Syrian Security forces have allegedly arrested the director of the Abaq Volunteer Team on Monday, after the group distributed food packages containing sectarian anti-Alawi slogans amid a wave of deadly violence targeting the religious minority.
The director was said to be arrested in Aleppo, though The New Arab could not verify this at the time of publication.Â
The Abaq volunteer team, active in the countryside of Aleppo, sparked widespread controversy in Syria after organising an “Iftar for the Fasting” campaign, putting phrases with sectarian overtones on the packaging of the meals. This caused significant outrage among both Sunnis and Alawis in the community and on social media, with activists affirming their rejection of Abaq’s actions.
According to the information available on the team’s Facebook page, the Abaq volunteer team was established in late 2023 in the city of Al-Bab in northern Syria and is known for organising religious and preaching activities in local communities, mostly in Aleppo.Â
In a video clip circulated on social media, members of the team are seen distributing iftar meals to passers by, but the packaging on the meals is seen to contain offensive sectarian phrases aimed against Alawis.
One phrase reads:Â “”It is the right of the Alawi to live in his grave in peace,” complete with an emoji.Â
The controversial activities of Abaq come amid a series of attacks on Alawi civilians in Latakia, Tartous and Homs that have left hundreds dead. The attacks, said to be carried out by elements of the Syrian security forces, constitute the worst violence since the ousting of tyrant Bashar al-Assad, whose family hailed from the Alawi minority.
During Syria’s almost 14-year civil war, many Syrian Alawis took up arms against the Syrian rebels who would eventually overthrow Assad. Despite this, interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has preached a message of reconciliation and unity with Alawis in the country, with him saying the new Syrian government will tolerate and include all of Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities.
Sharaa has launched an independent probe into the mass killings, which came amid an insurgency of armed Assad loyalists aimed at sabotaging the post-Assad government.Â
Activists feared that Abaq’s sectarian campaign could lead to more attacks on Alawis, with many taking to social media to call for the prosecution of the group for hate speech, the incitement of violence and threatening civil peace.
Despite the Abaq team deleting the video after the wave of criticism escalated, activists re-shared it to demand that the Syrian authorities intervene immediately and take strict measures against the team.
The group’s director, whose name is unknown, was then arrested.Â
After the reactions escalated, Abaq issued an apology statement, which was later deleted. In the statement, the team affirmed its full responsibility for the mistake, stressing that their intention was not to incite discord or provoke.
“A video was published on our account as part of the Iftar for the Fasting campaign, and some of the cards contained messages of hatred and hostility toward our fellow countrymen… We acknowledge this mistake, admit its existence, and take full responsibility for this action… We extend our apology to our people and the Syrian nation as a whole, and especially to our fellow citizens,” the statement read.
“We assure you that our blood is your blood, our safety is your safety, and there is no difference between us in our beloved Syria. We also publicly affirm in this official statement that the mistake that occurred was not intended to incite sectarian discord or anything of the sort. Our only intention was to offer support to our brothers in the General Security apparatus and the Ministry of Defense against those who have wronged the nation and the state,” it continued.Â
