Fears for Christians in Syria as Christmas tree burning is the first major sign that the religious minority will be targeted after Assad’s fall – sparking protests in Damascus

The burning of a Christmas tree by armed men in the Syrian city of Hama has fueled fears within the country’s Christian community that they will be targeted by Islamist factions under the new government.

The ouster of Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist rebel group previously linked to al-Qaeda, has raised concerns about what the future holds for Christians and other minority groups in the country. .

HTS responded quickly to the shocking videos last night, with a religious leader from the group telling residents that those who set fire to the tree were “not Syrian” and promising they would be punished.

“The tree will be restored and illuminated by tomorrow morning,” he said, as local media reported that the work had been completed as promised.

The pastor in the Christian-majority city of Suqaylabiyah also reportedly said the perpetrators were eight non-Syrian nationals who decided to set the Christmas tree on fire two days after it was lit.

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus overnight to protest the burning of the tree, hours before Christmas Eve.

“We demand the rights of Christians,” demonstrators chanted as they marched through the Syrian capital to the headquarters of the Orthodox Patriarchate, while many held a sit-in at the city’s Mariamite Cathedral.

The protests come just over two weeks after an armed coalition toppled dictator Assad, who ruled the Sunni-majority country with an iron fist for 24 years. His ouster brought a new period of uncertainty for Syrians.

Assad, a member of the Alawite minority, publicly presented his government as a proponent of secularism and protection of minorities, but in reality his regime’s brutal repressions affected every part of society, with members of the Christian, Muslim and other communities fled the country during the bloody civil war. war.

Despite the cheers over his ouster, there are still widespread concerns among Christian and other minority groups about what the new HTS government will mean for their freedoms.

Last week, unknown gunmen opened fire on an Orthodox church in Hama. No one was injured in the incident and the local bishop said authorities responded quickly by securing the scene and arresting those responsible.

In another incident, days after Assad’s fall, a cemetery in the Christian town of Mhareh, near Hama, was destroyed, according to Christian groups.

A demonstrator who took to the streets in Damascus last night gave his name as Georges told AFP he was protesting against ‘injustice against Christians’.

“If we are no longer allowed to practice our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, we no longer belong here,” he said.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the fighters who set fire to the tree were foreigners from the Islamist group Ansar al-Tawhid, which is linked to al-Qaeda.

The HTS movement, rooted in al-Qaeda and backed by Turkey, has pledged to protect minorities since the lightning offensive toppled Assad on December 8 after years of deadlock.

The group’s leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohamed al-Jolani, has repeatedly stated that he will work to disband all factions and bring them under the command of the Ministry of Defense.

However, there are fears that HTS will not be able to control all armed groups and that revenge attacks could take place against Christian communities, with those targeting them possibly claiming that they supported the old regime.

HTS started as a splinter group of Al Qaeda, but has worked for years to distance itself from the jihadist past.

The organization is currently listed as a terrorist organization by the UN, the US, the EU and the United Kingdom. Sharaa says the organization should now be delisted and emphasizes that it is not a terrorist group and does not target civilians or civilian areas.

Sharaa denied that he wanted to turn Syria into a version of Afghanistan, saying the countries are very different, with Afghanistan being a “tribal society” and very different from the diverse Syria.

He said he believed in women’s education and referred to the northwestern province of Idlib, which has been in rebel hands since 2011, where they “have had universities for more than eight years.”

Speaking to the BBC, he added: ‘I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60 percent.’

He would not comment on whether drinking alcohol is allowed in the country.

“There are a lot of things I’m just not allowed to talk about because they’re legal issues,” he said.

‘There will be a Syrian committee of legal experts that will write a constitution. They will decide. And any ruler or president will have to follow the law.”

Sharaa also said he wanted to bring different religious groups together and “not play into sectarian divisions.”

He added: “The Syrian people have lived together for thousands of years. We enter into dialogue and ensure that everyone is represented.

‘The old regime always played on sectarian divisions, but we don’t do that. I think the revolution can include everyone.”

HTS is now busy taking control of Syria, setting up a transitional government and rolling out aid and services to civilians.