Christian Death Toll Rises in Syria

Sunni Government is Responsible

Letter of condemnation to Secretary of State Marco Rubio: Nearly two dozen leaders of faith-based organizations, including myself, signed a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning the religious violence in Syria both condoned and practiced by the new Sunni Muslim controlled government.

The letter contained verified facts: “Since March 2025, Alawite communities and Christians living in their midst in Idlib have faced brutal attacks resulting in nearly 2,000 deaths, displacement of hundreds of thousands, and destruction of homes and businesses. Atrocities, carried out by armed forces and irregular militias loyal to President Al-Sharaa, included executions of entire families and the ongoing abduction and abuse of women and girls (72 documented cases), with almost no accountability despite public documentation of perpetrators identities.”

In another paragraph we detailed attacks: “Christians throughout Syria fear they will be the next target of mass atrocities. Since Mr. Al-Sharaa came to power, churches and individuals have faced widespread threats, attacks, and extortion. The shocking bombing of Mar Elias Church in June 2025 in Damascus killed or injured a third of its congregation. In areas under the Transitional Government’s sole control, Christians are defenseless against threats from Syrian armed forces and Islamist militias, which the government is unwilling or unable to control.”

Our letter made it clear that the new Syrian government was moving toward becoming a new Islamic State: “Alongside targeted attacks, the Syrian Transitional Government has adopted increasingly hardline Islamist policies, including strict dress codes, closure of alcohol-serving establishments, halting wedding celebrations, and imposing Islamic religious mandates in education.”

We also pointed out to Secretary Rubio the discrimination in the new Syrian Constitution: “The interim Syrian ‘Arab’ constitution was created without meaningful input from minorities or moderate Sunnis. Sharia is the primary source of law, only Muslims can be President, and equal protection is denied to Syria’s “non-heavenly,” non-Abrahamic communities, including Druze, Yazidis, and possibly Alawites and others, depending on the government’s interpretation of what groups are “heavenly” religions. Syria’s military forces are composed of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian National Army (SNA) militants, plus Islamist foreign fighters from Al Nusra, etc. All have long histories of attacking and violating the human rights of Syrian religious and ethnic minorities and women.”

(The Syrian leader’s definition of “heavenly religions” is undoubtedly Islamic branches that endorse Sharia law and the slaughter of non-Muslims.)

In our letter to Secretary of State Rubio we urged the U.S. government to take: “decisive action to protect Syria’s vulnerable communities by renewing public U.S. commitments to religious freedom and equal rights.”

The State Department under Presidents Obama and Biden did little more than mouth support for religious freedom. No decisive actions were ever taken. Under George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden millions of Sunni Muslims were allowed into the United States while persecuted Christians and Druze were ignored.

Once in President Trump’s first term he imposed punishment on the Nigerian government for allowing the persecution of Christians.

The Religious Freedom Coalition is currently bombarding the While House with post cards signed by Christians from every state asking him to once again take action to protect the Christians of Nigeria.

Please pray for the Christians of the Middle East, particularly those facing the worse persecution in Syria.

All donations given to the Religious Freedom Coalition will be doubled through the Matching Gift Program through the end of October!