For the Catholic Marist Brothers of Aleppo, one of nearly a dozen Christian communities in Syria's second city, today's most pressing question is how to decorate the Christmas tree.

In the days since a lightning offensive spearheaded by Islamist rebels overthrew former president Bashar al-Assad, the country's new rulers have sought to reassure Syria's religious minorities.

The efforts have been successful, at least "for now," said Brother Georges Sabe, who took part earlier this week in a meeting between rebels and local Christian representatives.

It was the second since the December 8 capture of the capital Damascus.

"They were very reassuring," he told AFP.

"'Continue to live normally, you're coming up to your Christmas holiday, nothing will change for you,'" he said he was told.

"So far, nothing has changed," he added.

Assad, a member of Syria's Alawite minority, sought to present his government as a protector of secularism and the country's many confessions though government intolerance for dissent extended to all groups.

During the civil war, jihadists routinely........

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