By Amr Abdallah
DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Syrian Christians attended Christmas Eve providers on Tuesday for the primary time for the reason that overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in early December, in an early take a look at of the brand new Islamist rulers’ pledges to guard the rights of the nation’s non secular minorities.
The service was held amid tight safety on account of considerations of violence in opposition to Christian websites, with a number of pickup vehicles belonging to the now ruling Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) parked across the church.
The pews of Girl of Damascus Church in Syria’s capital stuffed with a combined congregation of younger and previous, holding candles as hymns stuffed the air and echoed by means of the church.
Hours earlier than the service, a whole bunch of protesters in Damascus had gathered to denounce an incident through which a Christmas tree was burned within the northern countryside of Hama governorate in western-central Syria.
Carrying picket crosses, they chanted “We are your soldiers, Jesus”, “With blood and soul, we sacrifice for Jesus,” and “The Syrian people are one.”
Protester Laila Farkouh mentioned: “We are protesting to demand our rights and denounce… The burning of the Christmas tree, and attacks on churches.. We do not accept this.”
De facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa has informed Christians and different teams that they are going to be secure in a Syria run by his HTS, a former affiliate of al Qaeda.
Though himself a former chief of the Sunni Muslim Islamist group, which sees Christians as infidels, Sharaa has rapidly shed his jihadist uniform and switched to enterprise fits in latest appearances.
He has informed visiting Western officers that HTS will neither search revenge in opposition to the previous Assad regime, whose senior figures had been drawn largely from the Alawite sect of Islam, nor repress some other non secular minority.
However many Christians have but to be satisfied.
The Christmas tree burning was considered one of a number of incidents focusing on Christians for the reason that fall of the regime.
On Dec. 18 unidentified gunmen opened hearth at a Greek Orthodox church within the metropolis of Hama, coming into the compound and trying to destroy a cross, and smashing headstones in a cemetery, the church mentioned in a press release.
In a separate incident, Reuters reporters noticed a number of SUVs driving by means of Bab Touma, a predominantly Christian neighbourhood of Damascus, blasting out jihadist songs from their audio system.
