European Parliament conference ‘The Future of Christians in Syria' calls for equal citizenship, not quota seats, for Christians in Syria

European Parliament conference 'The Future of Christians in Syria' calls for equal citizenship, not quota seats, for Christians in Syria BRUSSELS — European policymakers, Church leaders, and representatives of Syria's Christian communities called Tuesday for a new constitutional and political framework that guarantees equal citizenship, religious freedom and meaningful political participation, warning that the future of Christianity in Syria will depend on whether the country's transition produces a state that protects all its citizens. The appeals came at The Future of Christians in Syria: Religious Freedom, Political Representation, Common Future, a two-hour conference held at the European Parliament in Brussels. The event brought together European officials, Church leaders, and representatives of Christian and Syriac (Aramean-Assyrian-Chaldean) political organizations as Syria continues its post-Assad political transition. The conference was chaired by MEP Miriam Lexmann (Christian Democratic Movement, KDH), Co-Chair of the European Parliament's Intergroup on Freedom of Religion, Belief and Conscience. It was co-organized by the European Syriac Union (ESU), European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), Syriac Cross Belgium, Sallux ECPP Foundation, and Jubilee Campaign Netherlands. The gathering featured keynote addresses from Mairead McGuinness, the European Union Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief, and Nadine Maenza, Co-Chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable in Washington and former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The central message that emerged from the conference was that protecting Christians in Syria cannot be reduced to physical security or symbolic representation. Participants argued that the survival of the country's historic Christian communities depends on enforceable legal protections, political inclusion, property rights, accountability for abuses, and the ability of displaced people to return safely to their homes. 'Syria for All Syrians' Melkite Greek (Rûm) Catholic Archbishop of Holeb (Aleppo) Georges Masri warned that the challenges confronting Christians had become existential. 'The challenge facing Christians in Syria, and in the East more broadly, is an existential challenge, and we do not have the luxury of much time to confront it,' Masri said, adding that action should have come earlier. Masri called for a 'fully civil constitution' guaranteeing equal rights and responsibilities to all citizens regardless of religious, tribal or sectarian affiliation. He also urged accountability for violations that threaten social peace or deepen divisions. His remarks reflected a recurring theme throughout the conference that Syria's future constitutional order will be decisive in determining whether minorities can remain in the country as equal citizens rather than communities dependent on political patronage or sectarian arrangements. Father Vasilios Khamis of the Greek (Rûm) Orthodox Church likewise rejected the idea that Christians were seeking a privileged status within Syria. 'It is not enough for churches to remain open; Christian communities themselves must remain alive,' Khamis said. He argued that Christians do not seek 'a Christian state, special privileges, or the transformation of Muslims into a minority,' but rather a Syria based on civic citizenship, coexistence and civil peace. 'The aspiration of Christians is not 'Syria for Christians,' but Syria for all Syrians,' Khamis said. 'The Christian is not a guest in Syria, nor does the Muslim alone own the homeland; the homeland belongs to all its citizens.' The distinction, he added, was fundamental, saying, 'What is needed is not protection of Christians from Syrians, but a state that protects all Syrians.' Political Parties Demand Constitutional Guarantees The conference's second panel turned to political representation and the future role of Christians and Syriacs in Syria's emerging institutions. Sanharib Barsom, Co-Chair of the Syriac Union Party (SUP), said Christians faced systematic political marginalization and argued that formal declarations of equality were insufficient without institutional guarantees. 'The marginalization of Christians is systematic,' Barsom said, arguing that their presence in state institutions had been reduced to a minimum 'both in number and influence.' He also criticized the inclusion of Islamic jurisprudence as a basis for legislation in a religiously diverse country, arguing that such an approach was incompatible with genuine equality. 'Our message is clear: Syria must become a democratic, pluralistic, and civil state for all its citizens,' Barsom said. 'A state that protects equal citizenship, freedom of religion, political participation, individual and collective rights, and the future of all its historical communities.' Barsom's statement comes as Syriac political organizations inside Syria have intensified efforts to coordinate their positions on constitutional, political, and cultural rights, including official recognition of the Syriac language and guarantees for the community's national and linguistic identity. Recent meetings among the Syriac Union Party, Assyrian Democratic Organization, and Assyrian Democratic Party have focused on developing a common position as Syria restructures its political, administrative and security institutions. The conference also featured Waddah al-Khoury, president of the Levantine National Council, who outlined five priorities: equal citizenship, protection of people and religious sites, accountability for violations, safe and dignified return, and genuine political participation. 'We do not want a Christian state, nor privileges for Christians,' al-Khoury said. 'We want Christians to be protected as Syrians in their country, as equal citizens and full partners in building' the country. Test of Syria's Transition The conference took place against the backdrop of a broader political transition that has raised questions over Syria's future constitutional order, the integration of competing political and security structures, and the place of religious and ethnic minorities in the new state. The issue is particularly acute for Christians, whose numbers have fallen during more than a decade of war, displacement and emigration. European institutions and Christian advocacy organizations have warned that the continued decline of historic Christian communities could become an indicator of whether Syria's transition succeeds in producing a genuinely pluralistic political system. The ECLJ, one of the conference's organizers, has argued that Christian communities must receive equal protection before the law, freedom of worship, property rights and the ability to rebuild their institutions without discrimination or sectarian pressure. It has also called for historically underrepresented communities to have a direct role in drafting Syria's permanent constitution and shaping its political institutions. That approach was echoed throughout Tuesday's discussions. Rather than calling for a Christian quota or confessional power-sharing arrangement, speakers emphasized a constitutional system in which individual and collective rights would be protected irrespective of religion or ethnicity. The distinction is significant for the Syriac, Armenian, and other indigenous Christian communities whose presence in Syria predates the modern Syrian state. The organizers have described the survival of Syria's historic Christian communities as a measure of whether the country can emerge from its transition as a pluralistic democracy rather than simply replace one form of political domination with another. For the participants gathered in Brussels, the message to European policymakers was therefore broader than a call to defend Christianity. It was a call to make equal citizenship, constitutional protection, and political inclusion the foundations of the new Syria — and to ensure that the country's Christians remain not merely protected minorities, but full participants in shaping its future.