Has Syria truly broken with the political methods of the Assad era?
In this EISMENA interview, Christine Simatos and Lyna Ouandjeli speak with Zakaria Taha about the evolving relationship between religion, communal identity and political power in Syria. Tracing the country’s trajectory from Hafez and Bashar al-Assad to Ahmed al-Sharaa, the conversation examines how successive authorities have sought legitimacy through religious institutions and community leaders. It also explores the experiences of Sunni Muslims, Alawites, Druze, Christians and Kurds—and asks whether today’s tensions represent a genuine rupture with the past or a continuation of older strategies in a new form.
Zakaria Taha argues that Syria’s conflicts cannot be understood solely through a sectarian lens, but also struggles over authority, representation, territory and control of the state.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: Religion and power after Assad
02:02 Hafez al-Assad and the political use of communities
09:52 Hama, secularism and state-controlled Islam
12:41 From Hafez to Bashar al-Assad
15:10 Regional crises and Iran’s growing influence
19:56 Ahmed al-Sharaa and the post-Assad order
22:57 Continuity or rupture with the Assad era?
24:24 The Assad regime’s complex Alawite legacy
26:28 Druze, Kurds and the politics of communal identity
29:28 Sectarian tensions or struggles for power?
34:36 Restructuring religion and political authority
42:03 How Syria’s communities are repositioning themselves
48:50 What Syria teaches us about religion and power