There is a slight nuanced difference between the Assad regime and ISIS when it comes to their treatment of the Christians in the Middle East.
ISIS kills any Christian indiscriminately regardless of political calculations while the psychopath Assad kills Christians based on political calculations.
His father killed Bachir Gemayel and Rene Moawad, two Lebanese Christian presidents who chose Lebanese sovereignty over Syrian interference. Today’s Assad killed prominent Christian journalists and politicians like Gebran Tueini and George Hawi.
To say that ISIS is anti-Christian without mentioning the violent history of the Assad family against the Maronite Christians of Lebanon is detrimental to the safety of all Christians. Assad would consider ignoring his assassinations as a green light to kill.
However, Assad also kills Christians indirectly because of his violent nature and tyranny.
There is no doubt that most Syrian Christians have found refuge and safety behind the façade of the Assad regime. Those who have submitted to his will are treated as first-class citizens.
The perception, therefore, is that Christians are duplicitous in Assad’s tyranny when reality could not be further from the truth. Even those Christians who fought by Assad’s side in this civil war have been forced by the regime for payback. Those who believe they should tyrannize Sunni Muslims are a tiny minority whose majority has already been killed fighting.
In effect, the tyranny of Assad against his own people causes Christian death as extremists and fanatic Muslims retaliate against their communities. Assad causes Christian death as much as ISIS does.
The Christians of Syria must look beyond the war to see Syria play out like Lebanon where everyone participates in defending their faith and beliefs. With the advent of ISIS, forged by Assad himself, and the vacuum al-Qaeda filled quickly when Obama refused to help the secular and liberal defectors from the Assad army, matters are much more complicated than ever before.
To retain power, the psychopath Assad wanted it that complicated in order for the Christians of Syria to have no choice but to defend him when his regime is the essence of the sectarian problem facing all Syrians today. Any doubt psychopath Assad causes Christian death as much as ISIS does?
The Christians of Syria must rally behind all moderates, not the violent and psychopath Assad. Only if moderation wins can Syria rebuild a cohesive and united country. Assad causes Christian death with his actions.
As far as dividing Syria is concerned, Christians and Alawites will never find peace. Sunni Islam tends never to forget the past unless there is true reconciliation. All you have to do is look at Israeli existence the last 70 years to realize how many wars it fought to defend itself from the Palestinians.
No Alawite/Christian state would survive the extremist Muslim onslaught with one tenth the military capabilities of Israel.
The Christian spiritual leaders must call for a reconciliation conference to be sponsored by the U.N. or the U.S. State Department. Find the Muslim moderates and fight for a better Syria together.
Quit on the psychopath Assad now. It is not too late for Syrians and Lebanese to unite against Assad, Iran, and the ISIS horrors. Why should anyone submit to violence on either side?
COMMENTS