Christians in Syria are facing fears for their rights and freedoms after Islamic rebels conquered Aleppo, Homs and Damascus. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), listed as a terrorist organization by the US and UK, took control of Aleppo last week, followed by Homs and Damascus late Saturday night. Following the hostile takeover, Bashar al-Assad resigned as Syria's president and left the country on a flight to Russia on Saturday night.
Many Christians have fled, but one monitoring group has warned that those remaining in Syria “now face an uncertain and dangerous future.”
“The coming days and weeks will be crucial for the fate of humanity.” [the] Christian community,” International Christian Concern President Jeff King said in a statement. christian post. “Christians, whose roots go back nearly 2,000 years, now face an uncertain and dangerous future.”
According to catholic news agencyfurther hardships include a curfew imposed by extremist groups, bread shortages, and water. Meanwhile, the main highway between Damascus and Aleppo was also closed, forcing residents to take alternative routes that were congested and dangerous.
According to the Syrian Armenian Facebook page, Christian doctor Dr. Arwant Arslanian was reportedly killed by a sniper while trying to flee the city.
At the same time, young believers took refuge in the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese after their bus got stuck on an Aleppo road.
Christian leaders, including Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan Bishop Mor Boutros Kasis, are in touch with Christian leaders on social media to offer prayers, liturgy, and encouragement in light of the uncertainties we currently face. is being carried out.
“The Church, like the people, knows nothing,” Franciscan Father Bahajat Karakachi, speaking on behalf of the Latin Church, said it was up to individuals and families to decide whether they wanted to remain in Aleppo or leave. . “No one can do it for anyone else. We monks will stay here and watch how things develop.”
Al-Qaeda offshoot HTS has vowed to protect civilians, including Christians, despite the takeover, Al-Monitor reported.
“Aleppo has always been a meeting place of civilizations and cultures and will continue to be so due to its long history of cultural and religious diversity,” said HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani during a visit to Aleppo's citadel. told.
The number of Christians in Syria has fallen from hundreds of thousands before the Syrian civil war in 2011 to an estimated 30,000.
“HTS's ideology and history give Aleppo's religious minorities significant reason to doubt these promises,” said the Swiss-based organization Christian Solidarity International (CSI), which protects Christians. expressed doubts about the extremist group's pledge to do so.
CSI also noted that HTS has previously targeted Christians throughout Syria, carrying out violent attacks, kidnappings, confiscation of Christian property, and even killing Christian civilians.
“In the Salafist worldview that animates HTS, Christians are not heretics to be destroyed (like the Alawites or Druze), but rather 'people of the Book', believers in a religion revealed before the coming of the Book. It is. [Islamic] Prophet Muhammad. In Muslim-dominated lands, they should be considered dhimmis (protected peoples under legal control and paying an additional tax called jizya),” the CSI continued.
“So far, HTS has avoided imposing zummi status on Christians in Idlib by calling them mustamin or temporary residents. But how long will HTS maintain this distinction?”
Related article: Islamic rebels occupy Aleppo, Syrian Christians fear persecution
Photo provided by: ©Facebook/Syrian Armenians
