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The National
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
'I've never seen anything like this': Fear and anger for Syria's Christians after church bombing
At the wrecked Mar Elias Church in Dweila, still reeling from the terrorist attack attributed to ISIS that killed 25 people during a Sunday Mass, mourners gathered to pay tribute to the victims. They came from all around Damascus, from all ages and sects. The atmosphere was loaded with emotion, ranging from devastation to anger. Many wept, too overwhelmed to speak. Katia, 37, a resident of the poor Christian-majority neighbourhood of Dweila in the Damascus suburbs, told The National that despite the fear, she is determined to stay. "We're here to pray for the victims, to show that we strongly condemn what happened and that we're staying here, because at the end of the day, one cannot leave their land," Katia told The National at the ceremony. The attack was the first major terrorist assault since the fall of president Bashar Al Assad 's regime in December. No group has claimed responsibility, but Syrian authorities said it was carried out by an ISIS cell. Witnesses at the scene told The National that at least one assailant rushed towards the church, opened fire on worshippers gathered outside, and then blew himself up inside with an explosive belt. Flowers now cover the crater left by the massive explosion. The church has been cleaned, but religious icons are still stained with streaks of blood. The attack has left the Christian community in shock. Most shops in Dweila were closed on Monday, with checkpoints set up to meticulously monitor people's comings and goings. "This is not our Islam. Our Islam in Syria is moderate, we all live together," said Fadia, 47, a Christian resident of Damascus, who travelled from another neighbourhood with several members of her parish. Syria's Interior Ministry said on Monday that authorities had arrested several suspects involved in the church bombing. Earlier that day, officials said they had foiled an attempt by a terrorist group to carry out an attack on Mujtahid Hospital, where many of the wounded are being treated. New regime The bombing of Mar Elias Church comes as the new authorities, led by former militant leader, now President Ahmad Al Shara, try to win the trust of minorities in a country home to a mosaic of communities. Before the civil war in 2011, Christians numbered about two million. Today, estimates suggest that the Christian population has shrunk to fewer than 500,000. Mr Al Shara expressed his "deepest condolences and sincere sympathy for the families of victims" on Monday in a statement denouncing the "criminal bombing". "This heinous crime that targeted innocent people in their worship places reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity – government and people – in confronting threats to our security and the stability of our country,' he said. Still, many Christians say they feel uneasy with the new government and do not feel represented by the Sunni Islamists leading Syria since toppling the Assad regime, despite promises of inclusion and protection of minorities. "I trusted them but we didn't see anything on the ground," Bishop Moises Moussa El Khoury, an auxiliary bishop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, told The National. "We saw nothing in reality. Just talk, talk, talk. But we're not asking for much – just provide security for people. That's all we want. "In my whole life, nothing like this has ever happened. I've been in Damascus since 1970, and never, not even once, have I seen anything like this." Reports of a resurgence of ISIS cells, taking advantage of the chaos and proliferation of weapons after Mr Al Assad's removal, have left minorities fearing they may become targets of terrorist attacks. In Dweila, residents are calling for greater control over the myriad factions loosely aligned with the Ministry of Defence. Some of these armed groups, which largely remain outside government control despite promises of army unification, are known to hold particularly extremist views. "They're all walking around with weapons but we don't know who is who," Katia said. The day after the bombing, armed men wearing what appeared to be unofficial uniforms were seen patrolling alongside General Security forces. Young men from the neighbourhood, some with cross tattoos and introduced as local volunteers working with General Security, were also present. Other Dweila residents called for increased security. "And the checkpoints, why were they even there if they weren't doing anything? Why didn't they check anything?" asked a worker at a shop, who called himself Abu Tanios. His cousin, a 22-year-old woman, is in hospital. She lost all the fingers on one of her hands. Sectarian tension The bombing poses yet a new challenge for the authorities, who are already struggling to keep a lid on simmering sectarian tensions in a fractured society still marked by 14 years of civil war. In March, unregulated factions and armed people killed hundreds of Alawite civilians, a minority sect to which the Assad family belongs, in a spree of revenge killings, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. The violence began in the coastal region, the heartland of the Alawite community, after a failed pro-Al Assad insurgency that was repressed by government security forces. Mr Al Shara vowed to hold those responsible to account, forming an investigative committee that is yet to release its findings. In May, deadly violence spread to Druze areas, where clashes erupted between members of this community and Sunni gunmen. 'It's our turn. And next, it's going to be another Christian area. We're afraid for them, they are under threat,' said Abu Tanios. "If I had money, I wouldn't stay a single second. No one will give us rights or accountability." But many in the neighbourhood chose to remain united. Mohamed, a resident of Dweila, a mixed area that is not exclusively Christian, considers the attack to be an attempt to sow division in a place where different sects have long coexisted peacefully. 'In Dweila, we've always lived together like this,' Mohamed said. 'In my opinion, what happened has nothing to do with religion. No religion or sect condones killing people. The real problem is that some are trying to start a civil war. They want people to turn against each other.' Asked if he would attend the funeral on Tuesday, he did not hesitate. 'Of course,' he said. 'All my friends here are Christian.'
The National
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Damascus church bombing threatens political gains of both Christians and new Syrian state
Until a suicide bombing killed 20 people at a church in a low-income area of Damascus on Sunday, Christians had been spared the mass violence that has afflicted other minorities under the new Syrian state that replaced the Assad regime last year. The government, led by former Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) militants who split from Al Qaeda a decade ago, has been touting its good ties with the clergy and Christian community at large in recent months. The relationship has been part of its quest for Western backing of Syria's economic recovery efforts after 13 years of civil war. Foreign powers have called for an inclusive Syrian state as a condition of support for the new regime. Despite the killing by pro-government militias of more than 1,500 civilians from the country's Alawite and Druze communities during sectarian violence in March and April, efforts by Damascus to secure Western backing have gathered pace. Syria has deepened ties with Europe and reached normalisation with the US, a process ushered in by a meeting on May 14 between Syria's leader Ahmad Al Shara and President Donald Trump in Riyadh. Washington also decided to lift sanctions on Syria. US officials, who have previously condemned the killing of Syria's minorities, have said rapprochement with the post-Assad order is necessary to stabilise the nation and prevent wider violence. Syria, under Mr Al Shara, constitutes a bulwark against Iran and could become a signatory to the Abraham Accords, they said. But with the bombing of the Mar Elias Church in the capital's Dweila district on Sunday, the goal of the perpetrators was to 'create headlines' in the US and elsewhere, spreading the notion that Christians have become a target under the Islamist government, said prominent Syrian political commentator Ayman Abdel Nour. 'The objective is to weaken the state,' he told The National. Syrian state media reported that the church suicide bomber was affiliated with ISIS, whose sleeper cells have reportedly been taking advantage of the removal of the dictator Bashar Al Assad by seizing weapons left unsupervised in the wake of his fall. No one has declared responsibility for the attack, but if ISIS was the culprit it would indicate an expansion of the terror group in Syria. Mr Abdel Nour said the attack on the church, situated just outside the walls of Old Damascus, appears intended to inflict the maximum loss of Christian life. It occurred at Sunday evening mass, not in the morning, when the church has fewer worshippers, because Sunday is a work day in Syria. Even before Syria's civil war began in 2011, the Assad regime, dominated by the Alawite sect, portrayed itself as a bulwark against Sunni extremist groups such as Al Qaeda. The rise of ISIS helped it drive home that message, particularly among Syria's minorities. 'Dark ideology' Christians, who make up 5 per cent of the Syrian population, have been important politically for the new Syrian government, to the point that they were the focus of an invitation for two Republican members of the US House of Representatives to visit the country. The two politicians, who are ideologically close to Mr Trump, travelled to Syria on Easter weekend and met with the top figures in the clergy. The trip helped present a positive image of the new government and its attitude towards Christians and laid the groundwork for the ensuing rapprochement with the US. Commentators told The National that Mr Al Shara needs to do more to drive a wedge between his government and religious extremists. Human rights lawyer Firas Abdin said Mr Al Shara should visit the site of the explosion to show solidarity and not just send subordinates. He said the bombing was punishment for Christians for their support of the new HTS-led state. It was also an attempt 'to convince the Christians of Syria that the current government is extremist and change their view of the new epoch'. Political writer Wael Sawah said an official condemnation issued after the church attack was not enough. 'The Al Shara government must pursue those responsible and whoever stands behind them, and submit them to a public trial,' he said. Mr Sawah, a former political prisoner under the Assad regime, has been critical of the new government and its religious doctrine. Syria's leaders must condemn 'the dark ideology' behind the church bombing, he said. A senior regional security source told The National that Sunday's attack 'could be the gateway to a renewed era of terror'. 'It could be a calculated attempt to drag the region into far deeper turmoil, when all eyes are on the Israel and Iran war.'
Al Arabiya
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Syria says ISIS behind Damascus church attack, at least 20 killed
At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday, health authorities and security sources said. It was the first suicide bombing in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by opposition forces in December. Syria's interior ministry said the suicide bomber was a member of ISIS. He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest, a ministry statement added. Syria's foreign ministry condemned the attack, calling it an attempt to undermine coexistence in the multi-sectarian, multi-ethnic country. Syria considers 'this criminal act, which targeted members of the Christian community, a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilize the country,' the foreign ministry said in a statement. Saudi Arabia condemned the attack, describing it as a 'terrorist' act. In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry 'emphasized the Kingdom's rejection of attacks on places of worship, the terrorizing of civilians, and the shedding of innocent blood,' and 'affirmed the Kingdom's support for the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic against all forms of violence, extremism, and terrorism.' The ministry also offered 'its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Syria, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.' The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack berated the militants behind the attack, calling it an act of 'cowardice.' 'These terrible acts of cowardice have no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving,' Barrack posted on X of the attack. 'We continue to support the Syrian government as it fights against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the broader region.' A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up. ISIS has been behind several attempted attacks on churches in Syria since al-Assad's fall, but this was the first to succeed, another security source told Reuters. Syria's state news agency cited the health ministry as saying that 52 people were also injured in the blast. A livestream from the site by Syria's civil defense, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction from inside the church, including a bloodied floor and shattered pews and masonry. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the offensive against al-Assad before taking over in January for a transitional phase, has repeatedly said he will protect minorities. 'We unequivocally condemn the abhorrent terrorist suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria,' the Greek foreign ministry said in a statement. 'We demand that the Syrian transitional authorities take immediate action to hold those involved accountable and implement measures to guarantee the safety of Christian communities and all religious groups, allowing them to live without fear.' ISIS had previously targeted religious minorities, including a major attack on Shia pilgrims in Sayeda Zainab in 2016 – one of the most notorious bombings during al-Assad's rule. The latest assault underscores the group's continued ability to exploit security gaps despite the collapse of its territorial control and years of counterterrorism efforts.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
What the cluck?! 20,000 Christians condemn 'blasphemy' after cathedral art performance sees half-naked actors dance with plucked chickens in nappies
A bizarre cathedral art performance that sees scantily clad actors dance with plucked chickens in nappies has sparked outrage from Christians in Germany. The show was meant to be a solemn ceremony marking the 1250 year anniversary of Westphalia but instead turned into a shocking scandal. Although the audience reportedly enjoyed the performance, it ruffled feathers within the religious community after a video of it was shared online. More than 20,000 believers condemned the display as 'blasphemous' because it took place at the famous Paderborn Cathedral and have signed a petition demanding an apology. The clip showed semi-nude dancers performing a routine involving plucked chicken carcasses wrapped in nappies, while a song titled Meat is Meat played in the background. The petition said the show was a 'mockery of the central contents of the Christian faith' and a violation of a sacred space. The organisers point the finger directly at Archbishop Udo Markus Bentz, accusing him of failing in his duty to safeguard both the cathedral and the Church's moral authority. But Frank Tafertshofer, spokesperson for the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe, which was responsible for the ceremony, told BILD: 'There was applause; I heard no complaints.' The petition read: 'It is appalling that you silently witnessed this blasphemous performance instead of intervening and protecting and defending the sanctity of your cathedral. 'We therefore call on you to perform an act of repentance and atonement with the re-consecration of the Paderborn Cathedral, which was desecrated by this performance.' The diocese has since apologized: 'Both the LWL and the Metropolitan Chapter of Paderborn express their sincere regret that the performance offended religious feelings. 'In the future, there will be a modified procedure for approving events in the cathedral, which will ensure a more thorough review of the content,' it said.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- RNZ News
Gloriavale leaders refuse to apologise to former member
Gloriavale leaders have refused to deliver a personal apology to a former member for abuse at the Christian community, despite publicly offering to say sorry to victims who ask for one. Leavers say that's exposed their pledge as a PR stunt, as Jean Edwards reports. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
