Tweet
Syrian Christians: 'Help us to stay - stop arming terrorists'
Christianity is being extinguished in the land of its birth and the
West is to blame, say Syria's faithful
By Ruth Sherlock, Izraa, Deraa
3:00PM GMT 22 Nov 2014
Outgoing artillery shook St Elias church as the priest reached the end
of the Lord's Prayer.
The small congregation kept their eyes on the pulpit, kneeling when
required and trying to ignore the regular thuds that rattled the
stained glass windows above them.
Home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, the hard
to reach Syrian agricultural town of Izraa has stood the comings and
goings of many empires over the centuries.
But as the country's civil war creeps closer, it is threatening to
force the town's Christians into permanent exile: never to return,
they fear.
"I have been coming to this church since I was born," said Afaf Azam,
52. "But now the situation is very bad. Everyone is afraid. Jihadists
control villages around us."
A Canaanite city that was mentioned in the Bible, Izraa has lived
through Persian and Arab rule, with St Elias's Church being built in
542AD - 28 years before the birth of the Prophet Mohammed in Mecca.
During the past four years of Syria's war, its Christian population
has largely stayed put, despite the war destroying much of the
surrounding province of Deraa.
In the last two weeks however, men from the al-Qaeda linked Jabhat
al-Nusra and other rebel groups have captured the nearby towns of Nawa
and al-Sheikh Maskin, bringing the frontline to less than two miles
away. They are now trying to assault Izraa.
Some of the rebels were vetted by the CIA as "moderate Muslims" and
subsequently trained and armed in Jordan, as part of a US-led program
to bolster a non-sectarian opposition to President Bashar-Assad.
Sunday service at the church of St Elias in Izraa. The pews are
sparsely populated because the frontlines are less than two miles
away. The sounds of outgoing shellfire regularly interrupts the
service. Photo: Ruth Sherlock/The Telegraph
But past experience has rendered such distinctions irrelevant to
Izraa's Christians. After all, in Syria - and on this frontline - the
"moderates" continue to work in alliance with Nusra. And the conquest
of other Christian villages by the opposition has shown that more
moderate factions frequently do little to stop the jihadists imposing
their will.
"It's simple," said Father Elias Hanout, 38, who led the prayers at
Sunday's service. "If the West wants Syria to remain a country for
Christian people, then help us to stay here; stop arming terrorists."
The pews were sparsely occupied for last Sunday's service in St Elias,
with the choir missing its tenors and altos. Mrs Azam, who led the
hymns, was reluctant to acknowledge the exodus at first, saying the
singers were absent "because of work". But as the tempo of the falling
shells increased outside, she admitted: "People from here are leaving.
Many are applying to emigrate."
Exactly how many Christians have left Syria is difficult to say, but
according to the Christian charity Open Doors, some 700,000 have left
the country, which equates to some 40 per cent of Syria's pre-war
Christian population.
Christian leaders in the country warn of an exodus on the scale of
Iraq, where the 1.5 million-strong community that lived there prior to
the first Gulf War is now down to as little as a tenth of its former
size.
The threat to towns like Izraa will be uppermost in the mind of the
Pope during his visit to Turkey this week, amid warnings from
Christian leaders worldwide that their religion might soon lose its
foothold in the very region where it was born.
Looking around his 1,500 year old church, Mr Hanout warned: "In this
land the Word started. And if you delete the Word here, then
Christianity across the world will have no future."
Evidence of the Church's heritage is everywhere in Izraa's narrow
streets. Across from St Elias, lies the chapel of St George, an
octagonal stone building that is said to be one of the most ancient
churches in the world. Dating to 515 AD, it was originally converted
from a pagan temple, and an inscription on its stone lintel reads:
"Hymns of cherubs replaced sacrifices offered to idols and God settles
here in peace, where people used to anger him."
The church of St George is said to be the oldest continuously
inhabited church in syria and one of the oldest in the world. Photo:
Ruth Sherlock/The Telegraph
Today, Izraa remains a mixed down of both Christians and Muslims. And
in early 2011, when the uprising in Syria was defined by popular
protests rather than war, a small number of Christians had welcomed
the calls for regime change.
That changed when the Islamists began to dominate the rebel ranks.
"Nobody wants these men to advance," said one resident said, who asked
not to be named. "They are frightened of their town being overrun by
Islamists,"
Instead Izraa's Christians have sought solace in the government's
defences, and increasingly blame the West for their suffering.
Mrs Azam added: "When evil comes you have to defend your country. We
love our government, just as we love our country."
The picture in Izraa is one repeated across other Christian pockets of
Syria. Christian homes in Deir Ezzour, Raqqa, and in Hassakeh, home to
the Syriac Christians, the oldest denomination on earth, are all
devoid of their inhabitants. From Homs too, a major Christian
stronghold, many have left.
Map of Syria showing the location of Christian communities Image:
Telegraph Graphics
Some Christian residents initially remained in the Christian town of
Ghassaniyeh in northern Latakia province when it first fell to the
rebels in mid-2012. A few weeks later however, Islamic extremists took
control of the terrain. Christian men were kidnapped, captured or
forced to flee. They desecrated the church, ransacked homes and
murdered the priest.
Even in Bab Touma, the Christian quarter in the old city of Damascus,
residents told the Telegraph they were looking to leave.
Eva Astefan, 43, said she applied to the United Nations for asylum,
after her 14-year-old daughter, Adel was shot and killed by a rebel
sniper in 2012.
Eva Astefan, 43, is seeking asylum after her 14 year old daughter Adel
- in the photo - was shot by a sniper. Photo: Ruth Sherlock/The
Telegraph
The family had been driving down the highway back to Damascus after
attending the "Feast of the Holy Cross" in nearby Maaloula, when a
hail of bullets pierced their vehicle, one entering her daughter's
skull who was sitting in the back.
Mrs Astefan's nephew, Joseph Haroun, 29, said: "Its our country and we
love it, but we feel we have little choice.
"The terrorists - referring to the opposition rebels - kidnap and kill
our men and dangle the holy cross over their bodies."
It is not just Christian's who are suffering. The war in Syria is
political as well as sectarian, and, as it draws closer to Izraa, the
town's schools and municipal offices have become impromptu shelters
for thousands of refugees from all sects.
Only a small number of the fighters near Izraa are from Nusra, with
many of those fighting coming from local Sunni families.
Abo Mohammed, a frail Sunni man in his early sixties - who spoke using
a pseudonym - told how of men who were his neighbours, fellow Sunnis,
killed his "whole family" in revenge because his son is serving in the
Syrian military.
"They entered our house in al-Sheikh Maskin and attacked my son, my
brother, my brother's children and my nephew. They broke their arms
and legs and then threw them from the roof. I am the only one who
escaped," he said, tears welling in his eyes.
It is precisely because al-Qaeda is weak in the south of Syria, that
the West and its allies have concentrated on sending weapons to rebels
in this area.
An elderly lady sits in an ancient shrine in Damascus's old quarter
Bab Touma, where she has been coming since her birth. Photo: Ruth
Sherlock/The Telegraph
Residents from other sects have been able to return to their homes,
even when they are in rebel control, but Christians fear that if they
leave and their town is then captured by the opposition - even one led
by western trained groups - they will never be able to return.
So, they put their hopes in the Syrian military that is now protecting
the town. At the main entrance to the town are sandbagged army
checkpoints, plastered with posters of President Bashar al-Assad.
Military vehicles, laden with weapons, drive full-pelt across the
intersection down the road that marks the beginning of the frontline.
In Izraa, shop fronts have been painted in the Syrian flag to rouse
nationalist fervour, the graffiti of past anti-government protests has
been scrubbed out or painted over.
Instead, the sense is of having been abandoned by other "Christian
nations" such as America and Britain, no matter what the promises of
their leaders are.
As another priest in Izraa, who asked not to be named, put it: "Please
tell Mr Cameron, we don't want any help or donations - but please,
equally, stop arming terrorists."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11247798/Syrian-Christians-Help-us-to-stay-stop-arming-terrorists.html
Christianity is being extinguished in the land of its birth and the
West is to blame, say Syria's faithful
By Ruth Sherlock, Izraa, Deraa
3:00PM GMT 22 Nov 2014
Outgoing artillery shook St Elias church as the priest reached the end
of the Lord's Prayer.
The small congregation kept their eyes on the pulpit, kneeling when
required and trying to ignore the regular thuds that rattled the
stained glass windows above them.
Home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, the hard
to reach Syrian agricultural town of Izraa has stood the comings and
goings of many empires over the centuries.
But as the country's civil war creeps closer, it is threatening to
force the town's Christians into permanent exile: never to return,
they fear.
"I have been coming to this church since I was born," said Afaf Azam,
52. "But now the situation is very bad. Everyone is afraid. Jihadists
control villages around us."
A Canaanite city that was mentioned in the Bible, Izraa has lived
through Persian and Arab rule, with St Elias's Church being built in
542AD - 28 years before the birth of the Prophet Mohammed in Mecca.
During the past four years of Syria's war, its Christian population
has largely stayed put, despite the war destroying much of the
surrounding province of Deraa.
In the last two weeks however, men from the al-Qaeda linked Jabhat
al-Nusra and other rebel groups have captured the nearby towns of Nawa
and al-Sheikh Maskin, bringing the frontline to less than two miles
away. They are now trying to assault Izraa.
Some of the rebels were vetted by the CIA as "moderate Muslims" and
subsequently trained and armed in Jordan, as part of a US-led program
to bolster a non-sectarian opposition to President Bashar-Assad.
Sunday service at the church of St Elias in Izraa. The pews are
sparsely populated because the frontlines are less than two miles
away. The sounds of outgoing shellfire regularly interrupts the
service. Photo: Ruth Sherlock/The Telegraph
But past experience has rendered such distinctions irrelevant to
Izraa's Christians. After all, in Syria - and on this frontline - the
"moderates" continue to work in alliance with Nusra. And the conquest
of other Christian villages by the opposition has shown that more
moderate factions frequently do little to stop the jihadists imposing
their will.
"It's simple," said Father Elias Hanout, 38, who led the prayers at
Sunday's service. "If the West wants Syria to remain a country for
Christian people, then help us to stay here; stop arming terrorists."
The pews were sparsely occupied for last Sunday's service in St Elias,
with the choir missing its tenors and altos. Mrs Azam, who led the
hymns, was reluctant to acknowledge the exodus at first, saying the
singers were absent "because of work". But as the tempo of the falling
shells increased outside, she admitted: "People from here are leaving.
Many are applying to emigrate."
Exactly how many Christians have left Syria is difficult to say, but
according to the Christian charity Open Doors, some 700,000 have left
the country, which equates to some 40 per cent of Syria's pre-war
Christian population.
Christian leaders in the country warn of an exodus on the scale of
Iraq, where the 1.5 million-strong community that lived there prior to
the first Gulf War is now down to as little as a tenth of its former
size.
The threat to towns like Izraa will be uppermost in the mind of the
Pope during his visit to Turkey this week, amid warnings from
Christian leaders worldwide that their religion might soon lose its
foothold in the very region where it was born.
Looking around his 1,500 year old church, Mr Hanout warned: "In this
land the Word started. And if you delete the Word here, then
Christianity across the world will have no future."
Evidence of the Church's heritage is everywhere in Izraa's narrow
streets. Across from St Elias, lies the chapel of St George, an
octagonal stone building that is said to be one of the most ancient
churches in the world. Dating to 515 AD, it was originally converted
from a pagan temple, and an inscription on its stone lintel reads:
"Hymns of cherubs replaced sacrifices offered to idols and God settles
here in peace, where people used to anger him."
The church of St George is said to be the oldest continuously
inhabited church in syria and one of the oldest in the world. Photo:
Ruth Sherlock/The Telegraph
Today, Izraa remains a mixed down of both Christians and Muslims. And
in early 2011, when the uprising in Syria was defined by popular
protests rather than war, a small number of Christians had welcomed
the calls for regime change.
That changed when the Islamists began to dominate the rebel ranks.
"Nobody wants these men to advance," said one resident said, who asked
not to be named. "They are frightened of their town being overrun by
Islamists,"
Instead Izraa's Christians have sought solace in the government's
defences, and increasingly blame the West for their suffering.
Mrs Azam added: "When evil comes you have to defend your country. We
love our government, just as we love our country."
The picture in Izraa is one repeated across other Christian pockets of
Syria. Christian homes in Deir Ezzour, Raqqa, and in Hassakeh, home to
the Syriac Christians, the oldest denomination on earth, are all
devoid of their inhabitants. From Homs too, a major Christian
stronghold, many have left.
Map of Syria showing the location of Christian communities Image:
Telegraph Graphics
Some Christian residents initially remained in the Christian town of
Ghassaniyeh in northern Latakia province when it first fell to the
rebels in mid-2012. A few weeks later however, Islamic extremists took
control of the terrain. Christian men were kidnapped, captured or
forced to flee. They desecrated the church, ransacked homes and
murdered the priest.
Even in Bab Touma, the Christian quarter in the old city of Damascus,
residents told the Telegraph they were looking to leave.
Eva Astefan, 43, said she applied to the United Nations for asylum,
after her 14-year-old daughter, Adel was shot and killed by a rebel
sniper in 2012.
Eva Astefan, 43, is seeking asylum after her 14 year old daughter Adel
- in the photo - was shot by a sniper. Photo: Ruth Sherlock/The
Telegraph
The family had been driving down the highway back to Damascus after
attending the "Feast of the Holy Cross" in nearby Maaloula, when a
hail of bullets pierced their vehicle, one entering her daughter's
skull who was sitting in the back.
Mrs Astefan's nephew, Joseph Haroun, 29, said: "Its our country and we
love it, but we feel we have little choice.
"The terrorists - referring to the opposition rebels - kidnap and kill
our men and dangle the holy cross over their bodies."
It is not just Christian's who are suffering. The war in Syria is
political as well as sectarian, and, as it draws closer to Izraa, the
town's schools and municipal offices have become impromptu shelters
for thousands of refugees from all sects.
Only a small number of the fighters near Izraa are from Nusra, with
many of those fighting coming from local Sunni families.
Abo Mohammed, a frail Sunni man in his early sixties - who spoke using
a pseudonym - told how of men who were his neighbours, fellow Sunnis,
killed his "whole family" in revenge because his son is serving in the
Syrian military.
"They entered our house in al-Sheikh Maskin and attacked my son, my
brother, my brother's children and my nephew. They broke their arms
and legs and then threw them from the roof. I am the only one who
escaped," he said, tears welling in his eyes.
It is precisely because al-Qaeda is weak in the south of Syria, that
the West and its allies have concentrated on sending weapons to rebels
in this area.
An elderly lady sits in an ancient shrine in Damascus's old quarter
Bab Touma, where she has been coming since her birth. Photo: Ruth
Sherlock/The Telegraph
Residents from other sects have been able to return to their homes,
even when they are in rebel control, but Christians fear that if they
leave and their town is then captured by the opposition - even one led
by western trained groups - they will never be able to return.
So, they put their hopes in the Syrian military that is now protecting
the town. At the main entrance to the town are sandbagged army
checkpoints, plastered with posters of President Bashar al-Assad.
Military vehicles, laden with weapons, drive full-pelt across the
intersection down the road that marks the beginning of the frontline.
In Izraa, shop fronts have been painted in the Syrian flag to rouse
nationalist fervour, the graffiti of past anti-government protests has
been scrubbed out or painted over.
Instead, the sense is of having been abandoned by other "Christian
nations" such as America and Britain, no matter what the promises of
their leaders are.
As another priest in Izraa, who asked not to be named, put it: "Please
tell Mr Cameron, we don't want any help or donations - but please,
equally, stop arming terrorists."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11247798/Syrian-Christians-Help-us-to-stay-stop-arming-terrorists.html