ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior official from northeast Syria’s (Rojava) Kurdish-led administration warned on Thursday that the harsh backlash against the country’s top Christian leader, following his call for accountability over a deadly church bombing, reflects a deep-rooted crisis in the new Syria.
In a statement on X, Bassam Ishak, a Washington-based presidential council member of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) - the political wing of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – voiced support for the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Patriarch John X Yazigi.
The Patriarch has faced mounting criticism after he called on Syria’s new leadership to take full responsibility for the bombing that targeted Mar Elias Church in Damascus on Sunday, killing 25 people and injuring dozens more.
Speaking during a funeral service held Tuesday at the Holy Cross Church in Damascus for nine of the victims, Patriarch Yazigi stated, “Condolences are not enough for us… the crime that unfolded is a little bigger than that.
“What is important to me - and I will say it - is that the government bears responsibility in full,” the Christian leader added.
Ishaq remarked on Thursday that “the Patriarch did not incite hatred - he spoke the truth,” adding, “He did not falsely accuse anyone, but demanded accountability for a terrorist crime that occurred in a church, during prayer, following known threats.”
The senior SDC member further argued that the backlash against the Patriarch’s remarks reflects a broader rejection of the Christian community’s right to speak out and demand justice.
He also referenced what he described as a breakdown in Syria’s historic social contract between Christians and Muslims, citing the increased Islamic proselytization campaigns - known as “[Islamic Invitation] Da‘wa Caravans” - targeting Christian-majority neighborhoods since the country’s leadership changed.
In early December, a coalition of opposition groups led by the now-dissolved Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the regime of long-time Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. HTS’s then-leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was appointed interim president in January, promising coexistence and protection for Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities.
However, Ishak warned that these pledges are not being upheld, noting that “when Syrian Christians rejected these [Islamic Da’wa] caravans, the response came in [the spill of] blood.”
Describing the Patriarch’s remarks as “a declaration of a new beginning,” Ishak emphasized the need for honesty between Syria’s diverse communities rather than forced submission.
“The train [of change] has departed - from Mar Elias Church - and it will not turn back,” he affirmed.
Syria’s Interior Ministry claimed on Tuesday that the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS). The ministry alleged that the individuals had infiltrated from the notorious al-Hol camp in SDF-held northeast Syria.
The SDF categorically rejected the allegation in a statement released on Wednesday, asserting that “the only individuals who left al-Hol camp during this period were Syrians, and their departure was arranged at the request of the Damascus government.”
The SDF further clarified that the camp holds tens of thousands of people, primarily women and children who are relatives of former ISIS fighters - not foreign combatants themselves.
