Salma Mousa is a PhD student at the Department of Political Science at Stanford University, where she focuses on questions of tolerance, secular governance, and democracy in the Middle East. https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/contributor/salma-mousa/rss en Religious & Ethnic Groups Tue, 16 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Salma Mousa https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2016/02/16/syrias-minorities-and-the-paradox-of-neutrality https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2016/02/16/syrias-minorities-and-the-paradox-of-neutrality Trapped between extremist rebels and government forces, Syria’s embattled religious minorities tried various survival tactics, including attempts at remaining neutral. But in doing so, they provoked the wrath of both sides and have paid a terrible price, writes Salma Mousa.