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DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria’s Christians are making preparations for the New Year celebrations. However, the recent takeover of the country by Islamist forces has left them uncertain about the future of the Christian community.
Bishop Armash and a number of other Christian figures have met with the Syrian caretaker PM and asked for guarantees for the lives of Christians.
"Today we notice that there is joy among the faithful and the people, but with that joy we feel a great deal of anxiety and fear, a fear that we feel as if our future is uncertain," he told Rudaw.
The number of Christians in Syria has significantly dwindled since the start of the civil war over a decade ago.
Bab Tuma and Bab al-Sharqi, two predominantly Christian areas in the heart of Damascus, want their rights to be protected.
"We, Christians and Muslims, are all brothers and have been living with each other. This dear brother here is Abu Amir, who is a Muslim, and I’m a Christian and I can't be happy without him. And we hope that the people or the new government will look after us," Nawaf Darwesh, a Christian resident of Damascus, said.
Bishop Armash and a number of other Christian figures have met with the Syrian caretaker PM and asked for guarantees for the lives of Christians.
"Today we notice that there is joy among the faithful and the people, but with that joy we feel a great deal of anxiety and fear, a fear that we feel as if our future is uncertain," he told Rudaw.
The number of Christians in Syria has significantly dwindled since the start of the civil war over a decade ago.
Bab Tuma and Bab al-Sharqi, two predominantly Christian areas in the heart of Damascus, want their rights to be protected.
"We, Christians and Muslims, are all brothers and have been living with each other. This dear brother here is Abu Amir, who is a Muslim, and I’m a Christian and I can't be happy without him. And we hope that the people or the new government will look after us," Nawaf Darwesh, a Christian resident of Damascus, said.
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