Qusayr churches show the signs of the religious hatred of the rebels
Beirut, 08 June 2013: The battle between rebels and army for Syria’s Qusayr left the
town in ruin, now reduced to a pile of rubble. Of the 30,000 residents, including
some 3,000 Christians, who lived there before the start of the Civil War, only 500
are left. Images broadcast by the BBC show deserted streets, most residential and
public buildings destroyed by mortar fire, or turned into weapons depots by anti-Assad
militias, who occupied the town for over a year.
The siege did not spare mosques
and churches that for centuries stood side by side, an example of peaceful coexistence
between Muslims and Christians. Several Orthodox Christian buildings were desecrated
by Islamist rebels, as several witnesses testified, including the BBC's Lyse Doucet,
the first foreign journalist to enter in Al-Qusair.
In a report, the British
correspondent described the state of neglect of the small Greek Orthodox monastery
of St Elijah, symbol of the local Christian community. In recent months, the rebels
vented their rage at the building, riddled with artillery shells.
On the floor,
dozens of religious objects lay, scattered. On the walls, a few icons and statues
are still hanging, but most of them are defaced and slashed, a sign of wanton, not
accidental destruction.
Interviewed by AsiaNews, Fr Simon Faddoul, president
of Caritas Lebanon, said that for over a year there were no news about the Christian
community of Al-Qusair.
"Most of them," he said, "fled when the city fell into
the hands of the rebels in 2012. Unlike Muslims, many Christians have crossed the
border with Lebanon. Most of the families however preferred to seek refuge in other
cities or villages." Source: AsiaNews