Syrian Islamist Rebels Threaten Maaloula, Christians By: Nasser Chararah for Al-Monitor Lebanon Pulse Posted on September 8. إقرأ باللغة العربية After the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved President Barack Obama’s plan to strike Syria, armed extremist Islamists entered the Syrian town of Maaloula, located to the northeast of Damascus. Maaloula does not hold a strategic position in the equation of the currently ongoing armed conflict in the outskirts of Damascus, which is aimed at gaining control of the capital. This town enjoys a remarkable historical significance, however, as it stands witness to the tolerance of Syrian society and its “Eastern civilization” — which traces its roots back centuries. Maaloula is a historical town that symbolizes the Christian presence in the Levant. To this day, its residents speak Aramaic — the language of Jesus Christ. For centuries, Maaloula has maintained its heritage and embodied the presence of Christianity in Syria, despite the predominant Islamic characteristics the country took on following the Islamic conquests in Syria in 636. During that time, the most important caliphate in the history of political Islam was established: the Umayyad Caliphate, which inaugurated the establishment of the Islamic state. Read more: al-monitor/pulse/originals/2013/09/syria-islamists-maaloula-threat-religious-coexistence.html#ixzz2eOTnTCWv
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 11:25:39 +0000
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