Kristna i Syrien under press
Syrian Christians Attacked, Threatened by Anti-Government Protestors
En artikel skriven av Intercessors Network, ett nätverk med deltagare från många länder i förbön för frihet, rättvisa, mänskliga rättigheter och bön om att vi ska få se Guds Rike träda fram i vårt samhälle. De kristna i Syrien vill verka för detta mål, men motsätter sig våld och terrorism.
Många kristna från Irak och andra länder i Mellersta Östern befinner sig i Syrien under svåra förhållanden. De kristna har historiska rötter i landet ända från kristendomens början. Låt oss be för landet och för alla människor.
En artikel skriven av Intercessors Network, ett nätverk med deltagare från många länder i förbön för frihet, rättvisa, mänskliga rättigheter och bön om att vi ska få se Guds Rike träda fram i vårt samhälle. De kristna i Syrien vill verka för detta mål, men motsätter sig våld och terrorism.
Många kristna från Irak och andra länder i Mellersta Östern befinner sig i Syrien under svåra förhållanden. De kristna har historiska rötter i landet ända från kristendomens början. Låt oss be för landet och för alla människor.
Christian communities throughout Syria have been attacked by anti-government protestors led by hard-line Islamists in recent weeks. Christians have also been pressured to either join protests demanding the resignation of President Bashir Assad or else flee the county.
With the mass immigration of Christians from the Middle East, notably from Iraq, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories, Islamic groups are now threatening to drive Christians out of Syria.
Last week in Duma, a suburb of Damascus, protestors chanted, “Alawites to the grave and Christians to Beirut!” according to an source and Tayyar.org, a Lebanese news agency. Christians in Syria are concerned that the agenda of many hard-line Islamists in Syria, including the Salafists, is to take over the government and kick Christians out of the country. “If Muslim Salafis gain political influence, they will make sure that there will be no trace of Christianity in Syria,” a Syrian Christian leader said.
In a Christian village outside of Dara’a, in southern Syria, eye witnesses reported that twenty masked men on motorcycles opened fire on a Christian home while shouting malicious remarks against Christians in the street. According to another source in Syria, churches received threatening letters during the Easter holidays telling them to join the anti-government protests or leave.
In Karak, a village near Dara’a, Salafists forced villagers to join the anti-government protests and remove photos of President Bashir from their homes. Witnesses reported that a young man who refused to remove a photo was found hanged on his front porch the next morning.
“People want to go out and peacefully ask for certain changes, but Muslim Salafi groups are sneaking in with their goal, which is not to make changes for the betterment of Syria, but to take over the country with their agenda,” said the Syrian Christian leader. “We want to improve life and rights in Syria under this president, but we do not want terrorism. Christians will be first to pay the price of terrorism.”
Aidan Clay, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “Unlike in Egypt, where Christians predominantly supported the revolution that removed President Hosni Mubarak from power, Syrian Christians have not participated in protests, anticipating that chaos and bloodshed will follow if radical Islam takes hold of the country.
Throughout the Middle East, Christians have been fleeing their homeland in unprecedented numbers. Now, in a country where Christians have historically taken refuge from nearby purges in places like Turkey a century ago and Iraq in recent years, Islamists are threatening their existence.
Throughout the Middle East, Christians have been fleeing their homeland in unprecedented numbers. Now, in a country where Christians have historically taken refuge from nearby purges in places like Turkey a century ago and Iraq in recent years, Islamists are threatening their existence.
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