SyriaMap reflects the 30 most recent Persecution Reports. Click HERE for the Map Legend.Christians in Syria Forced to Flee in One Day?Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012With many of their homes currently occupied by militants, and shops looted, many Christians have moved away. The remaining Christians fear they will be “expelled from the country in one day” if the current regime collapses because they are certain Islamic extremists will fill the vacancy. Perhaps, they are taking their cues from the current dilemma in Egypt. Christians in Syria Feel Unsettled About the FutureTuesday, May 15th, 2012In a country where Muslims will decide their fate, many Christians simply do not want to upset their way of living. While some are experiencing more freedoms, others are experiencing less, leaving all with a feeling of unrest. Muslim Persecution of Christians: March, 2012Saturday, April 28th, 2012Raymond Ibrahim writes for the Gatestone Institute that, “Saudi Arabia's highest Islamic legal authority decreed that churches in the region must be destroyed… American teachers in the Middle East were murdered for being Christian or talking about Christianity; churches were banned or bombed, and nuns terrorized by knife-wielding Muslim mobs.” Ibrahim’s series, titled ‘Muslim Persecution of Christians,’ is published each month to document cases of persecution – whether it be general discrimination, arrests, or murder – committed by Muslims in majority Islamic countries, Asia and the West. Arab Christians must fight for recognition in new regimesFriday, April 27th, 2012The survival of Christianity in the Middle East may depend on its ability to make new political alliances and end its dependency on the protection of long-standing, but unpopular regimes, the Guardian reports. Christian peace activist detained in SyriaWednesday, April 25th, 2012Yara Shammas, a 21-year-old Syrian Christian peace activist, is in prison on charges of being a member of a “secret organization,” Catholic Culture reports. Christian targeted in SyriaFriday, April 20th, 2012A new wave of persecution hits Syria’s Christians, Mission Network News reports. In the line of fire — The plight of Middle Eastern ChristiansSunday, April 15th, 2012“Christianity is under heavy attack in the Middle East region with followers of the faith facing persecution and institutionalized discrimination in nations with Islamic-based governments and a jihadi threat in which terrorists target Churches for attack,” the Digital Journal reports. Syria’s Christians caught in the middleTuesday, April 10th, 2012Syrian Christians fear an Sunni Muslim government that could replace President Assad if the regime were to collapse. Syria: Easter cancelled in Homs after churches bombedMonday, April 9th, 2012“For the first time in centuries no services were held to mark the festival of Easter in Christian churches of war-torn Homs,” The Telegraph reports. Syria: Muted Easter celebrations plannedSunday, April 8th, 2012“Easter celebrations will be muted as Syrian Christians continue to suffer, along with all Syrians, amid ongoing violence and political uncertainty,” Middle East Concern reports. Plight of Arab Christians in the Middle EastSunday, April 8th, 2012“As a result of the U.S.-led invasion that toppled that secular government and brought to power a coalition led by sectarian Shiite Muslim parties and created a backlash by Sunni Muslim extremists, the Christian community in Iraq -- one of the oldest in the world -- has been reduced by more than half,” the National Catholic Reporter reports. Why we all should defend Christianity in the Middle EastSaturday, April 7th, 2012The “rich fabric of interwoven social and cultural identities” in the Middle East may forever change if the mass exodus of Christians from the Middle East continues, writes Amer Al Sabaileh. Syrian Christians in desperate straits: will the churches survive?Friday, April 6th, 2012“The city of Homs, the third largest in Syria, has now seen almost its entire Christian population of 50,000 to 60,000 flee for safety as fighting continues in the stricken country,” the Barnabas Fund reports. Christians subjected to violence and atrocities in SyriaThursday, April 5th, 2012“In Kusayr... the ethnic minorities and religious such as Alawites, Christians, Shiites have been subjected to violence and atrocities perpetrated by armed Sunni groups that have taken their revenge. The Christian family Kasouha lost many of its members, killed cold bloodedly. Killings and kidnappings are carried out in retaliation on behalf of militant Sunni Islamists,” Agenzia Fides reports. Christians Consider Fleeing Syria Amid Fears of IntoleranceWednesday, April 4th, 2012“As the violent conflict between rebels and the Syrian government continues putting the lives of civilians at risk, many Christians are reportedly considering fleeing the country, once considered a safe haven for Christians in the Middle East,” the Christian Post reports. Christians in Syria struggle amid violent clashesMonday, April 2nd, 2012The National Catholic Reporter interviews Issam Bishara, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association's (CNEWA) regional director for Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, about the current conditions affecting Christians in Syria. Islamists and Arab constitutionsSunday, April 1st, 2012“The uprisings of 2011 fostered hopes for democracy in the Arab world, but also a big fear: what if the old tyrannies go, only to be replaced by new, Islamic ones? This fear has pushed some in Syria, especially its minorities [including Christians], into a grudging tolerance for the brutal, but at least secular regime. A similar fear has reared its head lately in Egypt and Tunisia, too, as both prepare to write new constitutions,” The Economist reports. Ongoing Persecution of Syria’s ChristiansSaturday, March 31st, 2012“Syrian President Basher Assad isn’t the only target of Syrian rebels as Syria’s Orthodox Christian Church reports ‘ongoing ethnic cleansing of Christians’ by al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militant groups in the embattled Syrian city of Homs,” FrontPageMag reports. Syrian violence drives 50,000 Christians from homesWednesday, March 28th, 2012“Almost all Christians in the conflict-torn Syrian city of Homs have fled violence and persecution, amid reports that their homes have been attacked and seized by ‘fanatics’ with links to al-Qaida,” Catholic News Agency reports. Setting up Triage in Syria: Strategies to Save a Struggling Nation’s MinoritiesWednesday, March 28th, 2012Christians in Syria are fearful that the overthrow of President Bashar Assad will lead to an Islamist-dominated government and increasing attacks on Christians (similar to what happened to Christian in Iraq after Saddam Hussein and what is happening now to Christians in Egypt following Hosni Mubarak’s ouster). Kurt J. Werthmuller, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute, discusses the steps that must be taken to save Syria’s minorities. |
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