Syrian church marks Christmas and reaffirms faith months after deadly attack
DWEIL’A, Syria (AP) — In a church in Syria suicide attack Hundreds of worshipers who killed 25 people in June gathered before Christmas to remember those they lost and renew their faith.
Members of the Mar Elias Church held a service Tuesday evening with a small group of security forces standing guard outside and lit a Christmas tree image made of neon lights on the wall of the outside courtyard. Pictures of those who died in the attack were hung on the tree.
These include three men whom the community hailed as heroes in the struggle BomberIt potentially prevented a much higher death toll in the June 22 attack.
A man opened fire on the Greek Orthodox church in Dweil’a on the outskirts of Damascus, which was packed with people praying on Sunday, then detonated an explosive vest.
Before detonating the vest, brothers Boutros and Gergis Bechara and another parishioner, Milad Haddad, grabbed the attacker and pushed him out of the middle of the church, parishioners said.
“If it weren’t for the three of them, maybe there wouldn’t be even one person left out of 400,” said Imad Haddad, brother of Milad Haddad, who attended Tuesday’s Christmas tree lighting.
He didn’t decorate for Christmas or put up a tree in his house, but gathering in church “is a message of peace and love” and “we are faithful, we are strong and we are determined against all odds,” he said.
Boutros Bechara’s widow, Thana al-Masoud, recalled that she frantically searched for her husband after the explosion but could not find him either alive or dead. His body was shattered by the impact of the explosion.
“There is no holiday this year, not next year, or after that,” he said.
She finds solace in the belief that her husband and the two other men who confronted her attacker were martyrs for the faith.
“Our Lord chose them to become saints and to spread his word throughout the world,” he said. “But separation is hard.”
Attack increased Christians’ fears
The attack on the church was the first of its kind in Syria in years and came as the new government in Damascus, dominated by Sunni Islamists, was trying to gain trust. religious minorities to follow the following Overthrow of former President Bashar Assad.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa He struggled to establish authority throughout the country, even within the ranks of allied groups. There have been several cases of deadly sectarian violence in the country in the past year.
While the new government condemns attacks on minorities, many accuse it of not taking action to control the armed groups it is trying to recruit. new state army and security forces.
The June attack was blamed on an Islamic State cell that authorities said also planned to target a Shiite shrine. While ISIS did not claim responsibility for the attack, a little-known group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna said one of its members carried out the attack. The government said the group was a cover for ISIS.
Christians made up about 10% of Syria’s population of 23 million before mass anti-government protests in 2011 were met with a brutal government crackdown and escalated into a brutal 14-year civil war that saw the rise of ISIS and other extremist groups.
Hundreds of thousands of Christians fled during the war, which included sectarian attacks against Christians such as the kidnapping of nuns and priests and the destruction of churches. Now many are trying to leave once again.
Strengthening faith and seeking peace
Since losing her husband in the church shooting, Juliette Alkashi has felt numb.
The couple were lovers before he left Syria to emigrate to Venezuela with his mother and brother. When Emile Bechara proposed to her in 2018, Alkashi returned to Syria, although it was still in the midst of civil war.
“Whatever happens will happen, and I’m resigned to that,” he said. “If someone goes to pray and dies in church, it will be what God has written.”
Alkashi said the only thing that matters right now is that she and her 3-year-old son stay together.
Some parishioners said the attack only strengthened their faith.
Explaining the intense spiritual experience he had at the time of the explosion, Hadi Kindarji said, “I saw a column of smoke rising from the floor to the ceiling and heard a voice saying ‘I will not leave you, I will not leave you’.”
Today he believes that even seemingly senseless violence is part of God’s plan.
“Our God was there and he was in the church,” he said.
Yohanna Shehadeh, priest of Mar Elias church, acknowledged that many in the congregation feared more deadly violence.
“Fear is a natural state. I will not tell you that there is no fear, and I am not just talking about Christians, but all the Syrian people of all sects,” Shehadeh said.
He said they pray for peace as Christmas approaches.
