Many Christians in Syria are fearful that their hopes of greater religious freedom following regime change were in vain, following a deadly suicide attack in a church in Damascus.
The incident, which took place at Saint Elias Church in the nation’s capital, saw 24 believers killed and over 60 others injured, with at least 13 in critical condition, according to Open Doors.
The incident serves as a fresh blow to hopes of greater protection for Christians under Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) rule following their overthrowing of the Bashar Al-Assad regime, which had been notorious for its brutal treatment of believers.
Matthew Barnes (name changed for security reasons), Open Doors’ Communications Officer for the Middle East and North Africa, spoke to en about what this means for the future for Christians in Syria.
Asked if recent events suggest that the new leaders are not doing enough to protect Christians, he said: “That is what Christians have [said in response] to the attack, including the Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X.
“During one of the funerals of the victims, he personally addressed President Achmed Al-Sharaa, [saying] that the president should take responsibility. ‘The duty of the government is to ensure safety for all citizens without exception or discrimination,’ he said.
“Some Christians have the feeling that ‘non-Sunnis are targeted in Syria, with the blessing of the Syrian leadership’. Others say that this government itself is not to be blamed, but the extremists who are committing these terrible acts of terror, as Western countries have also witnessed terror attacks in the past 15 years.”
However, while many Christians fear future attacks, Christian Emergency Alliance’s X posts revealed that many believers marched through Damascus, chanting “We are all for Christ!”, while others patrolled their village streets carrying large crosses in the days following the incident, suggesting that defiance and courage remain strong among the nation’s 300,000 or so believers.
Barnes said: “Churches were packed … a week after the terror attack. Although many were scared, they were motivated to come to church and pray together with their brothers and sisters in faith.”
