(Feb. 10, 2025 / Investigative Project on Terrorism)
The sudden collapse in December of the long-standing Bashar Assad regime in Syria, unleashed a wave of trouble for most Syrians, with the exception of Islamists and their extremist supporters across the country. With the rise of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Mohammad al-Julani (aka Ahmed al-Sharaa), as the de facto leader of Syria, one group that is facing an existential threat is the Christian population. Julani was named “interim” president of Syria on Jan. 29 after he announced the dissolution of the parliament, the constitution and the army.
Christmas and New Year’s celebrations this year were widely portrayed by Western media as a hopeful sign for a civil-war-torn Syria, especially for its minorities.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Christians and other minorities in Syria who suffered a horrendous ordeal in nearly 14 years of civil war continue to face existential threats with the Christian population being particularly vulnerable. A new wave of violence has been unleashed, marked by attacks on churches by so-called “rebel forces,” who are an amalgam of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Muslim Brotherhood jihadists from across the world.
One of these attacks took place on Dec. 19, when a group of terrorists stormed a Roman Orthodox church in Ham in western Syria. They destroyed its contents, including crosses and statues of the Virgin Mary.
In a chilling video, one terrorist declares: “In the name of Allah the almighty, none shall be worshipped in the Levant except Allah and only the rule of Allah will prevail, and no statues or idols will be worshipped from now on, God willing. We will accept nothing but Allah, the religion of Allah and the Sunna of Mohammad the son of Abdullah.” He then proceeded to smash a statue of the Virgin Mary on the ground and shouted Allahu Akbar! (Arabic for “God is great!).
Another act of vandalism occurred on Dec. 23 when the Abbey of St. Mar Charbel in Homs was targeted; images have been circulating on social media.
Moreover, some Syrian Christians are facing death and evacuation threats despite assurances to the contrary. One video recorded on Jan. 9 shows a Muslim family throwing stones and objects at a Christian family and then destroys their car. Someone in the video can be heard asking the family if they are Christian.
Similar attacks and daylight robberies on Christian homes were reported in December. One such incident can be seen in a video posted to X on Dec. 18. In the video, an elderly woman and her family can be seen pleading with authorities, describing how they were robbed at gunpoint.
On Dec. 24, a group of radicals set fire to a large Christmas tree in broad daylight. In response, hundreds of Christians, joined by some Muslims, staged a protest against these assaults on their religious symbols.
The violence is even taking place on public transportation. In a video posted to X on Jan. 16, Christian and Alawite Muslim citizens are targeted, arrested and beaten by men in military uniforms.
Syria is home to many Christian denominations. These communities have faced relentless attacks from jihadist groups for more than a decade. In 2013, some 50,000 Syrian Christians sought Russian citizenship to escape the violence targeting their homes and places of worship.
According to social media, areas with significant Christian populations, such as Bab Toma in old Damascus, get attacked daily. Another post on X on Jan. 17 along with a video of several incidents: “Unfortunately, Islamist extremists’ storm Christian areas on a daily basis to impose Islam by force, unfortunately. The situation is getting worse.”
After the ousting of former Assad, the Turkish-backed terrorist group Ansar al-Sham, led by Julani, claimed that it is seeking to unite all Syrians and ensure the safety and inclusion of minorities.
“We are working to protect sects and minorities from any attacks, whether they come from within or external forces attempting to exploit the situation to stir sectarian discord,” said Julani during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. “Syria is a country for all, and we must coexist peacefully,” he added.
On Dec. 31, he met with leaders of Syrian Christian churches and other minorities in a theatrical display promising to protect them—ironically from his own troops, who have continued to target these communities through the years. In 2018, Al Nusra Front, the previous name of HTS, forced Christians to evacuate their homes in the areas they controlled in the city of Idlib.
In a Speech on Jan. 1, Patriarch John X of Antioch, leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, criticized the new regime. “We have extended our hand to work with you (new government) to build a new Syria, but we are waiting for Sharaa and his administration to extend their hand to us,” he said. “Despite the media reporting the imminent convening of a comprehensive Syrian conference and other issues, there has been no official communication from them with us.”
Read it all at the Jewish News Syndicate
