Posted on 02/16/2012 2:43:59 PM PST by pinochet
When American troops removed Saddam Hussein from power, Muslim extremists took over Iraq. They launched a campaign of genocide against Iraqi Christians, and most Christians fled from Iraq, with many of them living in Syria as refugees.
Syrian Christians make up 10 percent of the population of Syria, and belong to one of the oldest traditions of Christianity in the world. Remember that Saul of Tarsus converted to Christianity when he was on his way to Damascus, Syria, to persecute Christians. He changed his name to Paul, after Jesus knocked him off his horse. Paul wrote half of the New Testament, yet, Syrians became Christians before Paul - which shows how old the Christian heritage of Syria is!
Syrian Christians have the greatest levels of religious freedom of any group of Christians in the Arab world (with the possible exception of Lebanon). Yes, there is some persecution, but they have more religious freedom than in other Muslim countries. The Assad Family are members of the minority Alawite Sect, which is the most liberal tradition of Islam.
Bashar Assad is a brutal dictator, but he is an anti-American version of Hosni Mubarak. He helped George W. Bush in his war against Al Qaeda, because he fears the radical wahabi Sunni Islamists. If the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Syria, they will carry out ethnic cleansing of Christians, of the sort we have seen in Iraq, and of the type we are now seeing in Egypt. A Christian community that traces its heritage to the time before St. Paul became a Christian, could be wiped out.
The Alawites and the Christians make up 25 percent of the population, and are united against the Sunni Wahabi Muslim Brotherhood, and will fight to the end to prevent them from taking over. Israel hates the guts of the Assad regime, but the Israelis have not shown much enthusiasm for Syria's opposition. The post-Mubarak extremists tried to burn down the Israeli embassy in Egypt, and Israel suspects the opposition in Syria has similar fanatics.
“Is American Policy Toward Syria Endangering Syrian Christians?”
Yes.
Yes.
Differing opinion: No. Islamists are endangering Syrian ALL Christians.
Yes.
The welfare of indigenous Christians in the middle east is a matter of complete indifference to the Obama administration — as it was with the GWBush administration. American business/finance and Israeli security are what we work for.
The Christians are on their own, as usual.
The Assad Family are members of the minority Alawite Sect, which is the most liberal tradition of Islam.Same school of writers claimed that Saddam should just be left alone, and that sanctions should be lifted, and of course now claim that the sanctions against Iran are an act of war...
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Yes, perhaps indirectly. The blame rests with the barbarians. Our culpability lies in our longstanding unwillingness to stand up against religious bigotry. Particularly with "allies" like Egypt and the palestinians. And in places like Syria. And Egypt. And Libya. Supporting the side of bigotry.
Yes. As you said. Yes.
And the Syrian Christian community is particularly wealthy. I think some of these rebel forces (not all of whom are Syrian - they are coming in from other nearby countries) are looking forward to enrich themselves.
Also, Syria is host to an enormous number of Iraqi refugees. The international community ignores that. They are given a lot of day to day aid by Syrian Christian charity groups.
Heavens yes. Prayers for our brethren and sisters in Christ.
Well the more martyrs the Islamists makes from the Christians, the more new Christians they create.
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