Save Syria, urges Melkite patriarch of Damascus

(May 23, 2012) Syria's 2.5 million Christians are being pushed into an exodus from the country out of fear of chaos and crime, said Melkite Patriarch Gregoire III Laham of Damascus. In a report distributed by the patriarchate from the Melkite Archdiocese of Homs, Syria, the patriarch urged the international community to "Save Syria's exemplary coexistence of Muslims and Christians. To the ones who care, I cry out: 'Save the presence of the Christians in Syria,” he added. Armed gangs are kidnapping Syrian people and demanding ransom, according to the report - "An Experience of Current Life in Syria." Ransoms demanded are typically $20,000 to $40,000 for a Christian and $1,000 to $5,000 for a Muslim. The report also recounted brutal details of the May 11 attack on a Melkite priest in Qara, southeast of Damascus. The report said "Such an incident was unthinkable only a few months ago. In Syria, Christians were formerly respected along with all minorities. We see that blind acts of violence are everywhere and we have nowhere to take refuge. The mutilations, bombings, and threats have a psychological aim - to bring the population to its knees. Today in Syria we can no longer speak of a government-opposition division. There is a third element: the criminals who roam freely, taking advantage of the situation. They hide behind the opposition and they exploit both the lack of armed forces and the absence of U.N. observers," the report added.