So Who Runs Syria Now? And What Does It Mean for Christians?
A look at the history of the group that have taken Damascus, what it means for Christians in Syria, and how we can pray.
The world was stunned this past weekend as Syria changed, seemingly overnight.
Rebels took over the capital, Damascus, and the strongman leader of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, fled for Russia. He’d led the country for more than 20 years, taking over for his father, who’d led for nearly 30 years. Now, for the first time in almost 50 years, Syria won’t be ruled by an Assad.
On November 29, Syrian fighters of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an opposition group supported by Türkiye, reached the center of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city. A day later, HTS forces headed towards the city of Hama, and by December 5, they took control of Hama. Eventually, they also captured Homs and made their way to Damascus. By December 7, Assad had fled and the rebel groups had declared victory, raising the new Syrian flag over Damascus.
The rebel takeover was swift—though the ground had been laid through nearly a decade of civil war.
But who are these rebel groups? And what does the new political reality mean for Christians in Syria?
Who are the new leaders of Syria?
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (roughly translated, the group’s name means “Organization for the Liberation of the Levant”) started in 2011 under another name: Jabhat al-Nusra, which was allied to Al Qaeda. The BBC says the group was “one of the most effective and deadly of the groups ranged against President Assad” during the beginning of the Syrian Civil War.
In 2016, the group cut ties with al Qaeda, and eventually renamed itself in 2017 when it merged with other rebel groups. After opposition groups were driven out of Aleppo in 2016, HTS mainly controlled the area west of Aleppo around the city of Idlib. They are supported by Türkiye. They are still regarded a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom.
HTS has an Islamic agenda; they have long wanted to oust Assad and Hezbollah—the Islamist Lebanese group supported by Iran—and install Islamic rule in Syria. Under HTS-control in Idlib, Christian clergy was and is not allowed to walk outside in any clothing that makes them recognizable as priests or pastors. Crosses were removed from church buildings.
But, there are no current reports of HTS-fighters threatening Christians or other groups. And public declarations from the group suggest they are trying to rebrand themselves as tolerant of minorities and human rights. The leader of HTS, Ahmed al-Sharaa (who previously went under an assumed name, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), even told CNN that HTS has “gone out of its way to publicly tell Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities that they will live safely under its rule.”
“No one has the right to erase another group,” al-Sharaa told CNN. “These sects have coexisted in this region for hundreds of years, and no one has the right to eliminate them.”
The latest publicly available set of rules from HTS’s leadership in Damascus also suggests there is some hope for a more moderate Islamist rule. These rules include a ban on revenge between Syrians, a guarantee of freedom for media outlets and a ban on restrictions for women’s clothing, which includes Islamic dress.
“The leadership transition in Syria under HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has provoked mixed responses,” explains Henriette Kats, an Open Doors research analyst on the Middle East. “While he promises safety and peaceful coexistence for all minorities, including Christians, doubts persist due to HTS’s jihadist origins and track record of human rights abuses.”
And so: uncertainty remains.
What does this mean for Christians?
Christians, like other Syrians, feel unsecure as they don’t know what to expect. In general, they are afraid that the change of control might have a negative impact on the freedom they had as Christians. But the main feeling for believers in Syria is uncertainty—there’s simply no way to know what the future holds. Assad was widely seen as a tyrant, which explains the jubilation many Syrians have expressed to international media since his downfall.
But the replacement of a tyrant can be tricky and lead to a power vacuum. This is what happened in Iraq in 2007, when Saddam Hussein was deposed and a power vacuum led to the rise of ISIS.
This is what Christians pray will not happen. There is room for cautious optimism, particularly since HTS is saying many of the right things. But right now, the future is simply unknown.
“For Christians and other minorities, the future remains precarious, as past hardships in Idlib and concerns that these assurances may be a tactic to gain initial public support raise questions about long-term stability,” explains Kats.
How can we pray?
Syrian Christians have asked us to pray alongside them.
Pray for the people in Syria; and especially for our brothers and sisters – that they will find refuge in God and will trust Him in this situation.
Pray that there will be no restrictions on Christians and other minorities in how they practice their faith.
Pray that there won’t be bloodshed in Syria.
Pray that the Lord will give wisdom to each church leader and each individual Christian about what to do and how to respond wisely to the new situation.
Pray the promises of the new leaders of Syria will be true, and that this change in government will ultimately lead to greater stability and reconciliation for all Syrians.
