Canadian testifies before US Congress on plight of Syrian Christians

Canadian Rev.Majed El Shafie, President and Founder of One Free World International, appeared before the US Congress to plead that they not send arms to the Syrian rebels.  This man is doing much more for Christians in Muslim countries than the Vatican.  Shame on the Vatican!!  

.... Last week Rev. El Shafie had the opportunity once again to testify before the United States Congress about the persecution of religious minorities, this time in Syria where the historic Christian community and other minorities are caught in the middle of the conflict between the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and Islamist rebels seeking its overthrow.

Rev. El Shafie’s testimony focused on the U.S. government’s recent decision to supply weapons and ammunition to Syrian rebels in response to evidence of chemical weapons use by the regime. To be clear, OFWI does not condone the use of chemical weapons in any circumstance and we believe the Assad regime, directly and through its support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran, is a threat to the stability of the region and the security of Israel. However, we have serious concerns about the impact the United States’ new policy direction will have on Syrian religious minorities, peace for the Syrian people, and stability in the broader Middle East.

The Christian community in Syria pre-dates the existence of Islam by hundreds of years, but accounts for less than 10% of the population today, alongside a Sunni majority of about 74%. Alawites and other Shi’a Muslims account for approximately 13%, while Druze, Yezidis, and others make up the remainder. Under Assad’s secular Ba’athist regime, these communities were free to worship although their activities were closely monitored and, while Alawites form the regime’s core support, Sunnis, Christians, and others could be found in prominent positions in government and business life. The current conflict, however, has changed everything.

The violence began in March 2011 when peaceful demonstrations, inspired by the wave of popular uprisings across the Middle East dubbed “the Arab Spring”, were responded to by President Assad with brutal force. Dictators in Egypt and Libya were quickly replaced by Islamic extremists that have turned the “Arab Spring” into a “Deadly Winter” for the minorities of those countries. President Assad, on the other hand, has so far succeeded in holding off the rebels but not without a heavy cost, including about 100,000 lives lost and over 5 million people forced to flee to safer areas of Syria or as refugees to surrounding countries...........