Mother Agnes nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Posted on January 8, 2014 by fatherdave

The nomination has been made by Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire of the Peace People of Ireland.

with Mother Agnes and Mairead Maguire in Syria

with Mother Agnes and Mairead Maguire in Syria

Press release – 4th January, 2014

Mother Agnes Mariam of the Cross (civil name Fadia Laham) and the Mussalaha Reconciliation Initiative in Syria, has been nominated by Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.

In her letter to Nobel Institute, Mairead Maguire said:

‘At a time when the world so desperately needs to see a peaceful way forward to end the bloodshed and Conflict in Syria the Mussalaha initiative stands out as a beacon of hope showing us a better way forward,  one which comes from within Syrian Society and expresses the spontaneous desire of the majority of Syrians for a peaceful path, a way forward that departs from violence and embraces a future where differences are resolved in an atmosphere of mutual respect that preserves the historic fraternity of the Syrian people.   The Mussalaha initiative is an outstanding example of the resilient spirit of the Syrian people and their innate ability to resolve their difficulties, by themselves, even in the most tragic and exceptional of circumstances, we have a duty to support their work in every way possible.

Mussalaha, which translates as reconciliation, is a community-based non-violent popular initiative stemming from within Syrian civil society.  Founded at the community level, it includes members of all Syria’s ethnic and religious communities who are tired of the war.  Mussalaha fills a void created by the noise of weapons; it does not side with any of the warring parties, rather it embraces all.  The movement says no to the continued loss of life, and yes to a nonviolent solution.   The initiative says no to civil war and rejects all forms of sectarian violence and denominational strife.  Its founding session was a peace congress held almost two years ago on 25th January, 2012, in the Sahara complex on the Syrian coast.

As a guest of the Mussalaha Initiative I visited Syria in May of 2013 where I met a few of the millions of refugees and internally displaced people whose lives have been torn apart by the ongoing conflict in that country.  I learned from those I spoke to, both within the government and in opposition groups, that while there is a legitimate movement calling for long overdue reform in Syria, it is one of peaceful non-violence and that the worst acts of violence are being perpetrated by outside groups who strive to incite inter-communal division and discord.  Extremist groups from around the world have converged upon Syria, bent on turning conflict into one of ideological hatred.  The Mussalaha Initiative has worked diligently to stem this flow of violence and heal the wounds inflicted on the social fabric of the country.

Over the last two years the Mussalaha Initiative has worked in mediation and negotiation often crossing lines of conflict in the most difficult and life threatening of circumstances.  Many abducted people have been freed, prisoner swaps facilitated, humanitarian aid supplied without discrimination, evacuation of civilians from conflict zones made possible, and disarmament of local opposition fighters peacefully facilitated.  Principle among those who have worked tirelessly for this peace initiative is Mother Agnes Mariam, with courage and conviction she has been an outspoken advocate of peace, a voice seeking justice and one which has consistently called on the international community to recognize the truth with regard to what is happening in Syria.   Mother Agnes Mariam’s astute observations which discredited the video evidence offered by the United States, as proof of an alleged chemical gas attack in East Ghouta, contributed to help forstall what would have proved a regionally devastating external military intervention in Syria.  This heroic peacemaker has thought nothing of placing her own life on the lines for the sake of others and at great personal risk, she personally brokered a cease-fire between rebels and the Syrian authorities in Moadamiya, Damascus province.  This work facilitated the transfer of over 5,000 civilians from a besieged opposition area and included the voluntary surrender of over 500 men many of whom had been armed opposition combatants.

In making this nomination for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, I believe that there is no military or paramilitary solution to the Syrian conflict and only through dialogue and negotiation can peace be reached.   We urgently need a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria.   Mother Agnes Mariam and the Mussalaha Initiative in Syria exemplify all that is remarkable about the resilience of humanity when faced with unbelievable adversity.   The Mussalaha initiative which unites people of all faiths, and none, and ethnic backgrounds, deserves to be nurtured supported and fully recognized for the enormous contribution it has made, and continues to make in saving lives, and in directing all Syrians towards the path of peace.

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Syrian Archbishop says "Public opinion in the West is held hostage by the media"

Posted on December 28, 2013 by fatherdave

Archbishop John Darwish leads the Melkite Archdiocese of Furzol, Zahle and Bekaa in Lebanon. He is Syrian born and, when we visited him as a part of the Mussalaha delegation in April 2013, he was evidently deeply concerned for the people of his beloved homeland.

The following is an extract from an interview the Archbishop did with ‘Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need’ on December 18, 2013, while visiting New York. In it Darwish shows himself to have a heart not simply for peace but for reform in Syria and across the Levant.

Father Dave

with Archbishop Darwish in Lebanon in April 2013

with Archbishop Darwish in Lebanon in April 2013

source: www.zenit.org…

Q: What are the biggest needs of the Syrian families in your care? What are their living conditions?

Archbishop Darwish: For one thing, they do not live in tents, or in camps. They live in rented homes, sometimes with multiple families in a single home or a set of rooms. By contrast, there are at least 10,000 Syrian Muslim families living in refugee camps. Most of these Christian families, however, are in need of the very basics of daily life—food, educational opportunities for their children, medical care. We help the poorer Christian families pay their rent; we also try to find work for the young men and adults. There are many skilled laborers, for example plumbers and electricians.

We also have created a chaplaincy to minister to the refugees, the majority of whom came from the city of Homs and surroundings. Many of them are in bad shape, emotionally and materially—they left everything behind and came here with literally nothing. Jihadist rebels came to them at night and forced them to leave immediately—they are traumatized, because they were unable to mourn and pray for their dead. We try to support them emotionally and financially. For example, I did sent a request to the European Union to help my Church support those 800 families which will cost about $4 million per year.

Q: There have been reports that the Syrian Christians in your archdiocese are reluctant to register themselves with the UN and other aid organizations for fear they will be identified as Christians and subject to potential reprisals. What can you say about this situation?

Archbishop Darwish: I try to convince them to register and thus become eligible for benefits. They are afraid—they don’t want to be involved whatsoever in the war; they worry that their names will be given either to the Syrian government or the rebels. They feel more comfortable being helped by the Church. I don’t believe they have real reason to be afraid, however, and we have tried to help matters by organizing meetings between the families and representatives of the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. I encouraged the Agency to work with us directly. But officials apparently are not too eager to do so, but we are making some progress.

It is also a matter of perception—UN officials see Muslims living in tents, in the camps, while Christians are living in regular homes and do not seem to be in such need. There is some discrimination. But it is part of the mentality of the Christians, their particular sense of personal dignity which makes Christians avoid the camps. The situation makes it all the more important for me to reach out to Christians in the West and ask them to support our work.

Q: Are you disappointed by the relative silence on the part of Western governments and even religious communities with regard to the hardships of Christians in Syria and throughout the Middle East?

Archbishop Darwish: Public opinion in the West is held hostage by the media. People don’t understand our real problems. What the media are missing is the reality of what is going on in Syria and elsewhere. They have missed the meaning of the so-called “Arab spring.” There is no Arab spring; there is no push for democracy—it is a push for theocracy, as we saw with the revolution in Egypt that brought the Muslim Brotherhood into power. Jihadists from all over the world are coming into the region—just consider the various radical factions in Syria, like Al Nusra. So far, the moderate opposition to the old regimes has been weak.

Also, Western governments cannot simply impose their form of democracy in the region. There is not one, single form of democracy. The Arab world must find its own form. For many Muslims today, there is simply no separation between religion and state. Arab society must become more mature in order to embrace the notion of a lay state. That will take a lot of time. But Christians have an important role to play in this process. What we can do is collaborate with moderate Muslims, here in Lebanon, in Syria, and in other countries of the region. Quietly, we have begun doing so, because there definitely are partners for dialogue within the Muslim community.

I chair the Christian-Muslim Dialogue Committee in Lebanon and my main focus is to help all faiths find common ground so that we can live together in peace in the Middle East. This was the effort Pope John Paul II called for when he visited Lebanon in 1997 and delivered his post-synodal exhortation following the conclusion of the Special Assembly for Lebanonof the Synodof Bishops.

Q: What would you like to see happen at the peace conference for Syria scheduled to be held in January 2014? Could you envision President Assad staying in power?

Archbishop Darwish: Until now, we have not been able to envision who could possibly replace him. We are afraid Jihadist forces could grab power and impose their ideology on all Christians and moderate Muslims. That would be very unwelcome also to most Syrian citizens. Ideally, there would be some accommodation between Assad and the secular opposition. What I would love to see happen in Geneva is a halt to the provision of weapons and money to all parties; support for Syria to rebuild what has been destroyed; an initiative that would force all parties to come together and find ways to reconcile and agree on the kind of reform that would fit all Syrians; and the granting of the fundamental freedom—in Syria, and throughout the Middle East—for Christian converts to register themselves as such, in a census for example. Only Lebanon respects this liberty today. In all other countries a convert to Christianity from Islam cannot register his marriage or his children, although he is allowed to worship. If the Churches were granted a place at the table in Geneva, this is what we would propose.

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Christians amongst the hardest hit in Syria

Posted on December 23, 2013 by fatherdave

The Patriarch is a good man. People accuse him of being pro-government, but it’s impossible now, as a Christian, to side with the rebellion when the anti-Assad forces are completely dominated by Jihadist mercenaries determined to put an end to any Christian presence in the country!

It’s not only the Christians who are being targeted by the Islamic Front and Jabhat Al Nusra, of course. Druze, Alawites, Shia Muslims in general – anyone who doesn’t fit the rigid definition of orthodoxy as laid down by the Jihadist leadership faces possible expulsion or extermination wherever the rebels are victorious!

This is no longer a battle between the Syrian government and Syrians fighting for democratic change (if it ever was). The battle now is between the Syrian people and the foreign powers who want to destroy Syria as a pluralistic society.

I have no doubt that the Syrian people will eventually rally together to expel these foreigners. Even so, the road back towards reconciliation will itself be an enormous battle. So much blood has been spilt! So many good people have died! Surely Syria is going to need good men like the Patriarch and many others like him to aid in the rebuilding of the country.

Father Dave

Patriarch Gregory III Laham

Patriarch Gregory III Laham

source: news.xinhuanet.com…

450,000 Christian Syrians displaced in long-term crisis

DAMASCUS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) — Syria’s long-term crisis has displaced more than 450,000 Christian Syrians and killed more than a thousand of them, Gregory III Laham, Patriarch of the Church of Antioch and all East, told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday.

“As we know, there are 120,000 Syrians killed in the 3-year- long crisis, including Syrian Christians. Maybe the Christians among the killed amount to 1,000. There are also nine million people displaced inside and outside Syria, 450,000 of whom were Christians,” Laham said.

The Patriarch’s remarks came as the Syrian crisis is coming to its third year and the sectarian theme of the crisis could no longer hide itself with the strong presence of fighters from al- Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), in several Syrian areas.

Syria’s Christians, who take up about 10 percent in the country ‘s Sunni-majority population, have felt the pain of the protracted crisis, as their population has been subject to attacks by the radical rebels. The latest incident took place earlier this month, when radical jihadists fully controlled Syria’s Christian town of Maaloula, north of the capital Damascus.

The armed radicals have fully controlled the town and started burning houses, the mainstream media said, adding that the rebels have also kidnapped 12 nuns from Mar Thecla Monastery, the largest monastery in that key historic area, which is one of the oldest cradles of Christianity in Syria.

Aside from the Christians, Syrians from the Druze and Alawite minorities, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, have also been subject to harsher treatment by the jihadi groups, whose leaders contended that they are protecting the majority Sunni population from the crackdown of the Syrian administration, whose top ranks belong to the Alawite minority.

In the interview, Laham said “there are 85 churches that have been destroyed, sabotaged, burnt and subject to systematic desecration by the Takfiri groups.”

“The crisis has tragically targeted all the Syrians with all of their sects,” he said.

Regarding the kidnapped nuns of Maloula and the two bishops, who have been kidnapped since eight months ago in northern Aleppo province, the top Patriarch said there was no news about them or the time of their release.

“Targeting high-profile Christian figures is aimed to disseminate fear among the Christians and push people to leave the country,” he remarked.

Yet, with all of the sectarian tension the crisis has generated, Laham said “there is no civil war in Syria.”

“Talks about the inter-fighting among the Syrians are not accurate. There are external parties that have been running the conflict. Those parties are more stronger than any opposition, so the issue is not purely Syrian but a war against Syria from the outside,” he noted.

While blaming the conflict on foreign power, the Patriarch called for the Europeans and Arab countries to find a political solution to the crisis, saying “as part of our Christian role, we call for unity among the Arab nation because the bases of our success is to have a support from unity. Also, we call for a political European unity to find a solution and to push the Arab countries to respect and accept the solution for the Syrian crisis. So if an Arab-European consensus could be reached, it would press the opposition to unite and to go with the government to Geneva II peace conference.”

Syrians’ hopes are now pinned on the upcoming Geneva II conference aimed to start the political process and give a chance for recovering of the sinking economy. The conference, slated on January 22, is aimed at engaging warring Syrian parties to negotiate an end to the prolonged crisis.

Syria’s Christians have showed support to the embattled President Bashar al-Assad whose administration has boasted itself as a defender of the minority groups in Syria, which consists of a remarkable melange of sects and beliefs.

Christians in Syria are quite well off and some even hold senior positions in the government. This might be one of the causes that have raised their concern over a possible government change.

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Mother Agnes responds to her critics

Posted on December 14, 2013 by fatherdave

Mother Agnes of Homs is currently concluding her speaking tour of North America – doing her best to persuade audiences across the USA that there are realistic alternatives to endless violence in Syria.

I reported earlier on the controversy she has stirred up and the battery of crazy accusations that have been levelled at her. Now, thanks to Sharmine Narwani, Mother Agnes has been able to respond to the charges laid against her in her own words.

This is a long and detailed read but it is worth reading to the end!

Father Dave 

with Mother Agnes and Mairead Maguire in Damascus

with Mother Agnes and Mairead Maguire in Damascus

Mother Agnes Mariam: In Her Own Words

by Sharmine Narwani

American national security journalist Jeremy Scahill and leftist British columnist Owen Jones announced recently that they would not share a platform with a Palestinian-Lebanese nun at the Stop The War Coalition’s November 30 UK conference.

Neither Scahill nor Jones provided any reason for their harsh “indictment” of Mother Agnes Mariam, who has worked tirelessly for the past few years on reconciliation in war-torn Syria, where she has lived for two decades.

The journalists – neither of whom have produced any notable body of work on Syria – appear to have followed the lead of a breed of Syria “activists” who have given us doozies like “Assad is about to fall,” “Assad has no support,” “the opposition is peaceful,” “the opposition is unarmed,” “this is a popular revolution,” “the revolution is not foreign-backed,” “there is no Al Qaeda in Syria,” “the dead are mostly civilians,” and other such gems.

For some of these activists, anything short of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s departure is no solution of any kind. Mother Agnes Mariam, whose Mussalaha (Reconciliation) movement inside Syria works specifically on mediation, dialogue and the promotion of non-violence, is unmoved by black-and-white solutions: Reconciliation, after all, is a series of political settlements forged on both local and national levels. There are only compromises there, not absolute gain. She doesn’t actually care who leads Syria and who wins or loses, providing the choice comes from a Syrian majority.

Yet the smear “Assad apologist” persists in following Mother Agnes on her visits to foreign capitals to gain support for Massalaha and its methods. It puts her at risk on the ground in Syria and inhibits her ability to open communications with those who would otherwise welcome the relief she brings.

When Scahill and Jones announced they would not share a platform with Mother Agnes at the STWC conference, she withdrew so as not to undermine the event’s anti-war unity objective. But instead of bringing this incident to a close, a maelstrom has erupted around the actions of the two journalists: “Who are they to pass judgement? Why would reporters seek to censor any voice?”

Award-winning British journalist and author Jonathan Cook perhaps put it best in his piece entitled “Bowing before the inquisitors on Syria”:

“Scahill and Jones have not done something principled or progressive here. They are trying to stay ‘onside’ with the corporate media, the main political parties and the Syria war-mongers. In short, they are looking out for their careers…They are looking to keep their credibility within a wider political system that, they otherwise seem to acknowledge, is deeply compromised and corrupt. In this episode, they are not chiefly worrying about countering moves towards an attack or saving Syrian lives, even while they claim this is exactly what their participation is about.”

Both journalists are outspoken against the censorship of information by the “establishment media” so it is particularly galling to see them succumb to the bullying narratives that have so dominated Syria coverage in the mainstream. In their own domain and area of expertise they don’t trust establishment voices, so why trust them in any other arena? This rather obvious contradiction has turned the tables on Scahill/Jones – if anything, generating interest in Mother Agnes and what she has to say.

Time to give her that platform back – no need for others to filter your information, you can judge for yourself below. And because so much of this debate has taken place on Twitter and the blogosphere, I invited “tweeps” from all sides of the Syrian divide to pose some questions too:

So without further ado, here is Mother Agnes Mariam, in her own words:

Did the Stop The War Coalition ask you to withdraw from their anti-war conference or did you choose to do so of your own volition?

I was invited to this conference, then I was informed about people that were against my coming and threatening to blow it up because of me. I preferred to immediately withdraw for the sake of this conference. Now, to tell you the truth I also have fear that this conference will not be useful, because these people attending are not applying non-violence principles. Non-violence principles means to be open to all adversaries. We can deal with people who don’t think like us. A non-violent approach is to dialogue precisely with people who are different. For a peace conference to begin like this, I felt like it is not a peace conference.

Have you ever heard of Jeremy Scahill and Owen Jones before this?

No, not at all. Who are they? Didn’t even notice who the people were. I heard about this from my organizer – that some people opposed even my presence. I understand everybody – I have been in dialogue with precisely the kind of people who opposed my presence. But it is the first time I hear their names, so no, I don’t know them. I’m not a person in the “scene.” (laughs)

What do you think of the attempt to censor views on Syria – and does your own experience this week have any correlation with how the mainstream media has covered Syria for almost three years?

You know, before working in reconciliation, I thought the so-called “democratic world” was really protecting freedom of expression and political choices. I am not involved with politics but they are ‘framing’ me; politicizing me. Am very shocked to learn that in this democratic world it is forbidden to think differently, talk differently and act differently from people who proclaim themselves as the ‘absolute reference’ for public opinion. This is a campaign of defamation. I am threatened by them: not by Jabhat al-Nusra, with whom I sometimes have good relations, or Al Qaeda – but by French media, by prominent leaders and CEOs of catholic NGOs, and by reporters. Am really astonished at how a reporter can become a prosecutor and a judge and can issue the sentence, and I am afraid that he can apply this sentence because today I see he works in total impunity.

Some media outlets and activists have accused you of brokering a civilian evacuation in rebel-held Moadamiya, only to hand them over to the Syrian authorities. What actually happened?

It was a purely humanitarian endeavor. Our (Mussalaha) team receives calls from all over Syria asking us to investigate people who have disappeared, to find out conditions for their release, to mediate on prisoner exchanges, to get food supplies to populations in need, how to transport humanitarian aid to hot areas, how to bring medical equipment to dangerous areas, how to arrange ceasefires, how to help violent opponents to shift to non-violence. We help to implement a non-violent spirit – we work with everybody, all sides, to do this.

This particular evacuation was requested by the civilian population itself in Mouadamiya. We have Mussalaha team members from Mouadamiya who are mediators. We were addressing the humanitarian issue in Moadamiya for many months before this, to try to make reconciliation from a violent opposition to a non-violent opposition. And when I saw photos of starving children on the Facebook – like in Biafra – I went to the Syrian Minister of Social Affairs Kinda al-Chammat to say this was not acceptable and that we should do something. Then we made contact with all the world health groups and international NGOs – we had talks with them to provide food. A caravan of more than 20 trucks was ready to enter Moadamiya, but it was forbidden to enter. It is difficult to say by who – I think it was from the army that was besieging this rebel stronghold, but also from the warlords that fix enormous prices to provide the entrance of food. Minister Chammat was really open to finding a solution, I said if they are not giving us the green light, I will go myself to take the 18 children who were under threat of dying. So we were entrusted to negotiate with the notables and the families in Moadamiya. Our mediators (also from Moadamiya) were surprised when whole families expressed the wish to be evacuated – because they are the families of the rebels, and to ask to be evacuated means they will be relying on the government. When we heard this we thought it was an easier and safer solution because if you bring in food but the violence continues, those civilians will be harmed anyway.

You know, under the Geneva Convention, it is illegal to transform a residential area into a battleground and if you do that you cannot keep civilians there like human shields. So the evacuation was motivated first by the desire of the families (not all, you know). The first project was to evacuate 100-200 women and children without any of their belongings, because there was a big fear that undisciplined members from either side would breach the ceasefire. It was delicate. Then on the very day, Minister Chammat, seeing hundreds of women and children arriving, told us “let as many who want to leave come out, because we cannot make discrimination,” so she made it open for that day. The government agreed to let us go alone; we were not escorted. All this was done in negotiations between the ministry and the governor of rural Damascus. Our responsibility was to bring the civilians to the barricade, but when we went there the rebels did not allow the women to proceed. I concluded, through contacts with the families that they were willing to come out, but we had to negotiate directly with the rebels. So I took a white flag into the area called no man’s land. I was followed by two of our mediators and by Sister Carmel – and it was heroic from her because she is a fearful person but she didn’t want me to go alone. There were tens of young rebel men, some armed, others not. And we were taken on a tour to see the destruction of the city and they asked us to come to the military council. (A video of Mother Agnes inside Moadamiya can be viewed here) They gave us security assurance. The commander arrived and they asked me to make a statement, which they recorded by video. But then we were detained, they wanted us to remain like ransom in exchange to let the women go out. We were hearing many noises and even gunfire while we were waiting. Then a real battle broke out – it was a big danger for everybody. We noticed that among them there was no unity, each would say their own thing. Finally, another leader came and agreed to the evacuation. Many of the leaders of fighters wanted their own families to leave. Others who don’t have families didn’t care. All we did was to answer a humanitarian request from rebel families.

In total, we evacuated 6,600 women and children – we have all their names, they are all registered. More than 200 are not registered because they left immediately with relatives. Also 650 young men came on their own to surrender. The army considered them as fighters. A few were badly wounded and they were taken to hospital. The (media) criticism was based on fake stories because the opposition (not the ones in Moadamiyada) do not want to accept the success of reconciliation based on mediation between the government and rebels. And because – after the success of the Moadamiya evacuation – ten other points in Syria have asked for the same mediation. Yesterday, for example, we had another evacuation – from Beit Sahm I believe – who were evacuated temporarily until the violence ceases. These critics said many were killed, abducted, raped when they came out of Moadamiya. Yes, there have been some errors and undisciplined acts. For instance, nine of the women were robbed. Volunteers from the ‘popular committees’ robbed their gold. We have done this evacuation in three separate days. On the first day we had 20 boys that were arrested, but we launched a campaign about this and they have been released. There are only two young boys now who are detained. We are still following up to secure them. The rebels with whom we have negotiated have entrusted us with their families, and they are the families of leaders and fighters, not just normal families. Until today, the two boys who disappeared after the Moadamiya evacuations are a problem for me and my credibility with the rebels. I am struggling with the authorities to find these boys right now.

The other major attack against you stems from a report you wrote about the aftermath of an alleged chemical weapons (CW) attack in Ghouta. You are accused of whitewashing the incident, blaming rebels for it and even charging children of “faking death.” How do you respond to these charges?

I have been accused of denying CW attacks, of protecting the Syrian regime and of accusing the rebels of launching those attacks. I have never said this. In the foreward of a study I did on this, I affirm: I am not an expert. I am not talking on a military basis, or a forensic or medical basis. I just questioned some videos. It started because I was asked by the parents – survivors of a terrible massacre in the Latakia mountains – to help find some children abducted with women after the massacre. Some had recognized their children in the pictures of the chemical attacks. They delegated me to look into this for them. I was tracking those children in the videos – without this task I would not have had any incentive to look at the videos. My work at the monastery was in iconography and restoration (preservation) – I am very used to using my eyes to look for tiny details. I noticed discrepancies in the videos. I came to look at them for one thing (the abducted children) and in the process I discovered these videos were fake. When I went to Geneva to the commissioners in the Human Rights Council, I told them about my findings in relation to the missing children and the videos, and they said they would be interested to have something written. I do not incriminate anybody in this study. I do not pretend to decide if there was a CW attack or not. There were discrepancies and I am simply asking questions. The study was done in a hurry – we even said it was a beta version. Now I am finalizing the study that will introduce even more evidence. Those videos – numbers 1, 6, 11, 13 among the 13 videos claimed by the US intelligence community as authenticated and verified to be presented to Congress as genuine evidence of CW attacks – are fake, staged and pre-fabricated. Nobody thus far is answering my charges – they are incriminating me without answering. My goal in this is to find the children; that’s my only goal. If they were used for staging, are they alive? Where are they now? If they are alive they must be returned to their families. If they are dead, we want to see their bodies to bury them so their parents can mourn them and we want to know how they were put to death and where. I am asking to see the graves where 1,466 alleged corpses are buried in Ghouta and to take from the pit samples to conduct an honest inquiry. Because I doubt that there is such a pit.

Question from Twitter user @MortenHj: “Can she elaborate on how she conduct her talks between the warring sides? How do they acknowledge her; promise safety?”

Normally, we are called by the rebel sides who invite us for some settlements. Usually Syrian fighters either want to shift to non-violence, surrender and continue their lives, or they want us to mediate an exchange between abductees and detainees. We mediate among the responsible parties in government, like the ministry of justice and ministry of social affairs – it depends, since each case has its own context. We do it on a neutral basis – we are mediators, not part of the conflict. We want to ease the fate of civilians and we consider the fate of the Syrian rebels. We do not care about foreign fighters. Those foreign fighters are legally not allowed to enter or be in Syria. But we have special care for the Syrian fighters. We consider them as victims. A 17 or 18-year-old boy who is to be jailed, his mother is crying, what am I to do?

We talk via phone or Skype, sometimes we visit them as I did in many places. Sometimes the leader of a rebel group come to see me in a disguised way. Our (more detailed) talks are preferably face to face to build trust and transparency.

Sometimes you have rebels who request the release of their people who have been captured, others want to surrender – they don’t want anymore to participate in the armed struggle. Sometimes the liberal factions ask for help against the radical factions. I always say that between Syrians there is not a real wall. There is not a watertight impervious wall, so we receive many requests. We have had meetings with Jabhat al Nusra (JaN). When they are Syrians they can be flexible, when they are radical (foreigners) they will not talk to you, they will kill you. It’s like the Baggara tribe of around 3 million – they have relatives in Liwa al-Tawhid and JaN too. Half the tribe are loyalists, half are opposition. And this is a hope for the future. Everybody can talk to everybody. Once in Raqqa they put me on the phone with the emir because they wanted dialysis equipment for their hospital and so we mediated and the ministry of health sent 3 dialysis machines for the sake of the civilian population. I am always astonished how my people in the reconciliation committee know everybody.

Question from Twitter user @Kreasechan – What does she think should happen to those in command positions in the regime who have committed or commissioned war crimes and crimes against humanity?

I will tell you something. All this ‘apparatus of incriminations’ is politicized. If you can read between the lines of the report of the international Commission of Inquiry, you will see that the Syrian government has a hierarchy so it is easy to incriminate the government as a whole. But the rebels don’t have a hierarchy – you have 2,000 different battalions. Every time you see violence by rebels, large scale ones with hundreds of civilians now killed every week on a sectarian basis… If you study the more than 100,000 dead in Syria, you will be surprised to see that more than 45% of them are from the army and security forces. Then you have 35% of civilians among those dead, more than half of whom are killed by opposition. Then you have 15-20% of dead who are rebels. So it is not true to say the government is the only one perpetrating things against human rights. The Commission of Inquiry will have to work without political pressure to implement a good inquiry where everyone will be heard, because we are scandalized that light is shed on one side, but not on the other side. I know by saying this, they will incriminate me. But in reality, I am on side of the victims – I care that they will be heard. If you don’t hear from every side, these victims will continue to be under violence with impunity. We must ask accountability from everybody. Those incriminated by a fair, unbiased inquiry will have to pay their crimes, even those who have instigated and financed sectarian crimes.

Question from Twitter user @Paciffreepress – Do you love Assad, Mother Agnes?

I live in Syria and I have a burden on my shoulders for Syria. I believe beheading Syria from its government is a dangerous aggression when the UN still continues to consider the government of Assad to be the legal government. I rely on the UN position, which is the legal position. I consider that the dismantling of any State is a crime against humanity because it deprives the citizens of their citizenship and from their legality. They becomes pariahs. The Syrian people should decide through fair elections.

Question from Twitter user @r3sho – What is her opinion about Kurdish autonomy in Syria?

I am with the Syrian people – they will choose their own way, even if they want to make a federation or whatever. I am personally against the division of Syria, but federalism is up to the people. In my view, dividing a country is an aggression, but if the country decides to be a federation, it is a legal thing. They are free to do so.

Question from Twitter user @broodmywarcraft: what does she have to say to those who call her a stooge for Assad?

I am a stooge only for peace, not for Assad. I am for peace through reconciliation. I am for dialogue and I am for discussing issues with everybody who wants to discuss peace. If any Syrian, on any side of this horrible conflict wishes to discus peace or work toward peace through reconciliation, I am ready to help.

Question from Twitter user @bangpound: Does she still think the children were faking it in Ghouta?

They were not faking it. I never said that at all. I believe that they were either under anesthesia or that they were killed. But as the videos are fake, my terrible question is what were they doing with them?

Question from Twitter user @Nouraltabbaa: If she is trying to perform a Mussalaha why is she meeting with Ali Kayyali and other militias but not the opposition fighters?

For some hard cases, I have to go beyond the civil administration to negotiate with the warlords. We go there officially as a reconciliation committee, accompanied by some Muslim clerics. I have to mediate with the opposition and the government and the popular committees. I have to mediate with everyone.

Question from Twitter user @HRIMark: What effect is the campaign of defamation and threats against her having on her and her work?

It affects my life. I cannot go back to my monastery. I was saved by the Free Syrian Army (FSA). They informed me about orders to abduct and kill me by foreign parties. They helped me to go out from Qara and they protected our monastery and they have not, to this day, given me the green light to return. A lot of them were workers in our monastery.

Question from Twitter user @Net_News_Global: Ask her, if she thinks, that there was, besides murderous propaganda, a real CW attack.

We have witnesses and ‘social sensors’ everywhere in Damascus. Until today we have received 88 claims of death in Moadamiya (from the August 21 attack).

We are told they were not killed because of sarin, that they were killed because of heavy shelling from the army and from suffocation from heavy shelling. The deceased were together in a shelter and they suffocated from this. Moadamiya people told us this. One of the reasons that I would like to see the graves is because 1,466 deaths is a real “social tsunami” in the Syrian society where everybody knows everybody and everybody is related. In the case of East Ghouta, we did not even have one case show up. We did not know of one single person who is dead. You know, to have relatives claiming this – the brother, the friend – nobody did. We did not have the “echo” of the death of 1,466 people. We are asking for a neutral inquiry with the presence of witnesses from both sides, where they will open the pits, see the victims, they will take samples randomly – where they took it, how they took it, etc. Samples should be sent to 5 labs under the same conditions and precautions. Until then there is a question mark on everything. I cannot say yes, I cannot say no.

Question from Twitter user @tob_la: How would she describe her relationship with Syrian intelligence services?

There is no relationship. This is despite the wild allegations of some people who believe that the heads of the Syrian intelligence meet with me, a simple nun, on a daily basis. Do you believe that these people would spare such time?

I have no “relations” with such authorities. As mediators we have to deal with these people when necessary. And without my mediation task I don’t have anything to do with them.

Question from Twitter user @MortenHj: What does she view as the biggest problem facing the refugees, especially children, with the approaching winter. How can anyone support?

This is a very big problem. We need warm clothes, blankets urgently. During my trip in the US – from California – they are sending me a container with a special kind of textile that is very warm. “Oakley” warm clothing. We can provide for the local diaspora or NGOs to come collect these things from anywhere in the world and send them in containers to Syria. We are trying to do a big push for winter now. We’re also getting some tents. I will be going back to the US where an NGO will be providing us with something that resembles tents, but is rectangular. We are planning to get thousands of these – one per family. You have whole neighborhoods that are destroyed. Instead of displacing residents outside their areas, I would like to return them to their home, even if it is destroyed, and put them on their land in a refurbished structure. Like this, slowly by slowly they can rebuild their homes.

Question by Twitter user @edwardedark: Could you please ask her why the Vatican has not been more outspoken on the plight of Christians in Syria?

I don’t know – maybe because the Vatican and all of us we are in solidarity with all the civilian population in Syria and we don’t want to emphasize a sectarian dimension because we viewed this as artificial. Christians have shared the same fate as Muslims in Syria – everybody faced the same violence. Monsignor Mamberti and the Pope are finally expressing their sadness for the sectarian nature that the conflict is taking, I think because now there is too much targeting of Christians now in Maaloula, Sadad, Qara, Deir Atieh, Nabek and other places. Every day Christian buses, schools are being targeted. In Bab Touma, Bab Sharqi, Jaramana, Kasa’a, Malki…

Now the Vatican is talking. Mgr. Mamberti is saying loudly and clearly that The Holy See cares about unity, sovereignty, and the place of the minorities so they will not be isolated, cornered, or forgotten. The Holy Sea is promoting reconciliation, dialogue and a peaceful settlement of the crisis. They are against the arming of any side. They want more creativity for peace and not creativity for war. What I found outstanding about the Monsignor’s recent comments is that he said the Syrian people should isolate the foreigners, distance themselves and denounce them. This is a very clear statement against foreign intervention. Then he opened the issue of humanitarian aid and the dialogue between religions – interfaith dialogue. This is not the task of experts, but the task of everybody, the believers. So there is a real change in language from the Vatican. The Holy See is no longer shy about Syria – and to tell you the truth, it is time. What is left for the Christians in Syria otherwise?

 

Posted in Article, syrian civil war | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Syrian rebels decorate Christmas Trees with the heads of their victims

Posted on December 14, 2013 by fatherdave

My friend in Damascus tells me that there will be no need for Christmas trees in Adra this year (a Christian town to the north-east of Damascus) as Christians and Alawites have had their severed heads hung from trees in a macabre mockery of Christian festivities.

Yes, this is the work of the same rebels that are being backed by the West, whether they like to admit it or not. The following report comes from the FARS Newsagency

Damascus on fire

Damascus on fire

source: english.farsnews.com…

Syria Rebels Attack Adra Homes, Make Piles of Bodies

According to Al Alam reporter Mazen Salmo, militants from the terrorist Liwa al-Islam group, and Al-Qaeda’s al-Nusra Front attacked Adra during the last week and started killing people, family by family.

A video showed piles of dead bodies in houses, among them children, which were killed during militants’ attack.

Local witnesses told Salmo that militants attacked Adra’s super markets, fuel stations and bakeries as they entered the city and scared people off their way.

An unknown number of people have been abducted by militants while many have been killed in their homes, the reporter said.

Local reports also say that people have been executed in Adra following al-Nusra Front attack on the town, and some have said more than a hundred people have been killed by militants in last couple of days.

Local resistance forces are still fighting the militants in parts of the town, Salmo said, as the country’s army is largely focused on its battle in the strategic Qalamoun area near capital Damascus.

“It seems that militants are trying to drive army’s attention toward Adra from Qalamoun,” Salmo said.

Militant forces have suffered heavy losses in the Qalamoun fighting.

They have also called for a mass mobilization against Syrian army which has shown a strong face in defending capital from militants’ threat.

Nearly three years of crisis has taken its toll on the lives of around 126,000 people in Syria, according to new statistics compiled by the United Nations. Millions have also been displaced due to the turmoil.

Posted in Article, syrian rebels | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Extreme Misogyny in Syrian Salafism!

Posted on December 3, 2013 by fatherdave

I am deeply grateful to my friend Franklin Lamb for helping clarify the distinctions between some of the different Islamic sects operating in Syria. I confess I had been using the terms ‘Wahhabis’ and ‘Salafists’ and ‘Jihadis’ almost interchangeably. Clearly the differences are significant and each term and group has its own history.

The extreme misogyny evident in the Salafism that Franklin discusses below is deeply disturbing and should find no place within any modern religion. Even so, Franklin suggests that this is the fastest growing religious sect within Syria! What does that say about the broader degeneration of Syrian society?

Father Dave

Franklin Lamb with his son, Alistair, in Beirut

Franklin Lamb with his son, Alistair, in Beirut

Salafist Crimes Against Islam in Syria

by FRANKLIN LAMB

Damascus

Reports from across Syria, and increasing coming in from many areas including Aleppo, Qalamoun and Reqaa lay bare massive crimes being perpetrated against the Syrian people in the name of Islam from areas under Salafist control.  A recent German domestic intelligence service annual report described Salafism as the fastest growing Islamic movement in Syria.  Based on interviews conducted by this observer recently in Damascus, it is evident that mainstream Salafism, with its emphasis on adherence to the Korans principles and standards for correct behavior towards humanity, is being deeply subverted in the Syrian Arab Republic from forces organized from outside this country.

The Salafi methodology or Salafist movement, historically respected among  scholars of Islam, is a school of Islamic thought among Sunni Muslims named after the “Salaf” or “predecessors” among the earliest Muslims, who are widely considered examples of Islamic practice worthy of emulation. The Salafist movement is often described as related to, or even synonymous with Saudi Wahhabism or at least a hybrid.  Salafism has become widely known among Muslims only since the 1960’s  with some attributing this phenomenon is partly  a result of the Zionist occupation of Palestine and other projects of Western hegemony which has led to revising some claimed interpretations of  Islam more common during periods of history when Islam was threatened.  Salafism presents to its followers a literalistic, strict, puritanical interpretation of the Koran. Particularly in the West, and increasingly in Syria, some Salsify Jihadis espouse violent jihad against the public, even Muslim civilians, as a legitimate expression of defending Islam.

Though Salafis  claim to be Sunni Muslims, some scholars this observer interviewed in Damascus’ Omayyad  Mosque and Sunni Sheiks  based in Damascus are of the view that Salafis are a  sui generis sect, and are thus apart from traditional  Sunni Muslim Koranic interpretations and practice. One professor of Islamic studies expressed, perhaps a minority view, that Salafis and Wahhabis are essentially the same. The basis of this claim is that Salafis do not acknowledge or follow any of the four schools of thought to which other Sunni Muslims adhere.  Rather, they have their own beliefs and laws, their own leaders and social systems, and practicing religion with strict and widely rejected extremist practices as well as committing crimes targeting civilians, including fellow Muslims, for political and financial reasons.

One currently ascendant Salafist group in Syria, among more than 1000 others competing for weapons and fighters, is “Daash”. The word is an acronym with its letters standing for “the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.”  Daash appeared on the scene here recently, about a year ago and some local observers believe it arrived via Iraq with large amounts of funding from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, the latter of which also facilitates its weapons, supplies and access to the north of Syria via Turkish territory. Daash membership figures have recently inflated partly because it currently pays its recruits nearly four times the going gunman wage here or approximately $ 500 per month as it competes with Jabhat al Nusra and others to impose some of its frankly bizarre interpretations of Islam.

Damascus is awash in tales coming in from Daash controlled areas around Aleppo and elsewhere of a sheath full of recent Fatwa’s and orders posted on walls of what is expected of the local Salafist occupied areas.  It operates, as recent reports indicate and many of which have been verified by Sunni Islamic scholars and Sheiks from Damascene mosques with brutaltiy to enforce its will on the civilian population. A Sunni law student from Damascus University Faculty of Law compiled over the past few weeks some research on the subject and she reports example of spreading Salafist edits which she labels, “An insane frontal assault on Islam by criminal acts against Muslim and others of the Book.”

On 11/27/13 a young lady arriving at the Dama Rose hotel reported to this observer that currently In parts of Raqaa and Aleppo and other Daash  controlled areas if a man from Daash covets something such as someone’s new car or someone’s wife, he must now only say “Allah Akbar”  three times and the personal property or the targeted women belongs to him and the man can  beat the wife and rape her with impunity. This latest Fatwa obviously causes serious problems within Daash and other affected militia especially in Raqqa and Allepo.  The young lady from a prominent Dasmascene Sunni family reported that Daash members are currently taking gas, oil and bread at will from non-Daash villages for distribution to members of their cult of approximately 5000 members and reportedly growing.  Also according to recently televised reports it is now permissible for Daash members to rape any woman who is not Muslim as well as Muslim women who support the Assad government.

Some recently reported Salisfist practices spreading in Syria include, but are not limited to the following:

*Females in Daash controlled areas of Aleppo and elsewhere are being prevented from wearing jeans and sweaters and must wear only the Islamic dress Abaya and Barkaa while forbidden from putting on any make-up or now, as of two weeks ago, to even leave their homes without a male escort. Some women in parts of Aleppo and Raqaa now refer to their neighborhoods as Tora Bora, Afghanistan, given the similarities of repression  between Taliban and Salafist treatment of women;

*As of November 15, 2913 force is used to prevent smoking and use of arguila (water pipes) by men and women in some villages;

*Some barber shops for men are being shuttered in order to prevent the shortening of hair and ‘modern’ haircuts. Barrettes for young people are also forbidden.

*It is now forbidden in Daash areas to display any sign or advertisements for cosmetics and skin care products in women’s hairdressing shops. Violators are subject to penalties of 70 lashes. Any business that employs women much have two work-day shifts, one for men and a separate one exclusively for female employees;

*No women’s clothing can be displayed in shop windows. Tailors shops must shut to men in the event of the women’s presence in the shop until she leaves. The Daash militia has long prevented women from seeking medical attention from male Doctors. Recently Daash has put into place prohibitions against women visiting doctors of either sex and it is not permissible for a woman to wear orthodontic devices such as teeth braces because straight teeth might attract men and in any case their bodies are under the stewardship of their husbands or fathers only.

*Daash has proclaimed that women who swim in the sea are in fact committing “adultery” — even if they wear a hijab because as with many other languages, Arabic nouns are gender specific, and “sea” is masculine and when the water touches the woman’s vaginal area she becomes an ‘adulteress’ and must be punished. Daash militias also forbid women from eating certain vegetables or even touching cucumbers, carrots or bananas, due to their phallic imagery, which may tempt women to deviate and it is also unacceptable for women to turn the air conditioning on at home during the absence of their husbands as this could be used as a sign to indicate to neighbors that the woman is at home alone and any of them could commit adultery with her.

The Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm in its 11/15/13 edition reported that Daash variety Fatwas regard women as strange creatures created solely for sex. Daash considers the voices of women, their looks and presence outside of their homes an ‘offense” with some Salafists regarding women in general ‘offensive.’”

Among the practices permitted by Daash is the widespread acceptance of wives lying to their husbands concerning politics. Daash believes that if the husband forbids her from being supportive of their agenda and control of Syrian villages in Aleppo and Raqaa for example, she may then, through dissimulation support them while pretending to be against them.

During interviews in Syria, one religious advisor to Daash opined to this observer that marriage to ten-year-old girls should be allowed in order to prevent girls from deviating from the correct path, while another prohibited girls from going to schools, even those located close to their homes and another Fatwa states that a marriage is annulled if the husband and wife make love with no clothes on. Some Daash fatwas also sanction the use of women and children as human shields in violent demonstrations and protests, as these are by them as jihads to empower Islam.

Yet other fatwas accepted by Daash forbid Muslims from greeting Christians and even forbidding Muslim cab drivers from transporting Christian priests while criticizing Egypt’s Al Azhar, considered by many to be one of the oldest and most prestigious Islamic universities in the world for withdrawing its Fatwa that instructed women to “breastfeed” male acquaintances, thereby making them relatives and justifying their mixed company

Men are now being physically assaulted by Daash milita on the street if they are clean shaven or wear tight trousers. Men who suffer from Erectile Dysfunction can however watch pornographic movies provided that the participants in the porno flicks are Islamists. It is being reported currently that in some Daash areas it is now permissible to rape any woman who is not Muslim as well as Muslim women who support the Assad government.

The Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm in its 11/15/13 edition reported that Daash variety Fatwas regard women as strange creatures created solely for sex. Daash considers the voices of women, their looks and presence outside of their homes an ‘offence” with some Salafists regarding women in general ‘offensive.’”

Among the practices permitted by Daash is the widespread acceptance of wives lying to their husbands concerning politics. Daash believes that if the husband forbids her from being supportive of their agenda and control of Syrian villages in Aleppo and Raqaa for example, she may then, through dissimulation support them while pretending to be against them.

During interviews in Syria, one religious adviser to Daash opined that marriage to ten-year-old girls should be allowed in order to prevent girls “from deviating from the right path,” while another prohibited girls from going to schools located  just 25 kilometers away from their homes and another Fatwa states that a marriage is annulled if the husband and wife make love with no clothes on.

Some Daash fatwas also sanction the use of women and children as human shields in violent demonstrations and protests, as these are by them as jihads to empower Islam. Other fatwas accepted by Daash forbid Muslims from greeting Christians and even forbidding Muslim cab drivers from transporting Christian priests while critiquing Egypt’s Al Azhar, considered by many to be one of the oldest and most prestigious Islamic universities in the world for withdrawing its Fatwa that instructed women to “breastfeed” male acquaintances, thereby making them relatives and justifying their mixed company.

Education is focused on boys and in Daash area schools in Syria, a country long acknowledged to have among the highest quality of education, both and elementary and secondary levels, are being  run like the Pakistani Madras and education is limited to memorizing every word of the Koran while severely limiting any education in the sciences or secular subjects

Last month, Daash issued another anti-Islamic “Fatwa” that says that “all those who support Bashar al-Assad , even the word , or who are in favor of the National Coalition or agree to a dialogue with him  must have his head separated from his body  including  the beheading of all members of the coalition favoring Geneva II or dialogue.”

One much respected Sunni Sheik from Tripoli Lebanon currently residing in Damascus and with whom this observer has become friends over the course of many visits to Syria, is Sheikh Abdul Salam El Harrach, Symposium Coordinator of Muslim Scholars in Akkar, north Lebanon.  Sheik Harrach has run afoul of Daash and  is a strong supporter of the Hezbollah led Resistance to the Zionist occupation of Palestine and an advocate for the Syrian people. He favors dialogue and is hopeful about Geneva II while hoping that recent encouraging Iran-US efforts to settle some regional problems will bear fruit for Syria.

Sheikh Harrach argues that the Syrian people must decide in the coming Presidential election who will be their leaders and not other countries who are sending militia to create chaos while too often turning a blind eye to current Salafist un-Islamic criminal campaigns which include widespread thefts of Muslim property in areas they currently occupy in Syria. As a result of his political stances, the Sheikh  has been targeted for assassination more than once by Daash/al Qaeda types and in rumored to have a large bounty on his head from  Jabat al Nursa, Daash and others in Tripoli who oppose Sunni-Shia rapprochement in the Levant and globally.

One assassination attempt, which wounded his son Wael, took place in the north Lebanon town of Aaat during a Ramadan Iftar event held in tents outside his home. Some  blamed  the March 14th coalition and extreme Islamic elements. Sheik Harrach explained that the assault on his son, and other armed attacks are perpetrated  ” against the background of incitement against Sunni Muslim from extremist elements who have the support of some of the security services, stressing that he is targeted because  of his ” support for the reform and development in Syria under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad and because of the standing and support for the resistance and his outright rejection of the U.S. and Zionist project for Lebanon and the region. ”

To his credit and in solidarity with the people of Syria, Sheik Harrash vows to continue working with the growing Sunni and Shia joint resistance to Daash and like-minded Salafist militia until they are expelled from Syria.  He insists that if someone wants to learn about Islam they need only come to Syria to study and not fall victim to “ Islamic instruction” from foreign Islamists seeking establishment of a Levant or global Caliphate.

Franklin Lamb volunteers with the Sabra-Shatila Scholarship Program (SSSP) in Shatila Camp (www.sssp-lb.com…) and is reachable c/o fplamb@gmail.com…

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George Galloway interviews Mother Agnes

Posted on December 2, 2013 by fatherdave

It is wonderful to see two dear and respected friends join forces for the sake of justice and peace.

This interview is part of George’s innovative new program, screening through “Russia Today” – “SPUTNIK… Orbiting the World with George Galloway”.

You can see the full episode (no.3) here.

[imaioVideo v=1]

Fighting Father George GallowayMother Agnes and Sister Carmel on the way to Canberra

Posted in Media coverage, syria news | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Saudis incriminate themselves as the architects of the Ghouta gas attacks

Posted on November 26, 2013 by fatherdave

As the dust settles after the West’s failed attempt to destroy Damascus on behalf of the rebels in supposed retribution for the Syrian government’s gas attack on the people of Ghouta, there is a growing body of evidence pointing to the real culprits that is going entirely unnoticed by the mainstream media.

On August 29th an investigative report was published in Mint Press News that suggested that Saudi Prince Bandar Bin Sultan may have been behind the gas attacks that were going to be used by the US as a pretext for an attack on Damascus. The report was unique, not so much because it pointed the finger at the Saudis but because it was the only article in print that was based on interviews with members of the families of those who had been killed in the attack!

Since the publication of the article, the authors,  Dale Gavlak and Yahya Ababneh, have apparently been subjected to threats and intimidation, and Gavlak made a series of attempts to distance herself from the article. Our thanks go to Phil Greaves who has helped piece together the full sordid story as to how the Saudis have attempted to repress and discredit Gavlak and Ababneh’s article. It is hard not to to interpret their efforts as a tacit admission of Saudi guilt!

Father Dave

Syria in Crisis

photo by Denning Isles (iammordechai.com…)

source: notthemsmdotcom.wordpress.com…

NEW MINT PRESS STATEMENT REVEALS SAUDI PRESSURE ON REPORTER.

Following AP reporter Dale Gavlak’s attempt to disassociate from the Mint Press News report: “Syrians In Ghouta Claim Saudi-Supplied Rebels Behind Chemical Attack”  (see previous article for background here) Mint Press Editor in Chief Mnar Muhawesh published a statement in response reiterating her support for, and the credentials of, the two journalists involved, along with the substance of the report they had produced. The report in question included statements from residents and relatives of rebel fighters in Eastern Ghouta, who alleged that Saudi Intelligence Chief, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, had supplied extremist elements in the  region with chemical weapons.

The Muhawesh statement went largely unnoticed in mainstream media, instead, the usual actors produced a variety of baseless lurid smears and conspiracy theories directed at Mint Press and Yahya Ababneh, the reporter on the ground in Ghouta, in transparent efforts to discredit them and the substance of the report.

One particularly vulgar conspiracy crafted by the BuzzFeed “journalist” Rosie Gray – reminiscent of crass attempts to play on orientalist stereotypes of “Iranian deception” abundant in civilised US media and diplomacy-speak – attempted to portray the Mint Press as bias fabricators, on the grounds of the Editors father-in-law being a Shi’a Muslim. In effect casting him and Mint Press as Iranian stooges intent on subverting the western-promoted falsehood that the Assad government ordered the alleged chemical attacks.

In recent weeks, corporate media has largely gone quiet on the whole affair. With the Russian-brokered deal to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles thwarting a determined effort by US hawks,  Likudniks, and Gulf monarchs to escalate the Syrian war; the push for overt US intervention has subsided, and along with it the incessant parroting of fantasy narratives and dubious “evidence” attempting to blame the Assad government for the alleged chemical attacks on August 21st.

Muhawesh, fearing for the safety of Dale Gavlak and Yahya Ababneh, has remained silent on the issue since the release of the aforementioned communication, but has now released a full statement outlining a timeline of events surrounding the report, which is reprinted in its entirety below, I urge all to read in full:

Dear readers,

I wanted to personally express my appreciation for your continued support and readership following our newsroom’s August 29, 2013 exclusive report titled: “Syrians in Ghouta Claim Saudi-Supplied Rebels Behind Chemical Attack.”

I’ve been silent until today out of concern for the safety of the journalists, Dale Gavlak and Yahya Ababneh, while we worked to bring clarity to their findings and ensuing events.  I’m relieved to now be able to share happenings of the past 60 days as Human Rights Watch addresses ongoing threats to co-author Yahya by Jordanian and Saudi actors in Amman, Jordan.

To be clear, my MintPress colleagues and I continue to stand by Dale and Yahya and their reporting. The tragic incident in Ghouta on August 21—and the Syria conflict as a whole—is complex and, as the article stated, some information could not be independently verified.  While efforts to discredit the story and our organization have disappointed us, we have been most concerned by the tremendous pressure placed on Dale by the Associated Press and more serious threats faced by Yahya.

Since the article was published, I’ve been in almost daily contact with co-author Yahya in Amman, Jordan.  He has related ongoing threats of imprisonment by the Jordanian police for his travel to Syria if he were to continue to report on this story or grant further press interviews.  Yahya has also described increasing pressure from Saudi actors to retract his story and the specific allegation by Ghouta residents of a rebel link to Prince Bandar.

In line with Dale’s description of Yahya as “a reputable journalist” to the New York Times, she distanced herself from the article only after stating in emails to MintPress that the Associated Press demanded her name be removed from the byline nearly two days after the article published.  She has not informed MintPress of the AP’s reason for this request—nor why they and National Public Radio (NPR), subsequently, suspended her.  For background on the situation, here is the timeline of events:

  • Feb 8: Freelance journalist Dale Gavlak—an Associated Press stringer for nearly a decade—joins MintPress News (MPN) as Middle East Correspondent and files her first of 26 weekly articles on regional news and politics.
  • Aug 28: Dale pitches the Ghouta story to her MPN editors.  She then conducts research, fact checks with colleagues and Jordanian government officials and writes up article based on interviews her reporter colleague, Yahya Ababneh, conducted a few days prior while on a delegation to Ghouta, Syria.  Dale files the story to MPN.
  • Aug 29: Dale emails with readers about the report after it is published at MintPressNews.com… with the byline note: “This is a collaborative report by Dale Gavlak and Yahya Ababneh.”
  • Aug 30: Dale notifies MPN by email that editors at the Associated Press are demanding her name be removed from the article byline by end of day.
  • Aug 31: MPN cites editorial transparency for not removing Dale from byline and, instead, adds clarification of her exact role that now appears at top of article.
  • Sept 1: MPN receives letter from Dale’s attorney demanding it remove her name from byline completely.
  • Sept 3: Dale accepts payment from MPN for her role in the article.
  • Sept 12: Yahya informs MPN via Skype of first visit by Saudi actors.
  • Sept 13: Through legal counsel, MPN offers to remove Dale and Yahya’s names both completely from the byline and replace with the statement: “MintPress, in order to protect the authors of this story from any retribution or outside pressure, has removed the authors’ names from this story.  MintPress believes in the journalistic efforts produced by all of the parties involved in this story but does not want to see any harm come to any of the parties.”
  • Sept 20: Dale claims MPN “incorrectly used my byline” in a statement to bloggerBrown Moses.
  • Sept 21: Dale shares Aug 29 email to MPN on NY Times “Lede Blog”: “Pls find the Syria story I mentioned uploaded on Google Docs. This should go under Yahya Ababneh’s byline. I helped him write up this story but he should get all the credit for this.”  MPN’s Mnar Muhawesh makes her only public statement on the situation.
  • Sept 26: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cites allegations in MPN report as evidence in talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and in press interviews at the UN General Assembly.
  • Oct 7: Yahya notifies MPN that the United Nations commissioned him to present his witnesses for the UN Report on the Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons in the Ghouta Area of Damascus on 21 August 2013.
  • Oct 14: Yahya informs MPN via email of visit by Jordanian police: “i am ok, and they find two Saudi arabia one of them his name [REDACTED], he is a Salafi, I know him before, he try to find me and give me to KSA police in Saudi, they know an old police man (he retired) they still fellow, they ask me to make a statement which say opisit of the report about Bender”.
  • Oct 28: Yahya describes conversation with Saudi actors in email to MPN: “any way, they ask me to go to Saudi and say sorry, and talk to Saud TV live to tell them that i was under pressure when i was in Syria. they (my tribe) have a pressure too in Suad, they ask them in the borders and airport about me.”

We deeply sympathize with Dale and Yahya as they continue to endure pressures from interests seeking to silence their reporting.  Their courage, and that of many reporters before them, has emboldened MintPress to expose these threats to investigative journalism and has served to strengthen our commitment to in-depth reporting on social justice and human rights issues.

As an independent journalism startup that found itself embroiled in an international crisis, we’re grateful for the advice and assistance provided by experts at The Poynter Institute and Knight Foundation as well as International Federation of Journalists and Human Rights Watch.

Again, I appreciate your support and truly value your readership.  I welcome any questions about the report, ensuing events and our ongoing coverage of the Syrian conflict.

Best regards,

Mnar A. Muhawesh.

Editor in Chief, MintPress News.

It becomes immediately clear from the above statement that the fantastical conspiracies posited by BuzzFeeds’ Rosie Gray and former Guardian Editor Brian Whitaker, to name but two, were clearly based on nothing more than wild speculation in a vain and somewhat organised attempt to discredit the report; it is no coincidence Gavlaks’ disassociation statement was initially handed to Brian Whitakers eager protegé “Brown Moses”, aka Eliot Higgins, to promote right alongside his lead effort in touting dubious “evidence” pointing the finger at the Syrian army as responsible for Ghouta, much of which has now been thoroughly debunked.

The immediate questions then remain: why so much effort from establishment media players to discredit and smear? Why are elements of Jordanian and Saudi security services threatening Yahya Ababneh and his family, and attempting to force him to retract the statements he gathered in Ghouta if they are merely falsehood, or baseless planted rumour? And why did the AP and NPR suspend Gavlak even though she made (futile) attempts to disassociate from the report to save her career and her colleagues safety?

The logical answer is that those reflected negatively in Yahya Ababneh and Dale Gavlaks’ Ghouta report have something to hide, and are going to great lengths to keep it hidden.

Posted in Article, syria news | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mother Agnes stirs up controversy across the US and UK

Posted on November 22, 2013 by fatherdave

Our dear Mother Agnes has been the subject of constant controversy over the course of her North American tour, and her opponents have been doing their best to scuttle her British speaking engagements before they even take place!

The accusations have been flying thick and fast:

  • that Mother Agnes is an Assad apologist
  • that she keeps the money entrusted to her for welfare work
  • that she is involved in cover-ups and lies
  • It’s even been suggested that she meets regularly one of Assad’s Generals!

Of course the accusations never have any evidence to back them up and some of the statements attributed to her are entirely fanciful. Even so, some of the mud always sticks and this has resulted in Mother having to withdraw from the ‘Stop the War’ conference in London, scheduled to begin on November 30.

A handful of analysts have put the pieces together – citing the vested interests that are threatened every time the dominant narrative is questioned. Even so, it is disillusioning to see high-profile leftists like Jeremy Scahill and Owen Jones joining the anti-Agnes chorus for reasons that appear to be economic rather than ideological.

I am thankful that journalists like Jonathon Cook and Neil Clark have helped untangle the Mother Agnes controversy.

Father Dave

Mother Agnes with orphans in Damascus

Mother Agnes with orphans in Damascus

source: rt.com…

Mother Agnes and the ‘liberal’ hawks out to silence her

by Neil Clark

Just when you thought the ‘liberal interventionists’ and neo-cons couldn’t stoop any lower, they just have.

The ‘pro-free speech’ but actually very anti-free speech bullies have got a new target. A 61-year old nun called Mother Agnes-Mariam who has been living in Syria for twenty years and who runs a campaign called Mussahala (Reconciliation).

For  the West‘s ‘liberal hawks’ and serial interventionists, this elderly lady, who is working tirelessly for peace and an end to the bloodshed in Syria, has become Public Enemy Number One.

Mother Agnes has been subject to a vicious internet campaign of character assassination, smears and defamation. We’ve been told that she is an ‘Assad apologist,’ ‘Assad‘s favourite nun’– she has even been called ‘the Syrian equivalent of one of Hitler’s brown priests’.  

When the liberal hawks and serial warmongers saw that Mother Agnes had been invited to speak at the forthcoming international conference of Stop the War, they had a collective hissy fit.

An ’Assad apologist’ speaking to a large audience in Britain?! Why, in the name of ‘free speech‘ and‘democracy‘ it must not be allowed! We must Stop the Nun! Two ‘A List’ speakers at the Stop the War event – Owen Jones and Jeremy Scahill – were urged by Mother Agnes’ enemies via Twitter not to share a platform with the nun. ‘Dear Owen/Jeremy, do you know who you’re sharing a platform with?’style tweets were sent. The two were sent links to articles attacking Mother Agnes.

Jones and Scahill unfortunately bowed to the pressure, and said that they would withdraw from the conference if Mother Agnes was also on the platform. At the weekend Stop the War announced that Mother Agnes had withdrawn from the conference. Her dignified, graceful letter to Stop the War was in sharp contrast to the nastiness of the attacks made on her by her accusers.

Why were the liberal hawks and supporters of the Syrian ‘revolution’ so frightened of an elderly nun addressing a Stop the War conference? If she really was a ‘crackpot’ – another claim made against her – then surely that would have been obvious to those listening to her? Lots of lurid claims have been made against Mother Agnes, someone even claimed on Twitter on Tuesday that she worked ‘with Assad intelligence’, but evidence to back up the claims is decidedly thin on the ground.

The reason she has been attacked – and why it was so important to stop her speaking at the Stop the War event- is because her first-hand account of what has actually been happening in Syria challenges the dominant western narrative.

This dominant narrative says that all the deaths in Syria are the responsibility of the Evil Dictator Bashar al-Assad, a crazed Hitleresque tyrant who since 2011 has been massacring his own people and has even used chemical weapons against them. The dominant narrative says that the Syrian conflict is a clear case of Good vs. Evil, the anti-Assad rebels are Good, Assad and his government are Evil.

Mother Agnes’ testimony challenges this dominant narrative- which is why for the liberal hawks, she is so dangerous.

She has revealed how the ’Good Guys’, who we ’plebs’ in the West are supposed to be cheering on, have been guilty of mass murder.

“Everyone in Syria is facing grave danger. There was a case of Muslim religious leaders being kidnapped and beheaded. They were humiliated and tortured. Ismailis, the Druze, Christians – people from all parts of Syrian society – are being mass murdered. I would like to say that if these butchers didn’t have international support, no one would have dared to cross the line. But today, unfortunately, the violation of human rights and genocide in Syria is covered up on the international level,” Mother Agnes told RT in September.

In the same interview she also questioned the dominant narrative which said that the Syrian government was responsible for the chemical weapons attack at Ghouta in August.

It’s not hard to understand why liberal hawks and the serial interventionists didn’t want Mother Agnes’ to address a well-attended event in London.

The appalling atrocities committed by the rebels- which include the regular terrorist bombing of civilian targets and beheadings, need to be played down, otherwise the ‘plebs’ will be asking: why are our governments in the west siding with such people? In the same way, the dominant narrative regarding the Ghouta attack – i.e. that it was carried out by Assad- must, under no circumstances, be questioned- even if no conclusive evidence has yet been produced to prove that the Syrian government was indeed responsible.

Mother Agnes’ testimony reveals that the so-called ‘War on Terror’ is a sham – that in Syria, the western countries and their regional allies, Saudi Arabia and Israel, are on the same side as the extremist Islamic terror groups that we are told are our greatest enemies.

In my RT OpEdge column last week I discussed how the label ‘conspiracy theorist’ was used by elite gatekeepers to silence dissent and narrow the parameters of debate. In the case of Syria, the preferred technique is to label anyone who challenges the dominant narrative as ‘pro-Assad’, or an ‘Assad apologist‘.

It doesn’t matter if the person/individuals concerned have come out publicly and said that they don’t support President Assad- the charge will still be made against those who dare to question the official line.

The media monitoring group Media Lens @MediaLens for instance have made it clear that they oppose all violence in Syria, whoever is behind it, but that still doesn’t stop them being smeared as‘pro-Assad’ by ‘liberal’ hawks for their exposure of media bias on Syria.

The aim of this ’pro-Assad’ labelling is to marginalise those who dispute the dominant narrative. Someone labelled as ’pro-Assad’ is deemed, by elite gatekeepers, to be ‘outside civilised debate’, but of course there is no such exclusion order served on those who support or defend rebels who bomb innocent civilians, behead people and who persecute Christians and religious minorities.

In Britain and America- countries which like to boast of their commitment to free speech and free expression, it is considered beyond the pale for any public figure to say that they support/defend a secular government which defends Christians and other religious minorities and which is fighting Al Qaeda and other extremist terrorist groups, and which, very probably, enjoys support of the majority of people in Syria. However, it is deemed perfectly acceptable for public figures to say that they are on the same side as ‘rebels’ who put bombs in crowded public areas, behead people and murder religious minorities, or to call for military action to help these ‘rebels’ topple the Syrian government.

Terrified of being branded ‘pro-Assad’, public figures in the west who oppose military strikes on Syria, feel obliged to stress just how ’barbaric’ the Assad government is and they support Assad standing trial for war crimes at The Hague. And of course, they must agree not to share platforms with people like Mother Agnes. They have to bow down very low indeed before the ‘liberal’ hawks and elite gatekeepers, if they’re permitted to have their say on Syria and escape the usual smears, vilifications and defamation.

The campaign against Mother Agnes and the elite gatekeeping on Syria shows us how much free speech and free expression is under threat in Britain today from those who are determined to narrow the parameters of debate and to dictate who should and who should not be allowed a microphone. Expressing his disappointment that Mother Agnes would not be speaking at the Stop the War conference,  Twitter user Orlando Hill said that he would like to have heard a ‘wide spectrum of opinions’ on Syria on 30th November.  But the very last thing liberal hawks, neo-cons and supporters of the Syrian ‘revolution’ want is for people to hear a ‘wide spectrum of opinions’. The dominant narrative must not be questioned. Or else.

 

Posted in syrian civil war | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Confessions Of A Syrian Activist: “I Want Assad To Win”

Posted on November 16, 2013 by fatherdave

It is impossible to know for sure whether this particular account is genuine but indeed it reflects reality on the ground in Syria today. Indeed there may have been many who joined the FSA for the sake of a better Syria but the entire rebellion now has indeed been hijacked by foreigners with their own jihadist agenda.

I suspect it will not be long now before the Syrian rebels unite with the government army to eject the foreigners from their soil. We can only hope and pray that this leads to a period of reconciliation between all Syrians. Sadly, there has been so much violence and pain that the desire for revenge and rough justice will be difficult to overcome. Strong and compassionate leadership from religious as well as political leaders will be crucial if Syria is to be whole again.

Father Dave

source: www.buzzfeed.com…

The streets of Damascus
The streets of Damascus

Confessions Of A Syrian Activist: “I Want Assad To Win”

ANTAKYA, Turkey — The activist threw himself into Syria’s revolution from its early days. He organized protests, documented the deadly crackdowns and disseminated the news, risking his life. When the opposition took up arms, he worked closely with rebel groups, helping to spread their message of resistance and taking toll of the war’s carnage in places journalists couldn’t reach. He has won widespread recognition for his work, and he remains deeply involved in the struggle today — though he no longer calls it a revolution. In fact, he thinks it needs to end.

The activist works under his real name, but he requested anonymity to give the candid assessment of the conflict laid out in these remarks, which are compiled from a recent in-depth interview. Asked to speak on the record, he deliberated with friends and colleagues and ultimately declined. He says he fears a backlash: His words could be used to undermine his work, or he could be misunderstood. He also cites safety concerns. But he believes that his message, unpopular among his revolutionary colleagues, is one they need to hear — that their revolution has ended; that a dangerous wave of Islamic extremism has welled up in its place; that they should work to stop the fighting now; and that if they can’t, they should hope it’s Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who wins.

“To simply say I want Assad to win would be a disaster if anyone heard it,” the activist says. “But we’ve created a monster. For too long on the ground, there was too much focus on the crimes the regime was committing and not enough on our own problems. And addressing these problems was always being delayed.

“So we knew there was some sort of Islamism in the fighting even when it was starting back in 2012 and we would ignore this, because we would say it would all end soon — Assad is going to fall in two weeks; Assad is going to fall in a month; Assad’s going to fall in Aleppo. At each moment, we thought it was going to end very soon, and that meant we were neglecting the mistakes that were being made [among the revolution]. We were thinking, OK, the regime’s going to fall, and we can solve this later. We just need to get rid of Assad. This was a big mistake.

“To that extent, we’ve created ISIS [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a powerful al-Qaeda affiliate that is gaining ground in the rebellion]. And we’ve created Jabhat al-Nusra [another Qaeda-linked group].”

The activist has little hope for a political solution — a peace conference expected in Geneva this month was delayed again this week. Even if talks moved ahead, he adds, the moderate opposition wouldn’t have much say. “We’ve reached this point where we have two powers that are recognized by the international community — the Syrian regime and the extremist groups on the ground,” he says. “The third group [the moderate opposition] is very weak, even though it’s the majority in Syria. We don’t have anyone to defend the group. We don’t have weapons. We don’t have finances. We don’t have media.

“So yes, if I’m going to choose which side I wish would win at this stage, I would choose the side that’s already in power rather than seeing the extremist side jump into power and destroy everyone else. The extremist groups do not seek a revolution in Syria — or at least, not a democratic one. They seek an Islamic one. And it’s something that’s not accepted by the majority of the country, whether you support Assad or you don’t. I would prefer that Assad wins at a stage like this for one reason: all of the other alternatives are totally unacceptable.

“I would not cheer the idea of Assad winning. I would not help in any way,” the activist says, adding that he’d keep up his fight against the government. “But I will accept it.

“I have no guarantees to offer in government-controlled areas that if those areas are ‘liberated,’ we can keep you safe. That it will not be ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra in charge, and that you won’t live under their laws. If I could make that guarantee, then I would support the idea of bringing down the regime without a political solution.”

The Islamic extremists threatening to overtake the rebellion, the activist says, pose more of a threat than Assad. “There is no language between civil society and Islamic authority in Syria right now,” he says. “There’s no dialogue. It’s unacceptable.

“In the same way that if you say anything about Assad you’re doomed, if you say anything about God, you’re also doomed. It’s the same way of reacting, but the Islamic system is a much more lethal system, because it depends on an ideology that says, ‘God, who is the creator of the universe, says that we’re in charge. And if you stand against that, then you stand against the creator of the universe. And we will chop your heads off, chop your hands off. We will whip you. We will prevent you from speaking out.’ I think the ability of this Islamic authority and these extremist groups to abuse the citizens of Syria is much higher than that of the Syrian regime.

“A lot of people would argue that, if the regime wins, there would be no space whatsoever for another revolution, because the regime would come back 10 times stronger. The majority of people say that. I think that’s total nonsense.”

The activist says that the moderate opposition is much more capable of resisting Assad than it was before the revolution, when political life was stifled and activists worked in the shadows, often unknown even to each other. “What we have in Syria now is local councils,” the activist says, referring to the civilian administrative groups that have sprouted up in rebel-held territory across the country, “and political and activist groups, whereas before March 2011 we had nothing. It was just a few people that were anonymous online.

“We have groups now. We have experience. We know how to perform demonstrations now. We know how to have contact with the media. We know how to provide aid and how to set up field hospitals. It’s a totally different situation now. And we learned from our mistakes.

“I think it’s definitely possible to see a revolution in the future. But if we don’t accept that we have lost now—that our revolution has stopped, or been put on pause, and that is a big dispute among activists—then that means that everything that’s happening now, and all the crimes that are being committed by Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS, will be written in history as part of the Syrian revolution. Do you see what I mean? If we can differentiate between this period that was the Syrian revolution, and this period now that is a messy situation that came as a result of a dictator standing against a revolution, then I think we can keep our revolution clean and our aspirations clean and our ideals in place. But if we keep going down this line, then we will turn our revolution into an Islamic revolution, and I think this will be known in history as the Islamic revolution in Syria.

“I’m not going to be able to say things like this publicly—because it would be misunderstood and misinterpreted, in a very messy situation in Syria where now it’s easy for you to be accused of being an agent for the West or an agent for the government. It’s very easy for people to point fingers and accuse you of working against the Syrian revolution. I worry about being misinterpreted or misunderstood and not being able to remain a player on Syria. I’m involved, and I have some sort of effect. I want to continue to be able to do that.

“It’s really about being responsible and saying, ‘OK, 100,000 people have been killed. Do we want another 100,000 to be killed?’ Maybe another 100,000 would be killed anyway. But do we want them to die for the exact reason that we were stubborn? And that’s the question.”

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