Why is the new Syrian regime targeting minorities?

It seemed things were getting better in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime. For example, the new Syrian government recently reached an agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that control the northeast part of the country, bringing most of the nation under the central government that replaced Bashar al-Assad.

When Ahmed al-Sharaa led an Islamist group called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to overthrow the Assad regime last year, he promised inclusive and democratic governance for the war-torn country. But now we are hearing that recent violence against the Alawite minority was carried out not by Assad loyalists, as had been reported, but by pro-government forces. More than a thousand people were killed in the bloodshed, most of whom were Alawite civilians.

We should note that the systematic targeting of Alawites is consistent with the goals of ISIS, which especially hates Shiites and minorities. (Alawites are distinct from Shiites, but they are often seen as part of the same category.)

Video footage and images show militants wearing a uniform with the ISIS black flag symbol. In one video, a zealot is pictured inside a truck at the scene of a massacre as he broadcasts to his colleagues: “To the mujahadeen and those who stand guard, do not leave alive any Alawite, male or female. . . . Slaughter them all, including the children in the bed. These are pigs. Take them and throw them into the sea, as the sages of old advise.”

Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda operative, though he has tried to distance himself publicly from his terrorist roots. However, if ISIS remnants are being integrated into the Syrian state security services, we could see a new surge of terrorism in the region and beyond.

Are entire villages being slaughtered?

In the Free Press, a reporter named Theo Padnos describes his two years held captive by Jabhat al-Nusra, the precursor to HTS. He says they regularly tortured him and made clear their desire to destroy the Alawite minority.

Accordingly, he warns, “Some three million Alawites . . . are in mortal danger because of the Islamist terrorists who now rule Syria.”

Christians are reportedly being persecuted by the new regime as well. According to Asia News, a Vatican-affiliated news agency that reports on Christian communities, more than eight hundred people were recently slaughtered in their homes solely because they were Christians.

Some say the number of victims is much higher. The Iraqi Christian Foundation, which advocates for Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, reports the death toll at eighteen hundred. It alleges that entire villages are being slaughtered.

Rev. Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital his organization has verified that the fighters “indiscriminately and grotesquely killed countless civilians, including a number of Christians,” adding that “the numbers are rising.” He called the atrocity “a clear demonstration that this new government has failed at the first task of any government, which is to protect its citizens.”

For more on the persecution of Christians in Syria and why they have been targeted, see Laurel Wood’s “Why are Christians being killed in Syria?”

Three urgent responses

You and I can respond to this horrific news in three ways.

One: Pray for divine protection for minority populations being persecuted in Syria. Whether they are Christians or Alawite Muslims, they are beloved by our Father. They deserve our compassion and daily intercession.

Two: Pray for our leaders to have discernment in dealing with the new regime in Syria. Each population group of any significance has its own metanarrative, and their leaders can be expected to act in their national best interest. 

If the new leaders in Syria, many of whom are Islamists, believe their goals are best met by persecuting minorities while lying about this to the larger world, they may well do so. Given the horrific reporting of recent days, the international community must not take them at their word. Discernment is vital.

Three: Use our influence to rally others to this cause. As I am writing about this news in this way, you can use your social media platforms to influence others as well. Ask your pastor and church leaders to pray for Christians and other minorities in Syria, perhaps during worship services this Sunday morning. Encourage those you know to join you in an army of intercession.

George Orwell observed, “The real test of character is how you treat someone who has no possibility of doing you any good.” Persecuted Syrians cannot benefit us today, but we can do them much good.

According to Billy Graham, “Faithfulness and persecution often go hand in hand.” This is true not only for faithful Christians in Syria but also for those who would respond to such persecution with their own faithfulness.

Beginning now.