Matches in DBpedia 2014 for { ?s ?p Sectarianism has been described as a characteristic feature of the Syrian civil war. The sharpest split is between the ruling minority Alawite sect, a Shiite Muslim offshoot from which President Assad's most senior political and military associates are drawn, and the country's Sunni Muslim majority, mostly aligned with the opposition. The conflict had drawn in other ethnic and religious minorities, including Armenians, Christians, Druze, Palestinians, Kurds and Turkmens.The government has been reported to be supported by some of the country's Christians of various denomination, though it is the Alawite sect that remains at the heart of the struggling dictatorship's fight for its survival. Sentiments of sectarianism amongst the Sunni population have been said to be rooted in that both Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad are Alawites, a minority many Sunnis see as heretics, and who are placed in the majority of cabinet and government positions.Additionally, the Syrian government maintains a gang network known as the shabiha, a shadow militia that anti-government activists allege are prepared to use force, violence, weapons and racketeering, whose members primarily consist of Alawites. The Houthi and Hezbollah interventions in Syria, both Shiite armies, and Iran's backing of Assad further points to sectarian motivations.. }
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- Sectarianism_and_minorities_in_the_Syrian_Civil_War abstract "Sectarianism has been described as a characteristic feature of the Syrian civil war. The sharpest split is between the ruling minority Alawite sect, a Shiite Muslim offshoot from which President Assad's most senior political and military associates are drawn, and the country's Sunni Muslim majority, mostly aligned with the opposition. The conflict had drawn in other ethnic and religious minorities, including Armenians, Christians, Druze, Palestinians, Kurds and Turkmens.The government has been reported to be supported by some of the country's Christians of various denomination, though it is the Alawite sect that remains at the heart of the struggling dictatorship's fight for its survival. Sentiments of sectarianism amongst the Sunni population have been said to be rooted in that both Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad are Alawites, a minority many Sunnis see as heretics, and who are placed in the majority of cabinet and government positions.Additionally, the Syrian government maintains a gang network known as the shabiha, a shadow militia that anti-government activists allege are prepared to use force, violence, weapons and racketeering, whose members primarily consist of Alawites. The Houthi and Hezbollah interventions in Syria, both Shiite armies, and Iran's backing of Assad further points to sectarian motivations.".