Christians in the Middle East celebrate Christmas in an unstable location
Christians in the Middle East celebrate Christmas in an unstable location
The situation of Christians in Syria
The Christians were able to celebrate their holidays and practice their rituals under Bashar al-Assad. However, like all Syrians, they were exposed to freedom of expression and political activity. Now control over most of Syria is taken over by the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed Al Jolani. Al-Sharaa had previously established Al-Qaida’s branch in Syria and renamed his group in 2016.uncertainty before the Christmas parties
al-Sharaa has assured that his group will protect minorities and religious sects in Syria, but so far he has not given a specific call to protect Christians from the Christmas celebrations. Residents of the Syrian capital Damascus this year has not imposed any restrictions on celebrations or prayers, but Christians fear that they could not attack armed elements integrated in the HTS.
fear and hope
"Hayat Tahrir Al Sham has not announced anything about restriction from our celebrations ... But there are Christians who do not want to celebrate because they are afraid of being attacked by armed people," said George, a 24-year-old Catholic from Damascus, who only called his first name to speak freely. According to him, Christmas trees and other festive decorations can be seen in the Christian quarters of Damascus, but people reduce their celebrations and impose their own restrictions, in the absence of communication of HTS.
"" It would make a big difference if there were announcements about better security for Christmas. So far there is no real security that is 100% organized, "he added. Hilda Haskour, a 50-year-old resident of Aleppo and Syrian Catholic, is preparing for Christmas, but also expresses worries. "We just want to live in peace and security; we don't ask much ... there is fear that people are tired," said Haskour.
The location in Bethlehem
In the second year in a row, no Christmas tree is set up in the city, which is worshiped as the place of birth of Jesus - Bethlehem. Since the war in the Gaza strip, which began last year after the Hamas attack on South Israel on October 7, the city of Bethlehem, which was under Israeli occupation, has been exposed to "strong isolation". This is due to the restrictions imposed, the suspension of tourism, the closure of their gates for pilgrims and a frozen economy, said Mayor Anton Salman at a press conference on Saturday.
economic losses and solidarity
At least $ 600 million of income has been lost, and the unemployment rate has risen to over 36%, with almost 30% of Bethlehem's residents have no source of income due to the lack of tourists. "This year's Christmas celebrations are limited to prayers and religious rituals in order to express solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and all over Palestine and as an expression of the rejection of the oppression and injustice that they experience," according to Salman's explanation.
Last year, at least 45,000 people were killed in Gaza in Gaza in Israeli attacks and a large part of the strip was destroyed. Churches have been attacked by Israeli forces several times. Days before Christmas of last year, an Israeli sniper was shot at and killed two women within the Holy family community, reported the Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem.
Christmas reflection in Gaza
This year the Catholic Bishop of Jerusalem, known as Patriarch, was allowed to enter Gaza to pray with the small Christian population of strip in the Holy family, which last year served as a refuge for the small religious minority. "The war will end and we will rebuild, but we have to keep our hearts to be able to build again. We love you, so don't be afraid and never give up," said Cardinal Pierbattista PizzaBalla during the Sunday fair to the faithful.
celebrate in Lebanon
In the meantime, the decorations are hung up in the Christian districts of Beirut, and the communities strive to celebrate after a ceasefire between the Hisbollah and Israel was explained a few weeks ago. The flights were fully booked because the people return to celebrate Christmas with their families, and festive markets opened in various districts."My brother comes back from New York just to celebrate with our mother," said Tony Batte, an Armenian-Catholic resident Beirut. In September, Israel also expanded his attacks on the Hisbollah to areas within Lebanon, including the capital Beirut. Around 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon, and thousands were injured, while the Hisbollah continued to fire rockets and drones in Israeli cities in the north, which forced thousands of people to flee.
The desire for stability
The Hisbollah entered war last year to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Hamas, but has suffered significant losses since then, including the murder of its leader Hassan Nasrallah and many of her top people, which significantly impairs the skills of the military group. The case of their most important ally Assad and the loss of important care routes by the rebels could also affect the ability of the group supported by the Iran.
"We want stability, we are tired. We have been occupied by the Syrians for many years and then had an impact from Iran, and we are tired of the arguments among Christians, the fighting between the Muslims, the war between Hisbollah and Israel. Every Lebanese is tired, not just the Christians," said Batte.
Kommentare (0)