venerdì 27 gennaio 2012

A Christian priest, Bassilius Nassar, was killed yesterday in Syria while he was giving first aid to a wounded man near Hama. The news was confirmed both by the authorities and the rebels, who as usual blame each other for what happened. According to the Sana news agency of government, "another armed terrorist group assassinated father Bassilius Nassar, a priest of the village of Kafrbuhum, while he was giving first aid to a wounded man in the neighborhood of al-Jarajmeh in the city of Hama". According to the rebels, instead, the priest "was martyred during a military campaign conducted by the forces of the regime in the city". Yesterday, Abdul Razzaq Jbeiro, the local president of the Red Crescent, like our Red Cross was also murdered in Idlib. Ilsussidiario.net interviewed Luigi Geninazzi, columnist and correspondent for "Avvenire", to ask what the prospects for Christians in Syria are in the light of what happened.

Geninazzi, what does the killing of Father Nassar in Hama mean for Syria?
Hama is the city that is the symbol of mass protest against Bashar Assad’s regime. 30 years ago, a protest began there against Bashar’s father Hafez Assad, which ended in a bloodbath and 20 thousand deaths. In recent months too, Hama has always been at the center of the massive protests and equally massive repression. It is not yet known how the priest was killed. The official news agency Sana blames insurgents, who in turn claim that Father Nassar died in a fire fight between the opposition and the army. This murder is a sign that Christians are now in the forefront, crushed in a civil war between the Sunni majority, 80% of Syrians, and the Alawites loyal to Assad. Some continue to say that Syria is heading toward civil war, when in fact it is already in the midst of a civil war and episodes such as the one yesterday confirmed this.

How much is the infiltration of terrorists, who according to Sana are responsible for the killing of the priest, rooted in Syria?
The word "terrorists" can be used in a very generic sense. The opposition is no longer only that of the classical Arab Spring, composed of young people who protest against a regime. It is now increasingly clear that in Syria there is armed opposition, first of all made up of deserters from the Army, but also people from outside, namely from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Sunni countries. It is also likely that there are some groups that are inspired by Al Qaeda. The most disturbing aspect that emerges from the killing of Father Bassilius Nassar in Hama is that the armed opposition is hand and glove with fundamentalist ideology, if not the Salafis. During some protests in the streets of Syria, many people even used the slogan: "Assad to the tomb, Christians to Beirut".

What is the meaning of this slogan, which is quite different from those shouted in Tahrir Square a year ago?

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