Church bombing in Syria is ‘not sectarian conflict but persecution’

A deadly suicide bombing at a Damascus church on Sunday June 22 has reignited urgent calls for global recognition of the continued persecution of Syria’s religious minorities.

According to Kelsey Zorzi, international human-rights lawyer and Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom at ADF International (ADF), the attack is an element of a broader pattern of systematic violence – one which the international community continues to dangerously mislabel as “sectarian conflict.”

On Sunday June 22, a suicide bomber entered St Elias Greek Orthodox Church during evening service, opened fire, after which detonated his vest, killing 25 worshippers and injuring greater than 60 others. Among the victims were children.

Writing in Spiked, Ms Zorzi described the attack as a chilling reminder that for many spiritual minorities in Syria, the autumn of the Assad regime has not ended their suffering – it has escalated it.

“To be clear, what we’re witnessing is the systematic targeting of nearly all religious minorities in Syria – Christians, Druze, Yazidis, Alawites and Shiites  – by violent Islamist factions,” Ms Zorzi said.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, Syrian officials have blamed remnants of ISIS, which, although officially defeated in 2019, “stays alive through sleeper cells,” she stated.

The attack follows a string of recent plots targeting Shiite shrines and other minority landmarks, raising fears that jihadist violence is regaining a foothold amid Syria’s ongoing political instability.

Ms Zorzi warned that the reference to such atrocities as “sectarian violence” by major news outlets and the United Nations obscures the reality: “To call it ‘sectarian violence’ is to imply mutuality where there’s none. Minority victims should not aggressors. They are actually not those who need to point out ‘restraint.”

She pointed to the rise of violence following the December descent of Bashar al-Assad, which ushered in a latest government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Islamist militant.

Although al-Sharaa’s administration claims to officially uphold religious freedom, rights advocates and Christian groups say protections are failing to materialise.

Syria holds the 18th position among the many world’s worst countries for Christian persecution, in keeping with the Open Doors World Watch List.

Its Christian presence—one in all the oldest on the planet—is rapidly dwindling as families flee violence, intimidation, and economic collapse.

Ms Zorzi noted: “The erasure of Syria’s Christian presence wouldn’t only be a humanitarian tragedy, it might also mark the lack of one of the ancient expressions of the religion … Without immediate protections, Christianity in Syria risks becoming a memory, its ancient churches left as hole monuments in a rustic that when helped carry the religion to the world.”

ISIS waged a campaign of terror against Christians and other minorities across Syria and Iraq between 2014 and 2019. Christians were forced to convert, flee, or face execution. 

Though ISIS lost territorial control years ago, Ms Zorzi warned that the identical ideology is now reemerging in latest guises. 

She emphasised: “If the international community refuses to even name the ideology behind these violent attacks, or distinguish the victims from the perpetrators, then Syria’s diversity will vanish. This will not be sectarian conflict. This is persecution.”

She also praised the peaceful response of Syrian Christians, who took to the streets in mourning – to not retaliate, but to encourage their community with chants like “Raise your cross high” and “The blood of Christians is precious.”

Groups like Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Open Doors are calling for increased international engagement, including pressure on the Syrian government to handle extremism inside its ranks and uphold human rights for all residents.

Trauma counselling and humanitarian support have begun, but many fear it is simply a matter of time before one other attack strikes.

Ms Zorzi cautioned: “Religious persecution rooted in jihadist ideology doesn’t stay contained.

“It spreads across borders, fills power vacuums and thrives when ignored.

“Religious minorities should be shielded from persecution – not only for his or her sake, but because lasting peace and security begin with defending probably the most vulnerable.”