By Linda Burkle, Ph.D., ICC Fellow 

Several years ago, while in Jordan, I had the privilege of participating in a feeding and grocery distribution program for Syrian refugees. We served the families a hearty meal, accompanied by music and a gospel message. With the assistance of translators, we were able to engage in personal interactions with the refugees. As the families left, each received a large bag of groceries and personal items. The refugees were primarily families with children of all ages. It was a very impactful experience. 

In this article, I examine the conditions in Syria for Christians following the overthrow of the Assad government in December 2024. Are Christians better off, or has persecution increased?  

Part 1: The Exodus 

Before the overthrow, Syrians were fleeing the country due to Assad’s brutal regime and the protracted civil war that began in 2011. The United Nations reported in its 2023 Global Appeal that there were more than 6.9 million Syrians internally displaced, with more than 5.4 million living as refugees abroad. Many of those fleeing went to Jordan and Lebanon, adding more strain on already weak infrastructures and limited resources. Additionally, more than 3.4 million people fled to Turkey, and others sought refuge in Europe.(1) Since the civil war escalated, resulting in a coup displacing Assad’s 50-year reign in late 2024, the number fleeing has exploded due to the uncertain future under the new regime. 

While the Assad regime was officially “pro-Christian,” as rebel Islamic jihadist groups and Turkish-backed forces gained more territory and control, the safety and security of Christians became more precarious. Before Assad’s fall, Syrian Christians had been subjected to intensified violence and discrimination by Islamic State group fighters, who had controlled large portions of the country. They were caught in the crossfire of various warring factions and disproportionately adversely affected. Due to widespread persecution by Islamic terrorists and the Syrian Civil War, as well as the resulting economic hardship, Christians have fled in droves.  

At the beginning of the civil war in 2011, 1.5 million Christians were living in Syria. Historically, Christians have comprised about 12% of the population. In 2024, that number was reduced to an estimated 300,000.(2) Aleppo, the first city to fall in the 2024 coups, Christians formerly made up 220,000 or 12 % of the region’s population, but by 2024 that number fell to an estimated 20,000, roughly 1.4%.(3) Churches have been destroyed, confiscated, and converted into military headquarters. The Open Doors 2024 World Watch List ranked Syria as the 12th worst country for persecution of Christians.(4) 

“Christianity in Syria dates back to the first century AD and is often described as the ‘cradle of Christianity.’ The conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus is recorded in the Bible in Acts 9:1-19. Throughout history, Syrian Christians have played a vital role in the development of Christian traditions and practices, including the establishment of some of the most ancient churches and monasteries, as well as producing three popes. The largest Christian denomination is Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, followed by the Maronite Church and the Assyrian Church of the East.”(5) Christianity predated the arrival of Islam in the nation. 

Part 2: 2024, The End of Totalitarianism 

On Dec. 8, 2024, following years of internal conflict and violence perpetrated by both the rebels and the Assad regime, Damascus, the capital of Syria, was captured. This marked the collapse of 50 years of totalitarian dictatorship by the Assad family. The Assad family fled to Russia, where they are in exile. 

The December coup was carried out by a rebel coalition, called the “Military Operations Command” (MOC), comprised of various Islamist factions, including the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Army. The MOC was led by Ahmend Hussein al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, head of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and other nations. Formerly, al-Sharaa was also affiliated with al-Qaida and ISIS.  He was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List from 2013 through 2024 for his role in Sunni Islamist regional terror. Since the coup in December, he has attempted to redefine himself as a statesman and ascended to become the de facto leader. As the de facto leader, al-Sharra became the interim president, assuming office Jan. 29, 2025. He has stated that he plans to establish a government “chosen by the people,” implying that minorities will be included and protected.(6) 

Despite the rhetoric, Christians and other minorities were not assured, recalling similar assertions made by the Taliban in the 2021 takeover of Afghanistan, which resulted in the establishment of Sharia law and extreme persecution. Their concerns have been justified given the events of the past few months. Not surprisingly, Christians are fleeing Syria in droves to neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. The refugees are in desperate need of essential items such as food, water, shelter, and medical care, often putting additional strain on host countries with limited resources and fragile infrastructure.  International Christian Concern (ICC) has been diligently helping these displaced Christians.  

Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, offers this assessment: “The world has grown tragically used to Syrian suffering. More than half a million people have been killed. Over 13 million have been displaced. Cities, like my ancestral hometown of Aleppo, have been reduced to rubble. And yet, from the ashes of Bashar al-Assad’s family reign, a new authoritarianism is emerging, this time driven not by secular fascism, but by religious supremacism . . . As a Syrian American, my heart aches for what has become of my ancestral homeland. As a physician, I cannot detach myself from the human suffering behind each headline. And as someone who has spent decades warning of the rising threat of Islamism, I am sounding the alarm: a new tyranny is taking root in Syria, cloaked in religious language, but every bit as dangerous and destructive as the last. The importance of exposing, understanding, and confronting early inflection points in Syria towards yet another tyranny after over 55 years of Ba’athist military dictatorship cannot be overstated.”(7) 

Part 3: 2025 Christian Persecution Post-Assad 

Since the establishment of the nascent government, there have been numerous incidents of violent attacks aimed at religious minorities in Syria. Below is a summary of several of these incidents. This list is by no means exhaustive but demonstrates the extent of persecution occurring under the new government. 

The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria has been investigating the spike in violence. It reported that in March, violence erupted, sparked by the interim government’s arrest of so-called “remnants” of the previous government, resulting in the capturing, killing, and injuring of hundreds of interim government forces. In addition, more than 1,400 people, predominantly civilians, including about 100 women, were reported killed, including nearly 100 women. Most massacres were accompanied by other kinds of violence, looting, burning, and displacement.(8) It is unknown how many of those killed were minorities. 

On Sunday, June 22, a suicide bomber detonated himself inside a church filled with people, state television and a war monitor said. The explosion in Dweil’a on the outskirts of Damascus occurred as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were 30 people wounded and killed, but the exact numbers are unclear. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.(9) 

In July, a new wave of persecution against Christians, Druze, and Alawite communities was perpetrated mainly by Islamist jihadists. The week of July 13 marked horrific attacks in the southern districts of Sweida, a predominantly Druze region with a substantial Christian population. Many civilians and religious officials were killed and injured; churches and other buildings were destroyed. On July 13, the Greek Melkite Church of St. Michael in the Sweida village of Al-Sura was attacked and set ablaze. 

In the Druze community, more than 600 people have been killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Neighboring Israel, home of a large Druze population, responded with a targeted attack to defend the Syrian Druze.(10) 

In another attack, 38 Christian homes were destroyed, with displaced families seeking refuge in a church. The community was already one of the poorest, and now they have lost everything and are homeless. 

“The militias left Sweida City after killing scores of people in their homes and cars,” one Christian, who wished to remain anonymous, told OSV News via Signal chat. “There are now threats that they will return, and we are very afraid. My family has packed our bags, and we want to flee, but we don’t know where to.”(11) 

Also in July, Pastor Khaled Mazir of Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Sweida was brutally murdered along with more than 20 members of his family. Mazir is a former Druze who came to Christ. Church members are now scattered, and many are unaccounted for. In addition, the newsletter states that trusted sources “confirm that more than 1,000 members of Syria’s minority communities — primarily Druze and Christians — were recently brutally murdered by Syrian military forces and ISIS-linked terrorists.”(12) 

While other incidents of violence in the western region have been thwarted by Syrian security forces in cooperation with locals, including an attempted bombing of the Maronite church of Mar Elias, many suspect that the Syrian troops are complicit with the Islamic rebel groups still dominating many areas of the country. 

“Syria as a country is at an end today,” Archbishop Mourad said. But he also recognizes that the church in Syria must nevertheless continue its path and its work for the good of all. “Jesus wants His Church to remain in Syria. And the idea of emptying Syria of Christians is certainly not the will of God.”  

Archbishop Mourad underscored that it is the current Syrian leadership — under Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa — that “bears direct responsibility for everything that has happened. Because every government is responsible for the security of the people. And I’m not just talking about the Christians. Many Sunnis, many Alawites have also been killed, many have disappeared.”(13) In addition, many Alawite women and girls are reported missing daily. 

Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser issues the following statement: “We call on the international community not just to condemn the latest atrocities in Syria but to act. That means demanding investigations into the massacres now being reported. It means holding the government in Damascus accountable and demanding transparency in how their nascent government protects every minority and every citizen. It means withholding recognition and support from any regime that commits or enables such crimes. It means recognizing Islamism as the dangerous political ideology that it is, not a legitimate expression of religious faith, but an extremist perversion of it.”(14) 

Part 4: International Community Response 

United States 

In December 2024, a US delegation met with al-Sharra regarding his plans for the government, which were presented as “pragmatic.” Following discussions, the delegation concluded that a proposed “transition plan” was reasonable, but is also applying pressure to ensure the new government is inclusive and non-sectarian. The $10 million reward for al-Sharaa’s arrest was dropped, but at that time, the group he led, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), was still designated as a terrorist organization.(15) 

In May 2025, President Trump met with al-Sharaa and announced that the US would lift sanctions on Syria, which had been in place since 1979, seeking to normalize relations and give Syria a fresh start. He also urged the new interim president to establish diplomatic ties with Israel and join the Abraham Accords. Trump described al-Sharaa as a strong, transformational leader who wants to make Syria the first Arab nation with democratically elected leaders.(16) 

On July 7, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement revoking the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) of HTS, formerly led by al-Sharaa. This announcement followed a June 30 Executive Order “Providing for the Revocation of Syria Sanctions,” in recognition of positive actions taken by the new Syrian government.(17) 

Israel 

On Aug. 20, 2025, officials from Israel and Syria met in Paris, the talks were mediated by the U.S., focusing on de-escalating tensions that have arisen since Assad’s ouster. Israel had launched an air strike on Syria following the brutal killing of more than 1,100 Druze in Syria.(18) The U.S. administration is attempting to broker a deal between Israel and Syria to establish a humanitarian corridor from Israel to Sweida to deliver aid to the Druze community.(19) 

Turkey 

On Aug. 13, 2025, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Syria’s Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra met in Ankara, Turkey, where they signed a memorandum of understanding on “Joint Training and Advisory Cooperation.” In this agreement, which includes joint military training, Turkey issued a warning to Israel and the Kurds and offered support to the new Syrian government. They accused Israel and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of undermining the new Syrian government’s efforts to establish itself.(20) 

Turkey also plans to invest in the development of small and medium-sized businesses in Syria to fuel economic recovery, while also increasing trade sufficiently.(21) 

United Nations 

On Sept. 18, 2025, at the Security Council meeting, Special Envoy of the Secretary General Geir O. Pederson, called on the international community to “provide sanctions relief, support domestic reforms and halt foreign interventions to ensure the country’s successful transition.”(22) He also empathized the need for political stability, urging the establishment of an interim legislative body through transparent and inclusive elections. Despite significant changes underway, a humanitarian crisis persists, with more than 70% of the population in need of aid. The Security Council discussions stressed that “every Syrian has a voice” and is protected “regardless of ethnicity or religion,” and maintains “zero tolerance for abuses.”(22) 

At the time of this writing, the first parliamentary elections since the collapse of Assad’s government are occurring from Sept.15-20, 2025. The transitional government has established a complex electoral framework that does not involve public voting, given the current displacement of millions of Syrians and the fact that the infrastructure is in disarray. “The process is being conducted through a tiered structure where electoral bodies, selected by local subcommittees, will in turn elect parliamentary representatives. The government has stated that the aim of this approach is to select technocrats and academics, with a target of 70% of the members falling into this category and 30% being notable community leaders.”(23) 

Despite rising hopes for true peace and freedom in Syria, deep concerns remain given the violence and persecution perpetrated on minorities in recent months under the interim government. We, as Christians, must continue to pray for Syrian Christians and other minorities during this transition from a dictatorship to a democratic form of government. Time will tell if such a government will be achieved, given the ongoing violence and conflicting factions. 

1. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-syria
2. embrace.me.org
3. syriadirect.org
4. 4.Open Doors World_Watch_List_2024_Map%20(16).pd 

5. https://persecution.org/2025/01/09/the-christians-disappearing-from-biblical-lands/
6. Ibid
7. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/dont-look-away-islamist-regime-syria-allows-slaughter-christians-druze
8. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session59/a-hrc-59-crp4-en.pdf
9. https://www.foxnews.com/tech/suicide-bomber-strikes-syrian-church-near-damascus-during-mass
10. Ibid
11. https://www.osvnews.com/houses-destroyed-church-burnt-new-wave-of-violence-against-syrian-christians/
12. 12.. Rosenberg, J. “The Joshua Fund” Fall, 2025 newsletter 

13. https://www.osvnews.com/houses-destroyed-church-burnt-new-wave-of-violence-against-syrian-christians/
14. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/dont-look-away-islamist-regime-syria-allows-slaughter-christians-druze
15. bbc.com, BBC News, December 20, 2024, “US scraps $10m bounty for arrest of Syria’s new leader Sharaa”
16. pbs.org, PBS News, May 14, 2025, “How Trump’s meeting with Syria’s new leader is a turning point for the war turn-torn nation”
17. state.gov, July 7, 2025 Press Statement
18. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70xyv4z74go
19. Axios, August 12, 2025 “U.S. working on Israel-Syria deal for humanitarian corridor to Suwayda”
20. 20.Turkey backs Syria with warning to Israel and Kurdish fighters | AP News, updated 8:30 AM CDT, August 13, 2025]
21. 21.Turkey Seeks to Build Industrial Zones in Syria to Bolster Trade – Bloomberg , AUGUST 5, 2025 

22. press.un.org, “Syria Needs Global Support to Address ‘Massive Legacy of War, Autocracy’, Special Envoy Tells Security Council, as He announces resignation”, September 18, 2025
23. reliefwed.int, September 17, 2025. “Syria’s 2025 Elections:” Legitimacy and Representation.”

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