WorthyNews: Syria’s Christians Fear Introduction Islamic Law (Worthy News Analysis)

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

DAMASCUS (Worthy News) – Syrian leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani says he will introduce Islamic law, but his claims that it won’t be as strict as in Saudi Arabia have raised doubts among Christians.

Experts believe Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is under pressure to introduce reforms after his country was officially confirmed Wednesday as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer, but the same can’t be said about Syria’s divided nation.

In Syria, jihadists already smashed bottles of alcohol in the duty-free area of Aleppo Airport, Worthy News learned Wednesday.

Worthy News earlier reported that an Islamic leader could be seen in Aleppo declaring Sharia, a strict interpretation of Islam. “We are really tired. We are really exhausted, and we are also finished, in every sense”, said Jacques Mourad, the Syrian Catholic Archbishop of Homs, the city where refugees from Aleppo continue to arrive. “To help the refugees, we need food, mattresses, blankets, and diesel”, he said.

The Aleppo-born bishop who has launched catechism courses for children and young people told the Vatican’s news agency Agenzia Fides that he fears “the Christians of Aleppo will be convinced that they cannot stay in Aleppo. That it is over for them.”

In Aleppo, he said, “They are trying to bring about the end of the rich, magnificent, and unique history of the Christians of Aleppo.”

He suggested he understands their suffering as he was kidnapped by “a jihadist commando” in May 2015. The bishop spent months being held hostage, first in isolation and then with more than 150 Christians abducted from Quaryatayn in the territories conquered by Islamic State or ISIS. “That is why we can not bear all the suffering of the people who arrive here exhausted after 25 hours of travel” from Aleppo.

VIRAL VIDEO

After the capture of Aleppo, a viral video showed an Islamic fighter toppling a metal Christmas tree. However, witnesses said a day later that the tree was standing upright again.

Christians staying behind in Aleppo said they have Christmas decorations despite threats by Islamic rebels in at least some parts of the central strategic city.

They fear the promising rhetoric of al-Jolani’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the leading rebel movement that evolved from Al-Qaida, like HTS, a designated terror group, will eventually prove to be hollow.

They compare the situation with the Taliban group and Ayatollahs after their respective takeovers in Afghanistan and earlier in Iran.

HTS has closely observed the Taliban’s trajectory, who have “reinstated draconian laws that completely exclude women,” observers say.

Abdel Rahim Atoun is an important ideologist of HTS and a confidant of Al-Jolani. In recent years, he has repeatedly compared the working methods of his movement with those of the Taliban, which is known to attack Christians, including former Muslims turning to Christianity.

Atoun admires the Taliban for gaining political power and has in the past condemned Western standards. He describes the United States as the “enemy of the Islamic nation” and praised the massacre of 1,200 people by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023.

CONDEMNING KURDS

He also has condemned a few Kurds, who form an essential part of the Syrian nation. Atoun compared them to a “horde of hyenas and proclaimed that fighting them is a “moral and revolutionary duty.”

Speaking to reporters, Al-Jolani tried to distance himself from his perceived extremist and terrorist past, dismissing it as “a youthful mistake.”

However, he had been an ally of Islamic State group leader Al-Baghdadi, who fought against Americans in Iraq, led an Al-Qaida faction, and, over the years, oversaw numerous crimes, including against Christians.

Among the documented anti-Christian crimes was the execution of devoted believers who refused to convert to Islam. Worthy News learned that Christians said shortly before their execution that they love Jesus.

At least one Muslim witnessing them told the executioners he wanted that same faith before being beheaded himself, Worthy News learned.

“Church leaders report an uneasy calm, with fears of potential persecution and uncertainty about the future,” the Christian Aid Mission (CAM) group told Worthy News.

“The situation remains complex and fluid,” a local Christian ministry leader said, speaking anonymously amid security concerns.

POWER VACUUM

“The sudden power vacuum has led to instability. Notably, Islamist rebel groups have taken control of key areas. Church leaders report an uneasy calm, with fears of potential persecution and uncertainty about the future,” the Christian leader added in comments shared with Worthy News.

“Though the new regime promises justice and improved institutions, no one can yet say what that will look like, particularly as the leaders of the interim government are Islamists,” CAM added.

“The situation is very difficult,” said one Christian in Damascus, without publishing a name for security reasons. “I always pray and read God’s Word but am so afraid.”

Those fears may be understandable: Ten years ago, Al-Jolani swore to build a state in Syria based on Allah’s laws in “every sense of the word, without compromise, complacency, ambiguity, or evasion.”

Apparently, that includes violence, with the U.S. State Department publishing a report last year saying that HTS in Idlib “continues to arrest civilians” who dare to criticize its authority and religious doctrines.

Additionally, the movement allegedly exploits the dire economic situation by imposing what Christians view as its extremist ideology on the population, for example, by offering cheap education.

The report said new rules for schools required female students to wear “loose Islamic clothing” and banned cellphones and “offensive music.”

YOUTHFUL INDISCRETIONS?

Yet Al-Jolani dismissed his past actions as youthful indiscretions. “Someone in their twenties has a different personality than someone in their thirties or forties, and certainly from someone in their fifties,” he said. “That is human nature.”

The government he has established in Idlib province, which will also temporarily govern the newly captured areas, has shown some positive developments in recent years: it dissolved the religious police, and some of the previously confiscated homes of Christians were returned.

However, Worthy News’s analysis of a draft text for a new ‘Public Ethics Law’ could raise questions among devoted believers. The draft contains 128 articles, including “A ban on blasphemy,” which could further pressure former Muslims to turn to Christianity.

Other articles include a ban on eating in public during Ramadan, seen by Muslims as a holy month, and men and women who are not relatives mixing. The same policy paper also proposes prohibiting music and films that “violate religion and decency.”

Last summer, the Idlib government also banned the local version of the Paralympic Games. More than 300 people had reportedly registered for the sports event in a province where many have been disabled due to the war.

According to sources familiar with the situation, religious leaders deemed the opening ceremony, which included lighting a torch, to symbolize “pagan beliefs.”

The government immediately canceled the event, citing “a conflict with local norms and traditions.”

These actions have raised concern that the future for many Syrians, including those celebrating in the streets these days, may look less bright this Christmas than al-Jolani suggests.

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