U.S. Christian Leaders Urge Trump to Confront Syrian President Over Mass Killings of Christians and Druze (Page 1 ) | November 15, 2025

Nearly 100 of America’s most influential Christian leaders have called on President Donald Trump to personally confront Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, over what they describe as a continuing massacre of Christians and Druze in southern Syria.

The appeal was made in a letter sent to the White House on Friday, ahead of Trump’s scheduled meeting with al-Sharaa — a former al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighter — set for Monday.

In the letter, Dede Laugesen, president and CEO of Save the Persecuted Christians, urged Trump to use the meeting to directly address what she called a “massacre” targeting Syria’s religious minorities.

“With the visit of Syria’s new President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, scheduled for November 10, 2025, we urge you to address directly the massacre of Christians, Kurds, Druze, and Alawites in Syria, notably in the greater Suwayda area,” Laugesen wrote. “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 underscores growing concern among American faith leaders over reports of escalating persecution and instability in Syria, even after the fall of the Islamic State’s territorial control. Many of the signatories represent organizations with tens of millions of Christian followers across the United States, reflecting deep alarm within the religious community about the plight of believers in the Middle East.


“We are grateful for your Administration’s recent announcement that you are urgently rushing humanitarian aid to southern Syria,” the letter continued. “But as winter approaches, more must be done to prevent the impending catastrophe. Mr. President, we respectfully request that you secure President al-Sharaa’s commitment to opening a secure humanitarian corridor from Hader to Suwayda in southern Syria.”


In March, the European Parliament issued a strong condemnation of the massacre of Christians and members of the Alawite Islamic minority in Syria, a tragedy that claimed 1,300 lives. According to CNN, Israel launched airstrikes in Syria in July to protect the Druze — an offshoot of Islam and a significant minority residing in the Golan Heights region of the Jewish state.

Laugesen’s letter emphasized that the signatories collectively represent “tens of millions of American Christians.” Among those lending their names to the appeal were several prominent religious and public figures, including former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, former Kansas senator and ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference president Samuel Rodriguez, Faith and Freedom Coalition president Ralph Reed, Trinity Broadcasting Network president Matt Crouch, Prestonwood Baptist Church senior pastor Jack Graham, Dr. Alveda King, author and broadcaster Eric Metaxas, Priests for Life director Frank Pavone, actor and filmmaker Kevin Sorbo, and Godspeak Calvary Chapel of Thousand Oaks pastor Rob McCoy.

Patrick Brown, CEO of The Western Journal, was also among the letter’s signatories.

The faith leaders also praised President Trump for his “recent leadership in combating Christian persecution in Nigeria,” applauding his decision to designate the nation as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act — a move they described as “a decisive measure that upholds global religious liberty.”

The letter concluded with a message of encouragement and spiritual support: “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.’”

During his trip to the Middle East earlier this spring, Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and indicated he was prepared to give the new leader an opportunity to prove he had “turned over a new leaf.”

Following that visit, the administration officially lifted U.S. sanctions on Syria, effective July 1. According to ABC News, the U.S. also removed sanctions targeting al-Sharaa personally, along with Syria’s interior minister, Anas Khattab, ahead of Monday’s White House meeting.

“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 Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement released Friday.

Trump has done more than any recent president to champion the protection of persecuted Christians worldwide, and the faith leaders behind this letter made clear that they expect him to hold al-Sharaa accountable if he hopes to maintain normalized relations with the United States.