Islamic Extremism

The first funeral services for the victims of a jihadi suicide bombing inside a Damascus church were held as Syrian Christians have been left deeply traumatized by the horrific massacre during Sunday's Divine Liturgy on June 22.

The fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria in December was viewed by the country’s minorities with a mixture of cautious optimism and apprehension. Just three months later, a wave of violence has made their worst nightmares come true.

Syria's top Christian leaders have condemned the killing and wounding of hundreds of Alawites, many of them civilians, by security forces and gunmen linked to the country's new Islamist rulers.