 Screenshot via X: Christmas tree burned in Al-Suqaylabiyah, Hama countryside, central Syria December 23, 2024 |
The New Year and Christmas celebrations this year were widely portrayed by Western media as a hopeful sign for a civil-war torn Syria particularly for its minorities.
But this couldn't be further from the truth. Syria's Christian and other minorities that suffered a horrendous ordeal through nearly 14 years of civil war continue to face existential threats, with the Christian population being particularly vulnerable. A new wave of violence has been unleashed, marked by attacks on churches by so-called "rebel forces" who are an amalgam of Al Qaeda, ISIS and Muslim Brotherhood Jihadists from across the world.
One of these attacks took place on December 19, when a group of terrorists stormed a Roman Orthodox church in Ham, western Syria. They destroyed the church's contents including crosses and statues of the Virgin Mary.
In a chilling video, one terrorist declares: "In the name of Allah the almighty, none shall be worshipped in the levant except Allah and only the rule of Allah will prevail, and no statues or idols will be worshipped from now on, God willing. We will accept nothing but Allah, the religion of Allah and the Sunna of Mohammad the son of Abdullah." He then proceeded to smash a statue of the Virgin Mary on the ground and shouted "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is Greater).
Another act of vandalism occurred on December 23, when the Abbey of St. Mar Charbel in Homs was targeted, with images circulating on social media.
Moreover, some Syrian Christians are facing death and evacuation threats despite the assurances. One video recorded on January 9th depicts a Muslim family throwing stones and objects at Christian family. The Muslim family destroys the Christian family's car and one man asks them if they are Christian.
Similar attacks and daylight robberies on Christian homes were reported in December. One such incident can be seen in a video posted to X on December 18 where an elderly woman and her family can be seen pleading with authorities, describing how they were robbed at gunpoint.
On December 24, when a group of radicals set fire to a large Christmas tree in broad daylight. In response, hundreds of Christians, joined by some Muslims, staged a protest against the tree burning and assaults on their religious symbols.
The violence is even taking place on public transportation. In a video posted to X on January 16, Christian and Alawite Muslim citizens are targeted, arrested and beaten by men in military uniforms.
Syria is home to many Christian denominations, and these communities have faced relentless attacks from jihadist groups for over a decade. In 2013, the more than 50,000 Syrian Christians sought Russian citizenship to escape the violence targeting their homes and places of worship.
According to social media posts, areas with significant Christian populations, such as Bab Toma in old Damascus, get attacked daily. Another post on X (formerly Twitter) on January 17th along with video of several incidents: "Unfortunately, Islamist extremists' storm Christian areas on a daily basis to impose Islam by force, unfortunately. The situation is getting worse."
After the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Turkish backed terrorist group Ansar Al Sham, led by Ahmed al-Jolani, claimed that it is sought to unite all Syrians and assure the safety and inclusion of minorities.
"We are working to protect sects and minorities from any attacks, whether they come from within or external forces attempting to exploit the situation to stir sectarian discord," said al-Jolani during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. "Syria is a country for all, and we must coexist peacefully." He added.
On Tuesday December 31, al-Jolani met with leaders of Syrian Christian churches and other minorities in a theatrical display promising to protect them—ironically from his own troops, who have continued to target these communities through the years. In 2018, Al Nusra Front the former name of HTS forced Christians to evacuate their homes in the areas they controlled in the city of Idlib.
In a Speech on January 1, Patriarch John X of Antioch, leader of the Greek Orthodox Church criticized the new regime for ignoring the hand extended to them. He called on the new regime to reconsider its stance. "We have extended our hand to work with you (new government) to build a new Syria, but we are waiting for Sharaa and his administration to extend their hand to us," he said. "Despite the media reporting the imminent convening of a comprehensive Syrian conference and other issues, there has been no official communication from them with us," he added.
Setting up the Jihadist haven in Syria
Despite the theatrics, the regime led by al-Jolani remains a threat to the stability of the region, particularly with the newly approved Islamic educational curriculum. This curriculum is set to turn Syria into a jihadist haven in the near future.
The new educational curriculum doesn't merely erase references to the old Assad regime and its flag; it goes further by changing phrases such as "Ottoman occupation" to "Ottoman rule" which opens the door to increased Turkish Islamist influence in the country. It also removes content that Islamists deemed "haram" (forbidden by Islamic law) including references to card games, magicians and images of statues The subject of National Education, once taught in Syrian schools has been completely omitted. Most concerning is the replacement of "world law" with Sharia law, as well as the omission of the theory of evolution and Chinese philosophy. The concept of martyrdom for the homeland has been replaced by martyrdom for Allah. These drastic changes are setting the stage for a future where the Syrian educational system becomes a breeding ground for extremism.
The documentation of the new curriculum was removed from the websites of the Ministry of Education and the Syria News Agency following an outrage upon its release on social media.
Syrian journalist Shiyar Khaleal warned, "An education based on extremist ideologies may produce individuals who hold ideas that threaten regional and international security. Changing curricula under the supervision of HTS is not just an educational danger, but a long-term threat to the social fabric and the future of Syria."
The new Syrian regime also wasted no time in reconnecting with old jihadist allies from across the region. In December, al-Jolani met with fugitive Egyptian terrorist Mahmoud Fathi, who is wanted in Egypt and received a death penalty for his role in the assassination of Egypt's Public Prosecutor Hisham Barakat and at least 3 Egyptian citizens in a car bomb in 2015. Al-Jolani has issued a decree to allow "Arab Fighters" into Syria.
While the media sometimes portrays al-Jolani as a liberating hero who will save war-torn Syria, it hardly mentions that Al Jolani is a key contributor in the destruction of the country and the killing of thousands of its citizens.
Al-Jolani was appointed by the late Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri as the group's leader in the Levant, and he pledged allegiance to al-Zawahiri, distancing himself from ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.
Western complacency and delusion about the Syrian situation
Despite the ongoing war on terrorism since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington it's still rare to find any country or diplomat accurately describing the new Syrian regime that Western media has wildly celebrated. The exception to this is Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar, who, on December 28, realistically described the situation in Syria, stating . "The regime in Damascus is essentially a gang –not a legitimate government. Other areas, like Idlib, are controlled by Islamist groups with extreme ideologies" said Gideon Sa'ar Israeli Foreign Minister on Dec 28 clearly describing the state of affairs in Syria in a realistic manner.
Sa'ar's statement has been the only sober assessment of the new regime, which is being glorified by international media.
As time passes it becomes clear that these terrorists in power are responsible for many acts of barbarity. On January 4, videos surfaced online of the newly appointed Minister of Justice Shadi al-Waisi overseeing the executions of women in public on Syrian streets to enforce his version of "Sharia" law.
Al-Jolani has a dark history that outweighs any rosy promises he makes, making Bashar al-Assad appear as a humanitarian activist in comparison.
A United Nations report by its Security council from 2013 stated the following about the new darling of Western Media:
Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani (Jolani) was listed on 24 July 2013 pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3 of resolution 2083 (2012) as being associated with Al-Qaida and other individuals, groups, undertakings or entities associated with Al-Qaida for "participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of", "supplying, selling or transferring arms and related materiel to", and "Recruiting for" Al-Qaida, Al-Qaida in Iraq (Aiman Muhammed Rabi al-Zawahiri and Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali Al-Badri Al-Samarrai.
Even after allegedly cutting ties with Al- Qaeda in 2016, al-Jolani and his group, HTS, continue to adhere to the Salafist jihadist ideology that is shared by both Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Therefore, HTS is just another side of the same coin.
Despite this, the Turkish Foreign Minister was spewing nonsense to galvanize Turkey's support for the terrorist listed HTS for supposedly helping Ankara fight terrorism against Al Qaeda and ISIS . However, HTS is merely another name for groups like Al-Nusra and Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham (Conquering the Levant Front) all of which are directly associated with Al-Qaeda and blessed by its former leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Al-Jolani's song and dance about freedom, unity and the rest of the drivel he has been spewing since taking over power from Assad can only cater for the naïve and delusional. A terrorist regime usurping power aided by another terrorist-supporting regime in Ankara hardly makes room for peace in the future.
While everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon of aiding the new terrorist-affiliated regime in Syria, it should be clear that darker skies are ahead for Christians and despite the sugarcoated words of tolerance by al-Jolani and his hoodlums. The remaining Christian population in Syria are hostages to the terrorist regime. Hence, the fall of Assad by the hands of cutthroat jihadists is not the end of Syrians' problems but a beginning of a new set of much deeper ones.
IPT Senior Fellow Hany Ghoraba is an Egyptian writer, political and counter-terrorism analyst at Al Ahram Weekly and a regular contributor the BBC. He is the author of Egypt's Arab Spring: The Long and Winding Road to Democracy He is a writer and contributor for over a dozen international outlets, periodicals and networks including Newsmax, OANN, BBC Radio, CSP, MEF, American Spectator, American Thinker, Arab Weekly and Al Arabiya News.
Copyright © 2025 Investigative Project on Terrorism. All rights reserved.