Syria: Maaloula Christians Say Local Muslims Took Part In Rebel Attack Against Village

Former Muslims readily admit that a “Muslim is allowed to feign friendship if it is of benefit. Renowned scholar Ibn Kathir states that ‘believers [Muslims] are allowed to show friendship outwardly [toward non-Muslims], but never inwardly.’ This means that your Muslim friends are not whole-heartedly your friends but just deceiving you into believing that they are your friends.” Lies and deceptions. Islam couldn’t exist without them …

Psalm 62:4b, “… They delight in lies; They bless with their mouth, But they curse inwardly.”

Qur’an Sura 3:64, “Verily Allah has cursed the Unbelievers [Jews and Christians] and has prepared for them a Blazing Fire to dwell in forever. No protector will they find, nor savior…  ‘Give them double torment and curse them with a very great Curse!’”

By Fady Noun, AsiaNews – “According to families who fled Maaloula (Syria), some of their Muslim neighbours were involved in the attack that devastated their village located about fifty kilometres from Damascus, dispersing its residents.

Perceived as a betrayal of the long-lasting trust that existed between Christians and Muslims in Maaloula, where Muslims make up about 30 per cent of the village population.

The presence of young Muslim fighters from the village among Syrian rebels appalled the Christian population. However, it is a sign of the growing ambiguity of Syria’s armed rebellion.

These facts give that battles that occurred in Maaloula from 3 to 7 September another perspective. Speaking for the first time anonymously, survivors from Maaloula described how elements from the Syrian Liberation Army and the al-Nusra Front coordinated their attack in an attempt to take control of the town.

The explosion of a car driven by a suicide bomber at an army checkpoint at the village entrance was the signal for the attack. Almost immediately, armed rebel groups sprung out from within Maaloula, smashing doors to gain entrance into Christian homes.

With dramatic details, witnesses describe the climate of terror that prevailed, the summary execution on Saturday of three men who, after a failed attempt by the Syrian army to retake Maaloula, refused to recant their faith as well as the kidnapping of six others, whose fate remains unknown to this day.

One of the survivors reports that his house was invaded almost immediately after the car’s explosion at an army checkpoint. Rebels came into the house and moved around as if they were familiar with the place.

After escaping with her husband and their daughter in the rearmost room of their home, she was joined there by attackers who claimed to have smashed the statue of the Virgin Mary at the entrance of the house.

A stifled sob in her throat, she remembers how she wished to die rather than see daughter raped before her own eyes. Fortunately, her fears were not realised.  Nevertheless, she does remember that her husband was forced to recant his Christian faith, the barrel of an assault rifle at his head.” Read more.

Flashback: Syria: Rebels Attack Christian Homes, Churches, Many Feared Dead, ‘Convert To Islam Or You Will Be Beheaded’ – “A Maaloula resident said the rebels, many of them sporting beards and shouting [Allahu akbar], attacked Christian homes and churches shortly after moving into the village overnight… Now, Maaloula ‘is a ghost town. Where is President Obama to see what befallen on us?’ asked the man… Another resident, a Christian man, said he saw militants forcing some Christian residents to convert to Islam. ‘I saw the militants grabbing five villagers Wednesday and threatening them (saying): `Either you convert to Islam, or you will be beheaded,’ he said.” Read more.

Flashback: Syrian Islamist Rebels To Christians: Prepare To Die If You Refuse To Convert To Islam Or Pay The ‘Jizyah’ – “This led to a question about the future of Syria’s minorities such as the Christians. Ahmed, Basah, and Hamid Hassan all agreed – Christians could only live there if they either converted, or paid the ‘Jizyah’ – a special tax levied on non-Muslims in previous centuries in the Middle East. If not said Bahar, they could be killed. When asked why, the answer was, to them, quite simple – because the Prophet Mohammed said so.” Read more.