Syria (MNN) — Nihad Hassan, a Syrian Kurdish pastor based in Lebanon, knew the dangers of traveling back into Syria. But he has been following God’s call on his life for nearly 20 years, and that call is greater than any fear. 

However, the risk of danger has become a reality. Last week, while Pastor Nihad was on a trip in northern Syria, he was detained at the Afrin Central Civil Prison.

“They’re using social media posts that he’s shared in the past in defense of the Kurdish people to say that he is inciting the Kurdish people against the Arabs in in Syria,” says Pierre Houssney with Horizons International. 

The Kurds are one of the largest stateless people groups in the world. Houssney says there are countless posts like those attributed to Nihad out there, but he’s being targeted because of his religious beliefs. 

“So they scoured his social media posts for anything they could use against him under the very strict Syrian laws of electronic crime,” he says. “He’s actually facing charges that could be up to three years in jail.”

Pastor Nihad leads Horizons’ Kurdish Church ministry in Beirut, Lebanon, and has played a crucial role in reaching Muslims in several countries. His detainment in Syria is troubling but shouldn’t be surprising. Houssney describes Syria as “fragmented and fragile,” with some regions being more Islamic than others, and some more secular than others.

“The new Syrian government has made it very clear that they want to be a pluralistic society. They say Syria is for all people. But there is a difference between the centralized government sometimes and the actual regional power that is applied into different regions,” says Houssney. 

Call to prayer over Nihad’s future court date

Now that you know the context, please pray. Last week, Houssney’s team received a voice message from Nihad in prison. He seemed to be in good spirits and was optimistic that he would be released in a few days. However, on Thursday, his court case was moved to the main court in Aleppo, Syria. He remains waiting in prison.

Pastor Nihad (Photo courtesy of Horizons International via Facebook)

“He really needs protection and prayer. He’s in a very vulnerable place,” says Houssney. 

If you know anything about Syrian prisons, you know they are devastating places. After the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, many prisoners in Syria were freed. However, terrible mistreatment has continued to be documented in Afrin prisons, the region where Pastor Nihad is being held. 

Please pray for fruitful ministry for Nihad even while in prison. Nihad himself encountered Jesus while in a Syrian prison cell. Pray that the Holy Spirit will move powerfully in him and those he interacts with. 

“I think we also need to be praying that this hateful attack against him and these accusations against him would only raise the profile of the church, would only normalize the idea of there being a church from a Kurdish-Muslim background,” Houssney adds.  

Stand with Syrian Christians

Nihad has been singled out, but he is not alone in his passion to reach Syrians for Christ, especially his fellow Kurds. Houssney says that many Syrians who accept the gospel while in Lebanon will then say, “I want to go back to Syria. I want to spread the gospel. I want people to know about Jesus in Syria.” 

“The global church should be emboldened by the boldness and radical faith of these wonderful Syrian believers like Pastor Nihad, and also praying and trying to find practical ways to support them and help them in their times of need,” Houssney says. 

If Nihad’s story moves you, take a step further and ask God how you can be an active part of the global church standing behind Christians in Syria. For a glimpse of how Horizons International does this in Lebanon, visit their website at horizonsinternational.org. 

 

*This article has been corrected from its broadcast. The decision to move Nihad’s court case to the main court in Aleppo, Syria, was not due to any particular delay, as was originally stated incorrectly. 

 

Header photo: Aleppo, Syria (Photo courtesy of Ahmad Sofi via Unsplash)