Middle East

Lisa Pearce, deputy CEO of Open Doors UK, brings us the latest on Syria’s Christian refugees who are now living in Lebanon after fleeing violence in their homeland.

The kidnappings of the Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo on April 22 by armed rebels in the village of Kfar Dael heightened concerns among some Syrian Christians that similar incidents may take place in the war-torn country which has now claimed some 70,000 lives. The nephew of Bishop Yohanna Ibrahim, one of the two archbishops who were kidnapped, said he hopes Syrian Christians will not use the incident as an incentive to flee the country, the Christian Post reports.

Two Orthodox bishops kidnapped in a village near Aleppo, Syria are still in the hands of kidnappers, Mgr. Jean-Clement Jeanbart, Greek Melkite bishop of Aleppo, told Asia News. "The Catholic and Orthodox Churches are doing their best to mediate with the kidnappers," the prelate added, "but at present no one understands the reasons for this act and who is behind these criminals." Meanwhile, mortar rounds hit one of Aleppo’s main Christian neighborhoods, killing four people on April 29, Asia News reports.

Many Christians in Syria—who have historically experienced a higher degree of freedom in Syria than in most other Middle Eastern countries—have refused to actively oppose the regime which, according to Islamists, means they are loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. While these Christians denounce the brutality of the regime, they fear that any government that replaces Assad will be dominated by extremists who will severely persecute religious minorities. “The al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra has gained control of several areas, after which it has imposed Sunni Islamic law. Thus the situation now involves religious persecution and the possibility of ethnic cleansing, genocide and population transfers,” Al-Monitor reports.

Two bishops who were kidnapped in a village near Aleppo, Syria are “in good health,” according to Turkish President Abdullah Gul. President Gul spoke on the phone with Yuhanna Ibrahim, the Syriac Bishop of the Orthodox Church of Aleppo, late last week.

Pressure is mounting for the release of two Syrian bishops kidnapped on April 22 by armed rebels in a village near Aleppo, The Independent Voter Network (IVN) reports. The bishops are the most senior church leaders abducted in the conflict which has now killed more than 70,000 people across Syria.

More than 1,000 Christians have been killed and at least 40 churches and Christian centers have been damaged in Syria since the outbreak of war, Patriarch Gregorios III Laham told BBC. This BBC article looks at the Syrian church’s prosperous past and reports on Christians’ concerns over an uncertain future.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has issued a report on the “increasingly sectarian nature” of the war in Syria which has contributed to a climate in which the “human rights of all Syrians, including religious freedom, have been violated.” The report highlights heightening persecution in the country committed against several religious groups, including Christians.

Christians, who have historically experienced a higher degree of freedom in Syria than in most other Middle Eastern countries, have widely chosen not to take up arms or to actively support either the rebels or President Bashar al-Assad. While many Christians have publicly denounced the brutality of the regime, they fear that an alternative government will be led by extremists who will severely persecute religious minorities.

Two Syrian bishops kidnapped on Monday by armed rebels in a village near Aleppo are still missing, contradicting reports that the men had been freed, Reuters reports. The bishops are the most senior church leaders abducted in the conflict which has now killed more than 70,000 people across Syria.

Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, condemned the kidnapping of two archbishops and said Pope Francis is “following [the] events with deep participation and intense prayer.” The bishops were abducted by armed rebels on Monday in the village of Kfar Dael, near Aleppo, Syria while carrying out humanitarian work. The bishops are the most senior church leaders abducted in the conflict which has now killed more than 70,000 people across Syria. The kidnapping "is a dramatic confirmation of the tragic situation in which the Syrian people and its Christian community are living," Lombardi said.

The Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo were kidnapped on Monday by armed rebels in the village of Kfar Dael while "carrying out humanitarian work", Reuters reports. The bishops are the most senior church leaders abducted in the conflict which has now killed more than 70,000 people across Syria. Just last September, one of the bishops, Yohanna Ibrahim, told Reuters that Christians were becoming increasingly persecuted in the region. "In its modern history Aleppo has not seen such critical and painful times...Christians have been attacked and kidnapped in monstrous ways and their relatives have paid big sums for their release," he told Reuters.

Syrian Christians have asked ICC to help mobilize the international Christian community to stand alongside the church in Syria by praying and fasting on Saturday, May 11  to “plead before the Lord for His mercy on Syria.” 

Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of Foreign Relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, has warned against the threat of genocide against Christians in Syria, the Christian Post reports. “The Orthodox Church of Antioch… stressed that the Christians face crimes of genocide through expelling of Christians from the areas dominated by the Free Syrian Army or killing them," said Hilarion.

An alliance of Christian organizations from more than 20 countries is urging the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria to pay particular attention to the country's "vulnerable ethnic and religious minorities", Christian Today reports. Since the outbreak of war, Christians and their places of worship have been increasingly targeted by terrorist attacks, similar to what was seen in Iraq’s war that resulted in more than half the Christian population leaving the country following the US-led invasion in 2003. "We believe the international community must act now to protect them. And we are calling on Christian leaders around the world to unite in calling for prayer for peace for this troubled nation," said the alliance in a joint statement.

While people from every political, ethnic, and religious background are suffering in Syria’s civil war, Christians have found themselves in a very unique and frightening situation, having widely chosen not to take up arms or to openly support either the rebels or the regime. Of particular concern is the rise of kidnappings of Christians for ransom, similar to what was seen throughout the war in Iraq. In this article, The Atlantic reports on how Christians are faring in the battle-scarred city of Ras al-Ayn.

Syria's Christians fear an Islamist takeover should the current government be overthrown, the Assyrian International News Agency reports. While many Christians have publicly denounced the brutality of President Assad and by no means support the regime, most Christians see little hope in an alternative government which, they fear, will be led by Islamists who will hinder or outright abolish the religious freedoms long experienced by Christian in Syria. “There are several dozens of armed Salafi-jihadist groups both foreign and domestic currently operating in Syria that explicitly advocate Islamist agendas and possess the intentions and capabilities to commit violent persecution towards Syria's Christians,” writes Matthew J. Thomas.