On urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on the Mar Elias Church in Damascus

B100343/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on the Mar Elias Church in Damascus

(2025/2798(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to Rule 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

–having regard to its previous human rights resolutions on Syria,

A.whereas on 22 June 2025, during Sunday prayers at the Greek Orthodox Church of Mar Elias in Damascus, a terrorist opened fire on more than 350 worshippers, detonated his explosive vest, killing at least 25 people and injuring over 60 others, including Christian religious leaders and children;

B.whereas the Syrian Ministry of Interior initially attributed the attack to Da’esh / ISIS; whereas since the attack, the Islamist group Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, which compromises of former Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) members, has claimed responsibility via social media and identified the attacker as Muhammad Zain al-Abidin Abu Uthman;

C.whereas Christian and other religious and ethnic communities have suffered severe and deadly persecution across the Middle East in the aftermath of civil wars and the rise of Da’esh / ISIS; whereas it is estimated that Da’esh / ISIS still maintains between 1,500 and 3,000 active militants in Syria and Iraq, with over 9,000 fighters held in prisons in northeastern Syria;

D.whereas the interim Syrian constitution ratified in March 2025 enshrines Islamic law as a primary source of legislation, raising concerns about restrictions on individual rights, particularly those of women; whereas in June 2025, the Ministry of Tourism has enacted new restrictive legislation on women’s attire in line with Islamic teachings on female chastity;

E.whereas Syria’s Christian community remains particularly vulnerable under the transitional Islamist government, which includes former HTS members; whereas the resurgence of sectarian violence has intensified safety concerns for religious and ethnic communities;

1.Strongly condemns the 22 June 2025 terrorist attack on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church and expresses solidarity with the victims’ families and loved ones; recalls that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world;

2.Calls for an urgent, independent investigation into the attack and for all those responsible in its planning, facilitation and execution to be held accountable; stresses the need for full cooperation and transparency from the transitional Syrian government in countering terrorism;

3.Expresses deep concern over the safety of Syria’s religious and ethnic communities; and calls for the transitional authorities to enact concrete measures to protect all religious communities as well as religious places, some of them with great historical relevance;

4.Urges the Commission and the External Action Service to include into its dialogue with the transitional authorities in Syria the protection of religious communities and the freedom of religion or belief;

5.Insists that the transitional Syrian government eradicates all components of radical Islamist ideology from its government structures and future legal framework, including its Constitution; rejects the imposition of restrictive dress codes on women;

6.Notes the conditionality and reversibility of Council Regulation (EU) 2025/1098 should the transitional Syrian government fail to meet its commitments, especially regarding human rights and political inclusivity;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution the institutions of the European Union and the transitional authorities in Syria.