Enab Baladi – Omar Alaa Eldin
Following the cancellation of a conference for the Alawite Association of the United States in one of the halls of the US Congress on May 13, a controversy erupted on social media regarding the nature of this association, its demands, objectives, and the circumstances surrounding its emergence.
The cancellation occurred after a member of the Congress withdrew his sponsorship of the conference after its activities had already started, which forced the association to hold its conference, titled “The Syrian-American Conference for Democracy,” near the Capitol building, as reported by the Jewish Insider on May 13.
The President of the Alawite Association of the United States, Murhaf Ibrahim, told Enab Baladi that the association held the first day of the conference in the Congress building with the support of some of its members, and that on the second day it was moved to a nearby hotel “for previously announced logistical reasons.”
In contrast, the former president of the Syrian-American Council, Zaki Lababidi, told Enab Baladi that the efforts of the Syrian community in America, away from the limelight, contributed to lifting the cover off the association and holding the conference inside the Congress building, which led Congress police to remove the participants, considering that “the association is financially and morally funded by symbols of the previous regime and calls for maintaining sanctions on Syria.”
What is the Alawite Association?
The Alawite Association of the United States was announced on February 1, stating that its message is “to defend the Syrian Alawite ethnic and religious minority and to preserve its dignity and rights.”
The association’s president, Murhaf Ibrahim, said to Enab Baladi that “the idea of establishing the association came after a violent sectarian wave targeted members of the Alawite community inside Syria and in exile, following the fall of the Assad regime, which worked to crush any independent representation for Alawites both inside and outside the country, whether religiously, politically, or socially.”
Additionally, according to Ibrahim, there have been “campaigns of killing and kidnapping based on sectarian identity directly in coastal areas, which were accompanied by forced displacement in the villages of rural Homs and Hama, culminating in the (Fahil massacre) in January 2025,” which “was acknowledged by the de facto authorities without real accountability,” according to the statement of the association’s president.
The main goals of the association, according to Ibrahim, are: to inform American decision-makers about the reality of the Alawite community away from the stereotype perpetuated by the previous regime, to convey an accurate and documented image of the systematic violations against Alawites in Syria, not for anything other than their sectarian affiliation, and to dismantle the distorted narratives against the community that both the fallen regime and extremist movements contributed to.
Ibrahim added, “Our primary goal is to push towards building a democratic, pluralistic system in Syria that respects human rights and ensures legal, political, and constitutional protection for all religious and ethnic minorities.”
The story of the conference in the Congress and the sanctions
Ibrahim mentioned that hopes were dashed after convening “formally directed national dialogue conferences,” and it was decided to hold the Syrian-American Conference for Democracy on May 12.
He continued that the first day of the conference proceeded as planned in the Congress building, and after the sessions of the conference, there was a reception supported by a Congress member that “was canceled due to the member’s inability to attend in person,” which is one of the conditions for holding any reception in the Congress building.
As for the second day of the conference, it “was held inside a nearby hotel to allow for a larger number of attendees, which was planned from the beginning,” according to Ibrahim.
The conference included writer Khatib Badla, Haytham Manaa, Zaid al-Azem, the head of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) representation in Washington Samir al-Taqi, representatives of Christians, Druze, Yazidis, Alawites, and several American academics specialized in Middle Eastern affairs, as mentioned by the president of the association.
The issue of lifting sanctions was not a focus of the conference, except for a single statement by Dr. Haytham Manaa, who indicated that the sanctions affect the people more than they impact dictatorial regimes, and called for lifting them within a comprehensive vision that does not recycle oppression.
The association’s position regarding the sanctions was clear since the fall of the regime, and it is “consistent with the vision of the US government that the lifting of sanctions will be gradual and linked to reforms and practical steps taken by the de facto authority,” according to his description, including “transitioning to a shared political system, stopping violations and crimes against religious and ethnic minorities, and working on a transitional justice path,” according to Ibrahim.
The former president of the Syrian-American Council, Zaki Lababidi, had a different viewpoint on the conference, stating that the efforts of the Syrian community in America “away from the limelight” tactically contributed to lifting the cover off the association and holding the conference inside the Congress building, “which made the Congress police remove those who held the conference,” considering that “the association is financially and morally supported by figures from the previous regime and calls for maintaining sanctions on Syria.”
The association is financially and morally supported by symbols of the previous regime and calls for the continuation of sanctions on Syria.
Zaki Lababidi, Former president of the Syrian-American Council
Lababidi described the Alawite Association as “a group of people who woke up after Syria was liberated from oppression and tyranny, trying to pressure for keeping the sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime after its fall,” asserting that when Assad fell, “the association realized there was a problem in Syria, and thus it began to call for pluralism and shared governance.”
He continued, stating that the association did not exist when the Syrian regime was brutalizing, killing, and torturing, destroying residential buildings, and that “their position was silence,” according to Lababidi, speaking to Enab Baladi.
On May 13, the former US president, Donald Trump, announced the lifting of sanctions on Syria, stating, “It is time to give Syria a chance, and I wish it good luck.”
Lababidi: We will not allow influence on the construction path
Zaki Lababidi, the former president of the Syrian-American Council, considered that the association exploits the painful events that took place on the Syrian coast, initiated by remnants of the regime, who killed many civilians by “using this event to portray an image of injustice suffered by the Alawite community.” He asserted that governance should be pluralistic and participatory, while the association ignores the crimes committed by the fallen regime over 60 years.
The events that took place last March resulted in 803 civilian and public security forces deaths, according to documentation by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). The investigative committee established by President Ahmed al-Sharaa has not disclosed those involved in the killings.
Lababidi stated that the Syrian-American organizations that have been present in the US for years will not allow the new association to influence the current path aimed at establishing a modern state in Syria, which respects human rights, follows democratic laws, distances itself from the oppression of Syrians, and prevents any practices previously undertaken by the Syrian regime.
He added that the new association holds no political weight with either the Republican or Democratic parties in the US, and there is “no fear of them nor of their flattery towards Israel and their contacts with Congress members who support Israel.” He also mentioned that the association lacks experience in working in Congress.
In a statement published on May 15 on its Facebook page, the association rejected all forms of intolerance and hatred, including anti-Semitism, and acknowledged the catastrophic impact caused by extremist and jihadist organizations in the region, such as (al-Qaeda), (al-Nusra Front), (Islamic State), (Hamas), and all related groups.
The statement referred to the October 7, 2023 attack as having caused “instability, prolonged conflict, and immense humanitarian suffering in the Middle East.”
Lababidi interpreted the association’s statement as an exploitation by it to gain Israeli support, considering that this indicates “the association’s betrayal of its country, at a time when Israel strikes Syria.”
He said, “American politicians are not foolish, and the association holds no weight or popularity.”
Support or rejection of the former regime
The former president of the Syrian-American Council sees the Alawite Association of the United States contemplating the possibility of returning to the regime of the tyrant or a sectarian rule in Syria. He accused its members of having enjoyed “privileges during the regime’s rule, which they have now lost, so they will not accept new changes,” considering that the association is “supported by figures from the former regime, financially and morally.”
Murhaf Ibrahim, the president of the Alawite Association of the United States, denied any connection between the association and the Assad regime, stating, “We express clearly that the former regime committed grave crimes against all Syrians, regardless of their sects or backgrounds.”
He added, “We are fully aware that the honorable Sunni community has suffered the bulk of this oppression, displacement, and killing at the hands of this Assad regime for numerous reasons, a fact that must be stated clearly from a moral and national standpoint.” He asserted that “there is no place among us for anyone who participated in oppression or was complicit in the crimes against the Syrian people, and acknowledging the crimes of the Assad regime constitutes a fundamental part of our literature and internal discussions.”
He noted that the Alawite Association is facing a systematic campaign aimed at tarnishing its image from parties inside and outside Syria, “seeking to associate ready-made accusations with the association and its activities, purely from sectarian premises, without any evidence, and without any genuine desire for dialogue or understanding.”
There is no place among us for anyone who participated in oppression or was an accomplice in crimes against the Syrian people. Recognizing the crimes of the Assad regime is also a fundamental part of our literature and internal discussions.
Murhaf Ibrahim, President of the Alawite Association of the United States
He considered that the Alawite Association is undergoing a systematic campaign aimed at tarnishing its image by parties both inside and outside Syria “seeking to attach ready-made accusations to the association and its activities, purely from sectarian motives, without any evidence, and without any genuine desire for dialogue or understanding.”
According to Murhaf Ibrahim, the Alawite Association requests Washington, as a pivotal influencer in the Syrian file, to support the repeal of the recent constitutional declaration and to launch a comprehensive and transparent transitional justice process that holds accountable everyone who has committed crimes against Syrians from all sides since March 2011, instead of continuing the policy of impunity for some and revenge against innocents.
They also demand “an end to the ongoing sectarian violations against the Alawite community,” which began after the fall of the regime and continue to this day, and “the initiation of a fair and independent international investigation into the massacres on the Syrian coast” as well as “the adoption of a decentralized democratic vision for building a new Syrian political system.”
Alawite Association of the United States raises doubts about its orientation and supporters Enab Baladi.
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