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a Church “that is not afraid and loves Islam” for a common future in Syria

Father Jihad Youssef, superior of the community founded by Father Dall’Oglio, comments on the situation that has been created with the fall of the Assad regime: it is impossible for Christians to remain in the Middle East according to a logic of confrontation and competition with Muslims. It takes the “courage” to be a “little flock”, transforming the concept of dhimmah in a “dynamic interaction”. Meanwhile, the leader of the rebels wants to request the extradition of those responsible for crimes and torture. From Israel, hundreds of raids and tanks 20 km from Damascus.

Damascus () – No Christian can remain in the East “if his logic is to confront and compete with Islam and the Muslims” or, worse still, “oppose them”, because in that case “destiny” is “to leave, sooner or later, and it is […] a suicide,” says Father Jihad Youssef, a Syrian Maronite, who has belonged to the al Khalil monastic community since 1999, in the Mar Musa monastery of Nebek (Syria), founded by Father Paolo Dall’Oglio. The religious believes that In the Middle East only “a Church that loves Islam, a Church that is for Islam and not against it, a Church that is not afraid of being a small flock, that is not afraid” can survive. of being a loser in the sense of sacrifice, which is essentially the attitude of the cross.” Furthermore, he adds, “we must all desensitize the concept of Ahl al-Dhimmah (the protected people). And we must do it – he explains – to make it a dynamic interaction and not just a ‘you are under our wings’.”

On the conflict front, in recent hours there has been an escalation of attacks by Israel which, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, has carried out hundreds of airstrikes targeting military bases, weapons depots and areas of interest such as the airport, among others. The Syrian navy is also in the spotlight, while some sources report the advance of the Jewish State’s tanks, which would be about 20 km from Damascus after having “occupied” some towns in the demilitarized zone of the Golan Heights. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a country close to the rebels since the early days of the civil war, says that “Syria must be governed by Syrians” and that Ankara will continue its fight to be “clean of terrorism.” Finally, on the home front, HTS (Hayat Tahrir ash Sham) leader Abu Mohammed al Jolani intends to call for the extradition and repatriation of officers who have committed war crimes or torture in the regime’s prisons.

Below is Father Jihad’s reflection on the Church and Islam in the future of Syria:

To contribute to the radical change that is about to take place, we must have a united vision as an interdenominational Church and a strong common position based on a brave and realistic project to propose to those responsible. We don’t have to wait for things to change without having anything to offer, and then we will have to settle for what they offer us. We have nothing to lose: in all of Syria there are only 250 thousand Christians, of all denominations. We don’t have much time left, so we have to pray and listen to the Holy Spirit for inspiration and guidance.

The most important thing is that we must radically change our mentality regarding the relationship with the authorities and get away from the logic of the mullahs, which we inherited from the Ottomans and which has been perpetuated by the regime until today. We must free ourselves from that image and offer what we consider appropriate to live in peace and joy with our Muslim companion, according to our dimensions and nothing more. We are a minority, yes, and we should be proud of it. Doesn’t the Bible describe us as salt and yeast in the dough? Doesn’t it define us as a small flock? From this point of view, we must take the initiative towards Muslims, asking them if they want us or not in this country. We all know the answer is “Yes.” But this traditional “yes” is not enough. If you want to live with us, or rather if you want us to stay in this country with you, you have to listen to what we say and accept what we are, who we are and what we can do together. If they don’t, they will hasten our departure.

The predominant relationship between the Church and the authorities in Syria is unhealthy and not very evangelical. We must transform it and turn it into a form of constructive interaction and not mere submission aimed at obtaining benefits and privileges, often only in appearance, and sometimes, but not rarely, benefits for one community at the expense of another. Change occurs by modifying our attitude towards the Muslim Other, our perception of him and, above all, our expectations of him. We must have an approach that is neither exclusive nor condescending, an approach that gives space to others in our lives.

No Christian can remain in the East if his logic is to confront and compete with Islam and Muslims. Or oppose them. Or, if their feelings are hatred towards them, or they intend to remain despite them (with some help from inside or outside), or even simply lock themselves in their own neighborhood. The destiny of such a Christian is to leave sooner or later, it is a real suicide. The Church that can survive is a Church that loves Islam, a Church that is for Islam and not against it, a Church that is not afraid of being a small flock, that is not afraid of being a loser in the sense of sacrifice, which is essentially the attitude of the cross of which we are all proud. That on the one hand.

On the other hand, we must all desensitize the concept of Ahl al-Dhimmah (the protected people). And we have to do it in a way that it becomes a dynamic interaction and not just a “you’re under our wings.” History teaches us something important: the traditional attitude of Muslims towards Christians in the East has oscillated between closedness and cruel and humiliating persecution and moderate or even welcoming openness, sometimes for a short time, but always within the concept of Ahl al-Dhimmah. Under Syrian laws in force to this day (before freedom), Christians are second-class citizens in key areas. This is the reality.

However, as Christians, we do not have to fight a losing battle against Muslims or against “racist” laws that are unfair to us. We must instead ask ourselves: “What does God want from me personally and from us as a body called the Church, even if it is a fragmented and dispersed body?” We must become aware that Christians have a mission and that they themselves are a mission. What is our mission today in Syria? What is the meaning of our presence on this earth today? It is the way of understanding things of those who receive life in the Levant as a gift and a mission from God, that is, living as a “little remnant”, with the evangelical call to live as yeast in the dough. That does not mean submission, but action. There is something that yeast does, that salt does, and that nothing can do in its place.

What I believe we must offer as a brave and humble project of coexistence with Muslims is to transform the concept of Ahl al-Dhimmah into a sign of particularity, rather than inferiority. That is to say, in a certain sense we become those who are cared for because they fulfill a function, from their smallness and even from their fragility. A concept based on the idea that we are equal, not second class. That we are equal, but that we know our dimensions and our limits. After all, we are few and in no position to preserve ourselves, and we will disappear if you Muslims do not support us. We must recognize that without collaboration with Muslims we will dissolve and die. Then we have to tell them: “If you really love us, do something. We are not a threat to you and we cannot take anything from you; on the contrary, we can only enrich you and work for you, so that our prosperity derives from your prosperity.” .

Our project consists of an association based on the equality of citizens, on encounters and exchanges. No one should be left out of the circle of participation. No one is the enemy of the other and no one is afraid of the other or of the other stealing from them. Faith in a single God, morality, conscience and humanity help us participate and build a dignified and healthy country for all. No one feels oppressed or hated, scared or threatened. To achieve this goal, we must build a “civilian” concept of citizenship that is not against religion and religiosity, but is based on faith, respects religion and protects religious, ethnic, linguistic minorities, etc. With humility and courage, this is the type of collaboration we propose.

* Superior of the Community of Deir Mar Musa, Syria



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