Fortifying Religious Freedom in Syria

(Washington, D.C. — September 17, 2025) On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, Shai Fund and the Nazarene Fund hosted a diverse coalition of individuals, organizations, and diaspora communities for an event titled “Fortifying Religious Freedom in Syria: Keys to a Stable and Peaceful Syria.” The event united in a collective call for a U.S. foreign policy that upholds religious freedom in Syria and  allows for the religious and ethnic communities to be able to stay and even thrive in their ancestral homeland. 

Violence against religious and ethnic minorities in Syria has surged since March, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and the installation of an interim government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Although al-Sharaa has pledged an inclusive government and distanced himself from his past as leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), discriminatory policies remain. A new Syrian constitution must guarantee equal rights and legal protections for all religious and ethnic communities. No group should be privileged; no group should be marginalized. 

While participants expressed a range of perspectives on specific statements and policy approaches, the gathering achieved strong consensus on four key priorities essential to Syria’s long-term stability: safety, equal citizenship, decentralization, and reconciliation. 

As laid out by Nadine Maenza, Co-Chair of the IRF Roundtable and Senior Advisor to Shai Fund, in her remarks, these are defined as:

• Safety. Families will not stay in Syria without basic security. U.S. policy should prioritize protection of civilians, support accountable local security, and end impunity for those who target communities because of their identity.
• Equal Citizenship. There must be a new constitution that guarantees equal citizenship for all Syrians—without regard to religion, ethnicity, or gender. Religious leaders across Syria emphasized that the focus must not simply be on “protecting minorities,” but on guaranteeing equal citizenship for all communities to end cycles of marginalization and violence.
• Decentralization. Local communities must have genuine authority to manage services and security. Washington should support local governance enabling communities to govern and secure themselves rather than relying on imposed, outside control. This would ensure all the diverse religious groups in Syria have a role in shaping their own future.
• Reconciliation. Justice and healing must proceed together. That requires credible processes for documentation, restitution, and the return of the displaced, alongside community-level efforts to rebuild trust across sects and neighborhoods. 

One can read the full event summary here. 

For media inquiries, contact McKenzie Hood, Advocacy and Partnerships Manager, at [email protected].