Report on Tragedies Facing Syrian
Christians
Update Circulation from Metropolitan Gregorios Yohanna
Ibrahim Aleppo – Syria
February 20, 2013
Christians in Syria Facing a New Unexpected Tragedy
The New Development in Madinat Al-THAWRA (al- Tabqa city)
The painfully unfolding events in Syria reflect badly on
the deterioration in the security situation
everywhere.
For us in Aleppo, security issues are steadily going
from bad to worse in all areas, in addition to severe shortages of electricity,
water, fuel and basic food materials such as bread. If or when these essentials
become available, their prices will rise alarmingly beyond the affordable range
for a normal Syrian citizen.
This in addition to the fact that universities, schools,
churches, mosques and most infrastructures have been paralyzed, deserted and
lost function. Such a reduced state has become expected in Aleppo and most other
Syrian cities.
The major and most dangerous phenomenon which has
greatly affected the Christian presence in the city of Aleppo is immigration of
Christians and seeking refuge in safer cities of neighboring countries,
especially Lebanon. Many families have managed to reach Europe, particularly
Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. With the current deterioration of security
and employment, no one can predict when these families will ever return back to
their homes and what we are experiencing is a one way
exodus!
The emigration of Christians out of Syria is the most
important issue that will affect Christian presence in the Middle East. We
cannot confirm that what appears to be a systematic forced displacement, which
is experienced by Christians in the region for years, is actually linked to any
new geopolitical scheme for the region. Otherwise, Christians may have become a
mere demographic surplus that had to be dealt with in such a ruthless manner.
Palestine was the first to suffer from immigration of Christians, followed by
Iran, then Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, and now
Syria.
Where can Christians go? Each country has a particular
orientation. For Iraq, the United Nations and some churches have contributed to
absorb the influx of Iraqi immigrants in North America and Europe, especially
Sweden, then Germany, Holland, Austria and Belgium came second in welcoming
Syrian families. However, the USA has imposed visa clearance on Syrian
immigrants.
The Humanitarian Crisis of Christians in Al-THAWRA
City:
The Recent development in our Syrian Orthodox
Archdiocese of Aleppo, is that, a few days ago, hundreds of Christian families,
who lived for years in the tranquility Al-THAWRA City on the bank of the
Euphrates, suffered forced displacement under the fear and anxiety from the
fierce fighting in this city. A few families are still trapped there as they
could not leave their homes and manage to survive anywhere else for economic
reasons. We have been informed by the priest in charge of al-Thawra city , that
more than 80 families left the city overnight.
The Syrian Orthodox families have lived in al-Thawra
city since its foundation in the 1960s as a service town for the construction of
a major dam on the Euphrates. The government helped in offering cheap housing to
those families whose members became part of the work force of the dam. Owing to
the low salaries given to employees of the dam and the lack of employment in
other industries of that city, these families could not develop themselves
economically. Depriving those workers and their families from their livelihood
and compelling them to immigrate is a major dilemma for these families and for
the church.
The human crisis in Al-Thawra is heart breaking and
causes us great anxiety and helplessness for two
reasons:
First, due to the hazardous situation on the road we
cannot reach these destitute families, and due to battlefield conditions,
sniping and kidnapping, it has become very difficult and dangerous to move
within the same city let alone travel between cities. Adding to that, there are
many difficulties in communication. As a result of the sporadic nature of
communication by telephones, and internet, communication has become a time
consuming, frustrating and futile task.
Second, Most of these families are under great economic
pressure because they lost everything they had: their humble houses, the schools
they used to send their children to, the employment of their bread winner and
their livelihood. Now, by no fault of their own, they have found themselves
having to leave their houses overnight and became destitute, in need of food,
clothing, medicine and shelter. There is a growing anxiety due to lack of
security and the spiraling economic situation in the country which has never had
a welfare system to cushion such calamities. Such burdens have all been left on
the church’s shoulders. These are the escalating predicaments that we have found
ourselves in because of this ruthless and seemingly endless
conflict.
We are advocates of peace, and are working with all
sides in order to keep this heinous war, that has flared uncontrollably in our
homeland Syria, at bay. We cry loudly: “Enough is enough; we are totally
exhausted and cannot continue.” Tragic events have relegated us to the ambiguity
of the unknown, we cannot see a glimpse of a solution on the horizon coming from
inside or from outside. Who should we turn our heads to? Who is going to be
instrumental in terminating this mayhem, who is capable of lifting this
conspirator yoke which is strangling us?
We are gratefully indebted to all those who have
extended their kind generous hands to us, enabling us to help and assist our
people in their hours of genuine need and support through our assistance to
others. We appeal to you and hope that everybody, especially believers in God,
will intensify their prayers to stop the war of attrition. We really are
fatigued and all we wish for is to stop the bloodshed that is happening today in
the streets of Syria, bring about security and peace, so that humanitarian aid
can reach the population who is in desperate need for it all over Syria. Then we
too can sincerely co-operate to reconstruct and restore our country in milieu of
security, peace and stability.
Syria used to boast an exemplary co-existence between
all religions and creeds, and we hope to keep this image in mind, and work to
establish and regain that old order and re-usher Syria to its position among
countries of the world where safety and stability is a common
denominator.
