Syrian Christians want freedoms protected

Nicosia, Jan 17: As Syria begins recovering from 50 years of autocratic rule by the Assad family, an international envoy says Christians and other religious groups expect their rights and freedoms to be preserved under a new constitutional settlement.
Salina Shambos, a senior Cypriot diplomat and the newly appointed special envoy for religious freedom and protection of minorities in the Middle East, said on Friday that religious leaders in Syria expressed a “strong sense of patriotism” and are now “free to hope” that their country will be more inclusive and a respected member of the international community. Many Syrian Christians, who made up 10 per cent of the population before Syria’s civil war began in 2011, either fled the country or supported ousted president Bashar Assad out of fears. The interim government has urged reconciliation among the country’s different ethnic factions and mutual respect among its religious groups. Three-quarters of Syria’s 23 million citizens are Sunnis, one-tenth are Alawites, and the rest are a mix of Christians, Ismaili Shiites and Druze. (AP)