President Bashar al-Assad is gone, and the Biden administration has promised to “recognize and fully support” Syria's new government.
It's for celebration, right?
Not completely.
Entire towns such as Maalura, where Aramaic, the language of Christ, was still spoken were conquered and devastated.
Obama's dream scenario
For some in the West, the fall of Assad's regime may feel like a victory for democracy. But for Syrian Christians, it hints at something more sinister. Specifically, surviving in the shadow of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist sect notorious for its brutality.
Despite its authoritarian brutality, the Assad regime has offered at least a semblance of stability to minorities such as Christians, who trace their roots back to the Apostle Paul and have lived in Syria for nearly 2,000 years.
Now that the doctor-turned-dictator is gone, an eerie future awaits those left behind.
President Assad's departure may come as a surprise to some, but it is the result of a long-standing American conspiracy: a well-planned coup d'état. Since the Obama administration, the United States has made no secret of its determination to remove Assad from power, pouring billions of dollars into a tangled rebel faction.
All, of course, under the guise of promoting democracy and stability.
Many of these factions proudly embraced extremist ideologies, including ties to groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. In a dark irony, the United States ended up not only fighting Assad, but arming and funding an organization with deep anti-American hatred. While they openly chant “Death to America,” the Pentagon responds by saying, “Come on, bring us the expensive weapons.”
After years of planning and intervention, the mission is now complete. Assad is gone. But at what cost? The Syrian people, especially the Christian minority, will bear the burden of this so-called “victory.”
Syria was already a dystopian hellscape, but we must never forget that hell is underground. Things can always get worse.
And they almost certainly will.
new type of evil
Despite rebranding efforts to appear more palatable to the international community, HTS remains steeped in ideology that threatens non-Muslim minorities.
We've seen this play out before. Remember when the Taliban promised U.S. lawmakers that they would govern more civilized once U.S. troops left? Shockingly, bloodthirsty extremists known for beheading pagans and pagans; rape a young boy It wasn't honest.
Similarly, HTS's pledge to protect minorities and promote stability is little more than cynical PR. This is a group of barbarians whose track record speaks volumes.
In 2013, Bishop Johanna Ibrahim and Bishop Boulos Yazizi, two of Syria's most respected Christian leaders, was abducted While on a humanitarian mission, he was held at gunpoint near Aleppo. Their driver, a young butler, was executed on the spot.
The bishops were traveling to negotiate the release of other kidnapped civilians. This is a testament to their courage and dedication to their people. Their fates remain unknown, but the silence surrounding their disappearances suggests that both men may have met a violent end.
This was not a random act of violence. The kidnappers acted precisely and deliberately, targeting two pillars of the Christian community.
Their abduction is a warning to all Christians in the region that even the most revered leaders could be disappeared, that centuries of faith and tradition offer no protection against the onslaught of persecution. It was a warning that he had not done so.
bombing and arson
The attacks did not end with the bishops. Ancient churches, some of which have been standing for more than a thousand years, have been bombed and burned to rubble.
Entire towns such as Maalura, where Aramaic, the language of Christ, was still spoken were conquered and devastated. Families were destroyed. Fathers were executed, daughters were kidnapped, and mothers had to watch their homes go up in flames and their children disappear without a trace.
To be clear, this is not to say that life under Assad was rosy; it was never rosy. His regime was marked by its own brutality and repression.
But atrocities exist on many fronts, and the atrocities carried out by extremist groups against Christians in Syria run deep beyond comprehension. In many ways, Assad was the embodiment of a 21st century dictator. He always wears tight suits, It was a moment There he looked almost human.
However, the HTS designated by the U.S. foreign terrorist organizationdragging the region into a frightening return to medieval darkness. Quite literally.
second class citizen
The imposition of dhimmi status under jihadist regimes like HTS reflects the repressive practices of the medieval Islamic caliphate, where Christians were relegated to second-class citizenship. Their presence is tolerated, but only under strict conditions.
Payment of the humiliating jizya tax (a special levy imposed on non-Muslims as a condition of practicing their faith) is at the heart of the oppressive reality of dhimmi status. The tax was designed not simply as an economic burden, but as a symbolic reminder of submission to Muslim rulers.
In addition to this, Christians face the loss of basic rights, such as the ability to build and repair churches, and live with the expectation of constant obedience to Muslim rulers.
These conditions rob them of their dignity and autonomy and make their existence humiliating and dangerous. Perceived deviations from these oppressive conditions can result in swift and severe punishment, including imprisonment, public execution, or expulsion from the land that our ancestors have called home for centuries. .
Ten years ago, the world watched the horrifying reality of jihadist rule unfold in Mosul. When ISIS captured the city in 2014, Christians were given three impossible choices: convert to Islam, pay the jizya tax, or face the death penalty.
The worst is yet to come
The Western narrative that paints the fall of the Assad regime as a step toward democracy (whatever that slippery term means today) blatantly ignores the harsh realities on the ground.
It also ignores the lessons of history. The removal of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya was similarly celebrated as a victory for freedom and progress in the West. But as everyone knows, those so-called victories were actually devastating losses. These countries are in turmoil, with civil war, lawlessness, and endless suffering becoming a reality for their people.
Today, Iran is one of America's most powerful enemies, and in fact control iraqnation currently consumed Due to one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises. Libya, once a stable and prosperous country, is now in ruins, and Mars seems like a better place to live.
Make no mistake: the humanitarian toll in Syria will be staggering. As the conflict deepens, waves of refugees will continue to flow across Syria's borders into neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. These countries are already struggling to accommodate millions of displaced people. The escape doesn't end there. It will also spread to Europe, which is already in the grips of an immigration crisis.
Assad's ouster is a somber reminder of the devastating consequences of regime change without a viable post-conflict strategy. America's “break things and move on” mentality – defeating regimes without considering the long-term consequences – leaves a vacuum of power and stability that inevitably leads to extremists, warlords, and satanic groups. It can be filled by a tyrant. In the case of Syria, this failure will not only haunt the Middle East but the entire world.
Instead of celebrating, maybe we should brace ourselves, because the worst is yet to come.
