Following the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) takeover of the government in Syria, everyday life has become tense in Malula, an ancient Christian town in the Damascus countryside, for over a week.
The tensions have escalated but stopped short of turning into a clash between Muslims and the majority Christians in the town. Some residents claim that the tensions derive from sectarian differences within the community while others say that the tensions arose from a feud between a Muslim family and a Christian family. Some residents also say that there are concerns over the HTS, which has no clear policy toward groups of different religions and sects, including Christians.
