The World Evangelical Alliance, representing over 600 million people in 143 countries, calls on Christians and all people of good will to pray for the people in Syria. When the regime change took place in December 2024, many observers wondered how the new religious extremist leaders would treat religious minorities. The recent violence against the minority Shia Alawite community activates fear for many minorities based on a history of violence by previous Islamist actors.
As exhorted by our Savior Jesus Christ, Christians are called to care for all people, who are made in God’s image. When we care for those who are hungry, thirsty, a stranger, without clothing, sick or imprisoned, we are caring for Jesus. In places of war and violence, far too many vulnerable people experience these conditions and, therefore, deserve our compassion, attention, and prayers.
According to news reports, about 1,000 Alawites were killed in several days of attacks spread along the coastal region. A few Christians were killed, but do not appear to have been targeted for their faith. All human life is valuable worthy of protection, and many in the international community have called for oversight and protection. The UN Security Council has called on “the interim authorities to protect all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religion…Syria’s interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these mass killings accountable.”
The recent conflict in Syria should also recall other places experiencing distress. The lapsed ceasefire in Israel and Gaza means more will suffer. The war against Ukraine is in its third year. The Democratic Republic of Congo has endured decades of conflict that has recently escalated. Lebanon, Yemen, Turkey, Sudan, and Ethiopia have all seen suffering from destructive clashes. In all these locations, people suffer and are displaced from their homes.
Christians along with Muslims have suffered enormously in Syria and the Middle East. The region’s unrest has frequently displaced Christians from their homes. Violence and pressure in the wider Middle East often make it difficult for Christian communities to remain in the area and preserve the witness they have sustained for thousands of years. Jack Sara, regional Secretary General for Middle East and North Africa says, “Prior to some of the conflicts that are happening now in our region, the number of Christians in many places like Iraq, Syria, the Holy Land, and other countries were 5 times the amount that we see now. For example, Christians in Syria are now less than 350 thousand and decreasing. That’s why we are alarmed.”
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