Exclusive: Life returns to Syria’s Shaba'a

[ariel]

As Syrian army has gained control of the town of Shaba'a on the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, the normal life is slowly returning to the liberated town, Al-Alam reports.

The development comes two days after Syrian Army forces entered the town and began purging it from the armed and terrorist groups.
Residents of the newly-liberated Syrian town of Shab’a who had refused to leave their homes despite its occupation by foreign-backed militant groups have confirmed to Al-Alam’s correspondent in the town that many members of the terrorist groups were nationals of other countries.
Speaking to Al-alam bureau chief in Damascus, one of the residents, Hossein Morteza, said after the armed groups entered Shab’a, they told us to leave the town.
Another resident asserted that in addition to Syrian militants, a number of the foreign-backed armed elements were nationals of other countries, including Tunisia, Iraq and Libya.
An elderly woman who had also refused to leave her home despite threats made by the militant groups reiterated that the terrorists demanded that we abandon our homes after they gained access to the city, claiming that if we stayed in the town the army would kill us.
“They falsely told us that if the Army enters the town, they would kill us,” said another resident. “But I said it is not logical for the Army to kill us, since we didn’t do anything wrong.”
The resident further insisted that prior to the occupation of Shab’a by the armed elements, the town was peaceful.
Pointing to those residents that fled the town following its occupation by the armed groups, the resident emphasized that fleeing was a wrong move since withdrawing from the town allowed the armed elements to occupy it and engage in ransacking homes and stealing people’s properties.
Al-Alam reporter, meanwhile, emphasized that after purging the town from the armed groups, Syrian army forces are now continuing to purge all areas in eastern Ghouta while surrounding the terror elements.


http://en.alalam.ir/news/1518327

[daedal1]

You're referencing Iranian media now?

I wonder what they have to say about Israel.....

[ariel]

You're referencing Iranian media now?

I wonder what they have to say about Israel.....

i care about the truth. the life is not black and white.....

[daedal1]

i care about the truth. the life is not black and white.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Alam_News_Network

"Al-Alam is an Arabic news channel broadcasting from Iran and is owned by the state-owned media corporation Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
"

The same Iranian government that backs Hezbollah owns this channel.

[ariel]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Alam_News_Network

"Al-Alam is an Arabic news channel broadcasting from Iran and is owned by the state-owned media corporation Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
"

The same Iranian government that backs Hezbollah owns this channel.

so what?
and obama is ally of al qaeda rebels? he not better at all

[daedal1]

so what?
and obama is ally of al qaeda rebels? he not better at all

He isn't. The US-funded egyptian military overthrew the MB. The US only supports secular factions of the FSA.

[ariel]

He isn't. The US-funded egyptian military overthrew the MB. The US only supports secular factions of the FSA.

the free syrian army?



Christians Massacred by ‘Free’ Syrian Army Terrorists (Rebels)

by Editors -
Obama’s and John McCain’s friends in Syria – the so-called “Syrian rebels” continue to bring death and destruction upon Christians and Christian churches in Syria. They’re nothing more than bloodthirsty killers seeking to impose Islamic law on the Syrian people.

The following describes some of the latest atrocities committed by Obama & McCain’s supposed allies in Syria:

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)– Mourning Christians in Syria were still awaiting answers Monday, July 8, as to why Islamic militants with links to opposition rebels entered Christian villages more than a month ago killing several people, including children, in what locals called a “massacre”.

Vatican-backed news agency Fides said the gunmen raided the village of al-Duwayr/Douar, outside the city of Homs near Lebanon, where they immediately executed a man and his daughter in their home and burned their bodies.

The fighters reportedly also occupied the village church from where snipers began firing at terrified civilians, killing an- 11-year-old boy and a girl of 18, and injuring some 10 people, two seriously.


TRAUMATIZED REFUGEES
Many of the “traumatized” refugees were finding shelter at the Armenian Orthodox parish on the outskirts of Homs, the capital of Homs province, Fides reported.

Local authorities, Red Cross aid workers and priests have also been involved in providing accommodation for refugees in schools and local families, Christians said.

The reported attack on Douar came just two days after Islamic militants reportedly invaded the village of Oum Sharshouh in Homs province where Christians said the fighters were seen shooting and burning down homes. There were no reports of casualties but more than 250 Christian families were forced to flee, Fides said.”Why do they hate innocent civilians?” Christian refugees reportedly said, adding that there were also unprovoked attacks in other villages including in the Hama area, north of Homs.

There has been international concerns that Islamic militants have infiltrated the mainstream rebel group, known as the Free Syrian Army, who have been fighting the government forces of President Bashar Hafez al-Assad in a two-year war that has claimed over 100,000 lives


MORE KILLINGS
Other religious groups have also been targeted. Last month, Syrian rebels attacked a village in the country’s east, killing dozens of Shia Muslims, activists said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 60 people were killed in the village of Hatla in the oil-rich province of Deir al-Zour, bordering Iraq.

Why do they hate innocent civilians?

At the same time, opposition activists in Syria said recently they documented the deaths of more than 200 men, women and children by government forces in what they called one of “the worst massacres” of the war.

The government claimed a lower death toll and said it had killed “terrorist fighters” in an operation in three neighboring districts in al-Bayda and Baniyas in the west of the country in the first week of May.

However aid groups say minority Christians have often been singled out for attacks by opposition linked groups as well as government forces in the heavily Islamic nation. Besides attacks on villages, several church leaders have been kidnapped and, in at least one recent case, beheaded by suspected Islamic militants.


VATICAN CONFIRMS
In one of the latest known cases, Catholic Priest Francois Murad, 49, was publicly beheaded by suspected Islamic militants in northern Syria after accusations of collaborating with President Assad’s government.

The Vatican confirmed Murad’s death saying the “Franciscan Father” was “attacked by militants linked to the jihadi group Jabhat al-Nusra” on June 23 after he was pulled from the convent for the Custody of the Holy Land in the northern village of Gassanieh where he had taken refuge. Two others were also beheaded, though it remained unclear whether they were linked to the church.

Additionally the Archbishop of Aleppo, Mar Gregorios Ibrahim, and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Metropolitan Paul Yazigi, still remain unaccounted for since they were kidnapped by suspected Islamic militants in Syria in April.

Pope Francis called for the release of all those taken against their will in the war-torn country.

“This troubled situation of war bears with it tragic consequences: death, destruction, massive economic and environmental damage, as well as the scourge of kidnapping. In denouncing these events I wish to assure my prayers of solidarity for those who have been kidnapped and their families and I appeal to the humanity of the kidnappers for the release of the victims,” Pope Francis said last week.

Thousands of Christians have fled the violence and Christian aid and advocacy group Open Doors has warned it will be difficult for them to return, whatever the outcome of the conflict.

(BosNewsLife, the first truly independent news agency covering persecuted Christians, is ‘Breaking the News for Compassionate Professionals’ since 2004). Help BosNewsLife to be the voice of the voiceless.


http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/blog/2013/08/christians-massacred-by-free-syrian-army-terrorists-rebels/

[daedal1]

the free syrian army?



Christians Massacred by ‘Free’ Syrian Army Terrorists (Rebels)

by Editors -
Obama’s and John McCain’s friends in Syria – the so-called “Syrian rebels” continue to bring death and destruction upon Christians and Christian churches in Syria. They’re nothing more than bloodthirsty killers seeking to impose Islamic law on the Syrian people.

The following describes some of the latest atrocities committed by Obama & McCain’s supposed allies in Syria:

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)– Mourning Christians in Syria were still awaiting answers Monday, July 8, as to why Islamic militants with links to opposition rebels entered Christian villages more than a month ago killing several people, including children, in what locals called a “massacre”.

Vatican-backed news agency Fides said the gunmen raided the village of al-Duwayr/Douar, outside the city of Homs near Lebanon, where they immediately executed a man and his daughter in their home and burned their bodies.

The fighters reportedly also occupied the village church from where snipers began firing at terrified civilians, killing an- 11-year-old boy and a girl of 18, and injuring some 10 people, two seriously.


TRAUMATIZED REFUGEES
Many of the “traumatized” refugees were finding shelter at the Armenian Orthodox parish on the outskirts of Homs, the capital of Homs province, Fides reported.

Local authorities, Red Cross aid workers and priests have also been involved in providing accommodation for refugees in schools and local families, Christians said.

The reported attack on Douar came just two days after Islamic militants reportedly invaded the village of Oum Sharshouh in Homs province where Christians said the fighters were seen shooting and burning down homes. There were no reports of casualties but more than 250 Christian families were forced to flee, Fides said.”Why do they hate innocent civilians?” Christian refugees reportedly said, adding that there were also unprovoked attacks in other villages including in the Hama area, north of Homs.

There has been international concerns that Islamic militants have infiltrated the mainstream rebel group, known as the Free Syrian Army, who have been fighting the government forces of President Bashar Hafez al-Assad in a two-year war that has claimed over 100,000 lives


MORE KILLINGS
Other religious groups have also been targeted. Last month, Syrian rebels attacked a village in the country’s east, killing dozens of Shia Muslims, activists said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 60 people were killed in the village of Hatla in the oil-rich province of Deir al-Zour, bordering Iraq.

Why do they hate innocent civilians?

At the same time, opposition activists in Syria said recently they documented the deaths of more than 200 men, women and children by government forces in what they called one of “the worst massacres” of the war.

The government claimed a lower death toll and said it had killed “terrorist fighters” in an operation in three neighboring districts in al-Bayda and Baniyas in the west of the country in the first week of May.

However aid groups say minority Christians have often been singled out for attacks by opposition linked groups as well as government forces in the heavily Islamic nation. Besides attacks on villages, several church leaders have been kidnapped and, in at least one recent case, beheaded by suspected Islamic militants.


VATICAN CONFIRMS
In one of the latest known cases, Catholic Priest Francois Murad, 49, was publicly beheaded by suspected Islamic militants in northern Syria after accusations of collaborating with President Assad’s government.

The Vatican confirmed Murad’s death saying the “Franciscan Father” was “attacked by militants linked to the jihadi group Jabhat al-Nusra” on June 23 after he was pulled from the convent for the Custody of the Holy Land in the northern village of Gassanieh where he had taken refuge. Two others were also beheaded, though it remained unclear whether they were linked to the church.

Additionally the Archbishop of Aleppo, Mar Gregorios Ibrahim, and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Metropolitan Paul Yazigi, still remain unaccounted for since they were kidnapped by suspected Islamic militants in Syria in April.

Pope Francis called for the release of all those taken against their will in the war-torn country.

“This troubled situation of war bears with it tragic consequences: death, destruction, massive economic and environmental damage, as well as the scourge of kidnapping. In denouncing these events I wish to assure my prayers of solidarity for those who have been kidnapped and their families and I appeal to the humanity of the kidnappers for the release of the victims,” Pope Francis said last week.

Thousands of Christians have fled the violence and Christian aid and advocacy group Open Doors has warned it will be difficult for them to return, whatever the outcome of the conflict.

(BosNewsLife, the first truly independent news agency covering persecuted Christians, is ‘Breaking the News for Compassionate Professionals’ since 2004). Help BosNewsLife to be the voice of the voiceless.


http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/blog/2013/08/christians-massacred-by-free-syrian-army-terrorists-rebels/

It's an umbrella organization, but al-nusra is separate. Same way the pro-western egyptian protesters also wanted mubarak out, just like the islamists did. Doesn't mean they otherwise agreed on anything.

[ariel]

bashar is better for the christians

[daedal1]

bashar is better for the christians

So are the Iraqi Shias. :D

Shias use Christians temporarily while they're both in the minority.

[ariel]

So are the Iraqi Shias. :D

Shias use Christians temporarily while they're both in the minority.

alawites and shia irqi are not the same.ineed alawites are seculars.

alawites-The 'secretive sect' in charge of Syria



The Alawites, a small Levantine minority, have survived persecution and the Crusades to rise to the top and take over the Syrian establishment.

Alawite practices, which are said to include celebrating Christmas and the Zoroastrian new year, are little known even to most Muslims.

They account for 12% of Syria's population, or just under 3 million people, and yet have been in tight control of a Sunni-majority country, for more than 40 years.

After a coup in 1970, led by President Bashar al-Assad's father Hafez, Alawites consolidated power over Syria's main institutions and security apparatus.

Hafez's identity as an Alawite helped him gain the loyalty of other minority groups in Syria, to whom he promised rights and protection.

Alawites are seen by other Muslims in the Middle East as very liberal or even secular. In Syria women are not encouraged to wear hejab and many choose not to fast or pray. Some Muslims consider the Alawites a heretic sect.


Shia roots

Nusairism, as Alawism was originally called, emerged in the 9th and 10th Centuries in Syria.


The word Alawite, or Alawi means "follower of Ali", who was a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

Shia Muslims also venerate Imam Ali and like the Alawis believe he was the true heir to the Prophet and should have succeeded him.

The perception that Alawis regard Ali as a deity or God in human form is what provokes disdain from some orthodox Sunni Muslims.

They regard the Alawite notion of Ali as heretical and a challenge to the fundamental belief that there is only one indisputable manifestation of God.

But some scholars argue this is a misinterpretation and Alawis actually believe Ali to be an essence or form, rather than a human being, through which followers can try to "grasp God".

In addition to the main tenets of Islam, Alawis observe two others, "jihad" or struggle and "waliya", the devotion to Imam Ali and his family.

Traditionally, many Alawi practices are carried out in secret, in line with the Shia custom of taqiyya, which is the practice of hiding one's beliefs in order to avoid persecution





Alawites and the uprising
Syria's Alawis are concentrated mainly on the country's Mediterranean coast, in the port towns of Latakia and Tartous, spreading north across the Turkish border into the province of Hatay and south into northern Lebanon.

In recent weeks, sectarian tensions have spilled over into northern Lebanon, sparking fatal clashes between the Alawi minority there, and the surrounding Sunni population who are angered by Bashar al-Assad's brutal crackdown of the uprising.

[daedal1]

alawites and shia irqi are not the same.ineed alawites are seculars.

alawites-The 'secretive sect' in charge of Syria



The Alawites, a small Levantine minority, have survived persecution and the Crusades to rise to the top and take over the Syrian establishment.

Alawite practices, which are said to include celebrating Christmas and the Zoroastrian new year, are little known even to most Muslims.

They account for 12% of Syria's population, or just under 3 million people, and yet have been in tight control of a Sunni-majority country, for more than 40 years.

After a coup in 1970, led by President Bashar al-Assad's father Hafez, Alawites consolidated power over Syria's main institutions and security apparatus.

Hafez's identity as an Alawite helped him gain the loyalty of other minority groups in Syria, to whom he promised rights and protection.

Alawites are seen by other Muslims in the Middle East as very liberal or even secular. In Syria women are not encouraged to wear hejab and many choose not to fast or pray. Some Muslims consider the Alawites a heretic sect.


Shia roots

Nusairism, as Alawism was originally called, emerged in the 9th and 10th Centuries in Syria.


The word Alawite, or Alawi means "follower of Ali", who was a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

Shia Muslims also venerate Imam Ali and like the Alawis believe he was the true heir to the Prophet and should have succeeded him.

The perception that Alawis regard Ali as a deity or God in human form is what provokes disdain from some orthodox Sunni Muslims.

They regard the Alawite notion of Ali as heretical and a challenge to the fundamental belief that there is only one indisputable manifestation of God.

But some scholars argue this is a misinterpretation and Alawis actually believe Ali to be an essence or form, rather than a human being, through which followers can try to "grasp God".

In addition to the main tenets of Islam, Alawis observe two others, "jihad" or struggle and "waliya", the devotion to Imam Ali and his family.

Traditionally, many Alawi practices are carried out in secret, in line with the Shia custom of taqiyya, which is the practice of hiding one's beliefs in order to avoid persecution





Alawites and the uprising
Syria's Alawis are concentrated mainly on the country's Mediterranean coast, in the port towns of Latakia and Tartous, spreading north across the Turkish border into the province of Hatay and south into northern Lebanon.

In recent weeks, sectarian tensions have spilled over into northern Lebanon, sparking fatal clashes between the Alawi minority there, and the surrounding Sunni population who are angered by Bashar al-Assad's brutal crackdown of the uprising.

If they're secular, why is it illegal to leave Islam in Syria? Assad isn't even a fully practicing Alawi in the first place, he's an arab nationalist.

[ariel]

If they're secular, why is it illegal to leave Islam in Syria? Assad isn't even a fully practicing Alawi in the first place, he's an arab nationalist.

:picard2:

[daedal1]

:picard2:

He's a Baathist like Saddam.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baathism

[ariel]

He's a Baathist like Saddam.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baathism

this the only way of minorities in arab countries to survive.i really feel sorry for them.

[daedal1]

this the only way of minorities in arab countries to survive.i really feel sorry for them.

Shias in Lebanon were a minority too. That didn't stop them from joining a theocratic militia, when the situation called for it. :)

[ariel]

Shias in Lebanon were a minority too. That didn't stop them from joining a theocratic militia, when the situation called for it. :)

shia in lebanon are fanatic hizbollah . i never talked about them but about te minorities such christians, alawites and in te past jews.

[daedal1]

shia in lebanon are fanatic hizbollah . i never talked about them but about te minorities such christians, alawites and in te past jews.

Alawis and Shias get along fine. Alawis are still considered a type of shia, just less orthodox.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG-Qc7WOfKU

[ariel]

Alawis and Shias get along fine. Alawis are still considered a type of shia, just less orthodox.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG-Qc7WOfKU

alawites celebrating christmas and zaratustrian new year, they are not typical shia. probably they only pretending as shia for their survival.

[daedal1]

alawites celebrating christmas and zaratustrian new year, they are not typical shia. probably they only pretending as shia for their survival.

You do realize that Iran celebrates Nowruz, right?

They're obviously heretical, but they at least follow much of the Shia religion, unlike even the Druze.

[ariel]

You do realize that Iran celebrates Nowruz, right?

They're obviously heretical, but they at least follow much of the Shia religion, unlike even the Druze.

al least they are seculars , and better option than the sunni.

[daedal1]

al least they are seculars , and better option than the sunni.

They aren't secular, it is still illegal to leave islam in syria. And the Alawis are propped up by the shia theocracy of iran and its proxy hezbollah.