ishtartv.com-
counterpunch.org
by Franklin Lamb , August
7, 2015
Wadi
Al Nasera, (Valley of the Christians), Syria
Wadi
al Nasera (Valley of the Christians) encompasses approximately 40 picturesque
Christian hamlets in western Syria, located amidst the green plush rolling
hills between Homs and the Lebanese border. Thirty of its villages are
Christian, four are mainly populated by Alawi Muslims and one, Al Qalaa (aka
Hosn village), just under the Crak des Chevaliers medieval fortress, was Sunni
Muslim. It was literally pulverized by heavy and sustained government forces
aerial bombardment once it became a supply base in 2013 for rebels inside the
medieval crusader fortress.
I spent
the past week visiting some of the oldest Wadi al Nasara Christian villages
which include Marmarita, Al-Hwash , Zweitina, Muzina, Nasra, Mqaabra, al Mishtiaya,
Blat,Tanurin, Anaz, Joir al-Afes, Hab Nimra, `Ash al-Shuha, `Amar al-Husn, `Ayn
al-Barda, `Ayn al-Ajuzi, `Ayn al-Ghara, Kafra, Mashta Aazar, Al-Qllatia, Kayma,
Masraa, Muklous, Bahzina, Joineyat, Al-Talla, Daghla, Amar, Mishtayeh and
Rabah, agrees with many who come to Wadi al Nasera (Valley of the Christians)
that the valley is most beautiful and welcoming area of Syria or of anyplace in
the Middle East that he has visited. Its people who include Syrian Orthodox,
Syrian Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholics and Armenian Orthodox among
others, add to its splendor. Some visitors come repeatedly, others annually for
summer holidays or to experience one or more of the valleys seasonal cultural
festivals that makes this part of Syria a major tourist attraction.
Nonetheless, Wadi
Nasera has suffered much, as has most of Syria from the continuing conflict and
the devastating loss of loved ones from terrorist acts. For a variety of
reasons, the proportion of Christians in the Middle East has contracted from
around 20 percent at the start of the 20th century to around 5 percent
currently. Less than 1 percent of the world’s more than 2 billion Christians
currently live in the Middle East, and it is likely that number will decrease
even further.
From
the very start of the current conflict, history and religion have fueled
passions on both sides in Syria. This has become more pronounced as the
conflict drags on, turning bloodier and more vicious by the month. The main
target of the most sectarian-minded rebels isn’t Christians, but rather
Alawites, the minority group who make up about 12% of Syria’s population, about
the same as Christians until recently. The Alawites are a heterodox sect that
branched off from Islam, and are considered by Muslim takfiri extremists more
heretical than Christians.
Approximately
one quarter of the Christian valley’s population have been forced to flee as
refugees. Soon their places were taken by arriving refugees who correctly
believed they would be welcome in the Valley of the Christians. Perhaps ten
percent of those who fled from the more than 40 villages have returned and it
is apparent to this observer that the Syrian army has now secured the Valley.
Yet continuing hardships such as shortages of electricity, water, mazout (fuel oil),
and general inflation persist. Additionally, this week’s soaring temperatures
have caused some 13 deaths, ignited two dozen brush fires and sent two foreign
journalists attending this week’s Al Wadi Festival in Homs Governorate to
hospital.
The freed Nuns of Ma’loula temporarily
working at St. George Monastary at the entrance of Wadi al Nasara waitng
to return to Mar Takla monastery and their orphanage in Ma’loula (photo
8/4/2015 N. Makhoul).
According
to an aide to His Beatitude, Kyrios Youhanna X, formerly, Youhanna X Yaziji,
Patriarch of Antioch and All The East, who briefed this observer on 8/4/2015 at
the 6th century monastery of St. George, before the current crisis there were
approximately 1.2 million Christians in Syria. Today there are estimated to be
fewer than 400,000. The population of Wadi Nasera was reduced by approximately
20% during 2012-2013, many fleeing to Christian areas of nearby Lebanon as well
as internally. This main exodus followed the early 2012 arrival of al Qaeda
affiliated militants including Jund al Sham. The jihadists occupied the
medieval fortress, Crac des Chevaliers which towers above the southern entrance
to the Wadi, until the Syrian Army was able to evict them in March of 2014.
Villages below were regularly targeted by jihadist snipers and mortars as well
as middle of the night terrorists slipping down from Krac des Chevaliers
fortress, sometimes using tunnels, to slit throats of unsuspecting villagers.
This observer has repeatedly heard from residents of Wadi Nasera that while
every house has a light weapon, such as an AK-47, the terrorists were heavily
armed with a variety of weapons and it was difficult to overpower them when
they attacked. Recently, the population of Wadi al Nasera has swollen by more
than 150,000, mainly Christians, who view the Wadi as among the safest places
in Syria.
I do
not believe the current suffering and atrocities being committed against
Christians in Syria will not break the will of Al Wadi Nasera, the Valley of
the Christians. Rather, it will fortify their resolution and beliefs in the New
Testament. And I agree with the sages whom I have met among this close-knit,
vital, highly educated, large family community that the future of the Christians
in this great country and beyond is with the Muslims. This has been the case
since the advent of Islam and its movement into this region 600 years after the
arrival of Christianity. Historically, local Christian communities have
sometimes welcomed Muslim ‘overlords’ when they freed them from the oppressive
rule of Constantinople or Rome. In many places in Syria the two groups continue
to reach out to each other. Even many rebel extremists, to the dismay of
skeptics, claim that “personally” they don’t have anything against Christians.
Neither
massive emigration of Christians to the West nor establishing a Christian state
is a long tern solution to the current conflict. Throughout history invaders
have arrived here, they have committed unspeakable atrocities, ruled for a
period and disappeared while the Christian community has endured, prospered
relatively and, in a sense, prevailed over the invaders. To wit, the Ottoman
Turks, who ruled Syria from 1516 until World War I, relegated Christians to a
second-class citizen status. Christians were allowed to practice their religion
and govern themselves in matters that didn’t concern Muslims. But they were
also required to pay special taxes to Constantinople, and there were plenty of
restrictions on them when it came to interactions with Muslims. Wahhabism, the
ascetic and harshly conservative form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia, is
even tougher on Christians. And many others seeking hegemony have passed
through this country—the Byzantines, Tamerlane, the Mongols, Mamluks, the
Persians. Their likes have failed to subjugate the Christians of Wadi al
Nasera.
Among
the factors unifying the residents of Wadi al Nasera is the presence of a group
of Nuns who operated an orphanage at Mar Takla monastery in Ma’loula to the
south. The group of Greek Orthodox nuns was kidnapped in December of 2013 and
held for three months by Jabhat al and before being released three month later
in a prisoner exchange. Their new temporary home is St. George Monastery across
from Krac de Chaveliers. This observer was honored to spend time with this
charming, passionate, energetic, group of sisters on 8/4/2015 and we discussed
many subjects. I was happy to share with Mother Superior, Pelagia Sayyaf, head
of the Mar Takla monastery in Maaloula and her sisters recently acquired
updated information about restoration work being done to their orphanage in
preparation for their early return. One of the Nuns asked me about the
condition of their large kitchen. By chance, two weeks ago I took a special
interest, and some photos which I shared with the Nuns, of the kitchen where I
painted some doors. The reason was that as a wannbe chef, I could not fail to
examine their 6 foot by maybe 4 foot steel stove which has two large ovens and
eight cooking rounds on its surface. They were happy to learn it was in
excellent shape and that volunteers had cleaned up the large kitchen. They seem
unconcerned that the roof of the kitchen had been hit by a rebel mortar as was
no more. The sisters want to return to Ma’loula as soon as possible and
hopefully before the end of August. They promise to return regularly to St
George Monastery in Wadi al Nasara and stay connected with their new family.
To
paraphrase the words of a teacher this observer crossed paths with on 8/5/2015
at the Amigo grocery store on the main street of the village of al-Mishtayeh
near, the Al Wadi Hotel at the base of Krac Des Chevaliers, ‘We shall fight for
our freedom and fight for our faith. Many may die on the battlefield but no one
surrenders. We are the defenders of faiths, ours and others, we will die or be
free.”
Volunteer painting doors of St. Takla orphanage and kitchen, July 2015 (photo Issa Mahanna).
*Franklin
Lamb is a visiting Professor of International Law at the Faculty of Law,
Damascus University and volunteers with the Sabra-Shatila Scholarship Program (sssp-lb.com).
