the middle of the village. And we, you know, slowly approached a few people on the street. And without a microphone, we were able to talk to some, and then that's really when you hear the fear. I'll tell you about one woman I talked to. She said that she and her son were stopped by a couple of HTS rebels while they were out running an errand last week. The rebels asked her son, are you Alawite? And when he answered yes, they dragged him away. An hour later, the family found him shot dead in the street.
INSKEEP: Wow.
AL-SHALCHI: Now, NPR can't independently verify the incident, but it's really an example of what many Alawites fear will happen to them. And then a few Alawites also told me it's time to fight back. You know, we may be quiet now, but don't think we're going to take this lying down. We will be resisting.
INSKEEP: NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi has been bringing us some of the complexities of Syria after a change of government. Thanks so much for that. I really appreciate it.
AL-SHALCHI: You're very welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF ELIJAH NANG'S "HARU") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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