Amid the uncertainty, residents of Syria's historic Christian town 'frightened'

MAALOULA, Syria (OSV News) -- Maaloula, a small Christian-dominated town northeast of Damascus, remains in a fragile state after the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December.

For the past decade, the historic town has largely stayed out of the headlines and welcomed tourists and worshippers to a place where Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ continues to be spoken. Over the past month however, the peace and tranquility of Maaloula has come to an abrupt end.

The security situation in the town is now in a state of flux. Unlike in Syria's capital, Damascus, or the nearby town of Saydnaya, no permanent security outpost has been established by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS -- the interim government in Syria. Roadside security booths on the approach to Maaloula have been damaged but remain unmanned and painted in the old Syrian flag colors of red, white and black.

For many in the town the reasons for this are obvious -- with a number of inhabitants repeating the same claim. They told OSV News on the condition of anonymity: "We are disappointed. We accept the regime change, but Maaloula has been left alone because this is one of the few places in Syria where Christians remain in a majority."

In 2011 and in the midst of the Syrian civil war, the town exchanged hands a number of times between al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and pro-government militia groups. The situation eventually stabilized with the Syrian army retaining control. But inhabitants of the town remain scarred from the events over a decade ago that saw bloody battles raging in Maaloula and which included a group of religious sisters being taken hostage by Nusra Front. The nuns were eventually released.

After Maaloula fell back into control of the Syrian army in 2014, those with an affiliation to Nusra fled to the rebel-held enclave of Idlib. Now, over a decade later, the same men have returned to Maaloula, said Melkite Greek Catholic Father Fadi Barki at the ancient monastery of St. Sergius and St. Bacchus, whose church dates back to the third century.

One civilian explained to OSV News: "We have seen the return of the same men who fought here a decade ago and we are frightened."

The residents of Maaloula now reminisce about the safety that was offered under the government of the younger Assad or earlier his father, Hafez. One civilian who runs a bookshop in Maaloula told OSV News: "We are not calling for the return of the Assad regime. But it is undeniable that in this town the security situation was much better and we felt safe. Christians and Muslims lived alongside each other without fear."

The power vacuum has forced those living in Maaloula to take the law into their own hands. Instances of looting have risen, while an estimated 70% of the residents have fled to Damascus since HTS came to power Dec. 8. In one incident that had the potential to escalate further, a looter was shot and killed in what was allegedly an act of self defense. It soon transpired that the looter was a Muslim, the shooter a Christian.

Following the incident, Father Barki was left in a precarious position. He decided to defuse tensions by handing the Christian man over to the new authorities. Speaking to OSV News, Father Barki recalled telling them as he handed the man over at a police station in Damascus: "This man is now in your hands. He says he is innocent and acting in self defense but that is for you to go through the appropriate procedure and decide for yourselves."

Maaloula, he said, was pulled back from the abyss: "I believe there would have been more bloodshed had I not handed him in."

Those in Maaloula who know the Christian man explained to OSV News the moral complexities of the situation. "The man who killed the looter did have his issues and was a member of the Baath party. He was not an angel. He was a human and a sinner like all of us. However, that is not the same as being a cold-blooded murderer."

Father Barki has repeatedly pleaded with authorities for HTS to provide some security for the town: "My message to the new government has been that we recognize and accept that you are now the leaders in Syria."

In response and with diplomatic pressure from Germany that is home to a number of refugees from Maaloula, support arrived in mid-December. However, the security personnel were only there for a period of two days.

"For the short period of time when we did have police officers, I saw that the uniform being worn had the inscription of the Turkish flag. Whilst the new government is welcomed in Maaloula, any group declaring their loyalty to a foreign power is not," he told OSV News.

For five decades, the government in Syria controlled the media landscape and brutally cracked down on any dissenting voices, with many in Syria aware of the existence of Saydnaya prison, with few knowing of the horrors that occurred there.

The floodgates have now opened with all in the country being able to share their view on social media sites, including on the fragile state of Maaloula. Videos circulating on Facebook portray Muslims as being under threat, one resident of Maaloula told OSV News. She explained that "it is now so easy to take one isolated event, turn to social media and portray it as something completely different. And that is what has happened in Maaloula."

In recent weeks the Muslim sheikh of Maaloula and Father Barki have come together, despite their different beliefs, to attempt to forge a way toward peace.

"We both agreed to read a joint statement, the sheikh at Friday prayers, myself at Sunday Mass," Father Barki said. While the sheikh allegedly did not read the full statement agreed to between the two religious figures, Father Barki insisted that there is only one way Maaloula returns to its former self.

"What we all need to do, myself included, is to work on the present and the future. If we are constantly looking backwards then we will never resolve our problems."