Syria has been shaken by the deadly attack on Sunday’s Mar Elias Church in Damascus, particularly among the country’s Christians.
At least 25 people were killed in the Sunday attack when a man with a rifle entered the church and yelled at members of the crowd before detonating a suicide bomb. It has sparked concerns about the ability of the new Syrian government to oversee security and safeguard its citizens, including those who belong to minority groups.
ISIL (ISIS), a group that the Syrian Interior Ministry later claimed was responsible for the attack, was later refuted by Saraya Ansar al-Sunna. Following the demise of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, government officials described the attack as an attempt to thwart their efforts to form a state.
As she retorted tears, Syria’s social and labor affairs minister, Hind Kabawat, a hospital in Damascus, said, “Sedition is occurring.” “All Syrians, Muslims, and Christians must be strong today. Our pain is great because this is a large wound.
Syria’s fear is high
The attack, which was the first of its kind against a Syrian church since the al-Assad regime, serves as a reminder of the country’s fragile security situation, which all Syrians are affected by as the government tries to maintain stability.
Abu Hassan, a resident of Damascus, contacted Al Jazeera via phone to say, “It’s very dangerous.” He warned against more attacks being carried out as a result of an effort to divide Syria’s Christians and Muslims.
He claimed that “the attacks won’t go away.” “There will be more blood,” he declared. May God keep this nation safe.
Most Syrians were pleased that the al-Assad regime had come to an end after more than 13 years of bloodshed. One of the most brutal police states in the world was created by the al-Assad dynasty, Bashar had been elected president before his father Hafez, and had a sizable network of rival security and intelligence organizations that terrorized a large portion of the population.
Ahmed al-Sharaa is the president who succeeded Bashar al-Assad. Many Syrians expressed doubts and concerns over his rule of such a religiously and ethnically diverse state as a former member of al-Qaeda, which led the now-disbanded Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the latter years of the war.
Al-Sharaa has made commitments to safeguard minorities and create a welcoming society for Syrians of all races and backgrounds. However, a number of events over the past few years have created distrust between some members of religious minority groups and the ruling elite.
Some of the goodwill and faith the new authorities had cultivated were shattered by the massacres that occurred in the Alawite-dominated coastal region in March, followed by clashes between government-affiliated forces and Druze militias in May.
The Mar Elias Church attack was undoubtedly carried out by a member of the new government, which is of course unique. However, it has still contributed to some people’s doubts about how well-off the security situation in Syria can be, particularly for minorities, if not exclusively.
Some minorities are even starting to think they might have to leave Syria and abandon their homes there.
The authorities are ultimately the end-user, according to many observers.
The government will be evaluated on its actions and how they address the [security] issue, according to Jerome Drevon, the senior analyst for jihad and contemporary conflict at the International Crisis Group, “including the issue of religious minorities and how they protect them.”
Justice is required
The government has claimed that the same cell that carried out the Mar Elias attack, one of which was intended to target a Shia Muslim shrine in Damascus, was able to thwart two other planned attacks.
ISIL is reportedly expanding its presence in Syria despite not yet claiming the attack. Before a US-led campaign in 2019 toppled it, the group had previously seized vast tracts of territory in Syria and Iraq as part of its self-declared “caliphate” and had relegated its remnants to the peripheries.
Before recent US airstrikes and the rise of the Syrian government, the group had been primarily present in the eastern desert region of Syria, according to Drevon.
According to Drevon, it is now more difficult to completely eradicate ISIL because it no longer functions as a hierarchical organization.
Because there aren’t enough forces to mann the entire nation, Drevon claimed, there is a security vacuum.
There is still room for optimism, though. Devon noted that as the government’s cooperation with foreign governments improves, its intelligence and ability to thwart local attacks will increase.
Of course, there are instances of violence, but it’s far beyond what we had anticipated six months ago, according to Drevon. Even the West is unable to completely stop armed attacks, according to the statement.
According to analysts, Syrian authorities have been working to stop domestic insurrections similar to those that occurred along Syria’s coast in March, which were sparked by al-Assad supporters, which then sprang into sectarian killing and massacres.
Additionally, the new authorities are attempting to increase their intelligence gathering and dissemination methods. In order to combat what is likely to be a growing threat from ISIL in the upcoming months, Devin said it was crucial for foreign governments to work with the new administration on intelligence.
Beyond the question of the state’s ability to combat radical groups, Robin Yassin-Kassab, a Syrian writer, stressed the importance of spreading the message that all religious and ethnic minorities are equal citizens in Syria.
Syrians were well-liked for the overthrow of al-Assad, and the country’s new narrative of unity has emerged in the months that followed. However, that may quickly vanish, especially if people don’t feel that justice is being served to victims of all crimes, even those committed by those who support the state.
After the violence on the coast and in densely populated areas, al-Sharaa’s government established committees to look into and hold accountable the deaths and violence. People who are accused of organizing or committing violence have occasionally been detained by the new authorities.
Some Syrians, however, still believe that justice is distributed fairly, clearly, and equally through a transparent process or message.
