Country: Syria

Group: Christian

Date Finalized: 4/28/2021

Team: Hannah Goldman (lead), Abi Pentecost, Thomas Chia

The Christians in Syria are a case of forced away. The data quality for evidence is a 2 because the information is available from reliable sources but not in great quantity.

According to the U.S. Government, Christians are a minority group in Syria that make up only 10% of the population, but other sources estimate a much smaller percentage because many Christians have fled or been displaced by extremist groups (United States Department of State, 2019). Violence and attacks by ISIS have led many Syrian Christians to flele. In 2014, ISIS attacked a primarily Christian town, Kesseb, and 2500 people fled.  In 2015, ISIS attacked 35 Christian villages, and another 3000 people fled (Minority Rights Group, 2018). Attacks by ISIS are not the only incidents that have displaced Christians in Syria. In 2019 conflict between Turkish and Kurdish forces along the Northeastern border of Syria caused Christians to flee. One source indicates that three Christian villages emptied, and two other sources report conflicting estimates, one 200,000 and the other 154,000; both estimates include several minorities displaced by the incidents, including Christians. (United States Department of State, 2019; Voice of America English, n.d.; Welle, 2020).

The data quality is rated a 2 for the evidence of Christians in Syria experiencing a case of forced away. There are reports available from credible sources, but not a substantial amount, and there is some conflicting information.

Sources

  1. United States Department of State (2019). 2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: Syria. https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/syria/
  2. Minority Rights Group (2018). Christians, Armenians and Assyrians. Minority Rights Group. https://minorityrights.org/minorities/christians-armenians-and-assyrians/
  3. Voice of America—English. (n.d.). Hundreds of Yazidis Displaced Amid Turkey’s Incursion in Northeast Syria | Retrieved April 8, 2021, from https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/hundreds-yazidis-displaced-amid-turkeys-incursion-northeast-syria
  4. Welle (www.dw.com), D. (2020, January 18). War in Syria drives out Christian community | DW | 18.01.2020. DW.COM. https://www.dw.com/en/war-in-syria-drives-out-christian-community/a-52021147