JERUSALEM—Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al Qaeda terrorist and current Interim President of Syria, has failed to prevent the massacre of over 1,000 Syrians, including Christians, that occurred last Thursday and extended over several days.
Al-Sharaa, along with his organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a U.S.-designated Sunni terrorist organization, played a role in toppling former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December.
Christian leaders and human rights activists have expressed serious concerns regarding al-Sharaa’s Islamist regime’s ability to establish a democracy that safeguards vulnerable religious minority groups.
Rev. Johnnie Moore, president of The Congress of Christian Leaders, stated, “This is a warning that the Syrian government is unprepared for its responsibilities if it cannot protect vulnerable Christians who are innocent victims of this violence.”
Following shocking online footage that revealed Islamists engaging in massacres of Syrian Alawites—a minority religious group—al-Sharaa asserted he would “hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone involved in the bloodshed of civilians” and emphasized, “No one will be above the law, and those with blood on their hands will face justice eventually.”
Moore commented, “This clearly demonstrates that the new government has failed at its primary duty, which is to protect its citizens.”
He indicated that foreign fighters affiliated with the Syrian government have indiscriminately and grotesquely killed countless civilians, including verified Christians, and warned that the numbers are rising.
Moore added, “While the new government in Syria may not be ISIS, they are still ‘Islamists.’” Notably, al-Sharaa was previously part of the Islamist State terrorist movement.
UNCOVERING THE ATROCITIES OF THE ASSAD REGIME AT ITS ‘DEATH FACTORY’ ON THE HILL
Moore criticized the Europeans’ approach toward the hardline Syrian Islamist regime, suggesting that European governments appear to be rewarding the regime in Damascus.
He remarked, “For this to occur just 24 hours after the United Kingdom announced the waiver of sanctions on the Syrian national bank and over 20 other entities is a concerning sign for the Western world, especially as the EU commission continues plans for a funding conference to assist the new Syrian government.”
Moore concluded, “The U.S. response should be the exact opposite. The United States must send a clear message to the new Syrian government that there will be zero sanctions relief and no normalization of relations until it demonstrates the ability to protect all citizens of Syria, including its vulnerable Christians.”
Moore highlighted that during the Syrian civil war, Christians faced killings and displacement. In December, he and Nina Shea from the Center for Religious Freedom discussed on Fox and Friends the threats to Christianity in Syria after rebels seized control of the capital and the U.S.’s role in protecting Christians.
The Christian population in Syria has drastically decreased since the onset of the 2011 Syrian civil war, with an estimated 300,000 Christians remaining in the war-torn nation, down from 1.5 million prior to the conflict.
