Christians face ‘increasingly perilous existence’ in Syria

The bombing at the Mar Elias Church in Damascus, Syria, last month that killed over two dozen people is an indication that Syria’s Islamist-led authorities under President Ahmad al‑Sharaa are enabling radicalism that threatens the existence of Syria’s Christian community, experts warn. 

The June 22 bombing of the Greek Orthodox church serves as a “brutal reminder” of the presence of radicalized jihadi groups in Syria that seek to eliminate Christians from the country, according to Jeff King, president of the United States-based watchdog group International Christian Concern.

The incident was the deadliest attack on Syria’s Christian community since the 1860 Damascus Massacre, with advocates saying it serves as a reminder of “Christianity’s increasingly perilous existence in its ancient homeland.” 

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Speaking with The Christian Post, King condemned al-Sharaa and his administration, who rose to power after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied militant groups toppled former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, for being unable or unwilling to protect Syrian Christians as the new government secures its foothold of power. 

“This so-called administration, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s rebranded jihadists with roots in al-Qaeda and [Islamic State], offers hollow condolences while failing to curb extremist militias and rogue cells targeting minorities,” King said in a statement. “Radical Islam, both within the government’s ranks and through independent actors like ISIS remnants, seeks the total eradication of Christianity in Syria.”

The bombing at the Mar Elias Church took place during a Sunday morning prayer service. The assailant entered the building and opened fire on the congregation before detonating an explosive vest. 

Following a preliminary investigation, the Syrian government said that the Islamic State [also known as IS or ISIS] was responsible for the bombing. In his June 23 address, President al-Sharaa condemned the bombing as a crime against all Syrians. The crime was later claimed by the Islamic militant organization and HTS splinter group Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, which doesn’t have an official affiliation with IS but has signaled an affinity for the group. 

“This attack is but one step in that bloody campaign,” King told CP. “The world must reject the legitimacy of this jihadist cabal masquerading as a government and impose immediate international pressure to protect Syria’s nearly extinguished Christian population.”

The warning comes as the U.S. government, under the direction of President Donald Trump, has removed financial sanctions on Syria starting this month. Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department removed the terror designation for HTS, which was originally known as Jabhat al-Nusra and was designated a terrorist group by the U.S. in 2018. The group had been linked to widespread human rights abuses.

The terror designation revocation drew the ire of some Christian human rights advocates who say that HTS had previously killed Christians in Iraq and Syria before being rebranded for international acceptance since the fall of Assad. 

Brian Orme, president and CEO of Global Christian Relief, is also concerned about the failure of President al-Sharaa and his administration to protect historic Christian communities.

“While the leadership claims there will be freedom of religion, these assurances increasingly feel like empty words. This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern where Christians remain vulnerable to targeted violence and intimidation,” Orme told CP. 

“We must also remember to pray for the Church in Syria — for their protection, for genuine freedom to worship without fear, and for the future of Christians in the region,” Orme added.

After HTS and Islamist-led rebels toppled Assad’s regime in December, the rebels met with Christian leaders and church representatives, making promises to defend religious freedom. 

Earlier this year, King warned that HTS, which is made up of former IS and Al Qaeda fighters, was attempting to “rebrand” to appear nonthreatening. As the ICC president noted, HTS fighters who have targeted Christians in the past, which makes their promise to protect Christians ring hollow. 

Following the latest attack against the Mar Elias Church, King declared Syria’s Christians and the country’s citizens deserve to live in peace and security after decades of what he described as “oppression and deprivation.” 

“President al-Sharaa must speak out for his country’s religious minorities and acknowledge the ongoing persecution there,” the ICC president said.

During a funeral service on June 24, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch John (X) Yazigi, a top Syrian Christian leader, demanded action instead of sympathy from President al-Sharaa. Yazigi delivered these remarks to mourners gathered at the Church of the Holy Cross, where nine of the bombing victims were laid to rest. 

The Christian leader rebuked al-Sharaa for expressing his condolences by phone, according to Reuters. Yazigi also blamed the current administration for the bombing at the church in Damascus, which he said was a direct consequence of government failure. 

“What is important to me — and I will say it — is that the government bears responsibility in full,” Yazigi said.

Richard Ghazal, the executive director of the Washington-based advocacy group In Defense of Christians, warns that Christians in Syria — with an ever-shrinking population — face an “existential crisis.”

“With every suicide bombing, every desecrated church, every community exodus, Syria edges closer to losing a two-millennia-old spiritual and cultural pillar,” Ghazal wrote in an op-ed for The Hill this week. 

Before the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, Christians comprised about 10% (2 million) of the Syrian population and co-existed with Muslim neighbors. Today, fewer than 300,000 Christians remain in Syria, Ghazal stressed. 

In response to the June 22 church attack, Ghazal says the U.S. government must put pressure on the Syrian transitional government to prosecute the perpetrators and “implement robust security measures to protect the country’s Christian communities.” Specifically, IDC wants the U.S. government to engage in “measured diplomatic relations” and require “security guarantees” and “constitutional protections” for minorities. 

Without U.S. engagement, Ghazal believes there is a risk of creating a “vacuum” that will only empower extremists.

“A Syria without Christians is no longer a distant hypothetical scenario,” he wrote. “It is a rapidly approaching reality which the world cannot afford. The Christian presence in Syria is a thread in the broader tapestry of human civilization. If that thread is plucked, the whole tapestry frays.”