The slaughter of civilians Alawite In the coastal areas of Syria in early March, other religious minorities in the country were alerted. On March 6, forces of former President Bashar al -Assad fans attacked the new regime’s security forces. There were attacks on Alawites, which killed many civilians. From everything they seem, Christians probably were not a target, but the false news as well as the failure of the transitional government to manage the brave situation fueled the fears of Christians.

Prior to the start of the civil war in 2011, Syrian Christians made up about 10% of the population. No one knows how many of them live in the country today. Syrian Christians belong to a total of eleven different doctrines, with the Greek Orthodox Church and Melchitika Greek Catholic Church to count most of the faithful. We note that the Melchites are the Unites, that is, they recognize the Pope of Rome as the Pope. In Syria, however, there is also a Protestant church, which had about 300,000 members before 2011.

Al Sarah is not convinced of his intentions

Following the overthrow of Assad on December 8th by the Islamist team Hayatt Tahrir Al Sam (HTS), many Christians “fear Islamism,” says Asad Elias Katie, Syrian Orthodox theologian from Lebanon, who teaches at the University. The transitional government in Syrian Ahmed al -Sarah has sent positive messages to all doctrines in Syria, stating that he intends to respect diversity in the country. Syrian Theologian, however, notes a “ambiguity in the political program” of the new leadership.

In the midst of this ambiguous situation, Syrian Christians in the country, but also abroad, raise questions about the attitude of their ecclesiastical leaders during the dictatorship of Bashar al -Assad. When the protests against the regime broke out in the spring of 2011, Christians demonstrated together political rights with their Muslim compatriots. Many of them lost their lives, imprisoned or tortured by the Assad regime.

There were priests of activists but also regime associates

Ecclesiastical leaders, on the other hand, were mostly on the side of the regime, supporting the narrative of Assad, who was presented as the patron of the Christian minority. They even made sure that this propaganda were spread abroad.

Hed Campauat, the only Christian member of the so -called Syrian dialogue conference, tells DW: “There were priests of the opposition. But there were also those who gave information to the secret services and are responsible for the deaths of many people. They must be held accountable, like all other Syrians accused of crimes during the dictatorship of Bashar al -Assad.

Curated by: Stefanos Georgakopoulos