First Christmas in a free Syria a litmus test for country's new administration

Syrian Christians say they are being cautiously optimistic about the future

People pose for photos in front of a Christmas tree and nativity scene in the Bab Touma neighbourhood of Damascus on Christmas Eve. AP Photo

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The first Christmas Eve of a new Syria – following the overthrow of president Bashar Al Assad's government by armed rebels – passed peacefully but “cautiously” in the Christian neighbourhoods of old Damascus, residents told The National.

“Honestly the vibe is not the usual holiday vibe in terms of the amount of people you’d normally see out celebrating,” said Tawfic, a resident of the Al Qassaa neighbourhood bordering the ancient Christian neighbourhood of Bab Touma. “Things are still a little bit unstable.”

Although the crowds were not as large as in previous years, old Damascus was still bustling with holiday spirit on Tuesday. Young people and families – Christian and Muslim – walked through its narrow streets reverberating with the sound of church bells and masses were held in churches without incident.

“No one has bothered us at all,” said Oussama, an employee of a cupcake store in Bab Sharqi. “It’s more that people are being a little bit cautious as we see how things will play out this Christmas.”

Tawfic explained that many Christians remain hesitant to fully celebrate in the streets and bars – “which would normally be packed with people until 2am” – out of an abundance of caution over “individual acts of sectarianism.”

He was referring to the burning of a Christmas tree in the Christian-majority town of Al Suqaylabiyah, in central Syria’s Hama province, by Islamic extremists the previous day. The tree was reportedly set on fire by a group of foreign fighters affiliated with the rebels who participated in the toppling of Mr Al Assad on December 8.

In response to the incident, hundreds of Syrians marched in the capital's streets on Tuesday morning.

“Raise your cross high! We demand the rights of Christians,” protesters chanted as they marched towards the old Bab Sharqi neighbourhood where the headquarters of the Orthodox Patriarchate are located.

Demonstrators gathered from different neighbourhoods to express their fears, some carrying wooden crosses while others waved the green, white, and black ‘Free Syria’ flag adopted by the country’s new administration – a sign of tentative support to the new authorities while also registering concern for their community.

The coalition of armed rebels led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham who ended more than 50 years of the Assad family's reign promised to uphold the rights of minorities in Syria. For years, Mr Al Assad had portrayed himself as the protector of minorities – right up until the moment he fled the country.

Originally an offshoot of Al Qaeda, HTS has since distanced itself from the terror group's ideology and is presenting itself as a pragmatic replacement for what was viewed by most Syrians as an oppressive regime.

Still, many minorities fear a gradual tightening of religious freedoms as a group with Islamist roots takes over Syria’s governance. To them, incidents such as the tree burning in Al Suqaylabiyah are a litmus test for the future.

“The Christmas tree burning in Al Suqaylabiyah really affected us because we’re not used to such things happening,” Tawfic told The National.

He said residents of his neighbourhood had closed the area off to strangers out of fear of intolerant or provocative acts over Christmas by stray groups – but added that “patrols from Hayat Tahrir Al Sham are co-ordinating with us. They’ve shown great flexibility and are showing us that they’re on our side.”

The tree-burning incident was condemned by both residents of Al Suqaylabiyah and Syria’s new interim administration. Representatives of HTS assured residents that the incident would not be repeated and that the perpetrators would be punished.

“The people who did this were not Syrians. And they will be punished more than you can imagine,” an HTS cleric told residents in a video circulated on social media.

“I assure you this tree will be completely restored by morning,” he added.

In stark contrast, Christians and Muslims alike happily took photographs in front of a Christmas tree and nativity scene set up in Bab Touma, at the entrance to old Damascus.

The tree was an initiative by a multi-religious group of Syrians who wanted to “make certain that religious tolerance and acceptance would remain a major component Syrian life”, organiser Alaa Sami told The National.

“We’re in a honeymoon phase right now and everyone is optimistic,” he said. “We need to make sure this country stays open to all Syrians. We have to grasp this freedom between our teeth and apply it to rebuilding our homeland.”

He added that the Christmas tree and nativity scene were set with co-ordination from representatives of HTS.

In the Christian majority village of Rableh, four kilometres from the Lebanese border, residents erected a 20-metre tall Christmas tree.

“The new authorities have not put restrictions on us as Christians,” said Louay Farah, 36, who works for the local water authority.

He said the Assad regime’s claims to protect Syria’s minorities was “just talk”.

Instead, he described how during 2013 and last month, when Syrian military and allied militias were in control of the area, residents “lived our worst days”, having to pay bribes at checkpoints between the village and the largest nearby city, Homs.

Many of his complaints about the former regime were similar to those described by Syria’s majority Sunni population, including crippling low salaries of just 300,000 Syrian pounds ($21) a month. Mr Farah said the new HTS-led authorities had already offered him a 30 per cent pay rise, and he felt more able to live with basic rights and freedoms than under the Assad regime.

“The current government is offering us the rights that we were prevented from, they have given us the right to live in complete freedom, and we hope that it stays that way. We want to live in dignity, no more. We hope this all continues in this right direction.”

Back in Damascus, a Christian shopkeeper in Bab Touma, who chose not to share his name, said the hesitation of residents to fully celebrate in the streets this year was normal “until it becomes apparent how things will be”.

“Some people are worried about whether they’ll be able to openly practice their faith. But there’s a general consensus too: Everything now is so much better than when that [expletive] was in charge,” he said, referring to Mr Al Assad.

“In my opinion, the suffering and oppression we were living under before was a hundred times worse than the fear we’re imagining now.”

Lizzie Porter reported from Rableh, Syria.