Sectarian Divide Deepens in Syria

Since Syrian forces retook the rebel town of Jisr al-Shoughour last weekend, relations have been strained between the dominant Sunni Muslims and minority Alawites (the religious sect to which President Bashar al-Assad and his family belongs). Residents and officials are concerned about the increased likelihood in civil war in the already divided country, and say that the elite Alawites have an unfair advantage of political power. Driving out rebel forces from Jisr al-Shoughour with tanks and helicopters last week, the Syrian government has only worsened relations between the Sunnis and Alawites, whose villages neighbor one another in the city. Several Sunnis have accused their Alawite neighbors of participating in the crackdown.