Syria (MNN) — In the past year since the Assad regime fell, minorities in Syria have experienced hope tainted with tragedy.
Samuel* with Redemptive Stories describes the Syria of today as “still very tenuous and very uneasy, even as things continue to, on the outside, [be] perceived as improved.”
The instability was evident in a series of events that occurred this weekend. On Friday, an Alawite mosque in the city of Homs was bombed, killing at least eight people. A Sunni terrorist group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna later claimed the attack.
Syrian citizens celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, December 2024 (Photo courtesy of Shvan Hark via Unsplash)
In response, thousands of Alawites took to the streets on Sunday in the cities of Latakia and Tartous to protest the violence and discrimination they have endured. Clashes broke out with counterdemonstrators and security forces. At least four people died, and dozens were injured. The government once again deployed troops and armored vehicles to regain order.
The Homs mosque attack is only one of many security breaches Syrians have had to face in the past year. Yet in the chaos, Samuel says people are encountering faithful believers and finding Christ.
“God is meeting the Alawites and Ismailis — which are another sect of Shia Islam. [One] church reported over 11 new discipleship groups just in the past eight months,” he says.
The Druze community has also known deep trouble this year. Clashes in July between the Druze and Bedouin groups led to another government intervention, which turned into a bloodbath. Hundreds of people were killed, including children.
“We heard from pastors as well in Sweida, after the massacres that occurred there and how the church responded, loved their neighbor and came back into the difficult situation that many Druze found themselves in: homes, burnt, businesses, ransacked and destroyed, loss of loved ones. With all that took place, the church cared for them,” says Samuel.
“One pastor commented that there are 85 new believers from a Druze background that have come to faith and are now being discipled in their community.”
Please pray! Ask God to open many more opportunities for believers to share the hope of Jesus in Syria. Pray for endurance for the Church during this tense time.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with gospel workers in Syria as well. “Youth for Christ, [and] Cru have amazing work taking place,” says Samuel.
* Pseudonym
Header photo depicts a street in Homs, Syria (Stock photo courtesy of Ahmed Akacha via Pexels).
