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To be clear, what we are witnessing is the systematic targeting of nearly all religious minorities in Syria – Christians, Druze, Ismailis, Yazidis, Alawites and Shiites – by violent Islamist factions. To call it ‘sectarian violence’ is to imply mutuality where there is none. Minority victims are not aggressors. They are certainly not the ones who need to show ‘restraint’…..
The erasure of Syria’s Christian presence would not only be a humanitarian tragedy, it would also mark the loss of one of the most ancient expressions of the faith. Christianity has existed in Syria since the first century AD. The Apostle Paul’s conversion took place on the road to Damascus. The followers of Jesus were first called ‘Christians’ in nearby Antioch. Cities like Aleppo, Homs and Maaloula were home to thriving Christian communities long before most of Europe was evangelised.
Facing ongoing threats, persecution and economic collapse, thousands of Syrian Christians are desperate to flee – not from lack of love for the country, but out of sheer necessity. Without immediate protections, Christianity in Syria risks becoming a memory, its ancient churches left as hollow monuments in a country that once helped carry the faith to the world.
Not featuring in a demonstration near you any time soon. No one cares. Israel's not involved.
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