Syria Is Not Yet Safe for Christians Under Al-Sharaa

Since Paul the apostle first encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, Syria has been one of the cradles of Christianity. Today, Syria is closer to a graveyard for Christians, as violence and oppression-fueled emigration threaten the virtual extinction of Christianity in Syria. Before the Syrian Civil War, Christians made up roughly 10% of the population, between 1.5 and 2 million people. Only an estimated 300,000 remain today. While their dwindling number is due in large part to the instability in the region, the new government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has escalated the oppression of Christians. The current state of religious minorities in Syria, along with the posture and structure of the Syrian Constitution and Parliament, effectively restricts positive change.