Damascus

Eastern Christians: The Last Keepers of a Legacy

A suicide bombing, this time inside a Damascus church during Sunday Mass. Twenty-five dead. The blast silenced prayer, shattered lives and shook a community already on the brink. Eastern Christianity is dying, not in the chaos of an open warfare, but through a long, silent agony, met with the world’s indifference. In a secularized Europe where ...

Controlled Detonation Behind Loud Blast in Damascus

A loud blast heard in Damascus on Tuesday was caused by a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance by authorities, Syria's official SANA news agency reported. "The explosion heard a short while ago in the vicinity of the capital resulted from the detonation of war remnants by the competent authorities," SANA said on messaging network ...

Syria Announces Arrests over Damascus Church Attack

Syrian authorities on Monday announced arrests over a suicide blast targeting a church blamed on the Islamic State group, as President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed those involved in the "heinous" attack would face justice. The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the Saint Elias church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed ...

Syria’s Christians in the New Order: A Fight for Survival

The suicide bombing that struck Saint Elias Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday, June 22, in Damascus’s Dwelaa district has reignited deep fears among Syria’s Christian community – already alarmed by the growing influence of Islamist groups in the country. The attack, claimed by the “Saraya Ansar al-Sunna” group, killed at least 22 ...

Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a "heinous" suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, calling for unity in the country. The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the ...

Damascus Church Attack Draws International Condemnations

The suicide bombing of a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus during Sunday mass, killing at least 20 people, drew strong international condemnations.  The attack was the first known suicide bombing in the Syrian capital since December, when a rebel coalition ousted Syria’s autocratic president, Bashar al-Assad. EU The EU on Monday condemned as ...

ISIS Suicide Bomber Kills At Least 22 and Injures 59 at Saint Elias Church in Damascus

A shooting and suicide bombing at a Damascus church during a packed service on Sunday killed at least 22 people, authorities said, blaming a member of the Islamic State group for the unprecedented attack. The international community condemned the attack, the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler ...

ISIS Suicide Bomber Attacks Church in Damascus, Killing at Least 22

The Syrian Interior Ministry reported on Sunday that a member of the Islamic State (ISIS) carried out a suicide bombing at St. Elias Church in Damascus. The attacker opened fire before detonating an explosive belt, killing at least 20 people and injuring others, according to emergency services.

Aoun Condemns Damascus Church Bombing

President Joseph Aoun on Sunday expressed his strong condemnation of the terrorist bombing that struck the St. Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus, offering his condolences to the Greek Orthodox Church and the families of the victims. In a statement following the attack, Aoun extended his wishes for a swift recovery ...

Aramaic Has Not Yet Uttered Its Final Word

From Berlin, 28-year-old Jarjoura logs into his Aramaic class every week. “It’s the language my grandparents spoke in Maaloula, but my parents stopped using it after moving to Germany. Thanks to the Yawna association, I’m reconnecting with my roots,” he says. Founded by linguist Rimon Wehbi, the program offers structured lessons in ...

Maaloula: The Silent Exile of an Ancient Language

Nestled on the cliffsides at the foothills of the Qalamoun mountains, Maaloula gazes out over the void. Behind the picturesque façade of its alleys and its millennia-old language lies a harsher reality: a language and culture under siege. A minority identity caught in the grip of centralizing nationalism, institutionalized othering and a century ...