Jamil al-Assad

Jamil Assad
Born	1933
Died	15 December 2004 (aged 71)
Nationality	Syrian
Occupation	Politician
Children	Mundhir Fawwaz

Jamil Assad (1933 – 15 December 2004) (Arabic: جميل الأسد‎‎) was a younger brother of the late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, and the uncle of present Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. He served in the Parliament of Syria, called the majlis ash-sha'b from 1971 until his death. He was also commander of a minor militia.

While both his brothers, Hafez and Rifat Assad, enforced secularism, Jamil was said to be deeply religious. During the 1980s, Jamil al Assad actively supported conversion to Shiism in the Latakia Mountains, especially among members of the Alawite community. He sent groups of Alawites to study Twelver Shiism in Iran. They made the Shiite creed common among their fellow Alawites upon their return to Syria. Jamil also built husayniyyas in the mountains, where before there had been only Alawite shrines. In order to make Shiism more acceptable there he appointed a Shiite sheihk to head the Alawite al Zahra Mosque in the city of Baniyas. He also allowed Iranian officials to enter Syria to realize conversions to Shiism.

In the 1980s, he set up a Latakia-based foundation (al Murtada), which helped fellow Alawite Muslims to go on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The foundation is also said to have tried to convert Sunni Muslim bedouins to the Alawi faith, angering the secular ruling Baath Party in Syria. Whether true or not, the rumours caused friction with the majority Sunni population. Al Murtada is also said to have had a militia wing, made up by Alawi Muslims, which was armed and equipped by Rifaat Assad's powerful internal security division, the Defense Companies. These gangs, called shabiha, involved in all kinds of mafia-style violence and corruption. Al Murtada was banned by Hafez Assad in 1983. On the other hand, shabiha still exists.

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