Crosses destroyed and a horrendous murder: All is not well for Syria’s Christians
In Damascus, threatening words against the Christian minority are spotted in a car. In Hama, someone using a Kalashnikov fired at the Greek Orthodox archbishopric. In a Christian village, a couple was killed during a "burglary" that ended with the man being beheaded. Source tells AsiaNews that Greek Orthodox are targeted because they are considered close to the Russians. Trappist nuns of A'zer note that in their area there is respect, but warn that releasing common criminals has created problems. Bishop Mourad: Beware of news on social media.
Milan (AsiaNews) – In recent days, a Christian cemetery has been vandalised, gunshots have been fired at the cross on an Archbishopric building, a car with threatening writings has been spotted, and a Christian couple was brutally murdered under mysterious circumstances.
These four incidents are not yet a pattern or trend, but they nevertheless constitute food for thought, and raise concern over the fate of Syria’s Christian minority, especially at a time of hope and uncertainty, in the wake of the ouster of the dictator, Bashar al-Assad, and the rise to power of the opposition led by the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, once affiliated with the al-Nusra front (formerly al-Qaeda).
Yesterday, in an interview with the BBC the leader of the group, Ahmed al-Sharaa, denied that he wants to turn Syria into a new Afghanistan, stressing that the two countries are different, with different traditions.
Speaking about the situation, an anonymous government source told AsiaNews that, “These attacks are more against Russia than Syrian Christians. The Greek Orthodox have been targeted, largely because they are the Christian group closest to Moscow, and have been linked to the Russian Orthodox Church since the 18th century."
Overall, “Russia has killed more Syrian Muslims than Assad. Russian air attacks have destroyed 50 per cent of houses and buildings.” It is no coincidence that “Russian military forces are leaving Syria because the new regime does not welcome them.”
The worst incident reported took place in a Greek Orthodox village, al-Jamasliyye, in Wadi al-Nasara, the so-called Valley of Christians, Homs Governorate. A Christian couple, Samaan Satme and Helena Khashouf, were brutally murdered on 13 December: the man was beheaded, while the woman was shot in cold blood.
The investigation initially suggested that it was a burglary that went wrong, but this version has not convinced many of the victims’ neighbours, a view echoed on social media, especially those that are most critical of Syria’s new leaders.
Some people remember similar murders in the past that were clearly motivated by religious bias. The funeral service was held at the Church of Saint Simeon Stylites in Haba.
In Hama, two separate incidents have set off more than one alarm bell. On Tuesday, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham members vandalised a local Christian cemetery, looting, desecrating graves, destroying some crosses, and beheading a statue of Our Lady.
Earlier, a car with HTS members allegedly fired at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archbishopric in Hama, targeting the cross. Local sources note that the group then broke into the Church St George, destroying some crosses.
Mgr. Jacques Mourad, archbishop of Homs, tells AsiaNews that in this situation of uncertainty about the present and the near future, false or unverified news is being chased around, but re-launched by social networks contributing to generating even more confusion and resentment. In particular on the events in Hama, he adds, ‘it is true that two young men fired towards the cathedral, but they were immediately arrested’ while the crosses in the cemetery ‘were destroyed by the bombing’. ‘We don't believe’, he concludes, ‘everything that circulates on the net’.
Lastly, in Damascus, anti-Assad opponents were seen in a car with a sign on the dashboard that reads: "Your time is near, O servants of the cross". In this case too, it is unclear how much of a threat this is.
Meanwhile, the Christian blog "Ora Pro Siria" relayed a message from the Trappist nuns of A'zer, in which they say they are "fine" and that, in their area, "there is not too much violence and there is enough respect".
By contrast, "elsewhere the situation is more problematic" and it is "a miracle that there was no more chaos in the first few days, even if the situation is still very precarious. It is imperative that a police service be established as soon as possible everywhere, even in the suburbs.”
For the Trappist nuns, the new leaders made "two mistakes: emptying all the prisons, releasing all sorts of criminals, and dissolving the local police. For now, no one is in full control.”
With respect to the future, they note that, “Everything will depend on whether the promises of a moderate state respectful of the various minorities are kept or not.”
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09/08/2021 14:38
