Syrian Conflict Draws In Christians
Syria’s conflict, increasingly characterized as a Muslim sectarian war, is threatening to engulf the country’s estimated 2 million Christians.
As clashes between government forces and rebels spread over the weekend from the capital Damascus to the northern city of Aleppo—Syria’s two largest urban centers that are home to sizable Christian communities—the Christians and other minorities are being forced to take sides.
Several Christian residents and anti-regime activists in Damascus say the regime is now arming male loyalists in parts of the capital dominated by Christians and Druze and Shiite minorities.
Syria’s conflict has until now largely played out between supporters of President Bashar al-Assad—whose minority Shiite-linked Alawite sect makes up the core of his security apparatus—and an opposition dominated by Sunni Muslims, estimated to make up 70% of the country’s 23 million people.
Christians account for nearly 10% of the population. They have generally remained neutral or stood by the Assad regime, which has characterized itself as a secular government holding together a nation of diverse faiths.
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