When Truth Becomes a Crime

By Bassam Ishak | President of Syriac National Council of Syria (SSNC) and member of the Presidential Council of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Mission in Washington, D.C.

Some of the criticism directed at the words of His Beatitude Patriarch John X during the funeral of the martyrs of St. Elias Church in Damascus reveals the depth of the crisis we face: there are those who prefer silence over truth and covering up crimes instead of confronting them.

The Patriarch did not incite hatred — he spoke the truth. He did not falsely accuse anyone but demanded accountability for a terrorist crime that occurred in a church, during prayer, following known threats.

Yet sometimes, what remains unsaid is more dangerous than what is said.

The backlash against the Patriarch is not merely a rejection of his message — it is a rejection of the Christian community’s right to say no. No to guardianship. No to the “Da‘wa Caravans” that violated the historic social contract between Christians and Muslims in Syria, a contract based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s religious and spiritual affairs.

When Syrian Christians rejected these caravans, the response came in blood. And the response to that was a word of truth — from the heart of a grieving church.

The Patriarch’s words were not just mourning, but a declaration of a new beginning — a new covenant that will be shaped in the coming days, one founded on honesty between Syria’s communities, not submission.

Attempts to silence the Patriarch or to accuse his supporters of inciting strife will fail. The train has departed — from St. Elias Church — and it will not turn back.

We are witnessing the beginning of a new phase in relations among Syrians of all backgrounds. And the path forward begins with truth-telling.

The views expressed in this op-ed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of SyriacPress.