WASHINGTON — Ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, dozens of American faith leaders are urging the president to pressure Syria to end its blockade on humanitarian aid to religious minorities in southern Syria.
“We urge you to address directly the massacre of Christians, Kurds, Druze, and Alawites in Syria, notably in the greater Suwayda area,” the leaders wrote in a Friday letter first obtained by The Daily Wire. “These religious minorities face ongoing violence, death, displacement, starvation, and water and medical deprivation, all while innocent women and children are held hostage by ISIS terrorists.”
The letter comes as the president draws widespread praise for speaking out in defense of persecuted Christians in Nigeria, earning accolades from even singer Nicki Minaj for his warnings to the Nigerian government and his vow to blow Islamic militants to pieces if they continue slaughtering Christians.
“President Trump’s bold actions have already saved countless lives, but the forgotten minorities of Syria cannot wait,” Dede Laugesen, the president of Save the Persecuted Christians, the group that organized the plea to Trump, told The Daily Wire. “This letter is a clarion call for immediate intervention to secure a humanitarian corridor that upholds the dignity and rights of the vulnerable. We stand with him in this fight, as he was ordained for such a time as this.”
Laugesen refers to the growing humanitarian crisis in Syria, where Islamic militants are targeting religious minorities, specifically Druze, Christians, and Alawites. Druze and Alawites are both monotheistic religious groups that branched off from Islam in the Middle East, and are considered heretics by Islamic militants. In Suwayda, which is currently blockaded by Syrian government security forces, the population is majority Druze with smaller groups of Christians.
Syrian security forces fighters deploy through the streets of Sweida, Syria, on July 20, 2025. (Photo by Mohammad Daher/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Skirmishes between the Sunni Muslim group, the Bedouins, and Druze militias have escalated into massive bloodshed. Reporting from The New York Times found that Sunni fighters are often working with government forces, and in a number of cases documented on video, government forces appear to be involved in horrific slaughter. Videos show the fighters and government forces forcing families to jump from balconies to their deaths, and executing groups of Druze men via firing squad.
The Supreme Druze Religious Council submitted a formal appeal to the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria, according to the Jerusalem Post, calling for an immediate investigation into the acts of violence committed against the Druze, citing acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, including torture, executions, sexual violence, and war crimes.
That appeal specifically names al-Sharaa and says he bears direct responsibility for overseeing and even condoning these attacks, hiding the government’s role in the violence through hybrid warfare tactics, disguising forces as jihadists, and misrepresenting operations as counterterrorism campaigns,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
The signers of Friday’s letter, including Dr. Ben Carson, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, senior advisor for religious freedom at the National Association of Christian Lawmakers Matthew Faraci, Laugesen, former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, and others, praise Trump for his leadership combatting Christian persecution in Nigeria and for designating Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” writing: “You are the only major world leader fighting for religious freedom, and we need you once again to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
The faith leaders urge the president to “secure President al-Sharaa’s commitment to opening a secure humanitarian corridor from Hader to Suwayda in southern Syria,” particularly in light of the approaching winter season. They praise Trump for “urgently rushing humanitarian aid to southern Syria,” and they note that opening the corridor will “enable safe and secure aid delivery and civilian evacuation, signaling the new government’s commitment to minority rights and stability.”
“Your advocacy for the persecuted inspires us,” they conclude. “We stand ready to support your efforts and pray for fruitful discussions. As Ambassador Mike Huckabee once wrote to you, ‘You were ordained for such a time as this.'”
Suwayda, filled with Christians and Druze who reportedly lack water, food, and medicine, has been partially blockaded by Syrian government security forces since July.
The Treasury Department removed Specially Designated Global Terrorist designations on al-Sharaa on Friday, a day after the United Nations removed sanctions on him, and just days before Trump will meet with al-Sharaa this week, as the United States seeks to help al-Sharaa rebuild Syria.
“These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a Friday statement, adding that Syria’s regime has been working to “fulfill its commitments on countering terrorism and narcotics, eliminating any remnants of chemical weapons, and promoting regional security and stability as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.”
US President Donald Trump (C) meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara (L) along with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) during the first leg of his three-country Middle East tour in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Bandar Al-Jaloud/Saudi Royal Court/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The United States formerly viewed al-Sharaa as a terrorist and had placed a $10 million bounty on him, ABC News reports. The Syrian president was also under UN sanctions as the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group formerly linked to al-Qaeda, which the United States removed from its list of foreign terror groups in July. At the time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move was “an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria.”
Matthew Faraci stresses that while President Trump is giving Syria the opportunity for a fresh start, he’s also “made it clear that such a fresh start must include religious freedom protections.”
“So far, President al-Shaara has not kept his end of that deal, and Syria’s human rights catastrophe is getting worse,” Faraci warned. “The faith leaders joining this letter know that Trump is brilliant at playing peacemaker, and are absolutely confident in his ability to get this fixed and get Syria on track.”
