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GMA News
April 19 2014
In Damascus, Christians briefly ignore war for Easter
April 20, 2014 2:47am
DAMASCUS - The sound of battles echoes from the outskirts of the
capital as Christians in Damascus celebrated the Easter weekend,
briefly ignoring the conflict for the yearly ritual.
At the gates of Saint George Syrian Orthodox Church - just a few
minutes walk from a school where a mortar attack killed several
children and injured dozens earlier this week - incense was burning as
several uniformed and armed men stood patrol before Good Friday
evening services. They joked with each other and did not check ID
cards or handbags as people entered.
Inside the ancient city walls of the Old City where the church is
located, the cobbled streets bustled with evening shoppers and diners,
a rare sight reminiscent of pre-war Damascus.
However, a traditional procession that usually sees hundreds of
worshipers follow an effigy of Jesus on the cross accompanied by drums
and a church band was canceled
Christians, many belonging to ancient denominations found only in
Syria, form about 10 percent of the country's population. Most fear
the rising power of Islamist groups within the rebel movement fighting
to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, although many are also wary of
the authorities.
Only a small percentage of Christians have taken up arms on either
side of a civil war that broadly pits minorities, in particular
Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, against the Sunni
Muslim majority.
Two Armenian Syrian women chatted with others in the courtyard of the
church. Asked if they felt optimistic about the events in Syria, they
launched into a short debate.
"No, I don't feel good at all. I'm sad and I'm here to join Christ in
his pain," said Rula Khoury.
Khoury's friend, Tamar Barashelian, disagreed.
"No, we can't just be sad and stay at home all the time and get
depressed. I overcome my sadness and force myself to go out and
continue with life," she said.
Like other Syrians, many Christians have been displaced, seen their
sons killed in fighting or been forced to flee mandatory military
service in Assad's army.
Many support the government, which says it is protecting the country
from foreign-backed Sunni Muslim militants who will persecute
non-Sunni minorities, including Christians.
The pastor's wife, among a group of women expressing pro-Assad views,
said: "I can forgive any Syrian who shed Syrian blood. But I won't
forgive the Arab countries that conspired to kill us."
Another woman said: "The Syrian Army is always victorious."
There are also Christians who oppose the authorities but they
generally keep a low profile, especially in Damascus where government
surveillance is common. Syria's exiled opposition includes a few
prominent Christians, while others identify with a small grassroots
movement called the Third Current which condemns violence by both
sides.
Churchgoers on Good Friday were relaxed despite the occasional sound
of government shelling, now so routine in Damascus that hardly anyone
flinches at the sound of blasts in rebel-held districts surrounding
the city.
Inside the church, the congregants prayed in Syriac, an ancient
Semitic language spoken in the pre-Islamic Levant and closely related
to the old Aramaic probably spoken by Jesus.
An engagement
In the interior courtyard, the church scout group marching band
mingled. One young couple, recently engaged, leaned on the courtyard
wall and accepted congratulations.
"I was blown away when I heard. Rami and Juliette? Who knew you were
an item? Congratulations my dears," one young man told the couple
before he shook their hands and kissed them.
More than 150,000 people have been killed in the civil war, a third of
them civilians. Millions have fled the country.
The conflict has been broadly stalemated for months, with the
government generally dominant in Damascus, the main central cities and
western, coastal regions of Syria, while the rebels hold wide swathes
of the north and east. Hardline Islamists have become more prominent
among the rebels, alienating many who once supported the call for
greater democracy.
Later in the evening, the mood on the road out of the Old City
returned to its usual tenseness, and additional shelling could be
heard. Traffic was jammed as usual at several checkpoints, where
nervous armed men vet each car for bombs.
Passengers inside an idle minivan waited their turn in silence to show
ID and be searched, their faces solemn and tired, their windows rolled
down in the warm breeze.
A popular folk song played on their radio. Its chorus repeated the
words: "Beautiful is my country. Beautiful is my country." -- Reuters
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/357576/news/world/in-damascus-christians-briefly-ignore-war-for-easter
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
April 19 2014
In Damascus, Christians briefly ignore war for Easter
April 20, 2014 2:47am
DAMASCUS - The sound of battles echoes from the outskirts of the
capital as Christians in Damascus celebrated the Easter weekend,
briefly ignoring the conflict for the yearly ritual.
At the gates of Saint George Syrian Orthodox Church - just a few
minutes walk from a school where a mortar attack killed several
children and injured dozens earlier this week - incense was burning as
several uniformed and armed men stood patrol before Good Friday
evening services. They joked with each other and did not check ID
cards or handbags as people entered.
Inside the ancient city walls of the Old City where the church is
located, the cobbled streets bustled with evening shoppers and diners,
a rare sight reminiscent of pre-war Damascus.
However, a traditional procession that usually sees hundreds of
worshipers follow an effigy of Jesus on the cross accompanied by drums
and a church band was canceled
Christians, many belonging to ancient denominations found only in
Syria, form about 10 percent of the country's population. Most fear
the rising power of Islamist groups within the rebel movement fighting
to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, although many are also wary of
the authorities.
Only a small percentage of Christians have taken up arms on either
side of a civil war that broadly pits minorities, in particular
Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, against the Sunni
Muslim majority.
Two Armenian Syrian women chatted with others in the courtyard of the
church. Asked if they felt optimistic about the events in Syria, they
launched into a short debate.
"No, I don't feel good at all. I'm sad and I'm here to join Christ in
his pain," said Rula Khoury.
Khoury's friend, Tamar Barashelian, disagreed.
"No, we can't just be sad and stay at home all the time and get
depressed. I overcome my sadness and force myself to go out and
continue with life," she said.
Like other Syrians, many Christians have been displaced, seen their
sons killed in fighting or been forced to flee mandatory military
service in Assad's army.
Many support the government, which says it is protecting the country
from foreign-backed Sunni Muslim militants who will persecute
non-Sunni minorities, including Christians.
The pastor's wife, among a group of women expressing pro-Assad views,
said: "I can forgive any Syrian who shed Syrian blood. But I won't
forgive the Arab countries that conspired to kill us."
Another woman said: "The Syrian Army is always victorious."
There are also Christians who oppose the authorities but they
generally keep a low profile, especially in Damascus where government
surveillance is common. Syria's exiled opposition includes a few
prominent Christians, while others identify with a small grassroots
movement called the Third Current which condemns violence by both
sides.
Churchgoers on Good Friday were relaxed despite the occasional sound
of government shelling, now so routine in Damascus that hardly anyone
flinches at the sound of blasts in rebel-held districts surrounding
the city.
Inside the church, the congregants prayed in Syriac, an ancient
Semitic language spoken in the pre-Islamic Levant and closely related
to the old Aramaic probably spoken by Jesus.
An engagement
In the interior courtyard, the church scout group marching band
mingled. One young couple, recently engaged, leaned on the courtyard
wall and accepted congratulations.
"I was blown away when I heard. Rami and Juliette? Who knew you were
an item? Congratulations my dears," one young man told the couple
before he shook their hands and kissed them.
More than 150,000 people have been killed in the civil war, a third of
them civilians. Millions have fled the country.
The conflict has been broadly stalemated for months, with the
government generally dominant in Damascus, the main central cities and
western, coastal regions of Syria, while the rebels hold wide swathes
of the north and east. Hardline Islamists have become more prominent
among the rebels, alienating many who once supported the call for
greater democracy.
Later in the evening, the mood on the road out of the Old City
returned to its usual tenseness, and additional shelling could be
heard. Traffic was jammed as usual at several checkpoints, where
nervous armed men vet each car for bombs.
Passengers inside an idle minivan waited their turn in silence to show
ID and be searched, their faces solemn and tired, their windows rolled
down in the warm breeze.
A popular folk song played on their radio. Its chorus repeated the
words: "Beautiful is my country. Beautiful is my country." -- Reuters
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/357576/news/world/in-damascus-christians-briefly-ignore-war-for-easter
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress