Christians in Syria's Qamishli celebrate Christmas amid rising tensions

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Christian residents of the northern Syrian city of Qamishli (Qamishlo) celebrated Christmas on Tuesday during a time of great tension in the region.

Though church leaders in Qamishli called on the faithful to avoid celebrating in public squares for fear of possible attacks, followers showed up in droves at houses of worship, with parishioners marking the annual occasion symbolizing the birth of Jesus with prayers, hymns, and children's songs.

Each church in the city had its own way of celebrating. For all, Christmas served as an occasion of crucial importance.

The services take place against the backdrop of recent Turkish threats to attack northern Syria and US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from the country. 

Qamishlo is located on the Turkish border in the province of Hasakah - Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava).

"I call on God to protect our Syrian island and call upon all Syrians of all communities to love and to live in cooperation as our fathers and forefathers did," a Christian cleric said at the pulpit.

Qamishlo is populated by a mix of Kurds, Arabs, and Christians. Since its inception, the city has witnessed a cautious coexistence between these components.

In 2016, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest, killing three as Christians gathered at a hall to commemorate the deaths of tens of thousands of Christians by the Ottoman army starting in 1915 in what is remembered as the Sayfo (Sword) massacre.

Numbers of Christians in Qamishlo have declined since the beginning of a 7-year civil war that has devastated the country.

"The people of our region have gone through extremely difficult conditions. I hope for peace and that tension in the region will end," said attendee Linda Gharib, wearing the traditional white scarf donned by females in local church services.

In neighboring Iraq, the Council of Ministers declared that Dec. 25 be made an annual public holiday throughout the country.

This is the first time that the Iraqi government has announced the observance as a national holiday that includes all citizens after being limited only to Christians for decades. In doing so, the rest of the nation joins the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region that has long included Christmas in its public holidays.

Additional reporting by Dilovan Chato