Assad was close to Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah, both Shia allies. This further cemented the perception that Alawites were aligned with Shiite interests in a Sunni-majority country.
A Muslim youth uploaded an online post depicting namazis praying during Muharram as pigs, seemingly to mock the Shia community, a sect within the Muslim community that chiefly observes the festival.
Muslims belonging to the Shia and the Sunni community clashed with each other during a Tazia procession on the occasion of Muharram in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh