On Monday, President Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, praising his leadership. However, due to his troublesome past and current perceived inaction, many are wondering if al-Sharaa is capable of protecting the persecuted Christians in his nation.

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From the Daily Caller:

As the nearly 14-year civil war came to a close, al-Sharaa’s forces took control of the Syrian government from Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in late 2024.

Al-Sharaa’s resistance, the Nusra Front, was formally aligned with al-Qaeda until 2016, Reuters reported. It rebranded itself in 2017 as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Al-Sharaa previously had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, but he told CNN in December that his group was working to reassure Christians targeted by extremist and jihadist groups during the civil war that they would be safe under his rule.

Al-Sharaa has sought to portray himself as an ally of persecuted believers. According to the Daily Caller, one of his first moves after taking charge of Syria was meeting with high-level clergy to “lay the foundations for future dialogue.” He also also addressed violent persecution, calling on the “remnants of the former regime” to surrender, vowing that those “involved in the bloodshed of civilians” would be held accountable.

Despite al-Sharaa’s words, persecution has continued under his rule. The Caller notes that a suicide bomber attacked a Catholic mass in June, killing over 20 people. Aside from the violence, Joseph Lahdo, head of the Europe branch of the Christian Syriac Union Party, said believers face taxes and financial pressure as well. Christian women are reportedly forced out of workplaces and schools, and Christians face political marginalization, with a stark absence of real representation in government and constant threats from extremists.

Since taking office, President Trump has taken action to protect persecuted believers, most recently by designating Nigeria a country of particular concern. Ahead of his meeting with al-Sharaa, many Christian leaders, including IFA President/CEO David Kubal, called on him to take similar action concerning Syria. And as of today, it is unclear whether President Trump’s meeting with the Syrian president included a discussion on religious persecution.

Syria may be acting friendly with the United States, but its Christian population is still struggling. Let’s pray for the protection of believers in Syria!

Share your prayers for the persecuted believers of Syria below.

(Excerpt from the Daily Caller. Photo Credit: Foreign Ministery of Oman – https://www.fm.gov.om/his-majesty-sends-greetings-to-leader-of-the-syrian-transitional-administration/https://x.com/FMofOman/status/1878022671360754043?s=08 (Alternative), OGL-om 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=158000523)