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Syrian Christian Refugees Seek Return to Ancient Town After Government Recapture
Algemeiner ^ | April 18, 2014

Posted on 04/18/2014 6:38:47 AM PDT by SJackson

JNS.org - Syrian Christian refugees from the ancient town of Maaloula are seeking to return to their home after it was recaptured by Syrian government forces this week.

“I would love to go back and celebrate Easter there, but it’s still a bit early,” said Fadi Mayal, a former Maaloula resident who currently lives in Damascus’s Christian quarter, Lebanon’s Daily Star reported.

“There are still sleeper cells in Maaloula,” Mayal said, referring to jihadist groups in the area.

Maaloula, located 56 kilometers from Damascus, is an ancient Christian town where many of the residents still speak Aramaic, the same language spoken by Jesus.

Last September, jihadists invaded the small village of about 5,000, attacking Christian homes and churches and threatening them with beheadings. As a result, all of the residents fled to Damascus and elsewhere.

But after an extensive campaign, the Syrian army said it has restored “security and stability” to Maaloula and that residents could return.

Reports, however, indicate that the town suffered extensive damage, with many homes and churches destroyed.

“I’m saddened by the destruction of the churches,” said Antoinette Nasrallah, another former Maaloula resident, the Daily Star reported.

“We want to spend next summer there,” she said. “Celebrating the Feast of the Cross there on September 14, as we do every year, has become a dream.”


TOPICS: News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: again; maaloula; syria

1 posted on 04/18/2014 6:38:47 AM PDT by SJackson
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To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

2 posted on 04/18/2014 6:41:05 AM PDT by SJackson (the Democrats take back control, we donÂ’t make (this) kind of naked power grab, J Biden)
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To: SJackson

Glad to hear this... and the Syrian regime is purported to be the “bad guys.”

I’m sure Obama’s al-Qaeda allies will be back for another go at it though... I can’t imaging the West not having a curse visited upon it for not supporting these people.


3 posted on 04/18/2014 6:42:34 AM PDT by ScottinVA (Obama is so far in over his head, even his ears are beneath the water level.)
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To: ScottinVA

*imaging=imagine


4 posted on 04/18/2014 6:43:10 AM PDT by ScottinVA (Obama is so far in over his head, even his ears are beneath the water level.)
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To: SJackson

Who are the good guys?

And which side is obama helping?


5 posted on 04/18/2014 6:45:00 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: 2banana

Neither side are good guys. Obama would like to help the guys who drove out the Christians. But if you’ve got Obama helping you, that’s not much help.


6 posted on 04/18/2014 7:15:14 AM PDT by SJackson (the Democrats take back control, we donÂ’t make (this) kind of naked power grab, J Biden)
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To: SJackson

Think of the money spent on just feeding these guys all this time.

It’s good to have proxies like Qatar and Saudi Arabia to help advance globalism.

Well, if you’re a globalist.


7 posted on 04/18/2014 7:54:12 AM PDT by PieterCasparzen (We have to fix things ourselves)
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