As fierce clashes between Syrian security forces and fighters loyal to the former Assad regime carry on, having claimed the lives of more than a thousand civilians primarily belonging to the Alawite community, citizens of other minorities and religious faiths express fear of also being targeted.

Religious minorities, particularly Christians, face an existential threat. “Christians and all religious minorities are at risk—not only of shrinking in numbers but of disappearing entirely,” a cleric serving in Syria told TO BHMA.

According to the clergyman the overwhelming majority of those responsible for the bloodshed in Tartus and Latakia are jihadists originating from former Soviet states such as Tajikistan and regions near China, including Pakistan. Few Syrian Muslims have been involved in the violence, he claimed.

“These fighters, trained to enforce their vision of Islam through any means necessary, incite unrest and mobilize the masses,” he noted.

Currently, Alawites and Druze communities are the primary targets. However, concerns persist that Christians will be next in line, a fear explicitly conveyed by sources on the ground.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), has reported that 745 civilians were executed, while 125 Syrian security personnel and 148 pro-Assad fighters also lost their lives in the violence.

Sharp Decline in the Christian Population

Estimates suggest that the Christian population in Syria has plummeted from around two million before 2011 to between 600,000 and one million today.

Lebanon, and historically Canada and Germany, have provided refuge for fleeing Christians.
However, over the past eight months, both Germany and Canada have tightened entry restrictions for Syrian refugees, leading many to seek asylum in the Netherlands. It is believed that over 10,000 Syrian Christians have settled in Amsterdam in the past year alone.

Antioch Patriarchate Urges Calm Amid Fear

Christian leaders, led by the Patriarch of Antioch, John X, urge their communities to remain calm while striving to keep the faithful in their ancestral homelands. Yet, fear—often bordering on terror—remains pervasive. Reports indicate that in a Latakia village, the father of a local priest was nearly executed simply for protesting against the theft of his car.