Christians in Syria are on alert after a Christmas tree in Suqaylabiyah was set on fire, triggering protests.
Footage showed masked individuals pouring an unidentified liquid on the tree on the eve of Christmas, even though it was unclear in the event that they were attempting to extinguish or fuel the fireplace, media reported.
Later videos revealed a spiritual leader from the governing HTS group addressing the group in Suqaylabiyah, assuring them that the tree can be repaired by morning. The leader then raised a cross as a gesture of solidarity, an unusual act for Islamist conservatives.
On Tuesday, protests intensified in response to the arson, spreading to areas of Damascus, the capital. Demonstrators in Damascus’s Kassa neighborhood voiced opposition to foreign fighters in Syria, chanting, “Syria is free, non-Syrians should leave,” in reference to those HTS claimed were accountable for the attack. In Bab Touma, one other Damascus neighborhood, protesters carried a cross and Syrian flags, declaring, “We will sacrifice our souls for our cross.”
One protester, Georges, told AFP, “If we’re not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we do not belong here anymore.” Syria is home to a various population, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shia, and Arab Sunnis, the latter being nearly all of the Muslim population.
Just over two weeks ago, rebel forces toppled Bashar al-Assad’s presidency, ending the Assad family’s rule of over 50 years. The governance approach of HTS, now in power, stays uncertain. Originally a jihadist group advocating violence to ascertain a state governed by Islamic law, HTS has recently taken a more pragmatic stance. Earlier this month, as fighters advanced on Damascus, HTS leaders expressed aspirations to create a Syria inclusive of all its residents.
The latest Islamic leadership in Syria faces significant challenges, including addressing the presence of foreign fighters, Islamist extremists, and remnants of the previous regime that may seek to undermine stability and goal minorities.
Christians express cautious hope after end of Assad’s rule
Respond to the query what Christians considered the autumn of Assad’s regime, a Kurdish-Syrian Christian, whose name is withheld for security reasons, offered each his hope and concerns for the longer term.
“First, the reply is nice news. In short, a single family has ruled Syria for greater than fifty years, regardless that it’s a republic and never a monarchy,” he said.
“Second, there are numerous detainees in Syrian prisons, which will not be just prisons but human slaughterhouses. Thousands of individuals have died under torture. Others have lost their minds, and a few have everlasting disabilities whatever the mass graves.”
Pointing to Saydnaya Prison, which he described as “one among the worst”, he said: “In the approaching years, the victims who survived the prison can be revealed. The stories of the quantity of brutality and violence that happened to the detainees are like science fiction. The mere incontrovertible fact that these prisons have ended is in itself joyous news.”
He cautioned, nevertheless, that there are still many unknowns and that the road to the longer term can be long.
“Does this mean that the Syrian war has completely ended and the issue is solved? Of course not,” he said, adding: “Because the upcoming political phase will face many difficulties, and there’s an environment of fear dominating the longer term of the Syrians. Just facing an unknown future is frightening in itself.
“The war in Syria has been ongoing for greater than a decade. This means almost half a generation of Syrians knows nothing but war, and nearly two generations do not know what it means to live in a democracy. This situation could lead on to many conflicts over power and money within the country.”
Specific points of concerns for him are the longer term of minorities, freedom of faith, freedom to carry diverse political opinions and the liberty of girls and their role in society. He also points to those that have been born outside of Syria and might now not discover with the life within the country that’s unfamiliar to them.
He also says that as a Kurd, he is worried concerning the Kurdish areas in northwestern Syria which can be still under the control of forces affiliated with Turkey.
“The Kurdish-Turkish conflict has not been resolved yet. If there are detainees and prisoners within the prisons of those groups in Afrin, then the liberation of Afrin and the return of the Afrinians to their homes means to me, as a Kurd from Afrin, that Syria hasn’t been completely liberated. Otherwise, Syria is barely liberated from the Assad regime, the dictatorship.
“However, it’s essential to rejoice the liberation of Syrian regions from the Syrian regime and work together for Syria to be a rustic for everybody,” he adds. “Syria for Arabs, Kurds, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and the remainder of the Syrian people.”
