The devastating suicide bombing that struck the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the Dweil’a neighborhood of Damascus on June 22 has left at least 22 people dead and dozens more injured.
This heinous act is a tragedy that also must stand as a dire warning: Syria’s minorities are facing mounting threats from extremism and sectarian hatred.
The suicide bombing follows a deeply alarming pattern of violence, including the widely reported wave of killings and reprisals that targeted Alawite civilians earlier this year across several regions including Latakia and Tartus on the coast, as well as the sectarian violence against Druze in Suwayda. The violence in those areas, marked by collective punishment and indiscriminate killings, revealed how deeply rooted sectarian tensions remain, and how easily they can be exploited to exacerbate societal tensions in the absence of robust protection measures and inclusive governance. In a country still grappling with the scars of past regime crimes and fractured by deep divisions, it is essential to send an unequivocal message: the protection of Syria’s rich mosaic of ethnic, religious, and social identities must be a priority for the nation’s future.
To do so, Syrian authorities should construct a national strategy based on three pillars: accountability, protection from sectarian hate speech, and inclusivity.
The Syrian state must send a clear message: perpetrators of sectarian violence will not go unpunished. Less than 24 hours after the 22 June bombing, Syria’s Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of several individuals affiliated with ISIS, accused of involvement in the attack. While its efforts for accountability are welcome, it is crucial that any investigation or prosecution be transparent, independent, and in full respect of due process.
In March 2025, Syria’s presidency announced the formation of a national fact-finding committee to investigate the violence on the Syrian coast, which caused hundreds of civilian deaths. Yet several months later, no findings have been published, no prosecutions publicly confirmed, and no reparations offered. Survivors and victims’ families continue to wait for justice. Releasing the full report on the coastal massacres and initiating credible prosecutions are essential steps to restore public trust. In addition, fostering genuine and comprehensive accountability measures for all crimes committed before the fall of the regime is essential to overcome the cycle of violence.
While the Syrian government announced the creation of a National Transitional Justice Commission in May, its focus on perpetrators from the former regime, excluding crimes committed by other groups, sparked criticism and even outrage in Syria.
The Syrian government must also actively dismantle the roots of extremism by eliminating the hateful discourse that fuels it. As exemplified in a report by the NGO Syrians for Truth and Justice, media channels and militia figures used online platforms to incite violence and division during the coastal massacres. It is vital for the interim authorities to hold anyone accountable for any rhetoric that incites hatred or glorifies sectarianism be it against Alawites, Christians, Druze or other minorities.
Finally, genuine protection for minorities will only emerge from inclusive governance. Yet today, key national structures remain dominated by narrow political or ideological interests. The transitional cabinet formed in March 2025 includes only minimal minority representation, while all key positions are held by groups affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir Al Sham (HTS).
The interim constitutional framework lacks concrete guarantees of religious and ethnic equality, offering only nominal recognition of freedom of belief. By stipulating that the President of the Republic must be Muslim and that Islamic jurisprudence is the principal source of legislation, the framework entrenches a discriminatory legal structure that marginalizes religious and ethnic minorities. Furthermore, the interim Constitution permits restrictions on the practice of religious rituals under the pretext of maintaining ‘public order’- a vague and potentially expansive term that could be exploited to impose unlawful limitations on religious freedom.
An inclusive Syria must guarantee minority representation in all areas of public life, including government, civil service, and security institutions, and ensure that every community’s voice is represented in shaping the country’s future. For that, it is imperative that the electoral process of the People’s Assembly of Syria be transparent and independent, as well as representative of Syria’s diverse regions, and ethnic and religious groups. Equally crucial is the need for new and genuine efforts toward a meaningful national dialogue. It must actively engage voices from all ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds, unlike the failed and performative March conference on national dialogue, which excluded many minority voices and therefore lacked legitimacy and credibility.
The Syrian interim authorities should fully cooperate with and allow access to the UN Independent International Investigative Mechanism (IIIM) and the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria (COI) so that they may assist in the collection of evidence and pursuance of accountability for these crimes. Moreover, it should seek assistance and issue country visit invitations to UN experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, including the Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Religion and on the rights of Minorities, in order to develop recommendations based on best practices on how to ensure stronger protection and integration of religious and minority groups within the transitional process.
Marginalizing minority groups leaves them vulnerable to violence and manipulation. Inclusive governance, by contrast, strengthens national cohesion, deters radicalization, and affirms equal citizenship as the bedrock of a united Syria.
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