Op-ed: Syrian Christian students in Hungary may be forced to return to Syria to face certain death

We have received a heavy letter from one of our readers about the Syrian Christian students in Hungary who might be forced to return to Syria under dangerous conditions. Please, read their letter below:

“To those who may not know what has been happening in Syria during the last 14 years, here is a brief summary:

In March 2011, a revolution against the fascist dictator Bashar al-Assad started in Syria. But after just a few days, the revolution for freedom turned into an Islamic revolution aiming to replace the system with an Islamic one, and many jihadist groups began to appear. What initially seemed like a promising revolution toward freedom quickly turned into a civil war.

The criminal regime continued killing citizens in every imaginable way to hold onto power. But the other side was not innocent either—it was composed of jihadist groups cutting off heads and bombing schools.

In this 14-year war, Christians have been the victims of both parties: the regime, which marginalised them, and the jihadist groups, which killed them, bombed their churches, and expelled them from their villages. Civilians who supported the jihadist groups also participated in this persecution, at the very least by verbally harassing Christians whenever they saw one.

In 2017, the SCYP (Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People) was founded in Hungary by the Hungarian government to give persecuted Christians from third countries the chance to come to Hungary to study. This opportunity was one of the few hopes for Syrian Christian students, who faced enormous challenges enrolling in bachelor’s programs at Syrian universities.

At the same time, many Syrian Muslim students were also able to come to Hungary via another scholarship (Stipendium Hungaricum). However, most of them came to study for a master’s degree or PhD, since obtaining undergraduate studies in Syria was somehow easier for them than for Christians.

What happened now?

The jihadist groups won the war, and the former Al-Qaeda leader became the new president of Syria! Now Christians are in an even more dangerous situation—especially as the same people who once killed Christians, bombed their churches and villages, and destroyed Christian heritage have become influential members of the new government. One example is the new defence minister, Morhaf Abo Kasra, who was well known for attacking Christian areas and destroying their churches.

Now, as a Christian male in Syria, you live in fear every day—you might be killed for wearing shorts or humiliated by being filmed while your head is shaved because you were caught walking with a female. As a Christian female, you may be kidnapped and forced into marriage with an Islamist leader.

In the meantime, in Hungary:

New immigration laws have been launched, changing the work residency system and creating serious problems for all students who obtained their bachelor’s degree here, including Syrian Christian students:

1. Normal employment residency – Now allowed only for citizens of Armenia, Georgia, and the Philippines. It is no longer possible for Syrian citizens.
2. Hungarian Card – This only allows you to obtain a work residency if you have a diploma from outside Hungary. A Hungarian degree is not acceptable. Most Syrian Christian students came to Hungary for bachelor’s studies (because of challenges in Syria), while many Syrian Muslim students came for master’s programs. This means Christian Syrian students cannot obtain this residency, while most Muslim students can.
3. EU Blue Card – Regardless of your degree or where it was obtained, the main condition is a salary above a certain threshold, which will exceed one million forints in 2026. No fresh graduate in Hungary can realistically earn that amount, so this option is also closed.

Now, Syrian Christian students—and even Christian students from other third countries—may have to leave Hungary. Meanwhile, their persecutors can stay and work simply because they already have a bachelor’s degree before arriving. But for Syrian Christians, returning to Syria is a return to certain death.

Seeking asylum in Western Europe is also not an option anymore. Western countries have closed their asylum doors after accepting many jihadist family members as refugees, while at the same time rejecting visa applications from Middle Eastern Christians. Syrian Christians do not feel safe living in Western Europe among people who openly support the Islamic system in Syria.

Appeal to the Hungarian Government

We hope that the Hungarian government will look upon Syrian Christian students with mercy and open pathways for them to live, work, and build a normal life. At the very least, they should be treated the same way Hungary has treated Christians from the Karabakh region, by offering them long-term residency options.”

UPDATE: Reaction

We have received a reaction that called for the correction of inaccuracies in the original op-ed: Reaction to Syrian student op-ed: Calls for corrections

Read also:

• Hungary donating EUR 4.6 m to Christian social missions in Syria
• Szijjártó slams attacks on Christians in Syria, sends aid to the Middle East