As Syria descends into uncertainty after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, persecution experts are warning of extreme dangers Christians and members of other minority groups would face.
In the days leading up to the regime’s fall, David Curry, president and CEO of Global Christian Relief, emailed an “urgent” message to supporters, noting Christians are “caught once again in the crosshairs of war.”
Already, Curry said thousands were becoming displaced, with road closures and refugee camps swelling. Others, he said, were trapped in their homes.
In a statement shared with CBN News Sunday after Syrian rebels entered Damascus and Assad reportedly fled the nation with his family, Curry further underscored the difficult nature of the situation.
“The so-called ‘opposition forces,’ Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), are little more than a reconstructed remnant of ISIS and Al Qaeda fighters,” he warned. “Considered a terrorist organization, they have, in less than two weeks, ethnically cleansed the northwest of Syria, including Aleppo and beyond, of Kurds and Christians.”
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And Curry said it’s expected this reign of terror will only progress into other areas of Syria.
“When the civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Christians comprised approximately 10% of the population, about 1.5 million people,” he added. “After years of constant fighting and persecution by jihadist radicals, that number has dwindled to just 300,000—now there is no safe place for Kurds and Christians.”
International Christian Concern, another persecution watchdog, released a country profile on Syria Dec. 3, noting religious minorities inside the nation are “regularly subjected to the worst violations imaginable.”
The situation in Syria has long been perilous, with Assad struggling in recent years to retain power.
“Though conditions are dire for Christians and other religious groups in the south, where Assad wields most of his power, the situation is not better in the north, where Turkish-backed terrorists continue to fight for territory and perpetrate heinous acts of violence against Kurdish and Yazidi religious communities,” ICC notes.
Persecution manifests itself in government restrictions, torture, imprisonment, acts of terrorism — and more. After decades of authoritarian rule at the hands of Assad, who took power in 2000, it’s unclear what comes next (his family has held power for the past 50 years).
Many Christians have reportedly fled Syria after HTS, a terror-designated group, took over. Jeff King, president of ICC, told The Christian Post the coming days will be essential to understanding what’s next for the Christians who remain behind.
“The coming days and weeks will be crucial for the fate of [the] Christian community,” King said. “Christians, with roots stretching back nearly two millennia, now face an uncertain and perilous future.”
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