Almost all Christians in the conflict-torn Syrian city of Homs have fled
violence and persecution, amid reports that their homes have been
attacked and seized by “fanatics” with links to al-Qaida.
With
ninety percent of Christians having reportedly left their homes, the
violence is driving fears that Syria could become a “second Iraq” with
church attacks, kidnappings and forced expulsions of believers.
The
exodus of 50,000 or more Christians has taken place largely in the past
six weeks. It is part of al-Qaida-linked militant Islamic groups’
“ongoing ethnic cleansing” of Christians, according to Catholic charity
Aid to the Church in Need.
Homs has been home to one of Syria’s
largest Christian populations and Church sources say that the faithful
have borne the brunt of the violence. They have escaped to villages,
many of which are in mountains 30 miles outside the city.
Islamists
have allegedly gone from house to house in the Homs neighborhoods of
Hamidiya and Bustan al-Diwan and have forced Christians to leave without
giving them a chance to take their belongings.
The crisis in Homs
has increased fears that Islamists are gaining influence in the region
in the power vacuum left by the overthrow of other Arab governments in
the “Arab Spring.”
The comparisons with Iraq are also ominous.
Anti-Christian violence in Iraq has helped drive the Christian
population from 1.4 million in the late 1980s to less than 300,000
today.
In both Syria and Iraq the Church is being targeted for its
perceived close links with regimes under attack from opposition parties
and rebel groups.
The uprising in Syria started in March 2011
with protests advocating political reform. The uprising has become
increasingly militarized. More than 8,000 people have been killed in the
conflict in the past year, U.N. figures say.
Many in the
opposition are from the country’s Sunni majority, while religious
minorities continue to back President Bashar al-Assad. The exiled Syrian
Muslim Brotherhood has said it will not monopolize power in a new
regime but will back a democratic state with equality for all citizens
and respect for human rights.
On March 26, Syrian government
forces shelled Homs and carried out arrest raids. A human rights group
says that government forces appear to be preparing to retake rebel-held
parts of the city, the Associated Press reported.
The government
has accused insurgents of terrorism and international conspiracy, while
the government itself faces accusations of torture and massacres of
civilians.
The Christian community has suffered from terrorist attacks in other cities.
On
March 18, a car bomb explosion targeted the Christian quarter of
Aleppo, close to the Franciscan-run Church of St. Bonaventure. Aid to
the Church in Need is helping families of the victims.
“The people
we are helping are very afraid,” said Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo,
who is overseeing the aid program. “The Christians don’t know what their
future will hold. They are afraid they will not get their homes back.”
The
displaced people of Homs are desperate for food and shelter. Aid to the
Church in Need has announced an urgent $100,000 aid package to relieve
their needs.
Each family will receive $60 each month for basic
food and lodging. Organizers of the assistance hope that they can return
home by the summer.
Bishop Audo told Aid to the Church in Need that it is very important to help those in distress.
“Pray for us and let us work together to build peace in Syria,” he said.