Barnabas launches urgent petition
on behalf of Christians in Syria
 |
| Syria |
Barnabas Fund is today launching an urgent
petition
calling on Western governments to take action on behalf of Syria’s
endangered Christian minority. We need your help to get as many
signatures as soon as possible as the conflict escalates and their
plight deepens.
Syrian Christians, who comprise
around ten per cent of the country’s population, are increasingly
vulnerable as the brutal civil war rages on. A siege over the last week at the
Christian village of Maaloula – one of the most famous and historic
centres of Christianity in the world – has magnified the stark threat to
the minority community’s very survival in the country.
Al-Qaeda-linked rebels seized
control of the village, where Aramaic, the ancient language spoken by
Jesus, is still used; fighting against government forces is ongoing. The
rebels have been attacking Christian homes and churches, destroying
Christian symbols.
The bodies of Christians killed
in the violent takeover have been left lying in the streets, and
Christian residents have been threatened with beheading if they do not
convert to Islam. Six young Christians have been taken captive.
Maaloula has been left a ghost town, as most of its population of around 3,000 has fled.
Many Christian communities in
other parts of Syria have been ravaged in this horrific manner
throughout the civil war. They are being deliberately targeted by
Islamists among the opposition forces because of their faith.
The future of the Church in
Syria, which dates back to New Testament times, is now hanging in the
balance as Christians run out of safe havens. Around 600,000 have fled
the country, and even more are internally displaced.
Barnabas Fund’s petition therefore calls on Western governments to take action to protect and help the vulnerable community.
Please
sign the petition and forward it to others. You can
download a copy to print and circulate in your church and community; paper copies can be obtained by
contacting your nearest Barnabas Fund office. You are welcome to photocopy the sheet.
Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, said:
When
we see the distressing footage from Syria on our television screens, we
want to do something to help but feel incredibly powerless. Signing and
circulating our petition is something you can do to
make a difference. We must work together to make the plight of Syria’s
Christians known to those with the power to intervene and influence
events.
