The suicide bombing that struck the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Dweil’a, a suburb of Damascus, has shaken not only Syria’s fragile Christian community but the nation as a whole. Occurring during Sunday Mass, the attack claimed the lives of at least 22 worshippers and injured over 50 others. The blast marked the first such terrorist assault on a church in Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, and it serves as a sobering reminder of the dangerous vacuum in authority and stability that remains.

Initially blamed on Daesh by the Syrian Interior Ministry, the bombing was later claimed by a lesser-known jihadist group, Saraya Ansar Al-Sunnah. Authorities have arrested several suspects linked to the attack, but the larger implications extend beyond individual accountability. This heinous act is not only a national tragedy but also a litmus test for the nascent government led by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa.

The significance of this attack lies not just in its brutality but in what it represents a moment of reckoning for the new administration. While terrorism is always abhorrent, an attack targeting a vulnerable religious minority amid a political transition sends a specific and chilling message: instability still reigns, and the protection of minority communities remains in question.

The Greek Orthodox Church has long played a vital role in Syria’s complex religious mosaic. Christians, once estimated to be 10% of the Syrian population, have seen their numbers dwindle dramatically over the last decade of war and repression. Many Christians perceived the Assad regime, however authoritarian, as a bulwark against Islamist extremism. Now, in the regime’s absence, their fears are proving justified.

The bombing of the Mar Elias Church caused........

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