European Legal Group Warns Christianity’s Survival in Syria Is at Risk

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) has warned the United Nations that the continued violence, Islamist pressure, and political instability in Syria threaten the long-term survival of the country’s ancient Christian communities.

In a submission to the UN, the European human rights organization said Syria’s Christian population has fallen from approximately 2 million before the country’s civil war to an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 today. The group argued that protecting freedom of worship alone is no longer sufficient and called for political, legal, security, and economic conditions that would allow Christians to remain permanently in their ancestral homeland.

The warning comes as Syria continues its difficult transition following the December 2024 overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. Although the new authorities pledged to protect religious minorities, the ECLJ said armed groups remain active and sectarian violence continues. Hundreds of Alawites were massacred last year, fighting erupted between Druze and Bedouin groups, and a suicide bombing at a Christian church killed 25 people.

According to the report, Christians also face growing social pressure, including Islamist preaching in Christian neighborhoods, the gradual Islamization of some public policies and school curricula, restrictions on alcohol, property losses, kidnappings, and a perception that Christians supported the former regime.

The ECLJ stressed that Syrian Christians are not seeking special privileges, but equal participation in national life. It warned that continued insecurity and discrimination could accelerate Christian emigration, further weakening communities whose presence in Syria dates back to the earliest centuries of Christianity.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Patriarchs renewed their appeal for the missing Aleppo bishops.