Syria's Christians fearful amid new Islamist regime

Syrian church leaders are advising Christians to scale back Christmas celebrations this year, despite assurances from the Islamists who have just taken power that they are free to practise their religion.

The self-imposed constraints highlight one of the main challenges for Syria's new Islamist rulers: establishing mutual trust among a myriad of minorities, all scarred by decades of brutal dictatorship and 13 years of pitiless civil war.

De facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa has told Christians and other groups that they will be safe in a Syria run by his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former Al-Qaeda affiliate.

Although himself a former leader of the Sunni Muslim Islamist group, which sees Christians as infidels, Mr Sharaa has quickly shed his jihadist uniform for business suits.

And he has told the Western officials visiting him that HTS will neither seek revenge against the former regime of Mr Bashar al-Assad, drawn mostly from the Alawite sect, nor repress any other religious minority.

But many Christians have yet to be convinced.

On Dec 18, unidentified gunmen opened fire at a Greek Orthodox church in the city of Hama, entering the compound and attempting to destroy a cross, and smashing headstones in a cemetery, the church said in a statement.