Sectarian violence continues to plague Syria, with a Druze Christian convert and 11 members of his extended family being killed in an attack in the city of Suwayda.
The victim, Khaled Mezher, is believed to have been a church leader in the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church. At the weekend his home was reportedly subjected to a brutal attack in which he and his family members were killed.
While much has been shared about the attack online, not all of it is accurate, according to a spokesman for the anti-persecution charity, Open Doors, who said, “Having checked with the local church, we are confident this is the correct account of what happened.”
Suwayda is currently the centre of an ongoing sectarian conflict between the Druze and the Bedouins. The Druze, while not Islamic, have their historic roots in Shia Islam, while the Bedouins are Sunni Muslims.
In December the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad was toppled, primarily by the militia group HTS, which began life as an al-Qaeda affiliate. While HTS, which has formed an interim government, has pledged to respect the rights of minorities, there are increasing concerns that despite such intentions, they are unable to control the multitude of armed groups in the country.
Since the new regime took over there has been a massacre of Alawites and a suicide bombing on a church in Damascus. Now violence has erupted in Suwayda.
Leila Samar from Open Doors said the killing of the convert was actually due to his Druze background rather than his Christian faith.
“Khaled’s death was not because of his Christian faith but due to his Druze identity. Yet, this tragedy reflects the ongoing insecurity in Suwayda, where civilians, Christian or Muslim, are increasingly vulnerable to violence, displacement, and fear," she said.
While the Christians in the area are not directly involved in the Druze-Bedouin conflict, they are suffering nonetheless.
Juliette Amar, a Syrian aid worker, said the situation was bleak.
“All the Christians in one village I know have left their houses without anything – no clothes, no food – and fled to the church," she said.
“And the church is not prepared for something like this. The children are so scared they can't understand what is going on.
"This is happening in other towns around Suwayda. Hopefully they are safe. No armed group has dared to enter the churches. However, those trapped inside can hear everything happening around them; it’s terrifying.”
