A horrific news report popped up on social media this week claiming over 1,000 Syrian Christians were slain by Islamic extremists in a house-by-house rampage. However, as the week went on, reports emerged that it was largely a retaliatory attack on the Alawite community.
Former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is Alawite, a branch of Islam, but the militant Islamic group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew him in December and took control of Syria. Reports reveal some Alawites attacked HTS forces, prompting this surge of violence against the Alawite community.
Reports indicate that some Christians were killed in the crossfire. It is reported that over 1,000 Alawites were killed.
As Christians, we have a responsibility to share things that are true (Phil. 4:8). Sometimes that means slowing down to ensure a story is true, even when it comes from trusted voices. Honestly, I thought this piece would be very different when I first read the headlines of a Christian genocide in Syria and the media’s silence about it.
Whether it is one or 1,000 Christians killed in Syria, persecution is still very real and the Christians in that country need our prayers.
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