Persecuted Church: Assad, Hezbollah and the safety of Christians in Syria

It's a strange world we live in these days.  There was a time when I would have only said that President Bashar al-Assad was an enemy of peace because of Syrian involvement in Lebanon, and its ties with Iran and Hezbollah.  Yet the Syrian civil war has made it clear that as a member of the Alawite religious minority, Assad has also provided relative safety for other minority religious groups such as Christians.  It has also become clear that the other side of the Syrian civil war is populated by Sunni Muslims who want to destroy Christianity.  Victory by Assad forces and their Hezbollah allies has allowed Christians to return to areas like Quisar.

Any attempt to arm or support the anti-Assad forces is in fact an action that assists in the destruction of Christianity in Syria.  The defeat of Assad would be a disaster for Christians.  A victorious, but greatly weakened Assad led Syria appears to be the best outcome for Christianity in Syria - a place where Christianity has existed since the beginning.