What factors are relevant for explaining why and how sectarian relations are driven from below? To answer this question, the present article builds on the sectarianism literature and scholarship by taking the Druze minority as a case study. It examines a new trend that emerged among the Druze in 2020-21: sect-centric anthems. One can draw on two occurrences that triggered the rise of such anthems: First, the sect-coded 11 May clashes which occurred between Hezbollah (Shi'a) and the Druze in 2008. Second, the sect-coded civil war inSyria and the confrontations that ensued, namely, the attacks against Druze areas by Sunni jihadist groups. For our purposes, this article argues that sectarian mobilization through these anthems has been driven from below and the fear from the sectarian "other" has amplified because of recent menaces against the Druze. Accordingly, the article contextualizes these sect-centric songs which focused on the interplay between two main factors: Druze historiography and tacit polemic against the sectarian "other."
This article surveys Hezbollah’s sectarian mobilization to justify its early engagement in Syria’s civil war for what was an intervention in a geopolitical confrontation to implement its agenda in coordination with its regional allies. Generally speaking, sectarian relations can be driven from both above as well as below. The article first argues that Hezbollah is a sectarian party whose timing of emergence paralleled with the rise of the Shia in Lebanon and the adjoining region. It contends that Hezbollah instrumentalized its sectarian identity and adopted a sectarian mobilization policy ahead of its engagement in Syria’s conflict. However, as its fighters were expanding across the country, Hezbollah’s sectarian discourse altered to a more politics-centric discourse. Therefore, this article concluded that the falsely framed sectarian conflict in Syria is sect-coded, Hezbollah adopted a top-down politicization of sectarian identity, and its primary aim was to prevent the regime’s collapse, which would have tilted the regional balance of power in favor of its rivals rather than seeking religious truths on Syria’s soil.
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