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3. Father Siraj Dib from Damascus: 'As Long as We Have Faith, We Have Hope!'

While Damascus celebrates the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the city’s neighborhoods are being flooded by thousands of Damascenes — many of whom had fled the city in recent years — along with Syrians from other regions and foreign fighters who have come to join Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

However, in Bab Touma, a district with a strong Christian majority in the eastern part of Old Damascus, a sense of apprehension and waiting prevails in the almost deserted streets. Most shops and churches remain closed, awaiting a stabilization of the political and military situation.

This is Beirut spoke to the residents of this neighborhood, some of whom have lived there for generations, including Father Siraj Dib, a Maronite priest of the Archdiocese of Damascus for the past 14 years. He told This is Beirut that the fall of Bashar al-Assad signifies a liberation for the entire Syrian population, regardless of religious affiliation. He also shared that while the joy among Christians in Damascus is evident, it is tempered by fear of the unknown, particularly concerning the future of the country, given the absence of concrete guarantees protecting the rights of Christian citizens in Syria. He concluded, “As long as we have faith, we have hope!”