The Creation of An Unbridgeable Divide  openDemocracy | 24
January 2013   The transformation of the Syrian Revolution from
a nonviolent and inclusive pro-democracy protest movement into a
civil war, pitting majority-Sunni and majority-Alawite militias
against each other in deadly daily clashes throughout the
country, has been a slow and complex process driven in equal
measure by domestic as well as external factors. But while much
analysis has addressed the role of external factors, there are
certain aspects of the domestic dynamics that remain unexamined,
in particular the evolving ethos driving Sunni and Alawite
fighters.  Indeed, the very nature of the ruling Assad regime
that the protesters challenged contributed to the increasing
sectarian character of the conflict. The Alawite community, from
which the Assads hail, is a minority sect that mixes Shiite
doctrine with indigenous tribal beliefs and Christian rituals,
representing 10-12% of Syria’s population. The sect has long
been considered heretical by t