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<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">\u2018They want to cleanse Syria of Christians\u2019: A community speaks of betrayal, terror, and exile</h1><p class="gmail-">Caught
between HTS rule and western hypocrisy, Syria\u2019s Christian communities
are being quietly erased from their ancestral homeland \u2013 while officials
promote false images of coexistence.</p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://thecradle.co/authors/the-cradles-syria-correspondent-113" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">The Cradle's Syria Correspondent</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span style="color:rgb(84,88,94)">DEC 25, 2025 - </span><font size="1"><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/they-want-to-cleanse-syria-of-christians-a-community-speaks-of-betrayal-terror-and-exile">https://thecradle.co/articles/they-want-to-cleanse-syria-of-christians-a-community-speaks-of-betrayal-terror-and-exile</a></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="https://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/2dbd93d6-e1ae-11f0-ad16-00163e02c055.webp" alt="" width="408" height="193" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>Photo Credit: The Cradle</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span class="gmail-article-body"><p>On
Christmas morning in Damascus, the sound of church bells rings hollow
against a backdrop of fear. In a city once proud of its religious
mosaic, <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/syrias-christians-targeted-again-this-time-by-those-claiming-to-protect-them">Syria\u2019s Christians</a> now live as shadows of themselves \u2013 cautious, silent, and increasingly absent. </p><p>For
decades, the Christian minority found uneasy protection under former
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad\u2019s staunch, though secular, rule. But
after 14 years of war and the more recent <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/the-incoming-islamic-state-of-syria">ascendance</a>
of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its leader, self-appointed Syrian
president Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani),
that fragile security has shattered.</p><p>When a small group of Syrian Christians in Australia recently <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/12/03/eu-updates-asylum-guidance-for-syrian-refugees-a-year-after-fall-of-bashar-al-assad?utm_source=chatgpt.com">invited</a> fellow Christians to apply for asylum, they were stunned by the response: 15,000 requests arrived within the first day.</p><p>The
flood of applications revealed the depth of despair among Christians
still living in Syria. They once made up nearly 10 percent of the
population, but their numbers are <a href="https://www.independentarabia.com/node/624142/%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9/%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1/%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%88-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%AE%D9%88%D9%81-%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B2%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B6%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA">dwindling</a> fast.</p><p>The
Syrian war left deep and lasting scars on Christian communities. Entire
neighborhoods in cities such as Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus have been
emptied, with churches damaged or destroyed and families forced to
flee. </p><p>Thousands of Christians were killed, kidnapped, or
displaced during the height of the conflict. The trauma of war itself
was the first push toward emigration, a wound that <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/alawites-and-christians-behind-syrias-silent-sectarian-slaughter">continues to grow</a> as communities shrink each year.</p><p><strong>Promise and persecution</strong></p><p>After Assad\u2019s fall in December 2024, HTS attempted to <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/abu-mohammad-al-julani-putting-lipstick-on-a-pig">reinvent</a>
itself. Its leader, former Al-Qaeda leader-turned-president Sharaa, who
at the time went by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, issued
promises to protect religious minorities. But those pledges faded almost
immediately.</p><p>With HTS\u2019s history of extremism and intolerance, the
group\u2019s rise to power revived old fears. Even without new waves of
violence, HTS\u2019s rule has left Christians anxious about their future,
forcing them to live in a constant state of uncertainty.</p><p>On the
ground, those promises faded quickly. Pressure on Christians started
right away. Before Christmas in 2024, HTS leaders met with priests in
Damascus and told them to ask their people to dress more conservatively
during the holiday. </p><p>At the same time, HTS media teams went around
filming in churches, showing pictures of Christians smiling and
celebrating, to send a message to the outside world that \u201cChristians are
happy in the new Syria.\u201d </p><p>Despite this, Christians in the capital staged a protest over the <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/syrian-christians-march-in-damascus-to-protest-burning-of-christmas-tree-by-hts-militants">burning of a public Christmas tree</a> in the central governorate of Hama, reportedly carried out by militants affiliated with HTS. </p><p>As time passed, government security forces loyal to Sharaa carried out <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/alawites-you-are-pigs-how-damascus-linked-forces-massacred-dozens-in-the-coastal-village-of-sharifa">massacres in the coastal cities</a> against Alawite communities. At least 1,600 Alawite civilians were killed in just three days.<br>Christians began to hear the chilling warning that they would be next to face slaughter.</p><p>Mazen, a Christian from Damascus, recalls to <i>The Cradle</i> one incident during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">\u201cI
was smoking in my car when a soldier from the security forces came to
me. He asked why I was smoking in Ramadan. I told him I was Christian.
He grabbed the cigarette from my hand and said, \u2018Christians, your time
will soon come.\u2019\u201d</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">This phrase spread, both on social media and through direct threats from soldiers belonging to Syria\u2019s security forces.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">While most of HTS\u2019s promises of protection quickly faded, the promise that \u201cyour time will come\u201d did prove true.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">In June, a suicide bomber entered the <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles-id/31517">Mar Elias Church</a>
in Damascus during Sunday mass. The bomber killed 25 worshipers and
injured 70 more. The Syrian government quickly blamed the bombing on
ISIS, but it later emerged that he was a <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/syrias-christians-targeted-again-this-time-by-those-claiming-to-protect-them">member</a> of President Sharaa\u2019s security forces \u2013 the General Security. <br>For Christians, it marked a grim turning point.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">In July, a new round of massacres carried out by Sharaa\u2019s security forces in the <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/syrian-president-accuses-israel-of-sowing-discord-vows-to-protect-druze">Druze-majority</a> governorate of Suwayda added another layer of fear for Christians across Syria. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Local
tribes, acting in support of government forces, not only massacred
hundreds of Druze civilians, but also targeted Suwayda\u2019s Christians,
burning six churches and murdering an evangelical pastor, <a href="https://www.barnabasaid.org/gb/news/pastor-among-at-least-12-christians-killed-in-southern-syria-violence/">Khaled Mazher</a>, along with his entire family \u2013 13 people, including women and children.</p><img style="aspect-ratio: 960 / 632; margin-right: 25px;" src="https://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles_media/50c0b68e-e1ad-11f0-86b2-00163e02c055.png" width="408" height="269"><sup>Photograph of the evangelical pastor Khaled Mazher and his family, who were killed.</sup><img style="aspect-ratio: 795 / 447; margin-right: 25px;" src="https://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles_media/92141aa4-e1ad-11f0-a643-00163e02c055.jpeg" width="408" height="229"><sup>Photographs of a burned church in Suwayda, in Rodaymat al-Lewa village.</sup><p style="margin-left:0cm">Some
of the fighters dispatched by Syria\u2019s leadership to massacre the Druze
and Christians in Suwayda proudly wore black ISIS patches.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">The thin line between ISIS and <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/syria-says-gunman-behind-attack-on-us-troops-was-to-be-fired-from-security-forces">Julani\u2019s security forces</a>
was again revealed just days ago, on 14 December, when ISIS gunmen
carried out an attack on a US troop convoy in Palmyra in eastern Syria,
killing two US soldiers and one civilian interpreter.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Like in the Mar Elias church bombing in July, it was soon revealed that the attacker was an ISIS member who had<a href="https://x.com/joshua_landis/status/2000077308846112896?s=20"> joined</a>
Syria\u2019s security forces. The Ministry of Defense acknowledged they had
been aware of his extremist beliefs, and claimed they had planned to
dismiss him but were delayed because of the \u201cweekend.\u201d</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">The attack will benefit the US, which has a pretext to <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles-id/34142">further occupy</a> Syria, and Sharaa, who will be touted in Washington as a needed \u201ccounter-terror\u201d partner.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm"><strong>Terror at the threshold</strong></p><p style="margin-left:0cm">But
for Christians in Syria, the belief that the western nations would
protect them, whether from Sharaa or from ISIS, is fading.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">More
people in the community are starting to feel that western nations only
claim to care about Syria\u2019s Christians and the crimes committed against
them to maintain leverage against the new government in Damascus.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">This
belief was underscored by two additional recent events. On 5 December
2025, ahead of the celebrations marking the fall of Assad, Christians
gathered at the Mar Elias Church to reclaim hope for their lives after
the tragic incident in July. The gathering took place during a Christmas
tree lighting event named the \u201cTree of Peace.\u201d </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">During
the event, two unidentified individuals moved through the crowd
carrying black flags, causing panic among attendees. People fled the
area rapidly, as peace turned to terror. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">One
woman commented, \u201cGod will never forgive those who terrified us. We
will never forget what happened.\u201d Media outlets remained silent about
the incident, despite residents living in a state of indescribable fear.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Ten
days later, in the Adawiya neighborhood of Homs, residents woke to find
their Christmas tree torched. No culprits were named. No arrests made. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">One
resident commented, \u201cThe propaganda and the attempts to appease
European countries and the United States are over. The extremists can no
longer tolerate it. We place our fate in God\u2019s hands.\u201d</p><p style="margin-left:0cm"><strong>Coercion without headlines</strong></p><p style="margin-left:0cm">While
violent attacks grab headlines, subtler pressures are reshaping
Christian life in Syria just as profoundly. These quieter forms of
intimidation reveal how communities are being isolated and marginalized
without large-scale violence.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Even when
there are no large-scale, organized attacks on Christian villages or
neighborhoods, subtle threats and acts of intimidation are enough to
shake and devastate a peaceful community like the Christians.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">One
example of this occurred in January when a group of Muslim
proselytizers drove their car through Al-Qassaa, a Christian
neighborhood in Damascus. They patrolled the streets, calling on
Christians to convert to Islam and handing out flyers promoting the
wearing of the hijab. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">What might seem
like a simple act quickly turned tense, sparking a clash with young men
from the neighborhood. For many Christians, the incident was a reminder
that their faith and presence could be openly challenged, even in their
own neighborhoods.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Beyond public
confrontations, Christians also face harassment in their workplaces.
Samia, a Christian engineer who had worked with the government for 30
years, tells <i>The Cradle</i> how she was repeatedly harassed by the new authorities and pressured until she was finally forced to resign. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Her
experience is not unique; many other Christians in Syria have faced the
same kind of sectarian discrimination and intimidation in their
workplaces, with the explicit aim of pushing them out of their
positions.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">In some areas, even schools are not safe for Christians.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Danny, a 16-year-old student, became a target at his own school. His sister informs <i>The Cradle</i> that in April, security forces guarding the school kidnapped him after discovering he was Christian.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">They
stopped him at the school's entrance and told him, \u201cThis is an Islamic
area \u2013 you must convert to Islam, or we will have you beheaded.\u201d </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Danny
refused, standing firm despite the threat. His family begged for his
release, and eventually, with the intervention of respected Christian
figures in the community, he was freed. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">The incident left deep scars, showing how even young students are not spared from intimidation and sectarian pressure.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Even worse, the <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/inside-syrias-state-backed-cover-up-of-alawite-womens-kidnappings">wave of kidnappings</a>
of minorities that marked the 14-year war on Syria has made a comeback.
It has become widely known among extremist factions in Syria\u2019s new army
that Christians are easy targets for kidnapping. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">The
belief is simple: Christians will pay any ransom, no matter the amount
demanded. This has turned kidnappings into a dangerous business, leaving
Christian families in constant fear for their loved ones.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">On
2 July, for example, a well-known and respected pharmacist, Jean
Dodosh, was kidnapped in front of his home in the Christian neighborhood
of Al-Tijara in Damascus. He was held for more than 15 days and only
released after his family was forced to pay a massive ransom. The exact
sum remains undisclosed.</p><img style="aspect-ratio: 540 / 540;" src="https://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles_media/218e5e2a-e1ad-11f0-b31b-00163e02c055.png"><sup>Photograph of the Christian pharmacist, Jean Dodosh, who was kidnapped.</sup><p style="margin-left:0cm"><strong>Legitimacy by manipulation</strong></p><p style="margin-left:0cm">In August, Orthodox Patriarch Yaziji <a href="https://archive.sana.sy/en/:~:text=13%20August\u060c%202025-,President%20al%2DSharaa%20Receives%20Patriarch%20John%20X%20Yazigi,Affirms%20the%20Church's%252">visited</a>
Sharaa at the presidential palace. The visit shocked many in the
Christian community. Just two months earlier, Yaziji had publicly
condemned the government over the Mar Elias bombing. What changed?</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">For
many, the answer lies in international optics. The visit was widely
seen as an effort, coordinated by HTS\u2019s foreign backers, to salvage
Sharaa\u2019s image after the Suwayda massacres. Christians were again
deployed as symbolic proof of \u201ctolerance\u201d in a deeply intolerant state.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">This is not without precedent.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">When
ISIS stormed Mosul in 2014, Christians were given a grim ultimatum:
convert, pay a form of tax levied on certain non-Muslim subjects known
as \u2018jizya,\u2019 or die. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Two months later,
ISIS attacked the historic Christian villages in the Nineveh Plains \u2013
and the defenseless inhabitants were abandoned by Kurdish Peshmerga
forces that had promised to protect them.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">The
entire Christian population had no choice but to flee in the middle of
the night as ISIS militants descended on their ancient homeland.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Crosses
were torn down, churches burned, and homes marked with the Arabic
letter \u201c\u0646\u201d (N for Nasrani, meaning Christian) to identify their owners
for confiscation. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Over 120,000
Christians fled from Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, seeking refuge in the
Kurdistan region or abroad. Today, Mosul, once home to a vibrant
Christian community, <a href="https://persecution.org/2025/10/02/fewer-than-70-christian-families-remain-in-mosul/#:~:text=Fewer%20than%2070%20Christian%20Families%20Remain%20in%20Mosul%20%2D%20International%20Christian%20Concern">stands almost empty</a> of its original inhabitants. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm"><strong>No future here</strong></p><p style="margin-left:0cm">As
Ahmad al-Sharaa consolidates growing political and military backing in
Syria, many Christians fear that history is repeating itself \u2013 this time
through softer, less visible means \u2013 and are increasingly questioning
whether there is a deliberate effort to hollow out West Asia of its
Christian communities.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Speaking to <i>The Cradle</i>,
Tony, a Christian from Damascus, says: \u201cFor the US, EU, and UN, Julani
gives you political speech saying that minorities are welcome and will
be protected, but on the ground, his supporters and army do the
opposite.\u201d </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">He cites a saying in Arabic, \u201cWhen I hear your speech, I believe you. But when I see your actions, I am shocked.\u201d <br>As a result, many Syrian Christians speaking with <i>The Cradle </i>say
they urgently need to leave the country, as they no longer feel they
belong to this land, leaving a once-peaceful community feeling even more
devastated and depressed. </p><p style="margin-left:0cm">Those who
depart carry with them the enduring spirit of their homeland, taking its
soul wherever they go in search of a safer, better life.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">At the same time, others are determined to stay, despite the fear and danger.</p><p style="margin-left:0cm">\u201cThey
want to cleanse Syria of Christians. There is no hope for the future
for us. But I am not here to live, I am here to stay. There is a
difference,\u201d Tony explains.</p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:0cm">\u201cIf
I leave, maybe I could get married, or start a business. But I refuse
to leave because this is my land. Even if you want to kill me, I will
stay. I am here. Jesus says don\u2019t fear those who kill the body, because
the soul they can\u2019t kill. If I really believe in Jesus 100 percent, I
have to believe in his word. I choose to believe. So, according to my
belief, I am going to stay.\u201d</p></blockquote><p style="margin-left:0cm"><strong>The cost of silence </strong></p><p>Behind the language of security and reform, Syria\u2019s ancient Christian presence is being slowly dismantled. </p><p>This
erasure is not the result of a single act of violence but the outcome
of years of systematic coercion, silence, and abandonment. Churches are
targeted as those tasked with protection look away \u2013 or enable it. </p><p>Patriarchs
once vocal in their condemnation now share stages with the very figures
they once denounced. Western officials issue periodic statements of
concern, while HTS leadership curates images of religious harmony for
external consumption, masking the deepening repression faced by
Christians on the ground.</p><p>Those who remain carry the memory of a
community that helped shape Syria\u2019s cities, culture, and history. Every
act of staying is a quiet defiance against both the violence of their
rulers and the indifference of foreign powers who posture as protectors.</p></span></div></div></div></div>
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