Eight years. Five months. And 18 days. This is the duration Syria''s population has now been plagued by war and violence. When finally, some hope seemed to come. Then it happened again. A whole new phase in the conflict. More evil. This time, Turkish President Erdogan is the devil''s henchman.
Millions of people on the run and hundreds of thousands dead. And now it continues.
Spokesmen for the Kurdish-led SDF, the Syrian Democratic Forces, which consist of Kurds, Assyrians/Syrians and Arabs, said to Reuters that in recent days there is "huge panic among the population".
Nobody knows today how this will end. Those most familiar with the situation have a hard time grasping the complexity, not to mention, there are all too many countries and other actors involved.
The Syrian regime, Hezbollah in Lebanon, various ethnicities and religions in Syria. The so-called Free Syrian Army. IS. Al Qaeda and similar terrorist groups. Russia. The USA. Saudi Arabia. Iran. And then, Turkey. One thing is sure: terrorists/Islamists will have more power and leeway.
Because even though political actors are involved, it is fair to say that the Syrian war has become a religious war, not least between different Muslim faiths. Everyone may suffer, but the large group of Syrian Christians has become a particularly legitimate target for all too many of the groups mentioned above.
People from several religions are being indiscriminately killed, yet it is a fact that Christians are particularly vulnerable with Syria being yet another country in the Middle East that has almost become devoid of Christians. We are witnessing a scenario similar to that which occurred in Iraq where today only a few churches remain. Before Saddam Hussein''s regime fell, there were 1.4 million Christians in Iraq; today they number less than 150,000. According to a report from the British Foreign Ministry, before the war in Syria, 1.7 million Christians were in the country. Today, the number expected to remain is only around 450,000.
Of the many clips that came from Syria yesterday, there was one where church bells were heard sounding throughout empty streets. The priests signaled to everyone to stay home. In another, you hear the church bells ringing to tones of sadness. The first family hit by Turkey''s air raids was Christian who lived in Qamishli, the city just built by Assyrians/Syrians after the 1915 genocide. Many fear it may be the symbol of more running.
To write about this and repeatedly calling to attention the situation of Christians is not only solidarity with fellow Christian sisters and brothers but also a democratic duty.
We should not take this kind of abuse as justification to answer with the same tone in our part of the world, but we will use different types of and yet arguably more critical weapons: our words, our pens, our energy, our tears, and not least our prayers.
Let us once again unite in the prayer that we formulated almost exactly three years ago:
Prayer for Syria
Lord, You who also bear the name Prince of Peace, protect your people, the destitute and the needy – all over the world.
Lord, you who have been on the path of suffering and oppression yourself, especially have compassion on the people of Syria right now.
Father, you see those who suffer in the tribulations of war and terror, you who are almighty, we ask that you intervene.
Jesus Christ, be close to the mothers who have watched their child die in the masses after plane attacks and bombs.
Bring your strength to the fathers who lost their families in the abyss of war.
Lord, we cry when we think of the children who have lost their parents and ask you to take care of them. Be a father and mother to all the children who lost loved ones. God, intervene in this humanitarian catastrophe where people don''t even have their daily food and water.
Be close to those who have lost everything. God have mercy on them.
We cry out to you that emergency aid should reach the most affected. We plead with you that justice and love be available to all people in Syria. We pray especially for all those who suffer, flee and die for their faith.
We pray for anyone who can make a difference and bring peace that they will do their utmost.
Let your peace and atonement come to Syria and the Middle East.
During this time, we pray especially for those who are fleeing Syria and now living in camps, churches, and homes throughout the region and Europe. Watch over them.
Give courage and wisdom to all who will welcome them and find ways to give them protection.
Strengthen our faith so that we look with love and respect at every human being. Touch all humanity''s hearts so that we are able and willing to offer help to those in need.
We pray in peace and with the longing for peace in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen
Felicia Ferreira is the editor in chief of Sweden's largest Christian daily newspaper, Dagen.
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