Bullet holes mark a wall next to a damaged crucifix following overnight violence in the predominantly Christian town ofAl-Suqaylabiyah, in Hama, Syria, March 28, 2026
Photo credit: AP/Omar Albam
Syrian pages online [1][2] are reporting that a coordinated and deeply alarming act of hate took place overnight in central Syria after armed, government-aligned Islamist groups from the neighboring Sunni villages of Qalaat al-Madiq and Al-Asharinah - operating with the complicity and protection of the so-called “General Security Service” - descended on the predominantly Christian town of al-Suqaylabiyah in organized waves, unleashing chaos and terror.
These self-styled followers of al-Jolani stormed the streets of the town firing their weapons in the air and issuing threats, all while filming their crimes and spreading their videos online. The Syrian "security forces" did not intervene even as the armed thugs openly smashed shops, cafes, burned homes, beat innocent civilians, and desecrated churches and Christian religious symbols.
The anti-Christian attack in al-Suqaylabiyah - right before Easter - was a coordinated pogrom designed to terrorize, loot, and break the will of a very peaceful Rûm (Levantine Greek) city. The ongoing ethnoreligious targeting in Syria is an existential threat to all the minorities of the country - Alawite, Christian, Druze, and others.
The events that took place in the town are part of a broader pattern aimed at uprooting the Christian presence from its ancestral homeland through fear, violence, and forced displacement. The message being sent is unmistakable - leave, submit to Islam, or face annihilation.
In Damascus, the Rûm (Levantine Greeks) and others gathered in solidarity deep into the night, holding the Cross high, chanting for faith, dignity, and life. Their voices carried a message to the world: "We will not disappear. We will not be silenced."
According to an article written by Omar Albam for the Associated Press, Liyan Dweir, whose children were terrified in the hours-long assault and whose clothes shop was riddled with bullets and suffered heavy damage, told the reporter: "We passed through a state of terror, fear, and panic." [3]
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East issued a press release condemning the attack [4], however churches in the town issued statements that certain outdoor religious celebrations will be cancelled.[5] The Greek government issued a statement that they are following the situation, and also noted that the Syrian Government has stated that they will investigate.[6]
At the time of publishing, Global Affairs Canada has yet to issue a statement.
Since the fall of Assad in December 2024, the country’s Alawite, Druze and Christian minorities have been subjected to ongoing attacks by groups loyal to the country’s new Islamist rulers. Hundreds of people have been killed, including Alawites in Syria’s coastal region in March last year and Druze in the southern province of Sweida in July. Earlier this year, the Kurds were targeted.
The Rûm (Levantine Greeks) are indigenous to the land with a history spanning thousands of years. Christians made up about 10% of Syria’s prewar population of 23 million. Today, it is estimated that the Christian population of Syria is below 5% and rapidly declining. They enjoyed freedom of worship under the former government and, initially, many Christians were willing to give the new authorities a chance but the situation worsened in June 2025 after a suicide bombing inside a church at a Damascus suburb killed 25 people and wounded dozens.[7]
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Last update: Saturday, March 28, 2026, 5:54pm (PST)
These self-styled followers of al-Jolani stormed the streets of the town firing their weapons in the air and issuing threats, all while filming their crimes and spreading their videos online. The Syrian "security forces" did not intervene even as the armed thugs openly smashed shops, cafes, burned homes, beat innocent civilians, and desecrated churches and Christian religious symbols.
The anti-Christian attack in al-Suqaylabiyah - right before Easter - was a coordinated pogrom designed to terrorize, loot, and break the will of a very peaceful Rûm (Levantine Greek) city. The ongoing ethnoreligious targeting in Syria is an existential threat to all the minorities of the country - Alawite, Christian, Druze, and others.
The events that took place in the town are part of a broader pattern aimed at uprooting the Christian presence from its ancestral homeland through fear, violence, and forced displacement. The message being sent is unmistakable - leave, submit to Islam, or face annihilation.
In Damascus, the Rûm (Levantine Greeks) and others gathered in solidarity deep into the night, holding the Cross high, chanting for faith, dignity, and life. Their voices carried a message to the world: "We will not disappear. We will not be silenced."
According to an article written by Omar Albam for the Associated Press, Liyan Dweir, whose children were terrified in the hours-long assault and whose clothes shop was riddled with bullets and suffered heavy damage, told the reporter: "We passed through a state of terror, fear, and panic." [3]
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East issued a press release condemning the attack [4], however churches in the town issued statements that certain outdoor religious celebrations will be cancelled.[5] The Greek government issued a statement that they are following the situation, and also noted that the Syrian Government has stated that they will investigate.[6]
At the time of publishing, Global Affairs Canada has yet to issue a statement.
Since the fall of Assad in December 2024, the country’s Alawite, Druze and Christian minorities have been subjected to ongoing attacks by groups loyal to the country’s new Islamist rulers. Hundreds of people have been killed, including Alawites in Syria’s coastal region in March last year and Druze in the southern province of Sweida in July. Earlier this year, the Kurds were targeted.
The Rûm (Levantine Greeks) are indigenous to the land with a history spanning thousands of years. Christians made up about 10% of Syria’s prewar population of 23 million. Today, it is estimated that the Christian population of Syria is below 5% and rapidly declining. They enjoyed freedom of worship under the former government and, initially, many Christians were willing to give the new authorities a chance but the situation worsened in June 2025 after a suicide bombing inside a church at a Damascus suburb killed 25 people and wounded dozens.[7]
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Last update: Saturday, March 28, 2026, 5:54pm (PST)
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