As a Westerner, it is difficult to understand what is going on in Syria beyond the surface. The simplistic way our media deals with the Syrian crisis makes it difficult to appreciate the complexities of what is actually happening on ground level in this war-torn nation.
To address this need, Middle East scholar Samuel Noble recently spoke with John Maddex for Ancient Faith Radio. In an interview that lasted half an hour, Noble was able to give an overview of the background to Syria’s problems, as well as to raise concerns for the future of Syrian Christianity.
Nobel, who is a researcher in medieval Arabic Orthodox Christianity and Ph.D. candidate in Religious Studies at Yale University, explained how America and Britain have wanted to treat Syria as monolithic rather than diverse, and that their refusal to recognize the complex nature of Syria’s problems has resulted in incredibly naive and narcissistic political posturing.
One of the most chilling things Nobel said during the interview is that it would be a lot easier for America if there were not a large population of Christians living in Syria who have the sympathies of believers throughout the West.
Responding to claims made by the West that the Syrian rebels are a range of different groups which include moderates, Nobel explained that the range among the rebels is the range from the Muslim Brotherhood to Al-Qaeda. This means that if the rebels get control, then Eastern Syria (where the largest concentration of Christians are located) could experience a situation comparable to the 1915 Armenian genocide.
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British readers may be put off by the prospect of having to download an mp3 interview.
Actually, all you have to do is to click on it, and it works just like the familiar BBC iplayer.
I clicked on the link and it played (Am from the US).
Detailed, informative..perspective from this scholar.
He gives a significant background of Syria and the countries around it…and an overview of the Assad side and the rebel side (and a brief lineup of the main Middleeast countries on either side of those two main groups.
The Syrian Christians (some who fled other Middleeast countries) now are extremely vulnerable and…as he discusses in depth…not important to either side, nor to any other players in the area, nor (in his opinion) to any of the players outside the Middle east.
This scholar thinks…that the extremely vulnerable Syrian christians are candidates for mass murder…in a possible repeat of the 1915 Armenian massacre.
I was glad for the indepth analysis…and I wish to note…I’ve not heard US pres. Obama mention the Syrian Christians at all.
He historically has no serious concern for Christian rights in this country (tho of course there is no violence against Christians, but a chopping away at centuries old religious rights through his positions, and through his ideologically friendly courts) “Loss of some religious freedom is the price of citizenship” was the word a judge said to a small business owner who did not want to do a practice against deeply held historic religious beliefs..
Pres. Putin has mentioned the plight of the Syrian Christians. Whether he is concerned for them or whether it is just a chess move…who knows.
Praying that…the current (as of Sep 12) talks between Russia and the US go well. Praying for the Syrian Christians also!!!
” I clicked on the link and it played (Am from the US). ”
Yes, it would do.
The point is that it does work just like the BBC iPlayer, which everyone in Britain is familiar with, and this website is supposed to be the voice of christianity in Britain and Ireland.
Some British readers might be put off by the unfamiliar instruction to download an mp3 interview.
The point is that all you have to do is click on it, and it plays.