The Holy Sites of Syria

"First they took a brick factory owned by a Christian guy, who is now missing. Then at around 5:30 a.m, a car bomb detonated at the checkpoint at the entrance to the village.
"Some of the rebels entered a home near the checkpoint belonging to Yousef Haddad, a Christian. They tried to force him to convert to Islam.
"They have been annoying the Christian people of the village since then. A Christian farmer cannot go up there to his land unless he is accompanied by a Muslim."
"They entered the main square and smashed a statue of the Virgin Mary. They shelled us from the mountain. Two shells hit the St. Thecia convent."
Maaloula resident, Syria

 

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2006 file photo, thousands of Syrians, most of them Christians, celebrate the Christian Day of the Cross, by setting a fire on top of a mountain in the village of Maaloula, north of Damascus. Syrian government troops battled al-Qaida-linked rebels over a regime-held Christian village in western Syria for the second day Thursday, as world leaders gathered in Russia for an economic summit expected to be overshadowed by the prospect of U.S.-led strikes against the Damascus regime. (AP Photo Bassem Tellawi, File)

Melkite Greek Catholic and Orthodox Christians mostly live in the mountain village of Maaloula close by Damascus. Some of them retain the biblical-era language of Aramaic. One of only three places in the world where the dialect is still alive. The town makes most of its livelihood from a lively tourist trade, pilgrims travelling to see its ancient artefacts, like the convent consecrated to the memory of an early Christian convert, a follower of St. Paul.

Members of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra group had commandeered a mountaintop hotel. From that vantage point they took to shelling the village below the town that is an applicant for UNESCO world heritage status, for its association with the earliest Christian era. On this occasion, an al-Nusra fighter blew himself up at a regime checkpoint at the village entrance, when the attack began.

Fighting between the rebels and the military ensued. "They entered the main square and smashed a statue of the virgin Mary. They shelled us from the mountain. Two shells hit the St. Thecia convent", said a resident. "It's a war. It has been going from 6:00 a.m. in the morning", said a nun, explaining the rebels' capture of the Safir hotel above the town. The 27 orphan children who live at the convert were taken elsewhere for safety.

Even while the army was present in the village, on previous occasions rebels staged hit-and-run attacks and occasionally boldly patrolled the village streets on foot and vehicles. The regime has let it be known that it intends to protect Christians. And how's that for a supreme irony? The regime bombs its Sunni citizens and piously protects its Christians.

Certainly Syrian Christians are reliant on the regime to do just that, though many of them have fled for haven elsewhere. Syrian Christians still manage to take comfort in the presence of the military for their protection, and have little doubt that should the Sunni rebels prevail, their historical heritage days in Syria will be numbered.

"We are trying to protect the minorities and the holy sites of Syria", protested Mousab Abu Qatada, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army, denying a sectarian attack had taken place on Maaloula. He may be speaking the truth as he sees it, but he must also have full knowledge that the Salafist Islamists, the devoted jihadists, will have no truck with a Christian presence in their plans for the future of Syria.

In this Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013 image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, a Free Syrian army fighter during clashes with government forces, unseen, in Maaloula, western Syria. Syrian government troops battled al-Qaida-linked rebels over a regime-held Christian village in western Syria for the second day Thursday, as world leaders gathered in Russia for an economic summit expected to be overshadowed by the prospect of U.S.-led strikes against the Damascus regime. Residents of Maaloula said the militants entered the village late Wednesday, Sept. 4,2013. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video)