European Parliament Resolution in Support of Syrian Christians

The European Parliament passed a resolution in support of Syrian Christians who were killed following a recent bombing at a church.

On the first of Tir (June 21) of the current year (1404), the “al-Daweeah” district in Damascus, the capital of Syria, witnessed a massive explosion at the “Mar Elias” Church belonging to Greek Orthodox Christians. As a result of this explosion, at least 19 people were killed and 22 others were wounded, but after investigation and updated figures, the death toll reached 27 people.

According to a report by the news website “Islamic World Developments,” Syria’s Ministry of Interior held a press conference on Tir 3, explaining the details of this terrorist operation and the process of discovering and destroying the cell responsible for the attack. According to statements by Syria’s Ministry of Interior, following the explosion at the church and the death of the suicide bomber, Syrian security agencies, in cooperation with the public intelligence agency and based on initial clues and obtained information, carried out extensive operations in the suburbs of Damascus.

According to claims by the new Syrian government, the aforementioned operations led to the identification of a terrorist group affiliated with ISIS, which according to Syria’s Ministry of Interior bore direct responsibility for this attack. Security forces, after arresting one member of the group, managed to gain access to all of the group’s bases and hideouts through his confession and attacked them.

As a result of these operations, all members of the group were arrested and large quantities of weapons and explosives were discovered and confiscated. According to government statements, the leader of this group was a person named “Muhammad Abdullah al-Jameeli,” known as “Abu Imad al-Jameeli,” a Syrian national residing in the “al-Hajar al-Aswad” district in Damascus.

Now, following this deadly bombing, the European Union Parliament, by passing a resolution, called on the Syrian government to guarantee the security and rights of Christians and other religious minorities. In this resolution, the European Parliament condemned this terrorist attack while expressing concern about the dominance of the “Tahrir al-Sham” group (a branch of al-Qaeda) over parts of Syria, and simultaneously called for attention to the extremist roots of the aforementioned group.

The European Parliament also referred in the aforementioned resolution to the killing of over a hundred Alawites in March of the current year and called for clarification of the dimensions of this incident and the responsibility of the Syrian government in ensuring citizens’ security.

The international organization ADF International, a defender of Christian rights, also welcomed this resolution, considering it an important step in supporting religious and faith minorities in Syria. “Kelsey Zorzi,” Director of Global Religious Freedom at the aforementioned organization, while referring to the widespread pattern of religious persecution in Syria, called for the accountability of the Syrian government and conditioning international support on the observance of human rights.

The European Parliament finally called on the Syrian government to end discrimination against Christians in employment and reported harassment and persecution, while ensuring the reconstruction of the Mar Elias Church. Parliament representatives also warned about the gradual migration of Syrian Christians and the disappearance of this historical population if this process continues.