Christians in Syria have been forced to cancel Easter events this year following an outbreak of sectarian violence over the weekend.
The trouble began in the town of Suqaylabiyah, allegedly when two Muslim men from a nearby town began harassing Christian women. When the Christian men took exception to this and ran them out of town, they came back with dozens of men on motorcycles and some with guns.
The violent mob then reportedly destroyed a local shrine to Mary and attacked shops, houses and cars. Some members of the security services are alleged to have been involved in the attack.
The current government of Syria, despite being dominated by an al-Qaeda offshoot, has pledged to respect the rights of minorities in the country. However, due to the plethora of armed groups in a country that has suffered over a decade of civil war, it has struggled to make good on that promise.
On this occasion, government forces successfully intervened and thwarted further attempts by the mob to attack the town.
However, as a result of the violence, the Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox churches have all confirmed that their planned Easter celebrations will no longer be taking place.
In a statement Syrian Christians for Peace, said, “We call upon Syrians from all components [religious and ethnic groups] to remain united and reject sectarianism and division, and we call upon the Syrian government to launch a serious national dialogue initiative and speed up the accountability and transitional justice process.
"We also encourage the Syrian authorities to issue the necessary legislations to criminalise sectarianism and hate speech.”
The wider conflict in the Middle East has led to the cancellation of Easter events in Israel, where Christians have been placed under more stringent restrictions by the Israeli government.
Mervyn Thomas, founder president of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, condemned the violence.
"We encourage the Syrian authorities to increase their efforts to combat extremism and hate speech, and hold all involved in the attacks on Suqaylabiyah, especially those within its ranks, to account," he said.
"We also urge the international community to call on the Syrian government to fulfil its obligation to protect all citizens, and produce measurable improvements in human rights."
