Tweet
ALEPPO CHRISTIANS FEAR IRAQ-STYLE ETHNIC CLEANSING
Assyrian International News Agency AINA
Aug 27 2013
ALEPPO, Syria -- Aleppo is basically "Little Syria," a melting pot,
representative of the diverse ethnic and religious groups that make
up the nation. Christians in Aleppo have tended to live together
in close-knit communities in neighborhoods usually clustered around
churches.
It would be very accurate to describe some areas of Aleppo as
"Christian," although this by no means implies any sort of self-
or outside-imposed segregation or discrimination. Residents of other
faiths are found, and get along just fine in those areas. It is just
that they are predominantly Christian.
Unfortunately, by a stroke of peculiarly bad luck, all the Christian
neighborhoods are on or near the frontlines in the parts of Aleppo
divided between regime and rebel control. They have seen more than
their fair share of fighting, "collateral damage" and a long line of
civilian casualties.
The area of Midan in particular, home to many of Aleppo's Armenian
Christian minority, was a frontline area that saw heavy fighting for
many months. It is still the scene of sporadic fighting and shelling
today, although a large proportion of its inhabitants have already
fled. Some went to Lebanon, others went back to Armenia where they
applied for Armenian citizenship and passports, then moved on to
settle in Europe or the Arab Gulf -- where Syrian passport holders
are denied work or residence permits, hence their change of passports.
It is particularly sad and ironic to witness today the Armenians,
who fled persecution and sought sanctuary in Aleppo more than a
century ago, again being forced to do the same, this time from
Aleppo. I doubt very much whether they would have considered doing
so under any other circumstances. They have always enjoyed excellent
communal relations with the rest of Aleppan society, and were even
allowed to set up their own private schools which taught in Armenian
-- something not allowed for other ethnic groups, most notably the
Kurds. The Armenians were guaranteed a place in the Syrian parliament
via their own elected representatives.
As for Arab Christians -- in other frontline places such as
Sliemaniyeh, Siryan and Azizieh -- the wealthy among them have fled,
mostly to Europe or Lebanon, as have most of Aleppo's wealthy elites.
Those who stayed behind have now irrevocably tied their fate with that
of the Syrian regime. Not out of love or loyalty or ideology, but out
of fear and necessity. As a Christian friend told me the other day
about the rebels, "If they don't take my life, then they will take
my way of life," and it is easy to see what he means if you take a
stroll through his area. Christians in Aleppo, while being for the
most part conservative, are nonetheless a lot more open and liberal
in their social customs, dress code and general attitude than other
inhabitants in the city.
They have enjoyed a large degree of social and religious freedom under
the current regime, and it is a freedom they fear they will soon lose.
It is this unique identity and way of life that will most likely be
the first victim of a rebel victory. With some rebel groups being
largely made up of extremist Islamists and al-Qaeda affiliates, it
is not such a stretch to deduce that Christians in Syria may suffer
the same fate as they did in Iraq. That perception was reinforced
recently with the kidnapping of prominent activist Jesuit Priest
Father Paolo Dall'Oglio in al-Raqqa by al-Qaeda groups, as well as
the disappearance of two Orthodox Christian bishops from Aleppo --
Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi -- more than four months ago,
presumed to be held by foreign jihadists.
Those reasons are exactly why, out of all the areas in Aleppo, one is
most likely to find young Christian men taking up arms and manning
checkpoints to defend themselves. This is very evident to anyone
traveling through Sliemaniyeh's checkpoints. The young men there are
all locals, some even clad with long hair and tattoos. Sometimes,
you see them hanging out with their wives or friends in casual
conversation, it is clear that they are regarded heroes by their
community.
Walking there a couple of weeks ago, my eye caught a sun-weathered
khaki-clad young man, AK-47 rifle slung across his back. My mind
registered a faint flicker of recognition. "George," I exclaimed, "is
that you? You've changed, you're a lot thinner and much more tanned!"
He recognized me almost immediately, "You haven't changed a bit!
Although you have a lot less hair on your head!" After exchanging
pleasantries, I learnt that George -- someone I knew in college -- had
volunteered for a three-month stint with the "political intelligence"
regime apparatus, whose massive building ominously overshadows the
whole area.
"We get a crash training course, and they provide us with weapons
and ammunition. And best of all, we're deployed in or near our
neighborhoods. The salary is not so great though," he mused.
"Are you happy doing what you do? Will you extend your contract?" I
asked. "No," he said quite firmly. "I have relatives in Venezuela,
I'm getting out of here as soon as I'm done." His was a typical story,
amid all the uncertainty, pressure and fear that he and his community
feel, it maybe the wisest option to just cut and run -- after all,
many tens of thousands have already done so.
But it is not just their home turf that they are protecting, many have
also volunteered in the Syrian army or the various pro-regime militias,
fighting on many frontlines in the city. One such case is the sad
story of a young Christian boy named Salim Nahhas, whose siblings I
knew quite well. He was only 19 when he died fighting with the regime
against the rebels in the Rashdeen area of Aleppo in July 2013.
His family set up a tribute group on Facebook, where heartbreaking
messages and photos are posted. But the most remarkable aspect of
Nahhas' story is that most of his family was initially with the
uprising and against the regime, some even taking part in protests
and later aid work for the displaced. That was before Aleppo was
invaded by the rebels in the summer of 2012 and before rebel mortar
shells hit Nahhas' neighborhood, killing some of his friends and
neighbors. Since then, many things have changed in Aleppo.
By Edward Dark AL Monitor
Edward Dark (a pseudonym) is a Syrian resident in Aleppo.
http://www.aina.org/news/20130827161838.htm
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Assyrian International News Agency AINA
Aug 27 2013
ALEPPO, Syria -- Aleppo is basically "Little Syria," a melting pot,
representative of the diverse ethnic and religious groups that make
up the nation. Christians in Aleppo have tended to live together
in close-knit communities in neighborhoods usually clustered around
churches.
It would be very accurate to describe some areas of Aleppo as
"Christian," although this by no means implies any sort of self-
or outside-imposed segregation or discrimination. Residents of other
faiths are found, and get along just fine in those areas. It is just
that they are predominantly Christian.
Unfortunately, by a stroke of peculiarly bad luck, all the Christian
neighborhoods are on or near the frontlines in the parts of Aleppo
divided between regime and rebel control. They have seen more than
their fair share of fighting, "collateral damage" and a long line of
civilian casualties.
The area of Midan in particular, home to many of Aleppo's Armenian
Christian minority, was a frontline area that saw heavy fighting for
many months. It is still the scene of sporadic fighting and shelling
today, although a large proportion of its inhabitants have already
fled. Some went to Lebanon, others went back to Armenia where they
applied for Armenian citizenship and passports, then moved on to
settle in Europe or the Arab Gulf -- where Syrian passport holders
are denied work or residence permits, hence their change of passports.
It is particularly sad and ironic to witness today the Armenians,
who fled persecution and sought sanctuary in Aleppo more than a
century ago, again being forced to do the same, this time from
Aleppo. I doubt very much whether they would have considered doing
so under any other circumstances. They have always enjoyed excellent
communal relations with the rest of Aleppan society, and were even
allowed to set up their own private schools which taught in Armenian
-- something not allowed for other ethnic groups, most notably the
Kurds. The Armenians were guaranteed a place in the Syrian parliament
via their own elected representatives.
As for Arab Christians -- in other frontline places such as
Sliemaniyeh, Siryan and Azizieh -- the wealthy among them have fled,
mostly to Europe or Lebanon, as have most of Aleppo's wealthy elites.
Those who stayed behind have now irrevocably tied their fate with that
of the Syrian regime. Not out of love or loyalty or ideology, but out
of fear and necessity. As a Christian friend told me the other day
about the rebels, "If they don't take my life, then they will take
my way of life," and it is easy to see what he means if you take a
stroll through his area. Christians in Aleppo, while being for the
most part conservative, are nonetheless a lot more open and liberal
in their social customs, dress code and general attitude than other
inhabitants in the city.
They have enjoyed a large degree of social and religious freedom under
the current regime, and it is a freedom they fear they will soon lose.
It is this unique identity and way of life that will most likely be
the first victim of a rebel victory. With some rebel groups being
largely made up of extremist Islamists and al-Qaeda affiliates, it
is not such a stretch to deduce that Christians in Syria may suffer
the same fate as they did in Iraq. That perception was reinforced
recently with the kidnapping of prominent activist Jesuit Priest
Father Paolo Dall'Oglio in al-Raqqa by al-Qaeda groups, as well as
the disappearance of two Orthodox Christian bishops from Aleppo --
Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi -- more than four months ago,
presumed to be held by foreign jihadists.
Those reasons are exactly why, out of all the areas in Aleppo, one is
most likely to find young Christian men taking up arms and manning
checkpoints to defend themselves. This is very evident to anyone
traveling through Sliemaniyeh's checkpoints. The young men there are
all locals, some even clad with long hair and tattoos. Sometimes,
you see them hanging out with their wives or friends in casual
conversation, it is clear that they are regarded heroes by their
community.
Walking there a couple of weeks ago, my eye caught a sun-weathered
khaki-clad young man, AK-47 rifle slung across his back. My mind
registered a faint flicker of recognition. "George," I exclaimed, "is
that you? You've changed, you're a lot thinner and much more tanned!"
He recognized me almost immediately, "You haven't changed a bit!
Although you have a lot less hair on your head!" After exchanging
pleasantries, I learnt that George -- someone I knew in college -- had
volunteered for a three-month stint with the "political intelligence"
regime apparatus, whose massive building ominously overshadows the
whole area.
"We get a crash training course, and they provide us with weapons
and ammunition. And best of all, we're deployed in or near our
neighborhoods. The salary is not so great though," he mused.
"Are you happy doing what you do? Will you extend your contract?" I
asked. "No," he said quite firmly. "I have relatives in Venezuela,
I'm getting out of here as soon as I'm done." His was a typical story,
amid all the uncertainty, pressure and fear that he and his community
feel, it maybe the wisest option to just cut and run -- after all,
many tens of thousands have already done so.
But it is not just their home turf that they are protecting, many have
also volunteered in the Syrian army or the various pro-regime militias,
fighting on many frontlines in the city. One such case is the sad
story of a young Christian boy named Salim Nahhas, whose siblings I
knew quite well. He was only 19 when he died fighting with the regime
against the rebels in the Rashdeen area of Aleppo in July 2013.
His family set up a tribute group on Facebook, where heartbreaking
messages and photos are posted. But the most remarkable aspect of
Nahhas' story is that most of his family was initially with the
uprising and against the regime, some even taking part in protests
and later aid work for the displaced. That was before Aleppo was
invaded by the rebels in the summer of 2012 and before rebel mortar
shells hit Nahhas' neighborhood, killing some of his friends and
neighbors. Since then, many things have changed in Aleppo.
By Edward Dark AL Monitor
Edward Dark (a pseudonym) is a Syrian resident in Aleppo.
http://www.aina.org/news/20130827161838.htm
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress