Bad news from Idlib

Syrian rebel insurgents from Sunni extremist al-Qaeda affiliates Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar ash-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa, now joined in a local alliance calling itself the Jaish al-Fatah, have taken Idlib, which in recent months had been a site for internally-displaced persons and refugees from other parts of Syria, especially Christians. Now they are forced to flee again, both the local Christian minority and the refugees; in Idlib as in the rest of Syria where the Sunni extremists have been successful, it seems Christians and Shi’ites have suffered the same outrages at their hands, death threats, beatings and lynchings.

I hope our hearts are not hardened to the plight of the Syrian people; in this case, I feel we should pray for the swift success of the Assad government - the only legitimate force in the country, and the only one that can be counted on to protect the innocent with any degree of confidence - with as little bloodshed as possible. The Syrian people have suffered so much, and it looks like they will continue to suffer yet more, even as our hearts grow hard and apathetic toward them; but if anyone deserves a just peace, they do. And to their enemies - I pray that they will swiftly be converted from their insane violence and bloodshed, and do repentance. In the meantime, they must be stopped.

Lord, have mercy. .ܡܳܪܰܢ ܐܶܬ݂ܪܰܚܰܡ