SYRIA'S CHRISTIAN CRISIS IS PROVING TO BE A GLOBAL BLIND SPOT

Christians in Syria face forced conversions, executions, and the destruction of their cultural and religious heritage. Churches have been razed, clergy kidnapped or killed, and entire communities displaced.

- SAVIO RODRIGUES

The international community has often spotlighted the challenges faced by Christians in India, portraying them as victims of systemic persecution. This narrative has been amplified by global media, Western governments, and certain international organizations. Yet, these very entities have remained conspicuously silent on the plight of Christians in Syria and other parts of the Middle East, where the threats to their survival are far more acute and existential. This glaring double standard raises critical questions about the motivations behind such selective outrage and the global indifference toward one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.

Syria's Christian population, once vibrant and integral to the country's cultural fabric, has been devastated over the past decade. Before the Syrian Civil War, Christians accounted for about 10% of Syria's population. Today, that number has dwindled dramatically.

Communities that have existed since the time of Christ are now on the brink of extinction, driven out by war, persecution, and the rise of extremist groups such as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

Under the control of these terrorist factions, Christians in Syria face forced conversions, executions, and the destruction of their cultural and religious heritage.

Churches have been razed, clergy kidnapped or killed, and entire communities displaced. Yet, this tragedy, unfolding in real time, has failed to generate the same level of international outrage or intervention seen in other regions.

The global Orthodox Christian community, which numbers approximately 300 million, has been notably silent on the plight of Syrian Christians.

Orthodox-majority nations such as Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, and Cyprus are all members of the European Union.

However, none have successfully brought the crisis facing Syrian Christians to the agenda of the EU or the United Nations.