First on Fox: the growing violent attacks and murders in Syria under the Islamic rule of the new regime under the leadership of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Christian community of the country has focused on, with many fearing their future.
“The situation for Christians in Syria has reached a critical threshold, and I would claim that they are faltering on the edge of catastrophe,” Jeff King, the president of International Christian Concern, told Fox News Digital.
“A jihadist storm starts to rain on them and how long can faith hold on?” King added.
While the organization of King has been actively inherited Christians for years and has been helping worldwide for years, Damascus, known as the Eagles of Antioch, came together to defend their communities and religious identity after the fall of the former Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad.
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The Eagles of Antioch protest in Damascus after burning a Christmas tree by extremists. (Eagles of Antioch)
The interest of the group is even more important, given the attacks of Islamic extremists earlier this month that resulted in the death of hundreds of the Alawite community of minorities and various Christians who were the target because of their faith.
The ‘Eagles of Antioch’ is a voluntary organization that consists of around 500 volunteers, who are active in three mainly Christian neighborhoods in Damascus. They watch over Christian areas from dusk to sunrise, patrol through the streets and protecting Christian shrines against attacks.
Danial Georgios, a building engineer who lives in Damascus, exclusively spoke with Fox News Digital about the work of the group in Damascus neighbor. Georgios, 30, and his eagles of Antioch want to fill in the security gap until the tensions illuminate it.
“We want to be represented. We no longer accept the idea of ​​being marginalized or treated as a second -class citizen,” he told Fox News Digital.
“We look at ourselves that we are equal to the Muslim, the Alawite and every Syrian burger,” he added.
The group takes its name from the old city of Antioch and reflects their deep -rooted connection with the antiochic patriarchy. Members come from three most important Christian denominations: antiochic Greek -Orthodox, antiochic milking Catholics and antiochic Syrian Orthodox.
Members of the group patrol their communities and protect Christian holy places, including shrines, symbols and churches. If a site is damaged or destroyed, the group will repair it itself, hoping to prevent an escalation in the sectarian conflict between the Christian community and their Sunni neighbors.
They argue for a system based on strong congregations, or extreme local governance, so that Christians in Syria can manage their own affairs and celebrate their religious festivals without fear of persecution. Since rising, the group has successfully protected liquor stores, churches, shrines and homes against theft and vandalism, according to the Eagles of Antioch.
Georgios and his colleagues were stimulated in December after a Christmas tree was set on fire in Al-Sqailbiyyah, just outside Hama. According to Georgios, radical jihadists were responsible for vandalism. After the incident, he and his fellow Christians organized a massively peaceful protest in Damascus, who sing for equal rights for all Syrians.
Christians gather to celebrate Christmas in the monastery of our -Life -woman of Saydnaya on December 24, 2024 in Saydnaya, Syria. Christians in the new liberated Syria celebrate Christmas, but can be confronted with an uncertain future after the overthrow of the Assad regime. Christian Syrians are afraid that the new Islamic government could marginalize minority communities. (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty images)
“We want to be able to guard our area internally,” said Georgios. However, he emphasized that all actions taken are in coordination with the HTS -Government And will not affect the sovereignty of Syria or challenge the rule.
Even if HTS is able to offer complete safety in Damascus and other minority communities in Syria, Georgios said that the group will not resolve, but would be open to joining the state sponsored local police services under the authority of HTS if the political transition continues.
“We want to be represented, and we no longer accept the idea of ​​being marginalized or treated as second -class citizens. We look at ourselves that we are equal to the Muslim, the Alawite and every Syrian citizen,” said Georgios.
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Since Assad fell and HTS took the powerGeorgios claims that most attacks on Christian communities were carried out by foreign factions or radical elements, and is not sanctioned.
Despite reports and accusations that HTS members have focused on Christians, he claims: “It is not at all HTS, HTS tries to avoid any collisions with Christians. HTS is now the state and we as Christians try to support stability,” Georgios claimed.
Syrian families who fled the collisions in Syria will be on Tuesday 11 March 2025 the northern village of Heker Al-Daher in the province of Akkar, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
HTS promised not to do that Focus on religious minorities During their lightning path to grab Damascus and overthrow Assad. The group made guarantees to the communities they checked that they would allow religious minorities to co -exist peacefully and would not be the target of their faith.
Yet the organization of King is not so hopeful. “Since HTS knocked over the Assad regime in December 2024, the environment was at best precarious. But the bloodshed that unfolded from 6-10 March in Latakia and Tartous represents a frightening escalation. According to the Syrian Observatory, the violence claimed more than 1,540 life claim.”
He prosecuted: “Although HTS has not yet implemented an official anti-Christian policy (they enter carefully thinking about public perception while they reconcile control), certain factions and individual hunters already focus on Christians.”
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Jihadist group’s Chief Abu Mohamed al-Jolani checks the damage after an earthquake in the village of Besnaya in the rebels in rebels in the northwest of Idlib at the border with Turkey, on 7 February 2023. (Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty images)
King’s Organization noted That the new interim Syrian Constitution states: “The religion of the President of the Republic is Islam,” explains Article III, and “Islamic case law is the most important source of legislation.” The group says that “this language is somewhat grim than the previous Constitution of Syria, who, among other things, mentioned Islamic law as only one source.”
International Christian Care (ICC) also noted that the Interim Constitution also guarantees protection “for all divine religions.” The ICC wrote that the document “seems to indicate that the government is planning to tolerate Christians and other religious minorities.”
And there are some encouraging signs according to the Eagles of Antioch, who say that, according to Georgios, they work closely with HTS in Damascus, who benefit from the presence of well -trained HTS hunters in the city. This collaboration ensures that Islamic rules are not imposed on Christian neighborhoods. Along with HTS -PolitieThey work to prevent crimes, to retain security and harmony within these communities.
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A wooden cross and Syrian flag are seen on an eagle’s antioch protest in Damascus in December 2024. (Eagles of Antioch)
Some volunteers have weapons with a permit and punished by HTS officials. They communicate and coordinate with them and provide information about the people who have committed any crimes.
Despite some positive signs, King said: “The Christian population of Syria has already experienced a devastating decline and falls from 1.5 million before the conflict to somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000. The community exists in a state of eternal fear, locked up, waiting for the situation to deteriorate further,” he warned.
