'Every Christian is afraid of what will happen in the coming weeks,' said a Syrian Christian leader recently.
They were speaking to the TBF Trust, a Christian organisation supporting persecuted believers.
'There is no law and order, no police or army,' he explained as he tried to describe the alarming situation in Syria. Christians see that everything is being Islamised and the whole of their beloved country is now under Islamic law.
In November- December 2024, Islamist militants from Hayet Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) moved swiftly across Syria, capturing all the major cities in ten days. President Bashar al-Assad fled the country, after being betrayed by two high-ranking colleagues. He had valued and protected the Christian community; who will protect them now?
Our contact said there are another 16 armed groups in Syria, as well as HTS. 'They attack you and then say, ‘Oh sorry'. Their leaders are not keen to discuss with church leaders and they make promises they do not implement. Alawites – a Muslim minority group to which Bashar al-Assad belongs – are the main target of violence by the armed groups at present, but Christians and Druze fear their turn will soon come unless international organisations speak up on behalf of Syria’s minorities.
Christians would be fleeing the country if they could, but Europe does not accept Syrian refugees any more. Please pray that the Lord will protect His faithful people in Syria and all the other vulnerable groups.
The acceptance of Islamism in Syria by the West poses serious challenges to the Church, particularly in Africa where Islamist violence has seen many tens of thousands killed in recent years. Many Christians in Africa now wonder if they will be next, and will anyone come to their aid?
