Exclusive -- Aid Group Open Doors: Syria's Christians Choosing to Hide Identity Following Rise of Jihadis

Christians in Syria are choosing to “hide Christian symbols and avoid public displays of faith” following the collapse of the Assad regime and ascent of the al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to power, Ryan Brown, the CEO of the Christian human rights organization Open Doors, told Breitbart News in remarks this weekend.

Brown answered questions in the context of the release of Open Doors’ annual World Watch List for 2026, which meticulously tracks the threats that persecuted Christians face around the world and ranks the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian. Its research estimates that 388 million Christians live in places where they face systematic persecution. Open Doors monitors that persecution and operates throughout the world aiding the persecuted faithful with emergency relief and training church leaders.

This year – as in many years prior – communist North Korea topped the list of most difficult places to practice the Christian faith, as the longstanding Kim dynasty has for decades outlawed Christianity, declared the faith a Western weapon against the state, and brutally persecuted anyone accused of believing in the faith. The nation of Syria came in sixth place, but experienced an extraordinary 12-point rise in the rankings, almost entirely as a result of HTS leader and formerly wanted jihadi Ahmed al-Sharaa taking over for Bashar Assad.

“Syria’s dramatic 12-point jump to #6 on the World Watch List reflects the reality on the ground during our reporting period, which ended September 30, 2025,” Brown explained in response to questions from Breitbart News. “The fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 and HTS’s takeover created significant new pressures for Christians.”

“Since the regime change, widespread instability has led to deadly clashes that have affected other religious minorities, particularly Druze and Alawites, with Christians caught in the crossfire,” Open Doors explains in its 2026 profile of Syria. “The resurgence of military operations by the Islamic State group since October 2024 reinforces a sense of insecurity. These include a deadly attack on a church in Damascus in June 2025.”

HTS has historically rejected cooperation with the Islamic State, responsible for the almost complete extermination of Christians in the country, though both are Sunni jihadist terrorist organizations. Like HTS, the Islamic State began as an offshoot of al-Qaeda. The Islamic State was once “Al-Qaeda in Iraq,” while HTS was once the Nusra Front.

The Assad regime, which lasted for over half a century if including the reign of Bashar’s father Hafez, persecuted Christian political dissidents, but largely left Christian communities alone to worship if they did not oppose the regime politically. Assad also regularly used Christians in his propaganda, presenting himself to the West and potential allies as a protector of Christians in the face of Sunni jihadist terror groups such as HTS. The result of this track record was an outburst of celebration among Syrian Christians exiled abroad for their opposition to Assad, while those at home expressed alarm at now being governed by terrorists associated with al-Qaeda.

Following the end of Assad’s reign, Sharaa rapidly abandoned his jihadi military fatigues and began wearing a suit, becoming Syria’s president and declaring interest in building an “inclusive” country. His government is allegedly in the process of dismantling HTS and using it to build a formal Syrian armed forces, as the military previously present collapsed under Assad. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), once an Assad propaganda arm and now a mouthpiece for Sharaa, spent much of the Advent season publishing videos and articles about alleged Christian celebrations occurring in peace, including Christmas tree lightings and other events marking the birth of Jesus Christ.

This disposition has attracted the support of political leaders in the West, most prominently President Donald Trump. President Trump has met Sharaa twice since the latter became president of Syria: once during President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May, and once in November, when Sharaa was granted an audience at the Oval Office.

“Great…Young, attractive guy, tough guy, strong past, very strong past– fighter. But he’s got a real shot at pulling it together,” Trump assessed following the meeting in May.

The reality on the ground for Christians since the change in regime is that Sharaa imposed an Islamist constitution on the country and jihadist paramilitaries, some affiliated with HTS, have continued to actively persecute Christians. In June, a jihadist suicide bomber detonated at the Mar Elias Church outside Damascus, killing 22 people. As fires spread through Wadi al-Nasara – the Valley of the Christians – in the country, many lamented the complete absence of any state support and suggested that some evidence indicated they were the product of arson.

Brown acknowledged that, following the end of the World Watch List reporting period in September, the Sharaa government attempted to portray itself as open to Christianity through its propaganda arms. Open Doors’s research and contact with Christians in Syria nonetheless indicates that they perceive the jihadist regime as a threat and violence and persecution remain present.

“While it’s true that Syrian state TV showed Christian celebrations and some of our partners on the ground are still hopeful that change is possible, our research indicates this doesn’t yet reflect the full picture Christians are experiencing,” Brown noted. “During our reporting period, we verified at least 27 Syrian Christians were killed because of their faith—compared to zero the previous year. This included a suicide attack at Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus in June 2025 that killed 22 Christians and wounded 63 others.”

“Beyond violence, the March 2025 interim constitution established Islamic jurisprudence as the main source of legislation,” Brown continued, “and many Christians report anxiety about Islamic radicalism has driven them to hide Christian symbols and avoid public displays of faith. Churches have curtailed activities for security reasons.”

Brown described the status of Christians in Syria as “fluid and uncertain,” noting the steep decline in the country’s Christian population before and after the rise of the Islamic State – and the reduction in population not necessarily meaning that the state or other repressive actors will lose interest in persecuting them.

“In some countries, Christian populations have indeed dramatically declined,” he explained. “Syria, for example, now has an estimated 300,000 Christians—hundreds of thousands fewer than a decade ago.”

“However, this doesn’t mean persecution has lessened for those who remain. In fact, smaller Christian populations are often more vulnerable because they’ve lost the protective buffer of numbers,” Brown added.

“Through local partners and churches, Open Doors continues to support Syrian Christians as they navigate this new reality, but there are legitimate concerns about what HTS rule will mean for religious freedom long-term,” he concluded.

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