Communities of believers in Al-Suqaylabiyah, a Christian-majority town in Syria, have once again been struck by brutal and potentially premediated violence. Amid the trauma, grief and uncertainty our brothers and sisters are facing, please stand with them in prayer.

For the third time this year, conflict and gun violence have stricken Christian families and communities in Al-Suqaylabiyah, Syria.

The incident began as a personal disagreement between two men but quickly escalated into an attack on a shop in the town. The men involved were expelled and peace was restored – until a few hours later when an unknown armed group returned.

What was at first a minor conflict soon devolved into a coordinated assault. Homes and shops owned by believers were fired on by the attackers, as well as a priest’s car and house and a church centre. Those sheltering in the centre had to hide as the attackers approached and shot rounds into the air.

Reflecting upon the incident, one shop owner shares, “We started to think that they made this kind of fight an excuse for a premeditated act.”

Urged to peace

CHRISTIAN RESIDENT

Following the assault, two Christians have been arrested while an undetermined number of individuals from a neighbouring town, where the unrest originated, have also been detained. “We hope this time to be the last time, but reality shows that each attack is worse than the previous,” explains one of the Christian residents.

Father Fadi Sankari is the parish priest of Al-Suqaylabiyah. He shared various statements following the attack, urging residents to look after vulnerable community members and calling on the authorities to do everything in their power to protect civilians. Father Sankari has also warned against taking revenge, emphasising that the community desires security, justice and accountability in place of retaliation.

In an earlier incident in September when three cars and 12 homes were broken into in the town, Father Sankari made the statement: “Security is a right, and protecting homes and lives is your responsibility. People no longer want promises or statements; they want safety.”

Even earlier in March, the first incident in Al-Suqaylabiyah’s tragic recent history of attacks took place and was very similar to the most recent – when a group of armed men opened fire on a café run by a Christian family. At that time, Molham, the owner, had made the unsettling statement that the attack was ‘an attack on our existence’.

These assaults on the Christian-majority communities of Al-Suqaylabiyah are exacerbating the vulnerabilities believers already face across the nation, Syria being number six on the World Watch List.

FATHER FADI SANKARI

Concerning this most recent event, Father Sankari shared, “No one has the right to enter your homes or threaten your security and dignity. My beloved people of the parish: do not be afraid, and do not allow anger to lead you into wrongdoing. We are people of hope, and we will remain united, holding firmly to one another and to our right to live in safety.”

Source and photo: Open Doors