In mid-2012, the Bees of the Coast Movement was founded by the Revolutionary Youth Movement of the Syrian Coast in order to rewaken revolutionary movement in different areas on the Syrian coast, which were often described as being pro-regime.
The name comes from a saying of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin of the Prophet Mohammad. He said, “Be amongst the people like the bee amongst the birds; while the bee is incomparable to the birds and they look down upon it, had they known the blessing within the bee’s belly they would not have considered it lowly; Mingle amongst the people with your conversations and your bodies, but separate them from your deeds and your heart.”
With the religious origins of its name, the movement hopes to disprove the common misconception that all Alawites stand with the regime. Members of the Bees of the Coast hope to reach out to others using sayings of Imam Ali that stress that religion rejects violence. They hope to overpower the Syrian regime, which is using religious fervor to keep the people of the coast on its side. Bees of the Coast aims to show that Imam Ali’s teachings of love and compassion clash with oppression and tyranny, by default clashing with the Assad regime. They wish to demonstrate that the Syrian regime is utilizing religion to fulfill its own agenda.
The Bees of the Coast organized a number of campaigns on the Syrian coast, including the distribution of leaflets stressing the importance of getting rid of the Assad regime. The leaflets stress the regime’s oppressive ways, showing that it is crucial to get rid of regime presence in the cities and villages of the Syrian coast, as well as in areas like Homs and Masyaf.
The movement organized several grassroots movements and campaigns, including the Yes to Thinking, No to Distrust campaign, which speaks out against distrust between members of the opposition. The campaign aims to show that internal conflict serves only the Assad regime. In another campaign called Currency of Freedom, activists scrawled revolutionary slogans on money, and distributed it throughout the streets of the coast. The “Coastal Spring” campaign called on Syrians to stand together through the distribution of “messages affirming our national unity in the face of the regime.”
In short, the Bees of the Coast movement is a group of young Syrians who refused to give into the siege imposed by the Assad regime on coastal areas. Rather, the activists used the oppression they face as fuel for their fight against oppression. Despite the difficulties in working in the coastal region, these activists remained steadfast and are willing to pay the consequences for their actions.