In previous posts, I have noted that the Twelver Shia of Homs province have generally had a worse experience of the post-Assad period than their brethren in the villages of Nubl and al-Zahara’ in Aleppo province. with many of the Shia of Homs currently displaced in Lebanon and having lost homes and property that were confiscated by government supporters. The government’s recent erasure of the Homs Shia village of Mazra‘a, located west of Homs city, is the latest example of problems faced by the Shia in Homs.
Government supporters have justified the erasure of the village as a matter of correcting planning violations. Regardless of the official justification however (which may also be motivated by a desire to punish a community seen as having been a centre for Hezbollah and Iranian-backed armed groups during the war), the end result is still the same. A minority community has been displaced and is forced to take refuge in other Shia villages in the Homs region.
For example, a contact from the Homs Shia village of Thabatiya (located east of Homs city) mentioned to me today that people displaced from Mazra‘a had come to his village, and that he himself brought a family in his car and put them in a house belonging to some of his relatives. He added: ‘The situation is catastrophic. It is terrible how they have been displaced.’ Although he had earlier heard that the security forces had supposedly reached an agreement not to destroy the rest of the village once the erasure began, he now says that nothing remains of Mazra‘a. Similarly, the Homs Shia village of Umm al-‘Amad put out a notice for people coming from Mazra‘a to Umm al-‘Amad that they should register with the mukhtar (responsible for registering residents) of the village’s eastern neighbourhood to facilitate their affairs.
The Islamic Ahl al-Bayt Office in Syria, a Shia religious body, also put out a wholly reasonable statement on the matter, noting that while the issue of erasing the village might be one of planning permission, the incident arouses legitimate concerns among Syrian Shia. Indeed, I have similarly seen that the erasure of Mazra‘a has provoked some consternation in Nubl and al-Zahara’. I translate the statement below.
The Islamic Ahl al-Bayt Office in Syria
Statement issued by the Islamic Ahl al-Bayt Office
Statement about what is happening in the locality of al-Mazra‘a in west Homs
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Almighty has said: ‘And if you judge between the people, judge with justice’- al-Nisa’
The Islamic Ahl al-Bayt Office is following with utmost concern what the locality of al-Mazra‘a is witnessing in terms of demolition operations and evacuation of the entire village, including people’s homes, and waqf [Islamic endowment] and service centres, as well as the accompanying state of fear and worry being experienced by the hundreds of families who have been living there for decades.
People have a right to living in safety and maintaining their property and ensuring their dignity. This is among the principles affirmed by the Islamic Shari‘a, and it is enshrined in humanitarian laws and customs. On this basis, any proceedings concerned with organisation or ownership matters must be done in accordance with the law, ensuring the rights of citizens and securing the necessary humanitarian and legal guarantees for them, far removed from any phenomena of compulsion, discrimination or marginalisation.
We have heard with worry about reports of use of force during the demolition operations, and reports about people being wounded. This requires a transparent investigation to make clear the truth about what has happened and ensure accountability for any violation proven to have taken place.
While we recognise the state’s right to organise construction matters and enforce the law, we affirm that this must be accompanied by fairness and equality, and that it should be applied to all areas without discrimination, with respect for ownership documents and people’s established rights, and regard for what the village contains in terms of awqaf [plural of waqf] properties, mosques, and religious and social facilities that have their own Shari‘i and legal sacrosanctity and status. In addition, citizens must have the right to appeal and appropriate replacement properties and just compensation must be secured when legal proceedings require this.
What is happening in the village of al-Mazra‘a raises legitimate worries among the people of the Shia sect in Syria, amid what the previous period has seen in terms of attacks on a number of their awqaf and religious centres. On this basis, rectifying this issue through wisdom, fairness and transparency represents a national necessity for ensuring trust between citizens, preserving civil peace and implanting the principle of equality between all Syrians.
Therefore we call for:
- An immediate halt to the demolition operations and evacuation until the legal and judicial proceedings are completed.
- Respecting the rights of the people and their ownership documents, while having regard for the awqaf, mosques and religious and social facilities in the village.
- Allowing the people to practise their complete right to challenge and appeal.
- Conducting an independent and transparent investigation into all the incidents that have accompanied these operations, especially regaridng use of force and wounding and detaining of a number of the people of the village, including women.
- Providing alternative accommodation and just compensation in any case requiring legal proceedings.
- Adopting dialogue and rule of law as a means to resolvew this matter, protecting the citizens’ rights and reinforcing stability and civil peace.
We ask God Almighty to protect Syria and its people, and grant all success for what realises justice, protects dignity and protects the unity and security of the homeland.
Islamic Ahl al-Bayt Office- Syria
15 Muharram 1448 AH- 30 June 2026 CE
Published originally on July 2, 2026.
