Exclusive — Christian Persecution Expert: Jihadis Taking Syria a ‘Disaster for Christians’

[1LoverofGod]

ICC is a global charity working to offer humanitarian aid and advocate for the rights of persecuted Christians around the world. Christian persecution experts estimated this year that over 365 million Christians around the world live in areas where they face intense discrimination because they are Christians, including the threat of kidnapping, torture, and death, among other atrocities. Syria, suffering a civil war for over a decade, was among those places as a result of the establishment of the Islamic State (ISIS) “caliphate” and the prevalence of jihadist terrorist groups in the country – including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that won the civil war on Saturday.

The fallen dictator of Syria, Assad, is an Alawite Shiite Muslim and ran a regime allied with the world’s premier state sponsor of terrorism, Iran. Despite Iran funding some of the most harrowing jihadist atrocities in the world, Assad himself did not persecute Christians due to their faith – his regime only targeted Christian political dissidents, as it did anyone who challenged his regime in any way.

HTS is an offshoot of al-Qaeda run by a terrorist who once worked directly under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the late ISIS “caliph.” While that leader – Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now wanting to be referred to by his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa – has insisted in recent interviews he does not intend to persecute any minority groups in Syria, his history has left many doubters to that promise and recalled similar assurances by the bloodthirsty Taliban of Afghanistan that they would form an “inclusive” government that, three years later, has failed to materialize.

The Taliban congratulated HTS on their deposing of Assad this weekend.
King, a religious persecution expert and author of several books on the subject, told Breitbart News that he is among the doubters.

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Exclusive -- Christian Persecution Expert: Jihadis Taking Syria a 'Disaster for Christians'

Jihadist rule in Syria "will be a disaster for Christians," predicted Jeff King, the president of International Christian Concern (ICC).

www.breitbart.com

 

[1LoverofGod]

ICC is a global charity working to offer humanitarian aid and advocate for the rights of persecuted Christians around the world. Christian persecution experts estimated this year that over 365 million Christians around the world live in areas where they face intense discrimination because they are Christians, including the threat of kidnapping, torture, and death, among other atrocities. Syria, suffering a civil war for over a decade, was among those places as a result of the establishment of the Islamic State (ISIS) “caliphate” and the prevalence of jihadist terrorist groups in the country – including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that won the civil war on Saturday.

The fallen dictator of Syria, Assad, is an Alawite Shiite Muslim and ran a regime allied with the world’s premier state sponsor of terrorism, Iran. Despite Iran funding some of the most harrowing jihadist atrocities in the world, Assad himself did not persecute Christians due to their faith – his regime only targeted Christian political dissidents, as it did anyone who challenged his regime in any way.

HTS is an offshoot of al-Qaeda run by a terrorist who once worked directly under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the late ISIS “caliph.” While that leader – Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now wanting to be referred to by his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa – has insisted in recent interviews he does not intend to persecute any minority groups in Syria, his history has left many doubters to that promise and recalled similar assurances by the bloodthirsty Taliban of Afghanistan that they would form an “inclusive” government that, three years later, has failed to materialize.

The Taliban congratulated HTS on their deposing of Assad this weekend.
King, a religious persecution expert and author of several books on the subject, told Breitbart News that he is among the doubters.

More

Exclusive -- Christian Persecution Expert: Jihadis Taking Syria a 'Disaster for Christians'

Jihadist rule in Syria "will be a disaster for Christians," predicted Jeff King, the president of International Christian Concern (ICC).

www.breitbart.com

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

 

[1LoverofGod]

After arson attack, Christians in Syria warn they will leave the country if left unprotected against Islamist attacks​

The Christian minority in Syria held a protest on Christmas Eve following the burning of a Christmas tree the night before in the predominantly Christian town of Al-Suqaylabiyah. The perpetrators are believed to have been foreign Islamist extremists.

Protesters from the Christian community demanded protection from the new regime in Syria, holding crosses and new flags to represent the government, following the collapse of the Assad regime. They called for an end to "injustice and sectarianism against Christians."

"Either we live in a country that respects our Christianity as we did before or open the door for us so that we can leave abroad," one protester stated.

Syrian military officials and Islamic clerics promised the Al-Suqaylabiyah parish priest, Father Maher Haddad, that the anti-Christian perpetrators would be punished for the arson attack.

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After arson attack, Christians in Syria warn they will leave the country if left unprotected against Islamist attacks

allisrael.com

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

 

[Tall Timbers]

Things can't be too bad if they can hold a protest...

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Things can't be too bad if they can hold a protest...

They know they have to act now before things get any worse, because if they wait, it will be worse, and it will be even more dangerous.
You can bet that TPTB there are reviewing video, making lists, printing pix, etc. for "later use."
TPTB probably also infiltrated and made some contacts so they than infiltrate the out-in-the-open church and potentially underground churches, either right away, or later. TPTB can also use collected info for extortion and blackmail, threatening families, if people don't give certain information, such as the names of three more Christians, etc. TPTB will work fast, before families start leaving and are unavailable to use as leverage.

If I had kids or elderly I was responsible for and I were called to stay, they would have already left. If I were not called to stay, I would have gone with them. This is not going to end well.

TPTB are already slaughtering Christians and kidnapping/raping/forcibly marrying marriage-aged women and girls elsewhere in the country. They won't stop with the Kurds.

 

[Tall Timbers]

They know they have to act now

Yes, I suspect they should try and relocate... Maybe to territory held by the Kurds. In Syria Islamists are killing Islamists right now... not all of the Assad loyalists laid down their weapons. Nobody is safe in that country except for the Israeli military.

 

[Tall Timbers]

Protests in Syria Follow Attack on Alawite Shrine​

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Wednesday reported protests in Syria’s coastal cities of Tartus, Latakia, Homs, and Qardaha after a video showing an Alawite shrine attacked by unknown militants was posted to social media.

The Alawites are a sect of Shiite Islam whose numbers in Syria are fairly small, but until recently they held outsized influence because dictator Bashar Assad was an Alawite. Qardaha is Assad’s hometown, while Tartus and Latakia are the cities with the heaviest Alawite populations.

The protests over the shrine attack are the second large religious demonstration since an insurgent coalition led by an al-Qaeda offshoot called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Assad on December 8. The previous demonstrations were held earlier this week by Syrian Christians after masked militants destroyed a Christmas tree.

HTS and its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, have promised to replace Assad with a new sort of Islamist government that imposes sharia law across the country, but protects the rights of religious minorities, including Christians and Alawites. Given HTS’s history and Sharaa’s background as an al-Qaeda leader, many Syrians and outside observers are skeptical of these promises.

Protests in Syria Follow Attack on Alawite Shrine

Protests broke out in Syria’s coastal cities after a video showing an Alawite shrine attacked by unknown militants appeared on social media.

www.breitbart.com

I think a lot of hard times are ahead for all Syrians.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Good luck getting out. It's probably very expensive going through established places of entry/exit now (much baksheesh)
Or through the mountains, which is hard, anyway, and with the fighting, etc., even moreso.
And with Turkey "encouraging" killing of the Kurds, some "normal" destinations of safety may not be anymore, or for long, and fewer guides, and likely higher prices and/or having to take extra children, women, girls, and/or old people along.

 

[Tall Timbers]

Syria Jihadis Tell Christians ‘You’re Next’ amid Alawite Slaughter​

Humanitarian groups helping persecuted Christians shared reports this week of Islamic extremists attacking and threatening the remaining Christian minority in Syria, warning they were “next” after the elimination of Alawite Shia Muslims.

Syria experienced a sudden eruption of violence against Alawites in its western coastal territories this weekend, attacks described as “revenge” against the minority for perceived support of ousted dictator Bashar Assad. Assad and his family are Alawites, a minority sect within Shia Islam, and Sunni jihadists in the country consider all who share that identity opposed to their goals. Those jihadists have been emboldened by Assad’s ouster in December, which occurred after the Al Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a massively successful conquest campaign in late November 2024.

The HTS government, led by top jihadi Ahmed al-Sharaa, claimed on Thursday that a group of Assad sympathizers launched attacks against their forces in Latakia governate, an Alawite stronghold. Sharaa’s regime admitted to launching an “operation” against the alleged fighters, but claimed to avoid any civilian casualties. The regime ultimately admitted to widespread evidence of such atrocities and promised to establish a “committee” to investigate them. On Tuesday, they claimed to have arrested four people for violence that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a monitor group, documented had killed about 1,500 people and counting, hundreds of them confirmed civilians.

Human Rights Groups: Syria Jihadis Tell Christians 'You're Next' amid Alawite Slaughter

Humanitarian groups shared reports of Islamic extremists attacking and threatening the remaining Christian minority in Syria.

www.breitbart.com