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Syria: Christians caught in crossfire


Umayyad Mosque, Damascus

Umayyad Mosque, Damascus

Christians in Syria have not been taking part in the fighting, but they are very afraid of the future. A Christian priest told MISNA: "Most Christians have left Homs because they are afraid of the bombs and rocket fire." He added that western media has given the impression that "suddenly the Syrian government has gone crazy and started to attack its people simply because they had begun to demonstrate peacefully in the streets". In fact, he said, there are armed opposition elements in the city that could engage in battles with the military.

Along with Lebanon, Syria is the only Arab country where Islam is not formally described as the state religion in the Constitution and faith is not listed in citizens' ID cards.

However, in recent weeks, fears have begun to grow about a sectarian element to the violence. In Homs, where the population is split between Sunni and Alawi, these fears are fueled by the memory of the exodus of Iraqi Christians.

"In their eyes and ears, all Syrians hear the echoes of the terrible accounts of the refugees fleeing from Baghdad, Mosul or Erbil", said the priest, noting that while Europe tried to hold them back or divert them to Africa and Latin America, "Syria opened its doors to all Iraqis, regardless of their religion".

The battles on the street finds a wider echo in the international arena, as western powers face opposition from China and Russia, which vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution that demanded Assad's resignation. However, the priest pointed out: " the ones blowing the most wind over the fire calling for humanitarian intervention such as the one that took place in Libya, are powers united by a common enemy: Iran. The United States that cannot wait to do away with the Ayatollahs, Sunni Turkey that fears interference over the Shiite government in Baghdad, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Monarchies who challenge the Shiites for religious hegemony in the wider Middle East".

He said in Syria, there are many who believe that "this war, fought largely in the media, goes beyond Damascus and Homs and that in fact stretches its gaze toward Tehran".

Source: MISNA/ICN

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