For the first time since the dramatic fall of President Bashar al-Assad last week, Syrian Christians attended regular Sunday services, testing the promises made by the new Islamist rulers to safeguard the rights and freedoms of minority groups.
In Damascus, the streets of Bab Touma, a historic Christian neighborhood, were alive with worshippers returning from church on Sunday morning. However, the atmosphere was one of cautious optimism. Maha Barsa, a local resident, expressed lingering fears despite no incidents of harassment. “We’re scared, we’re still scared,” she said after attending Mass at the local Greek Melkite Catholic church. “Things are ambiguous.”
Similar sentiments were echoed in Latakia, a coastal city that was a stronghold of Assad’s regime. Lina Akhras, a parish council secretary at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, noted that Christians had enjoyed significant religious freedom under Assad’s rule. “We just want to live in peace and harmony,” she said, adding, “God willing, we will return to our previous lives and live in our beautiful Syria.”
Syria is home to a rich mosaic of ethnic and religious groups, including Christians, Armenians, Kurds, and Shi’ite Muslims. The Assad family, part of the Alawite sect (a branch of Shi’ite Islam), governed over a Sunni Muslim-majority nation for decades. Many minority groups worry about the future under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group now in power, despite their assurances of inclusion.
Fears of persecution are particularly acute among Syria’s Shi’ite population, tens of thousands of whom have fled to Lebanon in the past week. A senior Lebanese security official confirmed the exodus, driven by concerns about the new rulers’ treatment of minorities.
International attention has turned to the plight of Syria’s vulnerable groups. On Saturday, top diplomats from Arab nations, Turkey, the United States, and the European Union met in Jordan to discuss the crisis. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the need for an inclusive government that protects minority rights and ensures Syria does not become a hub for terrorist groups.
Meanwhile, signs of a tentative return to normalcy have emerged. Syrian schools reopened on Sunday following orders from the new leadership, signaling a desire to restore stability in the war-torn nation.
The new de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, faces monumental challenges in rebuilding Syria. Years of civil war left hundreds of thousands dead, reduced cities to rubble, and devastated the economy. Millions of refugees remain in camps outside the country, while sanctions have further crippled economic recovery efforts.
As the dust settles, many Syrians—both from minority and majority groups—watch anxiously to see if the new rulers will follow through on their promises of inclusivity or if fears of sectarian persecution will come to pass. For now, communities like Bab Touma are holding on to hope, even as uncertainty looms.