I’m Sophie Griffith and it’s Wednesday 19th February 2025.
Welcome to the 7-minute country briefing – your deep dive into news and current affairs from a country in the Middle East and North Africa – brought to you by SAT-7.
This month, we focus on Syria, and as it starts the new year with a change of leadership, we’ll explore how after a long and brutal civil war, communities are just beginning to rebuild their lives. While the new leaders speak of freedom and inclusion, for Syria’s religious minorities, the future remains uncertain.
In this month's episode we’ll hear how despite the uncertainty, hope persists, and hear the stories of SAT-7 viewers, which remind us that while the future may seem unsure, God is undoubtedly at work.
Bordered on the west by Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea, a large portion of Syria is covered by the Arabian Desert which stretches into neighbouring Jordan and Iraq. In antiquity Syria was instrumental in spreading Christianity throughout Persia and the Arabian Peninsula.
Today, Syria is home to a diverse group of people including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Druze and Alawites, with Christians coming from a wide variety of these backgrounds. Since gaining independence from France in 1946, Syria has struggled with considerable political instability. In 1970 Hafez al-Assad came to power following a coup and his family ruled Syria until his son Bashar al-Assad was ousted in 2024. The civil war which erupted in 2011, led to 14 million people being forcibly displaced and over six million Syrians fleeing the country.
In December 2024, a major offensive led by the group HTS, saw the Assad regime collapse and brought an end to the long civil war. Large numbers of Syrians took to the streets, expressing their hopes for the future and the de-facto head of state, Ahmed al-Sharaa, stressed rights of minorities.
Despite this rhetoric, the Christian community has suffered from displacement and persecution in recent years. Before the civil war, around 10 per cent of the population were Christians, that figure has now fallen to just 2 per cent. While the Assad regime afforded a certain amount of protection and freedom to Christians, the civil war saw over 120 churches destroyed and Christians subject to violence and persecution in areas controlled by IS. With HTS originally part of IS before becoming independent in 2017, many remain concerned about what the change in leadership will mean for minority groups in the country.
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As Spring approaches keep an eye out for our seasonal resources, like our brand-new colouring and activity book A Very Middle Eastern Easter which walks children through the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, while also sharing how Christians in this amazing part of the world celebrate Easter today!
Back to Syria now, where SAT-7's ARABIC channel has been hearing from church leaders in Syria on live programmes Different Angle and You Are Not Alone about their hopes and fears for the country’s future. Speaking on You Are Not Alone, Pastor Yacoub Sabbagh stressed the importance of forgiveness and unity at this time: “We want to live as witnesses to the works of God in our lives. Revenge has never been rewarding. Forgiving is the answer. This is our Christian faith.”
But even though there is great uncertainty, Syrians are optimistic about the future. Syrians like Jad, who has recently been able to realise a dream that he thought might never be possible: getting baptised! Jad began watching SAT-7 when he was 10 years old and grew to love God through our programmes, despite having to watch in secret as his family didn’t know he was a believer. When he was 15 he was kidnapped by militants in the civil war, but our children’s shows helped him cling on to hope, even in the darkest moments...
Jad told us... “When I was kidnapped, I used to remember the songs [I learnt on SAT-7 KIDS]. I used to sing them again and again.” Jad told us in 2021, praying that his dream to be baptised might become a reality.
Then he got in touch again last month with wonderful news of hope and answered prayer:
“[God] is present in your prayers...We have a beautiful God. I am coming today with all joy, faith, gratitude, and praise, to tell you that finally, I have been baptised! Thank you from the bottom of [my] heart...”
Finaly, as Syria enters this new era, we pray that the new leadership will be true to their promise to protect minorities. The stories of SAT-7 viewers in Syria are a testament to how God is at work in the region and remind us that even in the most difficult circumstances, His love is transformative. As Syria rebuilds, we pray for lasting peace, protection for minorities, and for the Church to remain a source of strength and unity.
Thank you for listening to the 7-minute country briefing from SAT-7.
Take a look at today’s show notes, where you’ll find links to today’s briefing article, plus ideas of how you can be praying for Christians in Syria.
