A Christmas tree was set alight in Suqaylabiyah, a Christian-majority town in central Syria, sparking widespread protests and raising serious concerns about the future of religious minorities under Syria’s new Islamist leadership. The burning of the tree occurred just before Christmas Eve, a time when the Christian community was preparing to celebrate, further intensifying the outcry.
The video footage, which surfaced on social media, showed two masked gunmen torching the tree in the main square. The attack immediately attracted attention not only because of the destruction of a Christmas symbol but also due to the timing, which was seen as an affront to Syria’s Christian population during a significant religious holiday. Suqaylabiyah, located near Hama, has long been home to a sizeable Christian community, and the act of burning the tree struck a deep chord within the town and beyond.
The group responsible for the arson, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is a powerful Islamist faction that emerged from the remnants of the Syrian opposition. While HTS had long been associated with extremist jihadist ideologies, in recent years, it has attempted to rebrand itself as more pragmatic, seeking to present itself as a legitimate governing force. HTS leaders claim that the men who carried out the arson were foreign fighters, and the group has stated that these individuals have been detained.
However, the attack has only exacerbated fears among Syria’s religious minorities, including Christians, Kurds, and Druze. In the aftermath, thousands of Syrians took to the streets in protest. Demonstrations were seen in various parts of the country, including the Kassa neighborhood in Damascus, where protesters chanted against foreign fighters, calling for their removal from Syria. In Bab Touma, a Christian area in Damascus, demonstrators carried crosses and Syrian flags while chanting, “We will sacrifice our souls for our cross.” For many, the attack on the Christmas tree signified a larger existential threat to the future of their communities in a Syria now under the control of Islamist factions.
Syria’s social fabric has long been diverse, with a history of coexistence among various ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Alawite Shia Muslims, and Arab Sunnis. The regime of Bashar al-Assad, which fell just weeks ago to the forces of HTS and other rebel groups, had maintained a delicate balance by keeping these groups largely in check. With the collapse of the Assad regime, the fate of Syria’s minorities has become uncertain.
HTS, for its part, has promised to protect the rights of religious and ethnic minorities. Leaders from the group have expressed a desire to build a Syria that is inclusive of all its people, signaling a shift from their previously hardline approach. However, the group’s history of jihadist activity and its current designation as a terrorist organization by the UN, US, EU, and UK has created widespread skepticism. While there are hints of a potential diplomatic shift, particularly after the US removed the $10 million bounty on HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s head, the group’s ability to provide stability and security for all Syrians remains in question.
The burning of the Christmas tree serves as a stark reminder of the challenges that HTS will face in governing Syria. The presence of foreign fighters, Islamic extremists, and regime supporters with an interest in destabilizing the country will continue to undermine any efforts to establish peace. For the Christian community in Syria, the attack on their Christmas symbol is not just a seasonal grievance but a sign that their future in the country remains precarious.
The new leadership’s response to these protests will be closely watched, as it will determine whether Syria can truly become a place where its diverse communities can live together in peace once again. The fate of the country’s minorities, particularly Christians, hangs in the balance as the country enters a new, uncertain chapter in its history.
