What Happened to Syria?

This episode was originally recorded in 2024, shortly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, and released on our Patreon that Christmas. https://www.patreon.com/c/whathappenedtosyria?vanity=user    Apologies for the terrible audio quality on my end, I'm having a lot of issues with my computer and my mic, right now. Turning up the volume will probably help. Will try to have these tech issues fixed as soon as possible. -Sean Beshr, a Christian supporter of the Syrian Revolution originally from Homs, joins us to talk about Syria's Christian community and their long, storied history as one of Syria's oldest religions. We talk about everything from the Apostle Paul meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus and how Syrian Christians were treated by several Islamic empires over 1,400 years to their relationship with the Assad regime and the Syrian Revolution. The conversation takes some dark turns as Beshr describes historic persecution and recent horrors in Syria but we also try to inject positivity by looking at how Christians flourished during the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates as well as how Syrians celebrate Christmas. You won't want to miss this one, despite the dismal audio quality.

Milad majid! Did you know that Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7th? This episode examines the millennia-long history of Christianity in Syria, the ways that Christians have participated in both the Syrian Revolution and Syrian Civil War, and ending with an overview of the country's Christmas traditions. This one's got everything from empires and caliphates to revolutionaries protesting against a dictator and even an immortal camel who brings presents to children once a year.  Sources / Quotes: https://www.worldofchristmas.net/christmas-world/syria.html https://countrystudies.us/syria/34.htm https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-22270455 https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/syrias-christians-personal-story-stolen-legacy https://minorityrights.org/minorities/christians-armenians-and-assyrians/ https://international.la-croix.com/news/politics/christian-communities-in-iraq-and-syria-are-still-very-fragile/17807 https://www.hart-uk.org/blog/the-religious-landscape-in-syria-part-1/ https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-war-anniversary-christians-assad-manipulation https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/why-christian-communities-in-northeastern-syria-may-soon-be-gone/ https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/we-must-defend-ourselves-christian-fighters-warpath-raqqa https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-christmas-syria-homs-20211223-fec7pqar7jde7myh3qv77dsxny-story.html https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/christmas-middle-east-traditions https://www.damascena.co.uk/posts/how-christmas-is-celebrated-in-damascus https://www.newarab.com/news/youth-exodus-takes-joy-out-syria-christmas-celebrations https://syriacpress.com/blog/2020/12/27/first-ever-erected-christmas-tree-in-kobani-deliberately-burnt/ https://time.com/4617957/aleppo-christians-christmas-syria/ https://csi-usa.org/there-were-about-1300-christians-in-idlib-but-now-only-two-remain/ https://npasyria.com/en/89664/ https://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2013/12/25/christmas-in-liberated-saraqeb-idlib-provence-syria/ https://syriadirect.org/hts-looks-to-idlibs-christians-and-druze-to-whitewash-violations/ https://www.newarab.com/news/syrian-christians-reopen-church-hts-dominated-idlib https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/16181 https://www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/early-christian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7nfOGsuo2I https://syriadirect.org/syrian-christians-exploited-or-protected-minority/ https://www.ncronline.org/news/christian-activists-say-militias-target-religious-minorities-syria https://www.newarab.com/news/syrian-christians-reopen-church-hts-dominated-idlib https://npasyria.com/en/89664/ https://syriadirect.org/hts-looks-to-idlibs-christians-and-druze-to-whitewash-violations/ https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/christmas-middle-east-santa-sahlab-dabke-photos https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/03/03/muslim-syrian-refugees-converting-christianity/98685852/ https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN1RS19E/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/30/muslim-refugees-converting-christianity-find-safety/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/life-under-isis-led-these-muslims-christ-n963281 https://www.newsweek.com/evangelical-christian-church-muslim-converts-syria-isis-1398210 https://syriacpress.com/blog/2020/07/19/christianity-in-syria-a-policy-of-persecution-or-deliberate-attempts-to-eliminate-it-once-and-for-all-part-2/ https://syrianobserver.com/features/51332/kurds-embrace-christianity-and-kobani-celebrates-inauguration-of-church.html

Merry Christmas! Sadly, the World Food Program has had their funding cut by 60 percent. Also, we are currently listed among the Top Five Syria-related podcasts on Feedspot.com (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/syria_podcasts/). Check us out there and help us get up to the #1 spot.  Sources / Quotes:   https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-forced-scale-down-operations-syria-donors-gather-brussels-ahead-major-conference   https://www.wfp.org/news/tight-funding-forces-wfp-reduce-food-assistance-syrian-refugees-jordan-including-camps   https://www.unhcr.org/us/emergencies/venezuela-situation   https://www.unhcr.org/us/emergencies/dr-congo-emergency   https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/a-record-6-9-million-people-have-been-displaced-in-congos-growing-conflict-the-u-n-says   https://www.iom.int/news/record-high-displacement-drc-nearly-7-million   https://www.cfr.org/blog/catastrophic-displacement-democratic-republic-congo   https://www.unhcr.org/us/emergencies/syria-emergency   https://www.unhcr.org/us/emergencies/ukraine-emergency   https://www.unhcr.org/us/emergencies/rohingya-emergency    https://www.unhcr.org/us/emergencies/afghanistan-emergency    https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/how-many-refugees/2/    https://www.kiva.org/blog/where-do-refugees-come-from-and-where-do-they-go    https://www.statista.com/statistics/272999/refugees-by-source-country/    https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/forced-to-flee-top-countries-refugees-coming-from   https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/   https://concernusa.org/news/largest-refugee-crises/   https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20230620-key-figures-record-high-numbers-of-refugees-and-displaced-people-worldwide    https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-44-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-Jerusalem?__cf_chl_tk=jT9ELr.V5lDgrzvo7UkBg1AN_dvJ8Gin0VBYa_LtOR4-1703204552-0-gaNycGzNIVA   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-tent-city-rafah-bombardment-sheets-buckets-rcna129543   https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/rohingya-refugees-bangladesh-facts   https://www.unhcr.org/us/emergencies/rohingya-emergency    https://www.wfp.org/news/rohingya-refugees-bangladesh-face-grim-choices-more-cuts-food-assistance-imminent   

The Assad regime starts to crack under the pressure of increasingly large, passionate, cross-sectarian protests. Millions of people are taking to the streets and voicing dissent for the first time in their lives, putting the regime's legitimacy in doubt for the first time in decades. This prompts Bashar al-Assad to authorize a campaign of repression across Syria, among the earliest of his crimes against humanity. Also, we are currently listed among the Top Five Syria-related podcasts on Feedspot.com (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/syria_podcasts/). Check us out there and help us get up to the #1 spot.  Sources / Quotes: Civil War in Syria by Baczko, et. al The Impossible Revolution by Yassin al-Haj Saleh We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled by Dr. Wendy Pearlman Assad or We Burn the Country by Sam Dagher Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War by Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila al-Shami A Woman in the Crossfire by Samar Yazbek Syria by Dr. David Lesch Shatter the Nations by Mike Giglio “Syrian Revolution Song,” The Arabic Student http://www.thearabicstudent.com/2012/02/syrian-revolution-song.html Syrian Revolutionary Dabke - YouTube (“Yalla Erhal ya Bashar” by Ibrahim Qashoush) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCS8SsFOBAI “Amnesty accuses Syria of crimes against humanity,” BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14032765 “Syria: Assad no longer legitimate, says Clinton,” BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14115762 “At least 30 killed in factional fighting in Syria” by Mariam Karouney and Oliver Holmes, Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-idUKTRE76F26V20110718?edition-redirect=uk

We're breaking up Episode 15 - Crimes Against Humanity (June 24 to July 31, 2011) into four smaller episodes before putting out the full thing. The Assad regime starts to crack under the pressure of increasingly large, passionate, cross-sectarian protests. Millions of people are taking to the streets and voicing dissent for the first time in their lives, putting the regime's legitimacy in doubt for the first time in decades. Also, we are currently listed among the Top Five Syria-related podcasts on Feedspot.com https://podcasts.feedspot.com/syria_podcasts/. Check us out there and help us get up to the #1 spot.  Sources / Quotes: Civil War in Syria by Baczko, et. al The Impossible Revolution by Yassin al-Haj Saleh We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled by Dr. Wendy Pearlman Assad or We Burn the Country by Sam Dagher Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War by Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila al-Shami A Woman in the Crossfire by Samar Yazbek Syria by Dr. David Lesch Shatter the Nations by Mike Giglio “Syrian Revolution Song,” The Arabic Student http://www.thearabicstudent.com/2012/02/syrian-revolution-song.html Syrian Revolutionary Dabke - YouTube (“Yalla Erhal ya Bashar” by Ibrahim Qashoush) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCS8SsFOBAI “Amnesty accuses Syria of crimes against humanity,” BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14032765 “Syria: Assad no longer legitimate, says Clinton,” BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14115762 “At least 30 killed in factional fighting in Syria” by Mariam Karouney and Oliver Holmes, Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-idUKTRE76F26V20110718?edition-redirect=uk

We're breaking up Episode 15 - Crimes Against Humanity (June 24 to July 31, 2011) into four smaller episodes before putting out the full thing. The Assad regime starts to crack under the pressure of increasingly large, passionate, cross-sectarian protests. Millions of people are taking to the streets and voicing dissent for the first time in their lives, putting the regime's legitimacy in doubt for the first time in decades. Sources / Quotes: Civil War in Syria by Baczko, et. al The Impossible Revolution by Yassin al-Haj Saleh We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled by Dr. Wendy Pearlman Assad or We Burn the Country by Sam Dagher Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War by Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila al-Shami A Woman in the Crossfire by Samar Yazbek Syria by Dr. David Lesch Shatter the Nations by Mike Giglio “Syrian Revolution Song,” The Arabic Student http://www.thearabicstudent.com/2012/02/syrian-revolution-song.html Syrian Revolutionary Dabke - YouTube (“Yalla Erhal ya Bashar” by Ibrahim Qashoush) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCS8SsFOBAI “Amnesty accuses Syria of crimes against humanity,” BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14032765 “Syria: Assad no longer legitimate, says Clinton,” BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14115762 “At least 30 killed in factional fighting in Syria” by Mariam Karouney and Oliver Holmes, Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-idUKTRE76F26V20110718?edition-redirect=uk

We're breaking up Episode 15 - Crimes Against Humanity (June 24 to July 31, 2011) into four smaller episodes before putting out the full thing.   The Assad regime starts to crack under the pressure of increasingly large, passionate, cross-sectarian protests. Millions of people are taking to the streets and voicing dissent for the first time in their lives, putting the regime's legitimacy in doubt for the first time in decades.   Sources / Quotes:   Civil War in Syria by Baczko, et. al   The Impossible Revolution by Yassin al-Haj Saleh   We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled by Dr. Wendy Pearlman   Assad or We Burn the Country by Sam Dagher   Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War by Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila al-Shami   A Woman in the Crossfire by Samar Yazbek   Syria by Dr. David Lesch   Shatter the Nations by Mike Giglio   “Syrian Revolution Song,” The Arabic Student  http://www.thearabicstudent.com/2012/02/syrian-revolution-song.html    Syrian Revolutionary Dabke - YouTube (“Yalla Erhal ya Bashar” by Ibrahim Qashoush) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCS8SsFOBAI    “Amnesty accuses Syria of crimes against humanity,” BBC News  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14032765    “Syria: Assad no longer legitimate, says Clinton,” BBC News  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14115762    “At least 30 killed in factional fighting in Syria” by Mariam Karouney and Oliver Holmes, Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-idUKTRE76F26V20110718?edition-redirect=uk

We're breaking up Episode 15 - Crimes Against Humanity (June 24 to July 31, 2011) into four smaller episodes before putting out the full thing.   The Assad regime starts to crack under the pressure of increasingly large, passionate, cross-sectarian protests. Millions of people are taking to the streets and voicing dissent for the first time in their lives, putting the regime's legitimacy in doubt for the first time in decades.   Sources / Quotes:   Civil War in Syria by Baczko, et. al   The Impossible Revolution by Yassin al-Haj Saleh   We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled by Dr. Wendy Pearlman   Assad or We Burn the Country by Sam Dagher   Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War by Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila al-Shami   A Woman in the Crossfire by Samar Yazbek   Syria by Dr. David Lesch   Shatter the Nations by Mike Giglio   “Syrian Revolution Song,” The Arabic Student  http://www.thearabicstudent.com/2012/02/syrian-revolution-song.html    Syrian Revolutionary Dabke - YouTube (“Yalla Erhal ya Bashar” by Ibrahim Qashoush) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCS8SsFOBAI    “Amnesty accuses Syria of crimes against humanity,” BBC News  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14032765    “Syria: Assad no longer legitimate, says Clinton,” BBC News  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14115762    “At least 30 killed in factional fighting in Syria” by Mariam Karouney and Oliver Holmes, Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-idUKTRE76F26V20110718?edition-redirect=uk

Explaining the absence and examining the Syrian refugee crisis, as well as the situation for refugees across the world in 2022. Sources / Quotes: “Boat carrying Syrian refugees lands in Southern Italy,” Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-italy-boat-idUSBRE8780L720120809    “Syria Refugee Crisis Explained,” The UN Refugee Agency https://www.unrefugees.org/news/syria-refugee-crisis-explained/#:~:text=More%20than%206.8%20million%20Syrians,in%20T%C3%BCrkiye%2C%20Lebanon%20and%20Jordan.    “Eleven years on, mounting challenges push many displaced Syrians to the brink,” The UN Refugee Agency https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/news/briefing/2022/3/623055174/eleven-years-mounting-challenges-push-displaced-syrians-brink.html    “You’re Going to Your Death: Violations Against Syrian Refugees Returning to Syria,” Amnesty International https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde24/4583/2021/en/    “Afghanistan: How many refugees are there and where will they go?” BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58283177    “Displacement, humanitarian needs surging inside Afghanistan and across region,” UN News https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1111532    “What is Next For Afghans Who Fled to the United States?” Rescue.org https://www.rescue.org/article/what-next-afghans-who-fled-united-states    “Floods, fighting, and famine: Inside South Sudan’s triple crisis,” by Sam Mednick, The New Humanitarian https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2021/2/8/floods-fighting-famine-south-sudan-crisis    “The Incredible Story of Task Force Pineapple,” History in Five, YouTube.com  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV2CFvzewrA   “Irpin’s Bridge of Death,” by Oz Katerji, New Lines Magazine https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/irpins-bridge-of-death/   

Bernd Debusmann was a young Reuters bureau chief when Lebanon imploded into civil war and anarchy in the 1970s, during which Syria and Hafez al-Assad became intimately involved the conflict.   This talented and daring journalist took to war-torn Beirut like a duck to water, risking his life to interview combatants on all sides and civilians caught in the cross-fire, eventually running afoul of the Assad regime for reporting on their intervention in Lebanon and atrocities committed in Syria.   This prompted Syrian intelligence officers to threaten his life. Several Western journalists fled Lebanon after receiving similar death threats, but Bernd stubbornly refused to be intimidated. The Assad regime then resorted to, "censorship by bullet" and attempted to assassinate him in 1980.    Bernd survived and still walks around with a bullet in his back, to this day. And that wasn't even the first time he got shot in Lebanon.   You won't want to miss this incredible interview with a man who frequently put his life on the line to inform the public and now shares valuable insight on a bygone era. The Lebanese Civil War and Syria's role in the conflict are largely forgotten today, but their long-term consequences reverberate into the present day.