Introduction

The Syrian civil war has negatively impacted every religious and ethnic community. In areas controlled by Islamist militias, religious minorities have suffered particularly poor treatment. Many have been forced to flee the country due to the hostile living conditions created by these militias, rendering some areas ‘religiously cleansed.’

Abduction of Christian clergy

The murders and disappearances of notable Christian clergy provided the first clear indication of a campaign targeting Syria’s ancient Christian community. Notable cases include:

• Reverend Basilious Nasser, a Christian priest from the Greek Orthodox Church, murdered by a sniper in January 2012.
• Father Fadi Haddad, abducted in October 2012.
• Archbishop Boulos (Paul) Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and Father Paolo Dall’Ogglio, an Italian Jesuit priest, abducted in October 2013 – their whereabouts remain unknown.
• Frans van der Lugt, an elderly and respected Dutch priest, murdered in April 2014.
• Father Ibrahim Farah, an Orthodox priest in Idlib, kidnapped by the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, Al-Noussra Front, in 2015. He fled to exile in Turkey after negotiations secured his release.

Displacement and massacres

As well as these and other abductions, the campaign against the Christian community has included extortion through kidnapping, rape, seizure and destruction of property, forced conversion under threat of death, and murder. An estimated 650,000 Christians have fled the country, with many others displaced internally. Cities such as Homs and Aleppo, once home to large Christian communities, are now left with a fraction of the previous Christian population.

By July 2014 Islamic State (IS) was reported to be in control of around 35% of Syria’s territory, with other hard-line militants controlling large swathes elsewhere. Shari’a courts had been set up in areas occupied by IS, to enforce conformity with their extreme interpretation of Islam. For example, the Christian community in Raqqa was ordered to pay jizya or dhimmi tax, adopt the Islamic dress code, and worship behind closed doors. In addition, Christians were subjected to harsh living conditions in an effort to compel their conversion. Raqqa was home to nearly 13,000 Christians before 2014; fewer than 80 remain.

Although IS has now lost the territory it once held, Syria remains a war zone. There is an urgent need for a credible ceasefire that contributes to the protection of civilians and to combating enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions. Components of truth, reconciliation and transitional justice should also be included in any negotiated ceasefire, and this ceasefire must generate measurable improvements in humanitarian access to civilians. This will also assist in re-activating the economy, which has been severely damaged by years of fighting. Improving local economies would create jobs and encourage the re-integration of fighters into society, which is a vital step towards a sustainable political solution.

Syria’s Druze ethnoreligious minority, believed to constitute around 3.2% of the population, has also been targeted in recent years. Originating from the Near East, the Druze self-identify as ‘Unitarians’ or ‘People of Monotheism.’ Their religious belief is deemed heretical by hard-line Islamists.

In June 2015 fighters from Al-Noussra Front massacred 20 Druze civilians in the countryside of Idlib. On 25 July 2018 IS terrorists conducted a number of suicide attacks on markets and in residential areas in As-Suwayda Governorate, and stormed villages in the region, killing more than 300 people, injuring 298 and abducting 37. Victims included women and children, and in some instances, entire families were wiped out. After the abductions, IS released footage of the executions of several hostages. On 8 November 2018 the 17 remaining abductees were released, along with the bodies of two children who died in captivity.

The Turkish incursion into northeast and northwest Syria

On 18 March 2018 a coalition of Islamist militias supported by the Turkish army entered the Kurdish town of Afrin after a fierce battle with PYD (Partiya Yekitiya Demokrat) forces, who had to withdraw after suffering serious losses due to heavy artillery and air bombardment. Turkey called this Operation Olive Branch (Zeytin Dalı Harekâtı). Tens of thousands of civilians fled for safety, including approximately 200 Kurdish Christian families. The only Kurdish Evangelical Church in Afrin closed down and its pastor moved to Aleppo. Islamist militias loyal to Turkey proceeded to implement an Islamic system in Afrin, enforcing Shari’a law and education. Human rights groups reported widespread abuses such as killings, kidnappings, rape and torture. Other abuses included attacks on the Yazidi minority and their places of worship, many of which were completely destroyed. Yazidi activists also reported many cases of forced conversions and marriages.