SyriaRebels capture historic Christian town
Maaloula, located about forty miles northeast of Damascus, is a small town of about 3,300 residents, famous mostly for the fact that it is one of three places (the other two being two villages nearby) where western Aramaic – the language spoken by Jesus, even though his dialect was different — is still spoken. Most of the town’s residents are Melkite Greek Catholic and Orthodox Christians, so the fact that it was sitting in the middle of rebel-held territory was a source of unease for its mostly pro-regime residents. Over the weekend, anti-regime rebels had taken over the town — and many Christians in Syria watched the battle for the town nervously, as they have been watching other gains by the rebels, fearing that the alternative to Assad’s regime would be far less tolerant of minority religions. These worries about the Sunni-led rebellion against Assad have caused large segments of Syria’s minority communities to continue to support the Assad regime.
The Syrian village of Maaloula, currently under rebel control // Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Maaloula, located about forty miles northeast of Damascus, is a small town of about 3,300 residents, famous mostly for the fact that it is one of three places (the other two being two villages nearby) where western Aramaic – the language spoken by Jesus, even though his dialect was different — is still spoken.
Before the Syrian civil war erupted, Maaloula was a major tourist attraction. Most of the town’s residents are Melkite Greek Catholic and Orthodox Christians, so the fact that it was sitting in the middle of rebel-held territory was a source of unease for its mostly pro-regime residents.
The Washington Post reports that the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said militants from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra and the Qalamon Liberation Front captured the town on Saturday. The Post reports that the campaign for the town began on Wednesday, and was a joint operation of the Free Syrian Army and Jabhat al-Nusra.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, a spokesman for the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that his sources said that there were about 1,500 rebels engaged in the fighting for the town.
Villagers told the Daily Telegraph that, having won control of much of the town, the rebel groups had turned on each other, with the hardline Jabhat al-Nusra seeking to force the more moderate FSA fighters from the area.
The AP reports that the battle for Maaloula was more than a battle over control of a small town. Rather, many Christians in Syria watched it nervously, as they have been watching other gains by the rebels, fearing that the alternative to Assad’s regime would be far less tolerant of minority religions. These worries about the Sunni-led rebellion against Assad have caused large segments of Syria’s minority communities — Christians, Alawites, Druze, and Kurds — to continue to support the Assad regime.
The Telegraph reports that Sister Antoinette, a nun working in Maaloula, said on Saturday, “Our army, the Syrian army, has failed us,” claiming the regime had forsaken control of the town. “We called the army, we begged them to come inside Maalouola and save us but they stayed outside. They sold us because we are a minority. They abandoned us because we are Christians.”
Sister Antoinette said her brother in law had been “killed” by rebel fighters, and that his son has been kidnapped.
