President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST), Dr Chandra Muzaffar said today that the perception among many people that the crisis in Syria is a ‘struggle between Sunnis and Shia Muslims’ is untrue.

“Many people in the country believe that what is happening in Syria is a Sunni-Shia struggle and they have to take the side of the Sunnis because the vast majority of the Muslims in this country are Sunnis,” he said during a press conference after a forum entitled, ‘The Conflict in Syria: An Insider’s View’ in Kuala Lumpur.

Dr Chandra said based on the real situation in Syria, 70 percent of the population is Sunni and that the majority of the top positions in Syria’s public services sector are held by Sunnis.

”You just look at Bashar Assad’s own household, his wife is Sunni… so how can he be against the Sunni? His children are Sunni and Shia at the same time,” he said.

He said the Syrian do not generally attach too much importance to their religious, instead they are very proud with the fact that they are Syrian citizens.

Dr Chandra applauded the Syrians who placed ‘common sense of citizenship’, describing it as something remarkable.

He said the spirit applied by the Syrians is something that Malaysians should also keep in mind.

Meanwhile, Dr Chandra also dismissed the perception that the Shias in Syria are the main threat to the Sunnis.

“And they feel that the Shias are threat to the Sunnis… and the Shias are the ones who are causing more trouble, why because president President Bashar Assad comes from a branch of the Shia community and Iran, who happen to be Shias, support Bashar Assad,” he added.

The crisis in Syria began after protests asking for the release of political prisoners and were immediately met by Syrian security forces who at first detained and attacked protestors with batons, and later opened gunfire, and deployed tanks and naval ships against civilians.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad refused to halt the violence and implement meaningful reforms demanded by protestors such as the lifting of emergency law, broader political representation and a freer media.

Assad continued to deny responsibility for the attacks on protestors, placing the blame for the violence on armed groups and foreign conspirators instead.

The world, including Malaysian were quick to assume that the crisis is struggle between Sunni and Shia, due to certain factors contributing to perception including Hizbullah's (who are Shias) support towards Assad.