MENA Minorities

(K)ein politischer Besuch: Der maronitische Patriarch in Israel von Tobias Lang, Alsharq Die Reise des Oberhaupts der größten libanesischen Kirche nach Israel stellte auf vielen Ebenen einen Tabubruch dar. Die Hisbollah warf Patriarch Bischara al-Ra’i vor, die Beziehungen mit dem südlichen Nachbarn zu normalisieren und ehemalige Kämpfer der Südlibanesischen Armee getroffen zu haben. Politisch brisant war der Besuch zudem, weil Israel die „Entarabisierung“ der christlichen Bevölkerung zuletzt forcierte. Von Tobias Lang An Patriarch al-Ra‘is Reiseplänen im Rahmen des Papstbesuchs hatten besonders linke und Hisbollah-nahe Medien heftige Kritik geübt. Die Hisbollah selbst versuchte noch, den Patriarchen von seiner Reise abzubringen – ohne Erfolg. Al-Ra‘i hat sich schon häufig als stur und beratungsresistent erwiesen: Kurz nach seinem Amtsantritt etwa hatte er durch eine Reise nach Damaskus mit der anti-syrischen Linie seines Vorgängers gebrochen und somit den anti-syrisc...

Gregory Laham, the head of the Melikite Greek Catholic church is one of the highest catholic representatives in the Middle East and a loyal supporter of the Syrian regime. The Patriarch, who is traveling abroad on a regular basis and repeating the sectarian narrative of the regime - i.e. presenting Asad as a saviour of the minorities threatened by Sunni radicals from abroad. Now Syrian Christians in exile have issued an appeal to Laham, calling for an end of the church's collaboration with the regime. "Assad is only protecting himself" by Martina Sabra, Qantara.de  

Mosul's Christians Say Goodbye by Christian Caryl, Foreign Policy Assyrians and Christians under attack in Iraq and Syria  by Stephen Starr, The Irish Times Iraqi Christians Huddle Miles From Militants in Mosul , AFP   Iraqi Christians find refuge in ancient monastery by Jane Arraf, AlJazeera America Militants' advance threatens Christians in Iraq  by Arwa Damon, CNN

The ISIS' takeover of Mosul, Iraq's second city, threatens the fragile Christian presence in the Ninawa plain, which has developed in recent times. Nina Shea has a very pessimistic reading of the Christian perspective in Iraq - and there is little to object at the moment even though it seems like ISIS has not reached the Christan strongholds yet. Btw, Italian Priest Father Paolo Dall'Oglio, who was kidnaped by ISIS in Raqqa, is most likely alive according to recent Italian reports , contrary to the article below: The Cleansing of Iraq's Christians Is Reaching It's End Game by Nina Shea,  The National Interest

Lebanese Druze leader and head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Junblat expressed his current frustration with Hizballah unusually frankly in an recent interview with the Associated Press. A main reason (which is not featured in that article) why Junblat is pressuring Hizballah is also the unwillingness of Hizballah's March 8 camp to elect a new president by denying quorum. Junblat, who has proposed his own "centrist" candidate Henri Helou, has declared he won't vote neither for Michel Aoun, the unofficial candidate of March 8, nor for Samir Geagea, the candidate of March 14. Junblat's parliamentary block holds a swing vote in the National Assembly. AP Interview: Druse Head Scorns Hezbollah on Syria by  Bassem Mroue, Associated Press The decision by Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group to join the civil war in neighboring Syria and fight along President Bashar Assad's forces was a historic and moral "mistake" toward the Syrian peo...

Lebanon’s Hizbollah Turns Eastward to Syria  by International Crisis Group Zwischen Autokratie und Dschihadismus:  Syriens Christen hoffen auf die Umsetzung von Genf I von Petra Becker, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik