Echoua Gouriye criticizes church leaders in Syria for not uniting demands in the interest of Christians

GOZARTO (JAZIRA) REGION, Beth Nahrin — The general situation in Syria demands a united response from Christians, and the response should be from within their own ranks and as soon as possible, says Executive Council member of the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo d’Bethnahrin, MUB) Echoua Gouriye in an interview with Carlos Hanna on Suroyo TV’s Orucutho. Gouriye discussed the difficult and dynamic circumstances in Syria that Christians must navigate. Moreover, the situation in Syria is not isolated but intertwined with developments in neighboring countries. 

Church leaders and Christian autonomy 

Asked why Syrian Christians haven’t yet demanded autonomy, as the Alawites and Druze have recently done, Gouriye replies that this is something that has been much discussed among Christians since the fall of the dictatorial Bashar al-Assad’s regime— which from time to time skillfully pitted the various religious and ethnic population groups against each other. “But it needs consensus on strategy. In May of this year, we established the Levantine National Council as a platform for all Christians in Syria. The main objective is to bring together Christian intellectuals, politicians, clerics, and representatives from all walks of life and of all denominations and in all regions of the country under one roof and to formulate common demands and one strategy.” 

Gouriye explained that the necessary consensus has not yet been reached. Church leaders are a main obstacle. Until now, church leaders have shown no willingness to join forces and declare their support for common demands and a shared Christian strategy. “In my opinion, they do not grasp what is at stake and what the risks are if everyone goes their own way. In the view of church leaders, they can carry on as before. Their thinking is that if they are on good terms with the various regimes, as they have always done in the past, regardless of their background or way of governing, then everything will be fine for Christians. But Gouriye expressed his hope that church leaders one day will understand what is really at stake. In the meantime, the Levantine National Council will continue its work to bring Christians in Syria together and to develop a common Christian strategy.  

Aside from Wadi Nasara (Valley of the Christians), which has an overall Christian majority, Christians in Syria are not concentrated in a specific area. This is characteristic for Syria as a whole, where many peoples and religions live together. The Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region of North and East Syria, for example, is majority Arab with a large Kurdish presence, followed by Christian and other communities. Syria’s coastal region is also mixed, with a large presence of Sunnis, Syriacs, Christians, and of course Alawites. In Suwayda Province in the south, the same. 

Gouriye, therefore, does not want to pin himself down to a specific place or region: “Our demands for eventual self-governance do not necessarily pertain directly to any specific region but rather to administrative regions based on geography—not on sect—where national and social rights are constitutionally protected.” 

Centralization or decentralization 

Asked about the future of DAARNES and what Syria’s political system will look like in, Echoua Gouriye says much of the indicators point to a solution within one decentralized system. Syria has internal problems that can only be solved with decentralized governance, he says. 

The US has demonstrated that it doesn’t exactly know what it wants. US Ambassador to Syria Tom Barrack, of Syriac-Maronite descent, initially indicated that a central state was the only option—”all roads lead to Damascus,” Barrack stated. “After the violence in Suwayda Province, he softened his position. Now he indicates that decentralization is a possibility,” says Gouriye. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has also recently hinted that Syria should remain united, but not necessarily in a centralized political system. 

Israel has stepped up as protector of the Druze in Suwayda. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently changed tone and threatened the Autonomous Administration. According to Gouriye, Turkey does not want federalism in Syria because it fears that the same demands will be made domestically. It seems that the Kurdish issue in Turkey and the DAARNES are linked. The future of DAARNES is intertwined with how the Kurdish issue is resolved in Turkey. 

All in all, the current Syrian web is too complex if you look at it only from the perspective of DAARNES, the coastal region, or from Suwayda. Syria is currently divided into four or five regions, each with its own problems. “If we are to consider a comprehensive solution for all regions, then a national political framework in which everyone participates and with an inclusive constitution is needed. The solution must come from the bottom up. Otherwise, regional powers can and will abuse the various components or factions within Syria. For example, the Bedouin were used against the Alawites. Later, the Bedouin were used again, but this time against the Druze in Suwayda.” 

“To avoid this in the future, and to take away 14 years of mistrust between the peoples, we cannot go back to a centralized system, like nothing happened. All segments of society need to participate and be included. Syria has internal problems that can only be solved with decentralized governance.”