The Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), in partnership with the Office of Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC), held a congressional briefing, “Social Cohesion, Religious Freedom, and the Future of Syria,” on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. The lunchtime briefing convened a multi-faith conversation on the conditions facing Syria’s ethnic and religious communities following the Syrian civil war and the implications for U.S. foreign policy, bringing together congressional staff and attendees from the U.S. government, universities, and NGOs.

The panel of speakers featured Rep. Joe Wilson, MedGlobal President Dr. Zaher Sahloul, Syrian Community Network founder Suzanne Akhras, IGE president Bob Roberts Jr., and IGE Senior Vice President James Chen. The discussion ranged across the situation for Syria’s historic religious communities during the country’s ongoing transition, the importance of equal citizenship and social cohesion in a diverse society, and the role the United States and the broader faith community can play in supporting a stable, inclusive future for all Syrians.

Opening the conversation, Roberts framed why relational diplomacy matters: meaningful progress, he argued, often begins with religious leaders willing to work together across theological and political differences, and durable change depends as much on everyday respect as on law. “You can have the best laws in the world that protect people, but if the grassroots culture doesn’t respect one another, you’re in trouble,” he said, cautioning that the end of Syria’s civil war does not by itself produce peace. Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president of MedGlobal, underscored the scale of what Syrians have endured more than 600,000 people killed and roughly half the population displaced, with Syrians at one point accounting for one in four refugees worldwide while pointing to the richness of the country’s people, history, and heritage. “Syria is perhaps the largest small country on the map small in its size, but cosmic in its impact,” he said, stressing the importance of seeing conditions on the ground firsthand.

IGE Senior Vice President James Chen described a shifting U.S.–Syria relationship, including the White House’s removal of Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, and shared observations from a multifaith humanitarian delegation in which government officials and religious leaders alike voiced hope that the change would encourage international engagement and investment. He pointed to encouraging signs of openness, including the first-ever license granted to a Jewish heritage foundation to restore synagogues and other properties in Damascus and the welcoming back of members of the Syrian Jewish diaspora. Suzanne Akhras drew on her own story, emigrating from Syria at age ten and returning eight times since and her work with displaced refugees to emphasize coexistence, noting that the war’s hardships fell on Muslims, Christians, and members of other communities alike. “After 14 years of conflict, Syria is writing a new chapter, and we are here to bear witness,” she said, calling for sustained international support as Syrians rebuild. Rep. Wilson, who had taken part in an earlier bipartisan congressional delegation to Syria, reflected on that visit and framed the work as “Republican and Democrat together – and that’s the way it should be.”

The briefing built directly on IGE’s sustained engagement in Syria. In June 2026, IGE took part in an interfaith humanitarian delegation to Damascus, Homs, and Aleppo to meet with senior government officials and leaders of the country’s historic religious communities – the organization’s third visit since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. That work followed an August 2025 gathering, convened with IGE’s support, that brought together representatives of 37 religious and ethnic communities to ease sectarian tensions and build trust; its opening session was joined by a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen, with Representative Joe Wilson. The briefing carried that relational diplomacy from the field to Capitol Hill, giving lawmakers and staff a direct window into a pivotal moment for Syria.

IGE extends particular thanks to Representative Joe Wilson and his office, whose sponsorship and assistance made this briefing possible.