An estimated 100,000 people have now lost their lives in Syria due to the ongoing violence. Thousands of people have also been displaced to neighboring countries to live in squalid conditions in refugee camps and other places where they can get away from the gunfire that is killing people again and again. It's horrible to think of the children being confronted with violence and destruction early in life. And the mothers who fear that something bad will happen to their children.
Christians reach out to displaced people
Because of these conditions, our Christian partner has helped thousands of refugees with basic relief goods in Jordan and has been able to show God's love to the refugees. According to our partner, the flow of refugees continues to cross the border into Jordan. This means that there are still thousands of victims of the civil war who need our help. They have asked for help with the following:
The emergency aid consists of:
- Carpets
- Heating ovens
- Petroleum
- Packages with food
- Portable gas stove + gas bottle
- Medicine
Isam Ghattas, head of Manara Ministries, our partner, told us how he stood at the border with Jordan and saw the refugees crossing the border. With tears in his eyes, he described how unbearable it was not to be able to do more for these people. They handed out blankets that day, but saw mothers with their children walking barefoot with very little clothing on their bodies.
These are the harsh realities faced by refugees from Syria. Around 3-4,000 cross the border every day, according to Manara Ministries. This is a huge challenge for Jordan, which is why many people are needed to help the victims. Thank you for your help in this dire situation.
Is the rebellion against Assad's regime democratic?
There is no doubt that Bashar al-Assad's regime and his father's before him were dictatorial, but for many years the regime benefited the Christians in the country - that is, as long as they refrained from separatism and evangelizing among Muslims. There have been parties that wanted to create an independent Arab-Christian state or autonomous region.
Rebels pose greater threat to Christians than Assad
The rebellion and civil war means that Sunni Muslim groups are gaining power and the situation for Christians has become much more uncertain.
Law and order has disintegrated, leaving terrorist groups like al-Qaeda free to establish themselves. Many Christians have been killed or disappeared, as has been the case in Iraq, and others are receiving death threats.
Some of the rebel groups seem to deliberately target unarmed Christians, including women and children. Jordan and Lebanon are the preferred places of refuge for Christians, but many of the Aramaic-speaking Christians living in Mesopotamia can only flee either to Iraq, which most of them fear, or to southern Turkey, where Aramaic-speaking Christians also live. A few monasteries there have opened their gates to these Christian refugees and are trying to help them as best they can despite being harassed by the authorities.
