Human rights groups and world leaders are issuing alarms about the recent slaughter of hundreds of minorities—including Christians—in Syria. Since March 6, more than 1,000 Alawites (members of a minority Shia Muslim sect) and Christians have been killed throughout the country, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Following a 13-year civil war, long-time Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was ousted last December. Transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said he wants “national unity and domestic peace.” But clashes have been ongoing between his government’s troops and opposition forces who remain loyal to Al-Assad, who is an Alawite.
Last weekend, the violence escalated after opposition forces ambushed government troops in northwest Syria, in an area populated by many Alawites. According to the United Nations, government troops then retaliated against civilians, killing entire families and cutting off drinking water and electricity.
Most casualties have been civilians, including some of the 300,000 Christians who remain in Syria. (Before the civil war, about 2.5 million Christians lived there.) Alawites make up about one-tenth of the country’s population. According to news reports, many minorities have fled to the mountains to seek shelter.
John Samara, a Christian from Syria who leads the outreach ministry Ananias House, told The Voice of the Martyrs, “We’re looking at potential genocide against Christians in Syria.” Persecution is escalating as more Muslims in Syria hear about and follow Jesus, he added. Although the nation’s new leadership has indicated it will protect the freedom of religious minority groups, Samara said those words appear to be hollow.
Footage Shows Christians Slaughtered in Syria
On social media, people are sharing images of murdered Syrian minorities and requesting prayers for persecuted Christians. Virginia Pastor Garrett Kell posted a video of soldiers hitting bodies that had been piled in the bed of a pickup truck.
“Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Syria,” Kell wrote. “They are being hunted in their homes, shamed in the streets, and killed without mercy. Satan strives to snuff out their faith but God will sustain them as He has promised. Lord, have mercy.”
Another person posted a video of huddling families and wrote, “Thousands of Christian Syrians have fled to this airbase fearing for their lives as Jihadis continue to commit mass murder. Here they are protected by Russian Soldiers. Legacy Media will never report this.”
The Iraqi Christian Foundation, which advocates for minorities throughout the Middle East, also is sharing images of recent violence. Alawites and Christians in Syria are being “massacred,” the group wrote on March 11. Three days earlier, it had posted:
Syrian Christians and Alawites are being slaughtered in Syria by soldiers of the ISIS/AlQaeda terrorist government. The death toll is 1800 in just the last few days, with many victims still missing. Entire villages are being slaughtered by these terrorist govt forces. … This is what we warned would happen if the secular Syrian Government was removed. Pray for the Christians & other minorities in Syria.
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The Christian Emergency Alliance also is posting videos, including testimony from eyewitnesses. “The situation is 100 times worse than what you’re seeing on the media,” one man urged in a video. “Please stop this genocide.”
