Prayer against violence
Syria's new government is made up of wolves in sheep's clothing who cannot be trusted. People who were previously hateful terrorists and IS fighters have changed uniforms. But the hardness of their hearts has remained. What is now escalating in the form of bestial violence is the uncontrolled outbreak of hatred against the Alawites. These are members of a religious community within the Shiite spectrum of Islam. The former Syrian ruler Assad belongs to this minority. The revenge against the brutal dictator is now being unleashed on his ethnic group.
But other unwelcome minorities such as Druze or Christians are also met with great brutality. Secular media are very cautious about the number of fatalities. However, we have received figures of up to several thousand from some very trustworthy sources. We receive pictures and videos directly from Syria. We are receiving reports from people on the ground who have seen Christians beheaded because of their faith.
Great danger for the Kurds
ACP has been providing humanitarian and spiritual aid in and around the city of Kobane in northern Syria for over ten years. Camps have been set up in the Kurdish region here. Refugees from all parts of Syria have been flocking here for weeks. We run a bakery that produces and distributes over 30,000 loaves of bread every day. We hand out food parcels in front of our church. Our mobile clinic is on the road, looking after people.
If the news in the media is correct, the new Syrian government and the Kurds have recently signed an agreement. The Kurds will be granted integration into the new state, an autonomous region and full civil rights. But who can you trust? A healthy scepticism is very much to be wished for the Kurds! Because lying when it serves one's own advantage is written down in Islamic scriptures. Thousands of former IS fighters are still being held in prisons in northern Syria. If they are released, there is a danger that they will join the henchmen with all their brutality and turn against the Kurds.
What can we do?
What is currently happening in Syria leaves us speechless, even helpless. This injustice cries out to heaven! When the violence escalates to such an extent and terrorists are in a bloodlust, then we must get down on our knees and ask God Almighty to intervene.
