Syria’s Christians Face “Ethno-Religious Cleansing,” Investigator Warns US As New Government Courts West

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON/DAMASCUS (Worthy News) – The burial of a 19-year-old girl killed in a June bombing at the Mar Elias Church in Syria’s capital Damascus has become a stark symbol of the “ethno-religious cleansing” facing Syria’s ancient Christian community, a Swedish investigative journalist told U.S. officials.

Nuri Kino, founder of the advocacy group A Demand for Action, testified before the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) during a virtual hearing on “Religious Freedom in Syria’s Post-Assad Transition.”

Kino opened by recalling Maryana, a teenage worshipper killed when an assailant stormed the Greek Orthodox church on June 22, opening fire before detonating an explosive vest — the worst attack on Syria’s Christians since the 1860 Damascus Massacre. More than two dozen people died.

“At her funeral, her mother held her hand through the coffin window as church bells tolled,” Kino stressed. “Friends threw sweets on her coffin, a wedding tradition, since she would never become a bride,” he added.

“That burial became a symbol of something far larger: the cleansing of Syria’s Christian indigenous people.”

POPULATION IN FREE-FALL

Kino, himself a member of the Syriac Orthodox Church, noted that Christians — roughly 10 percent of Syria’s population before the 2011 civil war — have long faced kidnappings, church bombings, and targeted violence. Their number has collapsed to somewhere between 300,000 and 540,000, depending on the source.

He stressed that persecution did not end after President Bashar al‑Assad was ousted in December, when Hayat Tahrir al‑Sham (HTS) — formerly linked to al-Qaeda and recently delisted as a terror group by the U.S. — seized control of Damascus. Human rights defenders fear the new administration lacks both the capacity and the willingness to protect minorities.

A recent deadly suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Church reignited fears among the Christian minority. News coverage shows the attack occurring during Mass, killing at least 25 and injuring dozens more.

One report noted: “Christians, who comprised 10 percent of Syria’s pre-war population, now face pressures from rising Islamization, public religious proselytizing, and diminished political representation.”

Despite the new government’s inclusion of minority figures and formal assurances, analysts warn that the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and weak control over extremist groups have undermined the safety of Christians and other religious minorities.

SYRIA’S REPORTS FELL PLACES

According to the annual Open Doors’ World Watch List 2025, Syria ranks 18th among the countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. The report notes that while Syria “fell six places” compared to the previous period, that drop reflects fewer reported incidents rather than a clear improvement in minority protection.

Kino said the United States, as a defender of human rights, must tie any easing of sanctions and all future aid to clear, measurable guarantees of religious freedom, verified by independent monitors.

He also urged U.S. diplomatic pressure and security commitments to safeguard historic Christian sites in Damascus and other cities, alongside increased support for minority-led Syrian aid and human rights groups. Additionally, he recommended that Washington appoint a dedicated special envoy for religious freedom in Syria with direct access to the U.S. Secretary of State and the authority to operate on the ground.

“These are the minimum steps required to stop a 2,000-year-old community from disappearing on our watch,” he added. Returning to the story of the teenage victim, Kino warned that her funeral symbolizes what happens “when an entire people is silenced.”

“The doctors, engineers, and teachers Syria needs are vanishing along with its indigenous communities,” he said. “If the world allows this, Syria will lose not only a culture — it will lose a piece of its soul.”

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