In the historic heart of Damascus, Sarah Latifa joins some 500 other worshipers, singing prayers in unison during a Christmas mass. Yet, this year’s celebration carries a shadow of uncertainty. For the first time, Syria finds itself under Islamic control, and the Christian community openly expresses “fears” for its future.
“It wasn’t easy to gather and pray joyfully in these circumstances, but by God’s grace, we managed,” Sarah told AFP after attending mass at the Syriac Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George.
While Syria’s new Islamic-led government—formed from a coalition of armed groups—has made overtures to reassure minority communities, vigilance remains critical for the hundreds of thousands of Christians still in the country. Syria’s once-thriving Christian population has dwindled dramatically, from around one million before the 2011 conflict to an estimated 200,000–300,000 today, according to political scientist Fabrice Balanche.
Rising Tensions Amid Reassurances
On Christmas Eve, Christians in Damascus gathered not only for worship but also to defend their rights. Hundreds protested the burning of a Christmas tree in a town near Hama, an act attributed to foreign fighters from a jihadist group. The incident was condemned by a local official from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the controversial Islamic faction now in power, which claims to have renounced its jihadist roots. Despite these assurances, many remain deeply skeptical of their purported transformation. […]
An Islamist group of foreign fighters affiliated with the HTS have set a Christmas tree on fire in Al-Sqailbiyyah in the Hama province of Syria.
The Christmas tree was put up just a day earlier by the Christians in the region
The Islamists hate Christmas pic.twitter.com/UTSw279TR8
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 23, 2024
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