A good twelve years ago, ISHR quoted a clergyman living in Syria:

“If we want to live in peace, we Christians must demonstrate our willingness to help every day.”

Since the suppression of the “Arab Spring” in 2011, the ISHR has supported the humanitarian aid in Syria of the Marist Brothers in Aleppo, the Jesuit Fathers in Homs, and Archbishop Maurice Amsih of Al-Jazeera and the Euphrates.

Dr. Nabil Antaki speaking at the Annual Conference of the German section of the ISHR in Bonn/Germany at the end of March © W. Franke

On December 8, 2024, seventeen-armed Islamist rebel groups led by HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) succeeded in overthrowing the regime of dictator Assad and seizing power. Following a charm offensive by the new government, there was a great sense of relief among the population. European states, including the Federal Republic of Germany, courted the new government, announced the lifting of sanctions, and offered support. But on what basis? The constitution was abolished, parliament dissolved, and more than 300,000 employees at the state and local levels were laid off.

Because the police are ineffective, crime and theft have increased. Arbitrary arrests and summary executions take place every day. Between March 6 and 8, 2025, between 1,600 and 3,000 people were killed in the search for the remnants of the old regime, mostly Alawites—the former dictator, Assad, was an Alawite. Christians were also murdered.

A provisional constitution was proclaimed on March 13, 2025. It stipulates that all citizens have equal rights regardless of religion, gender, or ethnicity, but with the proviso that Sharia law is the source of legislation.

But Islamization is already at work: prohibition of eating or smoking for everyone during the fasting hours of Ramadan, incitement to wear the veil, segregation of boys and girls in schools and public transport, construction of mosques on university campuses, destruction of grave crosses in some Christian cemeteries, abuse in some Christian villages.

Dr. Nabil Antaki, former leader of the Blue Marist Church in Aleppo, looked anxiously into the future at the annual meeting of the German section of the ISHR at the end of March:

“After 63 years of a despotic regime, Syrians aspire to a free life in a democracy, in a state governed by the rule of law, where all citizens are equal before the law and human rights are respected. However, we fear the future. We fear that an oligarchic tyranny will ultimately be replaced by an Islamist one. But we have no other choice, because there is no alternative.”

Under the new conditions, the Blue Marists suspended their aid for six days, then slowly started one program after another, starting with the most urgent ones such as the ‘A Drop of Milk’ project for around 200 babies and small children and the ‘Sharing Bread’ project with 265 lonely elderly people who have no relatives and who receive a hot meal every day from the Marists. All projects are now active again. The Blue Marists help those who need support, regardless of their religious affiliation. If we want Christians and other non-Muslim religious minorities to have a future in Syria, we must stand with them.

The Blue Marists in Syria © Blue Marists