Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, reassures Christian clerics amid growing concerns over the future of religious minorities.
In a gesture aimed at reassuring Syria’s religious minorities, de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met with senior Christian clerics in Damascus on Tuesday, as his administration works to establish legitimacy after seizing power from Bashar al-Assad earlier in December 2024.
Reaching out to Christian Leaders
The meeting, which included Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican church leaders, took place at the government palace, with Syria’s General Command releasing photographs of the gathering on Telegram.
The talks come at a delicate time for Syria’s Christian community, which has seen its numbers plummet from about one million before the 2011 civil war to roughly 300,000 today. In Aleppo alone, the Christian population has fallen from 200,000 to 30,000 over the same period.
Moves Toward Religious Tolerance
Al-Sharaa’s administration has made several moves to demonstrate religious tolerance, including the 25th to 26th of December as official holidays for Christmas celebrations. However, recent incidents have tested such commitments.
On Christmas Day, thousands protested across Syria after an attack on an Alawite shrine in the north. A day earlier, hundreds demonstrated in Christian areas of Damascus following the burning of a Christmas tree near Hama.
Concerns for Syrian Christians
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking from neighbouring Lebanon on Tuesday, called for “a political transition in Syria that includes all communities in their diversity, that upholds the most basic rights and fundamental freedoms.” Barrot expressed hope that “Syrians could take back control of their own destiny”.
Church leaders remain cautious about the future. “Syrian Christians’ fears are pronounced and serious,” stated Archimandrite Emanuel Youkhana, a priest of the Assyrian Church of the East. He noted that the controlling militias are “predominantly radical Islamic jihadist groups” with diverse ideologies and organisations, raising concerns about their continued unity.
For Syria’s Christian community, which traces its roots to the earliest days of Christianity, the stakes are high. Father Benedict Kiely, founder of Nasarean.org, described this as a “dangerous moment” for the Syrian Church, while John Pontifex of Aid to the Church in Need warned that religious freedom violations often “worsen after the fall of a long-standing regime”.
The coming months will test whether his administration can translate these diplomatic gestures into lasting protections for Syria’s diverse communities.
Engagement with Other Groups
The meeting with Christian leaders followed “positive” talks between al-Sharaa and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Monday. In an interview with Al Arabiya television, al-Sharaa outlined his vision for integrating armed groups into a national army, stating, “Weapons must be in the hands of the state alone. Whoever is armed and qualified to join the defence ministry, we will welcome them”.
These diplomatic moves come as al-Sharaa’s government faces the challenge of maintaining stability while managing Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious make-up. The Atlantic Council’s Sinan Hatahet observed that the new administration is “navigating a delicate balance between its ideological origins and the practical necessity of governance”.
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