Amid the recent outbreak of Syrian government-sponsored violence targeting the Druze minority, the dire plight of minorities, including Christians and Kurds, continues to warrant concern.

The violence was the first major incident to emerge after the ouster of longtime President Bashar Assad in December.

Hikmat al-Hijri is a religious leader of the Druze minority in Syria. His flip-flopping politics and calls for Israeli intervention during recent fighting saw him branded as both a traitor and a hero.

A Syrian government committee says over 1,400 civilians were killed in sectarian violence on the country's coast earlier this ...