11/01/2025

President of IRF Secretariat Nadine Maenza calls for ending Turkish attacks on North and East Syria

WASHINGTON, D.C. —President of IRF Secretariat, Global Fellow at The Wilson Center, and former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Nadine Maenza has called on the incoming U.S. administration, led by President-elect Donald Trump, to take decisive action to end Turkish aggression in North and East Syria.

Maenza stressed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should be required to withdraw all armed forces, including its “Syrian National Army” (SNA) from North and East Syria or face additional sanctions imposed by the U.S.

 

Preserving a rich religious heritage

Maenza declared that the survival of all three of the historic Abrahamic faiths in the region, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, is at risk if Turkey is not stopped and if the ongoing transition in Syria is not properly managed. She insisted that Syria’s new government be inclusive and represents all Syrians without exclusion.

 

Warning against extremism

Maenza cautioned against replacing the Assad regime with a regime that enforces an extreme version of Islam, stating that such a development should not be acceptable for the U.S. and its allies. She drew attention to the global fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), which over the past decade has recognized radical ideology as a universal threat, and warned against repeating past mistakes.

Her call resonates amid ongoing instability in North and East Syria, where Turkey’s military actions continue to displace communities and threaten religious and cultural diversity.