Syria must respond decisively to Damascus church attack

Arab News

3 days ago

https://arab.news/zdnug
A suicide bomber attacked the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Dweil'a, a suburb of Damascus, Syria, during this week's Sunday Mass, killing at least 22 people and injuring more than 50 others. The Syrian Interior Ministry attributed the bombing to Daesh, but the little-known Saraya Ansar Al-Sunnah group later claimed responsibility. Authorities have arrested suspects believed to be connected to the attack. This was the first suicide bombing at a church in Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime in December last year and it underscored the continuing instability during Syria's political transition.
The attack, which caused severe damage inside the church, has deepened fear among Syria's shrinking Christian population and prompted widespread international condemnation, including from the EU, the US, regional governments and the Greek Orthodox Church. Despite President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and other officials condemning the act as terrorism and pledging increased protection for religious sites, doubts and fears persist.
This terrorist attack was significant, like all such attacks, but even more so because it provides a test for the new leadership in Syria. This is why Al-Sharaa needs a strong and decisive response to it. Leaving it unanswered could create divisions and add risks to the country's future.
Social media has been flooded with various accusations of a lack of security, as well as a lack of a unified and direct response from the new government. Some are criticizing the fact that each ministry and many different officials all offered condemnation, showing a lack of strategy, as well as the absence of a unique presidential envoy to face this crisis. Others went as far as stating that the lack of protection was deliberate.
The new government must show it is willing to protect and bring together all the ethnic and religious communities in Syria
Khaled Abou Zahr
They built these accusations on a pernicious point, which is that the patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, John X, is labeled by some as an Assad loyalist. They point out that he welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar Assad when they visited the Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus, one of the oldest Greek Orthodox churches in the city, in 2020. The visit was part of a rare Putin trip to Syria.
Conspiracy theories on social media espouse that there is an unstated policy of not providing sufficient protection to the community as payback for the patriarch's past alignment with the Assad regime. But the new president needs to act as the leader of all communities in the country, regardless of their past, and take powerful action to protect the Greek Orthodox community. This also means full reconciliation with the Alawite community.
The new government must show it is willing to protect and bring together all the ethnic and religious communities in Syria. The former regime had presented itself as a protector of minorities, including Christian ones, against the tyranny of extremists such as Daesh. This week's horrific terrorist attack at the Mar Elias Church not only causes destruction and suffering, but it also threatens the future of the country. Hence, decisive action needs to be taken.
There is a security and military aspect. First of all, enough security and protection must be provided to communities. Moreover, there is a need to face and destroy any nonstate actor that threatens any community or the order of the state. This terror attack is a clear sign of the need to oppose Daesh and other groups and dismantle them. This task cannot be delayed.
Syria needs to break out of the jail the former regime created and adopt an inclusive approach to governance and security
Khaled Abou Zahr
But this is only one part of the solution. The other part is to make sure state institutions grant every single citizen from all ethnic and religious communities the same rights. This cannot be only on paper but in fact. This means that an entire overhaul of the state is needed. It is the thorn the previous regime left for any future peace and prosperity in Syria. This transformation is Syria's biggest challenge, but also its greatest opportunity for a stable future.
Syria needs to break out of the jail the former regime created and adopt an inclusive and rights-based approach to governance and security. The new leadership needs to rebuild trust and build national unity with all ethnic and religious groups — Christians, Druze, Kurds, Alawites, Sunnis, Armenians and others. There is a need to break free from the Baathist structure of the state and establish a new constitution that guarantees equal citizenship, religious freedom and freedom of expression: the same rights and duties for all.
This also means that justice needs to be precise. Entire communities cannot be condemned as being complicit with the Assad regime, as that was the only way to survive. But those who facilitated or committed illegal acts against the broader population need to be brought to justice. The same applies to those who committed acts of terror against minorities. Justice cannot and should not be one-sided. This also brings the need to consider a reconciliation process. These points are essential for long-term stability.
These are difficult and dangerous tasks to take on, yet they are the only true solution. Today, the new leadership needs to show this resolve toward the Greek Orthodox community, regardless of the past. Worshippers of any community cannot be blamed for the ills of the past regime. Even if people understand how difficult finding the perpetrators of this terrorist attack might be, they at least need to be convinced that the new leadership is doing its best to find them, as well as protecting the targets from future attacks.
These are the conditions required to move toward a fair and nationwide reconstruction. By ensuring this protection, the new leadership will build the path to the future on Syria's greatest strength: its rich cultural and religious diversity.