While the fall of Bashar Assad’s brutal regime in Syria in December was greeted with jubilation and hailed as a decisive victory over tyranny by most of the world, the country’s minorities viewed it with a mixture of cautious optimism and apprehension. Just three months later, the wave of violence that has rocked the governorates (provinces) of Latakia and Tartus on the Mediterranean coast has made their worst nightmares come true.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human rights reported more than 1,000 people—Christians and Alawites, the Muslim minority sect that Bashar Assad belonged to—have been killed in the worst violence since the fall of Damascus to opposition forces led by Mohammad al-Jolani, the current President of Syria. 

Despite Jolani’s efforts to rebrand himself and convince the international community that his party, the HTS (Hayat Tahrir al Sham), has distanced itself from its Islamist roots, Christians now fear that peace and security have again eluded them and they are facing an existential threat in their ancient homeland.

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“The reports from Latakia and the surrounding areas that Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is receiving are deeply alarming,” Maria Lozano, director of ACN International’s press and information department, told The Catholic Register. “Our local sources describe last Friday as 'a very black and painful day,' with hundreds of civilians, including some members of Christian communities, falling victim to indiscriminate violence. According to them, the violence that erupted in the coastal region of Syria has left more than 600 civilians dead, including women, young people, doctors and pharmacists. A father and son from an evangelical church in Latakia were stopped in their car and killed in cold blood."

She added that even if they were not directly targeted, the Christian community has been deeply impacted by the violence. 

“In Banias, the father of a priest was among the victims, while in the Christian village of Belma, residents—mostly elderly—endured two days of terror as their homes were looted and their safety threatened. Some Christian families have sought refuge with Sunni (Muslim) friends after their homes were looted. We are particularly concerned about the situation of civilians.”

Several mainstream media organizations and the International Crisis Group, a prominent think-tank, have framed the violence as a clash between the new government and the Alawite supporters of the deposed Assad. Nagui Demian, the Egyptian-born, Montreal-based program officer for the Middle East for Development and Peace-Caritas Canada, has been following the situation on international and Arabic media while keeping in touch with colleagues and friends on the ground. 

Christians are caught in the crossfire despite a complicated relationship with the Assad government, which was far from unanimous, Demian said. 

“My colleagues in Latakia are sheltering in their homes, and our operations have been temporarily suspended due to the violence,” he said, adding that the complexity of the Christian dilemma has not been well reported by the international media.

“The current bloodshed is in Latakia and cities where Alawites—accused of being supporters of Assad—are in the majority,” he said.  

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But these places are also home to Christian communities, he said, and added that the mainstream media narrative of Christians being pro-Assad is simplistic and does not do justice to their situation.

“The political affiliations were more complex,” he explained. “Christians, being a small minority, often had very little choice and were forced to align themselves with Assad who claimed to be the protecter of minorities. The alternative seemed worse, because they were Islamist extremists. But those who protested against Assad’s atrocities were also targeted by the regime. In both scenarios they suffered.” 

The Christian population had already been devastated by the Syrian civil war which began in 2011. They were targeted for genocide by extremist groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates. This triggered an alarming decline in the Christian population, which dwindled from 1.5 million before the war to 300,000 by the time it ended. 

“But now, with the latest outbreak of violence, more Christians are leaving the country,” Demian said, adding that this should be a serious concern to Christians worldwide. “Syria is an important country with deep roots in Christian history,” he said, noting churches and Church-affiliated charities have a long record of service to all people regardless of their faith. In the current situation, churches and monasteries in the affected areas have opened their doors to those seeking shelter from the violence  

Lozano said Christians are being forced to leave despite a strong desire to stay in their ancient homeland. 

"According to Orthodox Patriarch John X, in Banias (a coastal city), in the Al-Qusour neighbourhood, residents were forced to leave their homes, and even religious symbols have not been spared,” she said. “The icon of the Virgin Mary has been smashed, trampled upon and desecrated — a heartbreaking act that offends both Christians and Muslims, who also honour her. Beyond the immediate violence, the Christian community in Syria faces an uncertain future, especially following the takeover by the new government. Even before this, we had been receiving reports of isolated incidents on the streets and at checkpoints."

Christian leaders in the country are urgently calling on Jolani to restore security and stability for all Syrians without distinction. 

The Patriarchs of three major Christian denominations—Yousssef Absi of the Greek Catholic Church, Mor Ignatius Aphrem II of the Syriac Orthodox Church and John X of the Greek Orthodox Church—have issued a statement appealing for unity and reconciliation among the Syrian people. 

“The Christian Churches denounce and condemn the massacres targeting innocent civilians,” it reads in part. “We pray that God may protect Syria and that peace may prevail throughout the land.”

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 Regina Lynch, executive director of ACN echoed their call to prayer. 

“In these moments of pain and suffering, we turn to the only true source of peace: prayer. We ask all the faithful to raise their voices to the Lord, trusting in His love and power to bring comfort to those who need it most. May Our Lady of Syria protect the people in this country, that has endured too many wounds over the past decade,” she stated in a press release.