Halima Abdulkareem

Since the establishment of the Syrian–Iranian alliance in 1980, Iran has been able, with the approval of Hafez al-Assad and later his son Bashar, to employ its foreign policy toward Syria to spread its religious and cultural ideology. During the era of Hafez, Shiism emerged gradually as a noticeable phenomenon in Syria, while during Bashar’s era it took a new direction, particularly during the Syrian revolution. During this period, Iran and its Shia militias gained a significant presence on Syrian territory under the pretext of defending Shia shrines. This study examines the developmental stages of Shiitization activities in Syria and clarifies their impact on the Syrian social entity. The findings indicate that the expansion of Shia activities across cultural, educational, healthcare, economic, and religious sectors, combined with harsh war conditions, facilitated Iran’s dissemination of its religious ideology. These policies contributed to demographic changes, deepened sectarian divisions, and may affect the internal balance of power in the so-called “Useful Syria” regions.