Thousands of Syrians, including hundreds in the capital Damascus, took to the streets to protest the burning of a Christmas tree. The unrest followed a video showing masked gunmen setting fire to the tree in the Christian-majority town of Suqaylabiyah, located near Hama in central Syria. In response to the public outcry, the country’s new rulers, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took swift action, announcing the arrest of the perpetrators and assuring the public that the tree would be repaired before Christmas.
As international and minority communities in Syria call for a more inclusive administration, how HTS handles governance will determine whether the population is calmed or further stirred into conflict. Concerns remain about HTS’s ability to meet these expectations, as it continues to be viewed by many as an Islamist authoritarian group, with some seeing it as a jihadist faction.
After the video of the Christmas tree burning went viral, HTS was quick to distance itself from the incident, claiming that the perpetrators were foreign fighters. The protests, which erupted in several parts of Syria, not only expressed outrage over the Christmas tree arson but also underscored a broader demand for the protection of religious and ethnic minorities under the new leadership.
In Damascus’ Bab Touma neighborhood, demonstrators carrying Christian crosses and Syrian flags chanted, “We will sacrifice our souls for our cross,” as reported by BBC. One protester, identified as Georges, told AFP: “If we’re not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don’t belong here anymore.”
This incident highlights the contradictions Syria faces today. While many Syrians opposed the Assad regime primarily for its dictatorial rule, religious and ethnic divisions are becoming increasingly pronounced. Under the Assad regime, which was secular and led by the minority Shia Alawite sect in a predominantly Sunni country, the conflict was largely political rather than sectarian.
According to the US Department of State, Sunni Muslims make up 74% of the population, including Arabs, Kurds, Circassians, Chechens, and Turkmen. Other Muslim sects, such as Alawites, Ismailis, and Shia, comprise about 13%, while Druze represent around 3% and Christians about 10%.
Now, Syria is under the control of HTS, an Islamist authoritarian group that was once the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda until 2016. Despite HTS and its leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, claiming to have abandoned their terrorist ways, skepticism remains. Jolani originally was part of the Islamic State before switching allegiances to Al Qaeda and eventually founding HTS as its Syrian branch.
Although HTS has attempted to project a more liberal image in recent years, signs suggest that, even if it has distanced itself from jihadist tactics —a significant “if”— it remains an Islamist authoritarian force rather than a secular one. The experience in Idlib, which HTS has governed since 2017, illustrates a complex relationship with religious minorities. Journalist Wassim Nasr, who visited Idlib, shared with France 24 that while there is some freedom of religion, it is restricted. He observed that Christian crosses are not publicly displayed, and church bells are not rung, signaling that, despite its public relations efforts, HTS still enforces certain religious limitations.
