“I’ve been in fear and terrified about
staying in Lebanon or any other Arabic nation; in which I feel we are in real
danger and there are so many concerns facing us today as Christians”, said
Pierre Khoury ; a Lebanese Christian who
decided to migrate after being aware that the economical, political and
security situation in Lebanon and the Arabian East nations is not safe anymore to
live in.
This Lebanese fellow, who had finished
his university studies few years ago, feels that Christians are facing an existential
threat, especially after what most of Syrian Christians are being subjected to as
well as others in the Arabic nations; and that is the case of most of
Christians in the East.
As in Jordan, Cyrine Aldababina feels
the same way, although Jordan seems to be a safe nation for Christians, since
the security situation is stable. But this young woman, who works at a banking
institution, says that she feels some discrimination from non Christian groups;
“most of the time, some hardcore ones at my work, used to indirectly criticize
my religious beliefs and point out that we are a minority that has no voice in
Jordan. So lately and after the appearance of some radicalisms movements; I
started hiding all signs that show the sect I belong to because of the remarks
and rejection I heard from others. I also hid the cross that symbolizes the
religion I belong to; out of fear of hearing more criticizing and hurtful words
from others”.
East Christians fear the future. There
number is decreasing day after day, as a result of many factors and reasons;
today Christians consist only 6% out of the total inhibitors of the Arabian
world, and it used to be 25% out of the total, in this area of wars and endless
disagreements.
Church
Bells are Pounding Shyly
Christians’ churches of different sects
are still opposing in face of all the storming events in the area; bells are pounding shyly, believers are trying
hardly to stay in “the east land”, where Jesus Christ was born and crucified;
although a big number of them find themselves forced to leave for many reasons.
In Lebanon as in Jordan, Christians’
situation looks better than other East nations. Christians in Lebanon
participates in the political life powerfully, and the president of the state
belongs to the Maronite community.
In Jordan the monarchy provides for Christians
security and stability.
As for Egypt, the attachment the Copts
have to their lands enabled them to stay, even though they are being subjected
to violence, murdering and political exclusion. In Palestine the number of
Copts is decreasing crazily, especially in Beit Lahem and other conflict zones
between the Palestinians and Israelis.
With respect to Iraq the situation is
terrifying; in which more than 69% of the Christians immigrated, because of the
terrorism and violence that have been going on in the country since 2003;
especially with the continuous Terrorist movements that threatens the
minorities by burning of churches
and attacking citizens. This picture gets darker and
uglier in Syria;
with
the escalation of violence, and the continuous exchange of accusations between
the regime and the opposition.
The
fateful Risk
“Fateful risk” describes Ilya Tohme, Bishop
of the Valley of the Christians of the Orthodox in Syria; the East’s Churches
are terrified, searching for a solution for this massive decay of Christians’
numbers in the area.
Christians are a minority livening in an
area of wars and conflicts; and today they are trying hard to play a positive
role in creating peace through communication with moderate Islamic groups, to
fight the radicalism which creates a real fear for everyone.
And there is no doubt that, the
kidnapping of the two metropolitans John Abraham and Paul Yazigi over a year
ago, is a huge proof of the danger that is threatening the Christians, their
societies and their existence; It is a collective sense with respect to the predominant concern among
Christians of the possibility of being persecuted and murdered.
A lot of reasons have brought Christians
to this fate, starting from poverty, privation, the security situation, the
instability, the violations of the human rights, the
nature of the Arab regimes, the nature of the laws and constitutions; all this have
led to the decline of the Christians’ demographical number, and to the increase
of immigration, and to their retreating from participating in the political
life in the East’s nations.
Robert Khalaf, a member of the Swedish parliament
and a delegate in the Christian Democratic Party in Sweden, defends the rights
of Christians in the East, and assumes that the repression and the lack of a
real democracy in the Arab world, is the major reason after the migration of
Christians and leaving of their mother lands.
Khalaf belongs to the Syrian Orthodox
sect, which is considered as a minority among Christians, found himself outside
Syria, after he immigrated decades ago, to escape from racism, discrimination
and political restrictions.
Khalaf sees that the introduction of the
democratic system to the Middle East would turn this region, to an area that
respects human rights and religions, pluralism and freedom of belief; which is
the only way to get rid of more extremism.
The Christian in the Middle East finds
himself on the margin and unequal with other Muslim citizens for many reasons, Said Jean Salmanaan, representative
of the Catholic Armenian Orthodox Council of Churches in the Middle East; who believes
that immigration, includes both Christians
and Muslims, but the targeting of
Christians seems clear and
obvious, and the kidnapping of the metropolitans has political message designed to terrorize and
intimidate the Christians, in order to make them feel that they are threatened in their areas and lands and force them to leave their countries is the only way to salvation.
The
fear of the Syrian Hell
This fear have been doubled over the
past few years with the beginning of the communal movement in Syria, which
turned on into a destructive civil war, that led till now to hundreds of thousands of killed victims, and more than a million were wounded ,in addition
to around two millions and a half
displaced Syrians.
In the middle of the bloody conflict
between the Syrian regime and the armed opposition, emerged some militant
groups as Al-Nosra and al-Qaeda who are aiming to establish an Islamic state in
the Levant; which doubled the risks and concerns of Christians and minorities,
of the possibility of being subjected once again to persecution and systematic
displacement.
“The Violence that afflicts the Christians in Syria
is unjustified at all, this major sect that has been living in Syria for
thousands of years now is being persecuted, while others are working on
displacing its inhibitors to outside Syria, as if there is a plan to empty the
Arabian area from Christians as a whole”…
These were the words of
Mother Agnes Mariam Alsalib, Head of the Monastery of Saint
James and head of the international body to support reconciliation in Syria. Who
confirmed that “there are some capital countries supporting some of the armed
Syrian opposition, which will increase the murdering and violence works against
Christians in Maloula to Halab ,Ladakia and Sidnaya and to the rest of the
Arabian East nations.”
The accusation of Mother Agnes to the
Syrian opposition, by considering it the only reason behind fueling the
situation in Syria and being the only one responsible for the violence
affecting the Christians, was rejected by Maria Elias from the Syrian Ladakia
city; where thousands of Christians live.
Maria
works as a teacher in one of the Christian schools, She is 33 years old, an
activist theologian in the Roman Orthodox church between Lebanon and Syria, she
suggests that the Syrian regime headed by Bashar al-Assad and before him Hafez
al-Assad, works to intimidate minority Christians’ communities for decades, by
presenting itself as their protector, and that any other alternative will claim
their persecution, violence and displacement.
She adds: “there is no safe place in
Syria anymore. Chaos is the master everywhere. Danger is threatening everyone
including the Christians, regarding to the fact that they are the weakest in
Syria. These difficulties and security threatens that is faced by everyone,
made the Christians feel depressed and a large number of them were convinced by
the necessity and inevitability of migration; due to the inability of the
system to deal with the crisis correctly.”
From the beginning of the revolution,
regarding to the archdioceses’ numbers, about one-third of the Christians
migrated from Syria, and the rate of the Christians visiting the churches has
fell to less than 50% compared to what it was before the crises in 2011.
Farouk Tibi – 29 years old, Syrian
Orthodox, a resident of Ladakia, an activist in the association youth
Christianity, considers that the situation in Syria changed over the past
years, and that the fear in the Christians increases, but this fear is not from
Muslim extremists only, as some appeals to portray it , but the acts of the
system, in addition to other concerns related to their fate and their
lifestyle, which has become threatened by war and chaos, which is revealed by
their constant readiness to emigrate and travel.
Farouk believes that Christians are
divided between loyalists and opponents of the Syrian regime, and this
immersion in the war led to the decline in their numbers surprisingly; Young
people are migrating to the Gulf States and the United States and Europe
frequently. He adds: “during the Easter Mass in Ladakia, I noticed declining in
the numbers of people participating compared to the past feast.”
There are neither scenarios nor clear speculations
about the improvement of the Christians’ future situation in Syria. Especially
by the presence of a wave of extremist and terrorist movements which is being
controlled by many forces as the Syrian Regime.
Tragedy
and displacement…
On the track of displacement, the war in
Syria has led tens of thousands of Christians to leave their lands and homes
and move to nearby areas; as Lebanon and Jordan. There are International aid
agencies and Christians’ organizations working to take care of the new comers. In
addition churches and religious orders are trying as much as possible to
provide the Christians’ families with the requirements of life, in an attempt
to heal the tragedy that has fallen out due to the continuous killings.
Out of the stories of those families, an
Armenian Christian family tragedy story, the family had displaced from Alhska
North Syria to Jordan… the family split due to war that displaced it; the
family resorted in one of the schools that hosted it in Alashrafia Street in
the capital of Jordan, Amman.
We visited this family that is made up
of 10 persons, women, kids and men in their sixties of their age, living
miserable disturbing days, and waiting for things to get better in their
countries; waiting to return home.
The cross hanged on the wall of the
small room , the family sitting quietly, shy smiles welcomed us in … on one
corner of the room placed a table, placed on it a bunch of pictures the old and
the new of Syria where the family used to live all together safely and in
stability.
This family found a safe shelter away
from Alzaatari camp where hundreds of thousands of refugees from different
sects live. Says Andreh (65 years old and a grandfather to 7 grandchildren)”
the Syrian Regime has protected the Christians and that the Regime’s army is
working on fighting the terrorists and armed ones, the opponents had ruined
everything as a result of its participation of this endless bloody game”.
They
Pulled Us from Our Roots
“Syria will never calm down from today
till ten years, everybody is armed, and fighting, and we
are paying the price”. Said Terese who left her daughter and relatives in Syria
and ran away to Jordan; and today she is living a tough life after the
communication with a large number of her relatives was disconnected. Her tears
never dry up; fear is her companion besides the killing silence that mastered
our visit, between one story and another.
Terese adds in her Syrian Armenian
accent: “my daughter lives in Alhasaka, my other daughter in Sweden, and my son
travelled to Germany… we split apart and the war had scattered us everywhere;
Armenians have been forced to immigrate in 1915, and today they are being
forced to immigrate again from Syria as a result of the war…enough persecution
from here and there”.
The elders as well as the young ones of
this family; all assure that they are going to return to Syria as soon as the
situation gets better, and only one word from one of them would summarize it
all… “They pulled us out of our roots, they took everything from us, they
forced us to leave Syria because we refuse to kill, we refuse to get armed, so
immigration is not our destination, it is only the temporary way to reach the
safe side”.
The
Dark Tunnel
Endless stories and suffering of
Christians everywhere, and what’s happening in Syria will complicate things
more everywhere...It’s a harsh reality, which is being reflected negatively on
the minorities living in the East, and on the Muslims and other sects as well.
What’s going on in Syria is just a
result of the wars, militancy and fighting; and there is no way for salvation,
unless this radicalism is being faced through tolerance and communication.
Unless the accurate key for those divergences and conflicts is been found; the
number of Christians will keep on decaying, in addition to the number of
moderate Muslims. Then the East will become a well of tragedies, which are
inexhaustible and endless…
The trail of Calvary is rough and
painful, and today Christians are experiencing it; as they wait for salvation
for their suffered difficulties, fear and apprehensions.
Investigated
and written by: Salman Andary
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