From Persecution to ‘Protection’

Introduction

The establishment of control of the armed group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the installation of its administrative arm, the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), in Idleb in 2017, introduced changes which have broadly shaped the overall landscape of the governorate. HTS, a group with roots in and significant support based on Islamic extremism, remains committed to opposing Damascus rule, and has become a key governing power in northwest Syria.

HTS is currently led by Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani, an ex-member of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat An-Nusra; the group officially branched out from the terrorist-designated Al-Qaeda in 2016 (there were subsequent reincarnations, the final of which was a consolidation of groups into HTS). Jolani’s continued claims to have cut ties with Al-Qaeda are representative of his strategy to gain legitimacy as a governing power, and distance the group from the designation of terrorists.

HTS’ quest to present legitimacy, both domestically and in the eyes of the international community, has begun to favor pragmatism over religious ideology in governance. An essential pillar of this pragmatism, as will be discussed, is the relationship between HTS and religious minorities, namely the Christian and Druze communities living in Idleb. Specifically focusing on these relationships, the HAT retraces the development of the SSG’s and HTS’ discourse, policy, and actions towards these communities, in matters related to freedom of religious expression, security and governance, and humanitarian aid; here, particular attention is paid to the changes in religious minority housing, land and property issues, as well as comparisons in humanitarian need relative to the evolution of HTS status in the northwest.

The dynamics of this relationship are described and analyzed with the following variables in mind: previous policies by different actors towards religious minorities, HTS’s motives for policy changes, and the impact of these changes on HTS’ external and internal legitimacy.