It seems that more and more of those attacked in the Syrian conflict are being targeted because of their religion and "gross violations of human rights occur regularly," a member of the UN Monitoring Program stated on June 27.
The 16-month conflict between rebels and forces defending the government of President Bashar al-Assad is also "increasingly militarized," said Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, in a report presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. An estimated 15,000 people have been killed during the conflict.
"Whereas previously it was their pro- or anti-government stance that caused victims to be attacked, the Commission of Inquiry has recorded an increasing number of cases where victims were targeted because of their religious affiliation," the report said.
Several branches of Islam are involved in the conflict, including the Alawite minority, which makes up approximately 12 % of the population, with the majority of approximately 75 % being Sunni Muslims. Most of those belonging to the rebel forces are also Sunni, while Alawites are strongly represented in the government forces.
One of the armed groups in the conflict has occupied a Greek Catholic church in the town of al-Qusayr in Homs province. They attacked the clergy at the church and turned the building into a base of operations. In addition, several news outlets report attacks on other churches and Christian individuals.
Source: ENI
