In the summer of 1860 rumours circulated Damascus that in other towns of Greater Syria the Christians were rising up to slaughter defenseless Muslims at prayer. Though these reports were false, there was no means of denouncing them as lies. “The moment you begin to imagine violence against a neighbour, you begin to fear that your neighbour might have the same wishes towards you”, notes Eugene Rogan. “Damascus was just a spark away from exploding”. The massacres of 1860 saw 15% of the city’s Christian population targeted by their Muslim neighbours, in what Eugene calls “a genocidal moment”. In this conversation, recorded on 12 December 2024, Rogan describes how he first came up with the idea for his recent book on the Damascus events of 1860 after a chance discovery in the National Archives outside Washington. These were the records of the brilliant Mikhail Mishaqa (1800-1888). Merchant, diplomat, tax farmer and autodidact, Mishaqa was appointed US Vice Consul in 1859, just months before the massacre, which he and his family narrowly escaped with their lives.

As Eugene explains, other projects kept intervening to prevent him from writing his book, delaying it for thirty-five years. Rather than being untimely born, however, this account of the aftermath of the massacre offers “a kind of textbook on what it takes to bring a society back from the brink of genocide.” Under Fuad Pasha’s leadership the Ottomans recognized the need for accountability, albeit without promising “total justice”. They recognized the need to provide compensation, as well as inward investment not only to rebuild the city, but to provide new educational opportunities and new infrastructure in which residents of all faiths could take pride. By the 1880s a stable, prosperous, multi-faith community had been reborn. Although the destruction found in today’s Syria is an order of magnitude greater, there are lessons to be learned from revisiting this “Ottoman success story”.

If they can take lessons from what was achieved by the Ottomans after the 1860 massacre in Damascus and apply them on a larger scale, then this would be the miraculous outcome of the fall of the Assad regime. But it’s a very big ask, and a deeply divided, deeply traumatized society may face more ordeals yet. We pray that they will learn the lessons of the past and achieve a society safe for all citizens.

Episode 64 – Syria’s Choice

Podcasts are published by TLP for the purpose of encouraging informed debate on the legacies of the events surrounding the Lausanne Conference. The views expressed by participants do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of TLP, its partners, convenors or members.