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A hotbed of tension

Shadow of fear

Kinan K., a Syrian NGO worker, was in his office in Reyhanlı at the time of the first car bomb. He didn't immediately realize what had happened, but when he saw smoke rising from downtown, he ran home to check on his flatmates. Kinan was unable to leave his home for several days. Gangs of angry citizens raided the streets, destroying cars and shops belonging to Syrians..

A hotbed of tension

Deceptive calm

Two weeks after the attack, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyp Erdoğan visited the ravaged border town. The tension in Reyhanlı had reached unbearable levels after the attack. Businesses remained closed and people worried about their safety. In a speech, Erdoğan accused the Syrian regime of carrying out the bombing and called for the local residents to embrace the refugees in a brotherly spirit.

A hotbed of tension

Recovery efforts

The government offered to subsidize part of the damage costs that private citizens, refugees and businesses would have to cover. On the Turkish side, the reconstruction efforts are impressive. The city hall, main downtown square and post office have been almost entirely refurbished two weeks after the deadly attacks.

A hotbed of tension

Feeling the loss

While reconstruction in downtown Reyhanlı is advancing rapidly, the section along Ataturk boulevard where many Syrians had opened small businesses over the past six months, is eerily quiet. Most basements are now empty, with tape rimmed glass panels indicating the recent replacement of the windows and doors smashed by scores of furious residents.

A hotbed of tension

Atmosphere of fear

Fatima, 13, has been working since she arrived in Reyhanlı after fleeing Hama with her family in mid-2012. She recently started helping out at a lingerie store run by a Turkish woman who closed the shop for one week after the bombings. Fatima has been afraid to leave her house ever since, but her family needs money, she says, even if the weekly wage is ridiculously low for Syrians.

A hotbed of tension

Bad for business

Reyhanlı was also a hub for many Syrian opposition groups fighting President Assad's regime. Military paraphernalia shops were opened to cater to the fighters coming through town to visit their families and stock up on supplies. Since the May 11 attack, shop keepers lament the fact that the Syrians have disappeared from the streets, some even returning to Syria where they say they might be safer.

A hotbed of tension

Finger of blame

Turkey initially accused Assad's regime of being behind the Reyhanlı bombings, however there is speculation that the attacks were organized by a far-left political group of Syrian and Turkish extremists. Some of them are said to be pro-Assad Alawites. In Turkey, the Alawites support the secular Republican People’s party, which opposes Erdogan’s Islamist­-rooted Justice and Development party.

A hotbed of tension

Convenient scapegoat

Residents of Samandağ, a Turkish town along the Mediterranean coast bordering Syria, have been traveling across the border to do business and visit relatives in Lattakia, the predominantly Alawite province and Assad family stronghold. But the recent bombings in Reyhanlı have triggered anger and fear among those who believe the Alawite community will become a convenient scapegoat.

A hotbed of tension

Shift in support

Ibrahim Gulenay, 55, is part of a minority within the minority, as one of Samandağ's 2,500Christians. He feels that Turkish people will not let the provocation of the Reyhanlı attack gain the upper hand. Nonetheless, he fears that Samandağ could be targeted in the future and that Turkey's support of the Syrian opposition will turn against the country.

A hotbed of tension

Animosities revisited

It's only about an hour's drive from Samandağ to Reyhanlı, yet the cultural, religious, political and historical differences are truly what keep these two towns in the Hatay province well apart. Business contacts between Reyhanlı and Syria initially picked up, but the recent attacks have undermined these business relations and painted the Alawite community in a bad light.

A hotbed of tension

The great divide

Sectarian strife is arguably not the cause of the Syrian uprising. The Alawites are not the only ones to speak proudly of the historical melting pot of cultures the Turkish province of Hatay is known for. In light of Istanbul's Gezi park protests, it's more likely that Turkey's foreign and domestic political agenda will cause further unrest over issues that relate to Syria, and beyond.

Author: Gaia Anderson, Reyhanli, Turkey | Editor : Rob Mudge