More than 80 Christian leaders have signed a letter to former President Donald Trump, calling on him to confront the persecution of Christians, Druze, Kurds, and other minorities in Syria.
"With the visit of Syria's new President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, scheduled for November 10, 2025, we urge you to address directly the massacre of Christians, Kurds, Druze, and Alawites in Syria, notably in the greater Suwayda area," said the Nov. 7 letter.
The letter, written by Dede Laugesen, president of a Colorado-based organization, praised Trump as “the only major world leader fighting for religious freedom,” while noting his recent advocacy for persecuted Christians in Nigeria.
"These religious minorities [in Syria] face ongoing violence, death, displacement, starvation, and water and medical deprivation, all while innocent women and children are held hostage by ISIS terrorists," the letter continued.
The signatories also expressed gratitude for the Trump administration’s recent decision to send humanitarian aid to southern Syria but warned that more must be done “to prevent impending catastrophe” as winter approaches.
They urged Trump to press President al-Sharaa to open a secure humanitarian corridor from Hader to Suwayda in southern Syria.
Among the prominent signatories are Dr. Ben Carson and Eric Metaxas, both members of the White House Religious Liberty Commission; former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback; Family Research Council President Tony Perkins; Pastors Rob McCoy, Jack Hibbs, and Rob Pacienza; and Faith & Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed.
Al-Sharaa’s trip marks the first visit by a sitting Syrian president to Washington, D.C., since the country gained independence in 1946.
Once a commander in al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, al-Nusra Front, al-Sharaa ascended to power after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied groups overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Assad fled to Russia after his 25-year regime collapsed.
Since assuming office, al-Sharaa has distanced himself from extremist ideologies and pursued alignment with the United States. His efforts led to his removal from U.S. and United Nations terror lists and to Syria’s anticipated inclusion in a U.S.-led coalition combating a resurgent Islamic State.
Over the weekend, Syrian security forces carried out nationwide raids targeting suspected Islamic State operatives, arresting dozens.
In June, a suicide bombing during Sunday worship at a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus killed dozens, intensifying fears that al-Sharaa’s government is not adequately protecting Christians and other minorities.
Earlier in March, violent clashes between pro-Assad militias and government troops in Syria’s Alawite coastal region resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths.
Christian leaders continue to warn that the faith’s presence in Syria is nearing extinction. Speaking recently in Rome, Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs, Hama, and Nabek, head of the Syriac Catholic Church in central Syria, cautioned that Christianity is vanishing amid “a mass Christian exodus and disastrous political and economic situation.”
According to Aid to the Church in Need, the Christian population in Syria has plummeted from roughly 2.1 million in 2011 to about 540,000 in 2024.
