Western inaction fuels Christian persecution in Syria and the Middle East

Reports from Syria this week reveal a horrifying wave of violence against Christians and Alawites. The terror group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls parts of Syria, has reportedly massacred hundreds of these minority groups. This brutal attack serves as a grim reminder of the ongoing persecution Christians face under Islamist regimes — a crisis that the international community largely ignores.

The Trump administration condemned the killings at a crucial moment. While much of the world focuses on the political complexities of the Middle East, the reality on the ground for Christians is dire. As the Syrian government has collapsed, Assad loyalists — flawed as they may be — have been overwhelmed by jihadists intent on eliminating Christians. The choice for many is bleak: convert, flee, or face death.

We can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the suffering of Christians around the world.

Let’s put the blame where it belongs. The perpetrators of this violence are no friends of freedom or democracy. HTS, originally an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, is no better than ISIS. These groups have a proven track record of targeting minorities — Christians, Yazidis, and anyone who doesn't conform to their radical version of Islam. In their world, there’s no room for dissent. Convert or die — it’s as simple and as terrifying as that.

The situation in Syria isn’t just about two warring factions. It’s about innocent people paying the price for geopolitical blunders that have spanned decades. Bashar al-Assad’s regime, itself a brutal dictatorship, had relied on sectarian divisions to maintain power. But when the West, particularly under the Obama administration, empowered elements of the so-called Arab Spring — only to watch them devolve into radical Islamic regimes — we set the stage for more massacres.

History repeats itself

The same pattern played out in Libya: Western intervention, followed by chaos, and the rise of violent extremists. The tragedy in Syria is no different. The same forces that were once seen as “freedom fighters” are now the ones persecuting Christians with impunity.

The past few years have seen a drastic decline in Christian populations across the Middle East. In Iraq, the number of Christians has fallen from 1.5 million to fewer than 200,000 since the rise of ISIS. In Syria, the Christian population has dropped from over a million to fewer than 300,000 — a number likely to decrease further if current trends continue. Meanwhile, Boko Haram has killed more than 12,000 Christians in Nigeria over the past five years.

The West’s inaction in response to this persecution is maddening. Thousands of Christians are being slaughtered, yet Europe and other Western nations seem more concerned with political correctness than with protecting those who are being killed for their faith. Why aren’t these refugees being granted asylum? Why do those fleeing regimes that commit such atrocities receive less attention than others escaping different conflicts?

Why are Christians forgotten?

The conflict in Syria isn’t a matter of simple political alignment. Neither side can claim to be the “good guys.” Bashar al-Assad is a bad actor, but so is the opposition. Both have blood on their hands. Meanwhile, Syrian Christians are caught in the crossfire of a proxy war, abandoned by the international community.

In 2024 alone, nearly 5,000 Christians were killed worldwide for their faith. This isn’t just a tragic statistic — it reflects a long-standing pattern of violence. The slaughter of Christians in Syria is merely the latest chapter in this ongoing tragedy.

Time to step up

The question now is: What are we going to do about it? We can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the suffering of Christians around the world.

The Trump administration has made it clear that these atrocities cannot go unnoticed. It’s time for the rest of the world to step up and take a stand, not just for the people of Syria but for all those facing persecution under the hands of radical Islamist groups.

If history has taught us anything, it’s that when we ignore the suffering of minorities, it only sets the stage for more violence. We must act before it’s too late.

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