Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an al-Qaeda-affiliated armed group, conquered most of Syria on December 8, 2024, leading to the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. HTS is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council due to its affiliation with al-Qaeda and ISIS. The designation has been transposed to EU law and is followed by all 27 EU member states.
The regime change in Syria and the jihadi violence that has ensued has created serious concerns among the ethnic and religious minorities such as Christians, Kurds, Druze, and Alawites regarding their future in the country.
Samer Sleaby is a Syrian member of the Antiochian Greek Orthodox Christian community. Sleaby, with other Greek activists from the Levant, is inspiring many young people to reconnect with and rediscover their Greek Antiochian identity. He spoke with europeanconservative.com’s Uzay Bulut about the situation of minorities in Syria.
How are Syria’s Christians currently treated by jihadists? What are the concerns expressed by Christians about Syria’s future?
Many Christians are convinced that the jihadists are concealing their true intentions, given the extremist ideology embraced by those currently in power. Also, there is an alarming concern that the country is steadily shifting toward the complete Islamization of public spaces, threatening to dismantle the social and religious freedoms that Christians have long cherished, as well as their unique identity, especially their Greek Antiochian heritage. Despite these growing fears, Christians hold onto the hope that the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s oppressive regime will bring about a new political landscape, one that allows them to reclaim their role in shaping and rebuilding their nation while preserving their cultural and historical identity.
How did the Assad regime try to Arabize Syria’s non-Arab Christians? How were Syria’s Greeks affected by those policies?
The Arabization of Greek Antiochian Christians and other indigenous peoples, such as the Syriac Christian community, did not begin with the Ba’ath Party but traces back to the establishment of Syria as an independent state and even earlier, during the Ottoman Empire. These efforts included the imposition of a single recognized language and the promotion of Arab clergy to influence and reshape the culture of the Greek Antiochian people, along with encouraging churches to replace their traditional liturgical languages with Arabic. Under the Assad regime, these policies intensified, driven by Ba’athist ideology, which is inherently Arabist and authoritarian, promoting the supremacy of Arab ethnicity and culture over others. The regime strategically aligned itself with Christians who accepted this exclusionary ideology, further facilitating the Arabization process and pressuring Greek Antiochian Christians and others to abandon their original identities. This prolonged process of cultural genocide, carried out systematically over decades, has inflicted lasting damage and requires significant and sustained efforts to undo.
The forced Arabization of Christians is not unique to only Syria. Can you tell us about the ethnic diversity of the Levant’s Christians? What were their original ethnicities before Arabization? Why do many today speak Arabic although they are not ethnic Arabs?
Christians in the Levant belong to various ethnic groups, such as Syriac, Greek, and Armenian. For the Greek Antiochians, the adoption of Arabic was a direct consequence of the aggressive Arabization campaigns specifically targeting their community. The process of cultural erasure for the Greeks began under Ottoman rule and was further exacerbated by Russian efforts to impose theological influence, aimed at weakening the Greek Orthodox tradition and severing ties with Greece, all while attempting to obliterate their Antiochian Greek cultural heritage.
This Arabization reached its peak with the rise of fascist Arab nationalist movements in the Levant.
What do you think a good model of governance would be for Syrian Christians?
I firmly believe that federalism is not merely a demand of Syrian Christians, but a vital necessity for all non-Sunni communities. This model is essential to guarantee the basic rights, security, and autonomy of these communities. Any alternative centralized system would inevitably fail to protect them from the dominance of the Arab Sunni majority, leaving them vulnerable to marginalization, oppression, and, ultimately, displacement.
Syria would not be the first country to adopt federalism as a solution to its complex issues. There are numerous successful examples worldwide—such as Switzerland, Belgium, and Germany—that have embraced federal systems, ensuring the protection of diverse communities while maintaining stability and strength. These countries stand as proof that federalism can create a peaceful and inclusive environment.
German and French foreign ministers recently met with HTS leaders. The HTS leader refused to shake German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s hand. Do you think the EU leadership and governments should officially recognize this new jihadi-led regime?
The refusal of the HTS leader to shake hands with the German foreign minister because she is a woman is a stark symbol of the deeply entrenched jihadist ideology that governs this regime. This is a regime that has yet to demonstrate any capacity for fostering a state for all Syrians, and any European recognition of such a government would be both morally and politically irresponsible.
European leaders must proceed with extreme caution and avoid rushing into formal recognition of the HTS regime. Engagement should only occur under very stringent conditions—specifically, the establishment of a new federal constitution, a fully decentralized government, and a commitment to recognizing Syria’s ethnic and religious diversity.
Around 500,000 Christians live in Syria today. Do they have any international defenders? Given the fact that most Syrian Christians are of Greek descent, what should the Greek government do to help them?
Christians in Syria need international defenders. Currently, Christians in the country lack international defenders capable of exerting meaningful political pressure on their behalf. The Greek Prime Minister recently stated that the country would work to protect Syria’s Christian heritage and the Greek Antiochian community. However, there has been little tangible action so far.
The Greek government must first recognize that it has a diaspora in Syria and take serious steps to reintegrate them into the Greek identity. Additionally, Greece should offer visas and work permits to Greek Antiochian Christians from Syria, allowing them to seek better opportunities and a safer life in Greece.
Now that the Assad regime has fallen, how do you think the US government can help Syria’s Christians?
We are deeply optimistic about President Trump’s leadership, particularly given his prominent role as a leading figure of the Christian West today. President Trump possesses the authority and the responsibility to push for the establishment of a federal political system that would ensure the protection and rights of Syrian Christians and other minorities, safeguarding their ability to live with dignity on their ancestral land.
