Christians eager to help rebuild a Syria based on equal rights
The situation for Christians in Syria varies from city to city, according to local sources, and Christians have greeted with cautious optimism the transitional Government’s guarantees to respect religious freedom.
Christian leaders in Syria have expressed their willingness to work with the provisional government, following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, to build a new country based on equal rights.
According to local sources contacted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Christians are committed to playing a full role in the future of Syria and refuse to be labelled merely as a religious minority in need of special treatment or, worse, treated as second class citizens. “The heads of communities do not want to define themselves as minorities, because otherwise they might lose their representation in the new constitution and state institutions. They want to stress equal rights,” said ACNs source, who prefers to remain anonymous for security reasons.
There have already been several high-level meetings between Christian leaders and the new political establishment, with officials reassuring Christians that their rights will be fully respected.
The fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in a matter of weeks, last December, stunned the world, after almost 14 years of civil war which seemed to have reached a stalemate. At first, Christians were alarmed, as part of the new rulers of Syria are members of a group which was openly jihadist, and initially affiliated to Al-Qaeda.
The transitional government has promised to respect religious freedom, but a few incidents in different parts of the country have led the Christian community to take these guarantees with caution. Local sources, however, told ACN that the situation cannot be generalised, either for good or for bad, and depends on what part of the country one is in.
“Damascus is in the spotlight, which pressures the former rebels to be more peaceful, and to maintain the positive image they have. However, there are still individual incidents, such as women being asked to wear the veil, or men and women being told not to walk together if they are not related. The same happens in Aleppo.”
Lack of a strong central authority has allowed some small groups or individuals to impose more radical measures, such as segregated seating on public transport, or forcing women to wear veils. Sometimes, the fear of causing a problem or drawing unwanted attention leads people to adopt these practices merely out of caution.
In other cities, however, things are worse. “In Homs and Hama, the situation is more difficult. It is a mixed area, with ten religious confessions living in the same place, and neighbourhoods are mixed, which makes it difficult. It was also a difficult situation during the war. People avoid being on the streets after 17:00. There are Jihadists on the streets, using megaphones to call on people to convert to Islam and telling women to veil. Fear is really very pronounced, Christians cannot work, many stay home,” an ACN source explained.
The Valley of the Christians, so-called because it is an exclusively Christian region, is peaceful, but roads in and out can be dangerous since armed groups are free to set up roadblocks which are then used to harass citizens. “We have had cases of Christians being asked to convert to Islam. When they refuse, they are turned away from the roadblock, but lose all their belongings.”
Overall, the feeling among Christians can be described as one of cautious optimism. “We are happy that Assad’s regime has fallen, and we hope for a better Syria, but we must not take for granted that everything is fine now, especially for the Christians, or that the change in Syria is for the best, though we hope and pray it is,” said one of ACN’s sources in Syria.
Despite the uncertainty around the future of the country, ACN continues to support many projects in Syria, and is even open to expand, since needs are still significant among the Christian community, as many have lost their jobs and are cash strapped.
