The terrorists run Syria now — and Christians, spiritual minorities are paying the worth

[ad_1] <img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="09239765415de527041e6244aa2ba05c" id="a34f5" src="https://www.conservativereview.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWJsYXplLmNvbS9tZWRpYS1saWJyYXJ5L3RoZS10ZXJyb3Jpc3RzLXJ1bi1zeXJpYS1ub3ctYW5kLWNocmlzdGlhbnMtcmVsaWdpb3VzLW1pbm9yaXRpZXMtYXJlLXBheWluZy10aGUtcHJpY2UuanBnP2lkPTYxMzI0ODEwJmFtcDt3aWR0aD0xNTAwJmFtcDtoZWlnaHQ9MjAwMCZhbXA7Y29vcmRpbmF0ZXM9MjU1LDAsMjU2LDAiLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNzU0NTk0NzYzfQ.RcFSXoLAQO5as8CJcw7v23CeW6FpRKrWW9ikpTDTqzM/image.jpg" /> Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, up till this month acknowledged by the U.S. authorities as a terrorist group, was fashioned as the results of the merger of al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate, al-Nusrah Entrance, and different extremist teams dedicated to a "well-liked jihad."

HTS, which in recent times tried to rehab its public picture, led the Turkish-backed Islamic militants who seized the Syrian capital of Damascus in December and finally overthrew the Assad regime — a regime change made attainable with the assistance of the Obama CIA and the Pentagon.

Regardless of the HTS' murderous historical past and threats to the existence of Syria's Christians, Alawites, and Druze, Western neocons celebrated the substitute of Bashar al-Assad as president with HTS chief Muhammad al-Jawlani, who now goes by Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa.

'The present political setting in Syria stays deeply unstable and ambiguous for Christians.'

The Washington Submit's overseas coverage columnist Josh Rogin, for example, wrote, "Syria is free. The rebels received. The individuals liberated themselves from tyranny." Trump critic Invoice Kristol wrote, "The autumn of a brutal dictator is uncommon sufficient that we should always take the chance to have fun it, and pay tribute to those that introduced it about." Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) expressed hope in December that beneath the brand new terrorist management, Syria would "be a tolerant society accepting of individuals from all spiritual confessions."

Current massacres, bombings, rapes, and kidnappings dedicated by al-Sharaa's forces, pals, and fellow vacationers have supplied robust indications that such celebrations have been untimely.

A supply who routinely travels to Syria and who has been in latest contact with individuals within the nation has shared with Blaze Information insights about life for Christians and different spiritual minorities beneath the brand new regime.

RELATED: Syria's terrorist regime simply killed an American citizen — extra Christians, Druze are subsequent

The Syrian regime's safety forces roll into the Druze metropolis of Suwayda on July 15. Picture by SAM HARIRI/AFP through Getty Picture

"The present political setting in Syria stays deeply unstable and ambiguous for Christians and positively harmful for different spiritual minorities, with latest occasions within the governorate of Sweida tragically underscoring this actuality," mentioned the supply, who requested to stay nameless over safety issues. "On July 15, 2025, Sweida skilled a large-scale bloodbath ensuing within the deaths of lots of of civilians."

Between July 13 and July 20, over 1,200 individuals have been have been killed in clashes between Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans, which have been aided by al-Sharaa's forces, and Druze-linked militias in Syria's southern Druze-majority Suwayda province, based on the U.Okay.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

There have reportedly been quite a few religiously-motivated assassinations throughout the nation within the days since.

The supply famous that "amongst these killed was a distinguished pastor of the native evangelical church, alongside along with his total household."

Khaled Mazhar, the pastor of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Suwayda metropolis "who had transformed from one other religion custom, was recognized for his peaceable integration and for serving as a revered chief inside each the church and the broader neighborhood," added the supply.

The SOHR indicated that members of al-Sharaa's Ministry of Protection have been accountable for the pastor's slaying.

In response to the historic bloodletting, Blaze Information' supply indicated that spiritual communities, together with Orthodox and Catholic Christians, have opened their church buildings as a spot of refuge, and "overcrowding is now frequent."

"This latest disaster highlights each the persistent vulnerability of spiritual minorities in Syria and the profound challenges they face within the present political panorama. The pressing requires worldwide safety mirror a widespread sense of abandonment and a want for tangible, efficient motion from the worldwide neighborhood," the supply mentioned.

Fr. Tony Boutros, a Melkite-Catholic priest in Suwayda who was among the many Christian clergymen kidnapped by radicals in 2015, mentioned in a latest video assertion, "We ask the U.S., Europe, the Vatican, and the entire world for worldwide safety for this area of Sweida, all of it, for us and for our Druze brothers, my expensive ones. Take a look at the massacres that occurred to us in Sweida."

'The largest factor that will get misplaced is complexity.'

The supply indicated that on a regular basis life for Christians and different spiritual minorities in Syria can "seem comparatively regular," however such appearances are misleading, as "underlying concern and uncertainty are fixed realities."

RELATED: New bloodbath, outdated drawback: How Syria can defend its spiritual minorities

Picture by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Photos

"Most just lately, the bombing on the Mar Elias Church in Damascus on June 22, 2025, throughout a Sunday liturgy, resulted in at the very least 20 deaths and dozens injured — demonstrating how rapidly violence can erupt even in seemingly secure areas," the supply mentioned. "In Sweida, the 'Suwayda Bloodbath' and different assaults have deepened a way of vulnerability. Even the place no violence is going on, minorities stay cautious, practising their religion discreetly and residing with a persistent sense of fragility, realizing that the scenario can deteriorate immediately and dramatically."

Whereas life beneath the terrorist regime stays precarious, the supply indicated that household presently in Syria consider "the scenario is significantly better than what it was throughout the earlier regime," though there may be disagreement on this level.

"I used to say that nothing within the universe can be worse than the Assad regime. They have been absolute monsters. Nonetheless, for those who ask somebody from Sweida now, their reply could be totally different," the supply mentioned.

When pressed on whether or not one thing has been uncared for in different experiences that readers ought to know in regards to the scenario in Syria, the supply famous, "The largest factor that will get misplaced is complexity."

"Too typically, experiences paint Syria in black and white, however the actuality is something however easy," the supply continued. "The scenario shifts from metropolis to metropolis, even from one family to the subsequent. It adjustments on daily basis. Any accountable reporting has to acknowledge simply how nuanced issues are and resist the urge to generalize. Oversimplifying solely does a disservice to the true lived experiences on the bottom."