The Situation of Syrian Minorities after 2011: The case of Christians

Syria has a distinct mosaic of minorities, religions, and sects. These different components live in the same regions and coexist with each other, except for some historical periods where the relationship among those components is affected by political circumstances and external interference. Christians, as one of these components, are currently exposed to an existential risk; their numbers in Syria have significantly decreased due to emigration or forced displacement as a result of the circumstances that Syria is currently experiencing. Syrian Christians are divided into 12 churches and denominations and Syria is of significant importance to Christians. From this region, missionaries and messengers set out to spread Christianity throughout the world, and many holy churches are still there. However, there is now great concern about the fate of this Syrian component in light of what is happening in Syria. Some cities do not have any of its Christian residents anymore. Therefore, the study aims to shed light on this component and its status in Syria in light of the current conditions. It seeks to assess its relations with the Syrian political parties, its positions of what is happening in Syria, and its relationship with countries interested in the Syrian context. The objective is to propose a few suggestions to solve some of the issues they face and to come up with some sustainable solutions to reduce their emigration. The study will be based on an analytical and descriptive approach through reviewing the previous studies and reports on the Syrian context, in addition to conducting interviews with Syrian Christians living in Syria or in exile. The outputs of the study will include a published research paper in addition to a report that will be distributed to the entities that are interested in the Syrian context.