A Syrian mother and her daughter are under fire for their new Christian faith. Three years ago, "Karima" learned about the love of Jesus and became a devoted follower. As the married mother of three, she hoped her husband "Ismaeil," a Muslim, might also believe. Instead, he became even more devoted to his Muslim faith and trained as an imam (an Islamic spiritual leader).
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The United States found itself with only one major partner — France — in its plans to strike Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons, after its staunchest ally Britain had to beg off following a stunning rejection of military force by Parliament. The collapse of support puts pressure on President Barack Obama as resistance to the mission grows at home — and comes with the irony that Paris was the most vocal critic of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. French President Francois Hollande pledged backing Friday for Obama's plans to hit the Damascus regime. "The chemical massacre of Damascus cannot and must not remain unpunished," Hollande said in an interview with the newspaper Le Monde, published Friday, as U.N. experts in Damascus began what is expected to be the last day of their probe into the alleged attack. Vladimir Bulygin, head of the Constitutional Legislation Committee of Russia’s Federation Council [Upper House], called on the government to defend Syrian Christians to the international community. In an interview with Novosti News Agency, he said, “Syria’s Christians are in serious danger, as the world ignored crimes committed against them. Russia should speak, publicly, about this disaster in the international fora to draw the world’s attention to their suffering in Syria.” The Syrian Observation for Human Rights (SOHR) reported today that rebels linked with al-Qaeda have executed Italian Jesuit priest Fr. Paolo Dall'Oglio, 59. Fr. Dall'Oglio disappeared in the city of Raqqa, northeastern Syria, on July 29. The organization stated local activists said he was killed while being held by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). The disappearance of an Italian Jesuit priest on July 29th, following the kidnapping of two other clergymen in April, reflects the dangers Christians are facing in this war-torn country. Rev. Paolo Dall'Oglio, who spent three decades in Syria before the government deported him last year for helping victims of President Bashar al-Assad's military crackdown, re-entered the country in late July. The reverend's disappearance comes three months after the kidnapping of the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox archbishops of Aleppo. Syriac Archbishop of Austria and Switzerland: Sectarian and Religious Conflicts Threaten Everyone5/31/2013 Archbishop Yacobos Issa of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Austria and Switzerland said the relationship between the Coptic and Syriac churches is a fraternal relationship based on love and unity of faith. The archbishop pointed out that rapprochement between Christian denominations has become an urgent necessity in today’s world, because the essence of faith is one and sectarian and religious conflicts have become a danger threatening individuals and entire nations. The patriarch of Iraq’s Old Eastern Church, Mar Ady II, congratulated his congregation on the Easter holiday, while saying that he prays for peace in Iraq and Syria. On Friday Ady said, “we pray to the Lord to protect our Christian people in Iraq and to bless the efforts of institution working to protect their rights and existence in the country. We also pray for peace and stability in the country.” On 15 April, religious liberty organizations united under the Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) released a statement on the crisis in Syria, asking the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria to pay particular attention to “vulnerable ethnic and religious minorities”, and calling for a designated day of prayer for the country. The Istanbul Statement on the Church in Syria expresses concern about the exodus of Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities from Syria and calls on the international community to ”provide sufficient protection for all ethnic and religious communities as well as their historical, religious, and cultural sites.” Conditions for civilians in Syria have deteriorated so badly that Southern Baptist humanitarian leaders have decided they must expand relief efforts inside the country. At the same time, relief workers in neighboring countries have seen a "staggering escalation" of refugees streaming out of Syria -- and the international community is delivering only a fraction of the aid they promised when the crisis began nearly two years ago. "After nearly two years of violence, over 4 million people are in need of assistance," said Jeff Palmer, executive director of Baptist Global Response. "The number of refugees from Syria is approaching 1 million, with 80 percent of those being women and children. IDPs (internally displaced persons) in Syria are now approaching 3 million." |
Walter Blackwood
Associate Pastor with The Bridge Community of Faith in Kelowna BC Canada. Archives
May 2017
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