A Heavy Heart for Suwayda’s Loss
Peter here, I haven’t published much after being at the Keswick Convention, but I heard and my heart is broken as we carry for Pastor Khaled Mazhar and his family, murdered in Suwayda, Syria, last week on July 16, 2025. This brave man, who led the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church, was killed along with 12–20 family members, his wife, mother, father, sisters, and their wee kids.
They were Christians, born into the Druze folk but turned to Jesus’ years back, a choice that cost them dear. Their deaths, in a brutal sectarian stramash, shake us to the core. For us at Born Again Christians, their martyrdom’s a clarion call to pray, act, and share Christ’s love.
In this dark hour, their faith shines like a beacon in Scotland from Suwayda.
Who Was Pastor Khaled Mazhar?
Pastor Khaled was a true soldier for Christ, leading his wee church in Suwayda, a city in Syria’s south where the Druze are the main folk. The Druze have their own religion, a mix of Islam, Christianity, and old philosophies, and they don’t take kindly to people leaving’ it.
But Khaled, his mother Amira, his disabled father Joudat Hassan, sisters Jihan, Aseel, and Asma, their husbands, and their kids all chose Jesus. They were baptised, living’ bold as brass for Christ in a place where Christians are just 10% of the folk.
Khaled’s Good Shepherd Church was a lighthouse, spreading’ the Gospel despite the shadows of danger creeping closer.
The Suwayda Slaughter: What Happened?
A way back, on July 13, 2025, trouble kicked off when a Druze merchant was nabbed on the road to Damascus. This sparked a rammy between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin tribes.
Syria’s new head, Ahmed al-Sharaa, known as al-Julani, sent troops to calm things, but they turned rogue. Reports say these lads, tied to the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), went after Druze and Christians alike. Over 1,100 souls perished in Suwayda, 427 Druze fighters, 298 Druze civilians, and at least 12–20 Christians, including Khaled’s kids.
On July 16, armed men stormed Khaled’s house in Suwayda city. They shot the family dead, Khaled, his wife, parents, sisters, and kids. Even their wee dog wasn’t spared. Reminds me of the atrocities by Hamas on October 7th.
Some say Khaled was tortured first. One kid survived, playing dead to escape. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called it a war crime, blaming al-Sharaa’s forces or their jihadist pals.
Days before, leaflets calling for jihad against Christians were pinned to church doors, showing this was not an accident but a hateful attack.
Why Were They Targeted?
Khaled’s family had a double burden. Their Christian faith made them a mark for extremists who see Christians and Druze as “heretics.” The JNS TV video, “Exposing What No One Else Will about Julani,” says al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda man, lets his HTS fighters slaughter minorities while acting moderate for the West’s approval.
Khaled’s Druze roots also put them in the firing line, as the violence aimed at Suwayda’s Druze folk didn't care if they’d turned to Christianity.
The attackers left Suwayda in a bad way, no food, water, or power, with hospitals and churches hit hard.
Druze and Christians in Syria: Neighbours, No Kin in Faith
Suwayda’s a rare place in Syria, with 85% Druze and 10% Christian folk living’ side by side, peacefully for ages. The Druze faith, born in the 11th century from a branch of Shia Islam, respects Jesus as a prophet but not as God’s Son, like we hold at Born Again Christians.
They’re a closed bunch, not allowing conversion, so Khaled’s turn to Christ, this was a rare and brave act.
As Druze and Christians have stood together against persecution, under Ottomans, the French, and Assad’s regime.
In the civil war, Druze militias shielded Christians from groups like the Islamic State, building a bond of trust. But the July 2025 violence showed cracks.
Druze fighters defended Suwayda, protecting Christians too, but Khaled’s family was caught in the chaos.
Their conversion likely made them a target, as Druze who become Christians are often cast out.
Some Druze in Suwayda have turned to Jesus lately, but it’s a hard road, facing’ shunning’ or worse. The JNS TV video claims al-Sharaa’s forces used Nazi-like tactics—beheading, rape, and desecrating holy places, against both Druze and Christians, uniting them in suffering, but not in faith.
Syria’s Wider Woe: A Land Torn Apart
Syria’s been a mess since Bashar al-Assad fell in December 2024. Al-Sharaa, now leading the government, was once an Al-Qaeda man, and his HTS group is still labelled as terrorists by the UN.
The JNS TV video says he’s playing’ a double game, being two-faced, promising’ peace but letting jihadists attack Druze, Christians, and Alawites.
In March 2025, his forces killed Alawites in Latakia, and earlier, they hit Druze in Idlib. Israel launched airstrikes on Damascus and Suwayda, claiming to protect Druze near the Golan Heights, but some Syrian Druze call it a grab for power, no brotherly love.
A U.S. ceasefire stopped the worst, but Suwayda’s still on edge, fearing’ more blood.
A Cry to the church: Time to Pray and Act
Pastor Khaled and his family lived for Jesus in a land of strife. Their journey from Druzism to Christ demonstrates the Gospel’s power to change hearts.
Their deaths remind us of Jesus’ words: “If they persecuted me, they’ll persecute you” (John 15:20). As Born-Again folk, we know Jesus is the only way (John 14:6). Khaled’s family died for that truth, and we’re called to honour them.
Let’s pray for:
Comfort: For the surviving’ family and Suwayda’s scattered Christians, that God’s “close to the broken-hearted” (Psalm 34:18).
Safety: For Druze and Christians in Syria, that God’s their shield (Psalm 46:1).
Justice: For al-Sharaa’s men to face reckoning, as SOHR demands a UN probe.
Witness: That Khaled’s faith draws others, even Druze, to Jesus’ grace.
We can help by backing groups like Barnabas Aid or Open Doors, aiding persecuted believers.
Johnnie Moore, an American pastor, said Khaled “died for a faith many Christians barely live.”
That’s a challenge to us—live boldly for Christ.
My Closing Thoughts: A Light That Will Not Dim
Pastor Khaled Mazhar and his family were a guiding light in Syria’s gloom. From Druze to Christians, they chose Jesus and paid the ultimate price.
Their martyrdom echoes Revelation 12:11: “They triumphed by the blood of the Lamb and their testimony.”
We mourn, but we’re stirred to pray for Syria’s folk, support the persecuted, and share the Gospel with fire.
Their sacrifice isn't for nought; God’s at work in Syria’s turmoil. May we, like Khaled, be faithful till Christ comes back.
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