[Netz]

I am not saying they are all wackos, far from it. I did not mean to imply that they are a liberal regime compared to other Arab states. You have obviously had significant experiences in Arab countries and tasted from their cultural wells. The Arabs are at once cordial, warm, extremely hospitable and honor their guests but...they also have a 7th century side to their decimated psyches that, when let loose is like a rabid dog. So, while they showed you their good side their intolerance to other societies is deafening. The Syrian Christians are in the same state as Christianity in the Middle East, from Alexandria to Oman - they are in peril and they know it.

[Zajko]

I’m absolutely aware of both the good aspects (and there are good aspects, as you rightly mention) and the bad, in Middle Eastern / Arabic culture. And yes, many here do indeed have what you describe as a 7th century side to their psyches. In some countries in the region, these are even dominant. In others, there is a risk that they may become so.

What the future holds for Syria, who knows: it is indeed possible that Muslim Brotherhood types may eventually manage to seize power in Damascus, inflicting God-knows-what on their fellow Syrians of other creeds, sects and outlooks on life.

I don’t, however think this is inevitable in Syria (as it always was, to all but the most blinkered optimist, in Egypt). And I did feel it’s unfair to describe the motivation of the bulk of those who’ve been driven to defend themselves against Assad’s thuggish regime - one which routinely tortures and murders children for sport - as ‘suicide bombers for Allah.’ I’m not denying these may indeed exist, including in Syria. But they aren’t in any way the driving force behind the current struggle there, and God willing, they may never become so. Who knows: we can but watch, hope and pray.