Syrian Christians attend Christmas mass for the first time since the fall of Assad By Reuters
Written by Amr Abdallah
Damascus (Reuters) – Syrian Christians attended Christmas Eve services for the first time since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in early December, in the first test of the new Islamic rulers’ promises to protect the rights of the country’s religious minorities. .
The service was held under increased security due to the violence against Christian areas, many vehicles belonging to the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stopped in the area of the church.
The pews of the Lady of Damascus Church in the Syrian capital are filled with a mixed congregation of young and old, holding candles as soulful hymns echo through the congregation.
A few hours before the service, hundreds of protesters in Damascus had gathered to condemn the burning of a Christmas tree in the northern region of Hama province in west-central Syria.
Carrying wooden crosses, they sang: “We are your soldiers, Jesus,” “With blood and soul, we sacrifice Jesus,” and “The people of Syria are one.”
Demonstrator Laila Farkouh said: “We are protesting to demand our rights and condemn… The burning of the Christmas tree, and the attacks on churches. We do not accept this.”
De facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa has told Christians and other groups that they will be safe in Syria under the control of his HTS, a former member of al Qaeda.
Although he was also the leader of a Sunni Muslim Islamist group, which sees Christians as infidels, Sharaa quickly ditched his jihadist uniform and changed into business suits as he appeared recently.
He told officials visiting Western countries that HTS would not seek revenge on the former Assad government, whose elites are largely drawn from the Alawite group of Muslims, or suppress any other religious minority.
But many Christians are no longer convinced.
The burning of the Christmas tree is one of many incidents against Christians since the fall of the regime.
On December 18, unknown gunmen opened fire at the Greek Orthodox church in the city of Hama, entering the compound and trying to destroy the cross, and smashed the stones in the cemetery, the church said in a statement.
In one incident, Reuters reporters saw dozens of SUVs driving through Bab Touma, a predominantly Christian neighborhood of Damascus, blaring jihadist songs from their loudspeakers.
