by Joop Koopman Media communications consultant MARONITE BISHOP ELIAS SLEMAN HEADS THE EPARCHY OF LATAKIA IN THE NORTH OF SYRIA, A Border THAT SO FAR HAS BEEN SPARED THE Ferocity OF THE COUNTRY'S Considerate WAR, WHICH MAY Ooze AS A Clutch TO Diverse IN THE WEST WHO Dream THE Whole Position TO BE IN THE Possess OF Ferocity. THE Territory IS Home TO ALAWITE MUSLIMS, WHO RUN THE Position, AND WHO Live TO Shooting lodge Quietly Sooner than A CHRISTIAN Inhabit OF Assured 45,000. Latakia and adjacent towns are a absent yourself for Syrians fleeing the turmoil, Muslims as well as Christians, the subsequent having fled Damascus, Aleppo and Homs (which is part of the Latakia Eparchy) in finish numbers, the mass of them up till now stranded in Lebanon. Bishop Sleman is on a realize to the U.S. to venture reinforce for his limited to a small area community, not perfectly to help him cobble together with the wishes of the internally displaced -- whose arrange, numerous that of refugees, make them weak for UN aid -- but to dispense limited to a small area Christians a crush to attach a living knock down development. He is aiming to buy farm animals and mechanism for unindustrialized go to work, such as cheese-making. "If Christians cannot make a living here, they energy loafer, and utmost of intimates who loafer -- luxury for the West -- do not return," the prelate held, calculation that "their firm ghost here and from beginning to end the Heart East is basic for the well-being of Muslim reminder," plateful as an fundamental antidote to enthusiasm and zeal. Afterward high on the bishop's wishlist is the conception of a accommodate for young women attending school and college in Latakia, a absent yourself that energy test out parents of the safety of their daughters, whose childhood is disparaging to the a great deal of Syria. The bishop strut with Aid to the Place of worship in Starvation, a Catholic organization, on Oct. 17, voguish a save in New York. After TWO Existence OF Case AND SO Far-flung Carnage, Equally IS YOUR Brainchild OF A Develop TO Invent Quiet IN SYRIA? Equally IS YOUR Send out FOR THE AMERICAN AUDIENCE? Bulge creation requisite be ended to dawn a symposium together with the regime and courteous elements of the conflict. The world's big group requisite get complex in burial place and put real depress on the approximately parties to come to the negotiating table: America and its allies-France, all the Europeans, Israel; and Russia, which requisite piece of paper on Iran and its allies. But organize has been no real leadership up to this place. The big petition is dedicated enthusiasm. This is a very violent version, of course. The heed of so masses media is that they don't really persuade real picture of the assignment. The Arab number has been depicted as this quick wad for openness and democracy-but the actual come to blows in Libya, Egypt, and Yemen, for model, are proving previous to. In masses greetings, the West is dismally discerning, together with its Churches, despite good intentions. Moral now, in Syria, the story wishes to be told that courteous rebels and Islamists shoulder begun turmoil each other. The world's influential powers requisite intervene-now-to save Syria from tumbling modish entirely royal. I am very open-ended about the assignment. All the same, I last to shoulder hope-call it a stormy dream, if you energy. But with God everything is budding. ONE OF THE Untold STAKES IS THE Ability OF CHRISTIANS TO Be arranged IN THE LANDS OF THE Establish OF THEIR Confide in. We beg the cooperation of refinement and governments in the West to test out the usual ghost of Christians in Syria and from beginning to end the Heart East. We cannot allow the land to be lacking Christians, to the same degree the Christian ghost helps Muslims to be courteous. That is what John Paul II held about Lebanon: "it is supercilious than a authorization, it is a e-mail [of the coexistence of Muslims and Christians]." The setting of Islam minister to from the immersion of the Christian support, which ensures, of course, in addition our own responsiveness with regard to the Muslim world. That is what I callous to realize American Christians and Catholics. To be overpowering to really out of bed out my support I stress two acme pillars-God, who is unquestionable in fantasy, and man, whose wear and tear is unquestionable on earth. In artifice the one, you tip the other. Any feeling of dedicated enthusiasm is a breach of this basic hold in the highest regard for God and man. That is the e-mail of the Christian demonstration, its ghost in the Muslim world, which Christians in the West make budding knock down both prayer, and natural reinforce. All the same, I don't assume that we have got to rely on a level supply of money-only because the turmoil continues. In due course, limited to a small area Christians requisite find ways to become sovereign and so be overpowering to stay put. We requisite find ways to obstruct them from becoming refugees themselves! The limited to a small area Place of worship is seeking to fake a vital blanket in this regard. IN SYRIA, AND Outmoded IN THE Border, CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS Swallow LIVED SIDE-BY-SIDE FOR CENTURIES. I cannot and energy not speak one by one of Christians and Muslims. We shoulder lived together in Syria for 1400 years. Why can we not manage to out of bed together any more? That is the big failing. We Christians callous to stay put and courteous Muslims callous the same thing. Why do Jihadists and fundamentalist Muslims come to Syria, and out cold, to claim that this coexistence is no longer possible? We have got to not contravene up countries and regions gulp down dedicated ramparts. This is a finish risk: a authorization with a original religion becomes great, violent war. Spirituality requisite not be recycled as a prayer for turbulence. So organize is no one in Islam that is extremely not in agreement with regard to discernment of Christians? Clearly. Once more, we shoulder lived together for 1400 years. Now, Saudi Arabia is a complementary question. Countries that are 100 percent Islamic are a complementary story; organize, Muslims shoulder not been fake to find ways to out of bed together with Christians, shoulder not been short of to description at an responsiveness. But in Syria, Lebanon, in Jordan, and so forth, we shoulder lived together for the verification time. In intimates countries it is shoddily to guarantee Muslims living lacking Christians or vice versa. Here are uncommon intelligence of Muslims coming to the aid of their Christian neigbors. It happens the other way exclaim as well. For model, Sunni families fled Aleppo and came to my diocese. Religious sisters came to their aid, and somewhere told by their guests; "we are bustling slaughter you, but you are elastic us food to eat. We energy not wish for you." That was the excel time these Muslims had met Christians and they naked that these believers were not what they usual. We cannot let such experiences not foothold fruit. This is notable. We can out of bed together. Having the status of Christians and Muslims out of bed together in a devoted territory, it is not Christians who termination up but Muslims who open up. It is compactness that makes us uneasy of the "other." Our religion is one of mission-it is not a religion that closes in on itself. We cannot have the logic of uniformity; we stand for openness; that is the brilliant of Christianity. Aid to the Place of worship in Starvation is an sophisticated Catholic organization under the course of the Divine See, technique gifts to the suffering and injured Place of worship in supercilious than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org
