Tag Archives: saudi arabia

Beyond tolerance – Syria as a model for religious integration and harmony

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Jim Maher

Father Dave has just returned from a moving visit to war-ravaged Syria. One of the hard lessons he learned is that, in the face of aggressive, ‘takfiri’ Islam, Australians might need to rethink their attitudes to religious tolerance. DIVINE Service … Continue reading →

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Pope Francis calls for peace in Syria

Posted on July 7, 2016 by fatherdave

“How can you believe in someone who caresses you with the right hand and strikes you with the left hand?” These are the powerful and pointed words of one of the greatest spiritual leaders the church has seen in my … Continue reading →

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Syria has won the war! (almost)

Posted on October 10, 2015 by fatherdave

Traditional wisdom tells us that we shouldn’t count our chickens before they hatch. Even so, it is hard to resist celebrating the most recent developments in the war on Syria. Thanks to a bit of help from mother Russia, it … Continue reading →

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Syria is like a hunted animal, being slowly killed one American arrow at a time

Posted on September 30, 2014 by fatherdave

The following article is written by my friend, Declan Hayes – a passionate Irishman. I was with Declan in Damascus in April of this year. He has been back to Syria twice since then and spent the bulk of his … Continue reading →

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Is the violence in Syria and Iraq really sectarian?

Posted on July 4, 2014 by fatherdave

We’ve been sold this line for a long time – that the violence raging across the Levant, most obviously in Syria and Iraq, is of a sectarian nature. It is Sunni against Shia, Muslims against fellow Muslims and non-Muslim minority … Continue reading →

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Understanding the war in Syria – a sketch video

Posted on June 9, 2014 by fatherdave

This is an engaging attempt to explain the violence in Syria, if a little simplistic. I would question it at two points. Firstly, I’m not convinced that the Syrian war ever did start as a purely democratic uprising. I suspect … Continue reading →

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Syrian Christian leaders create a stir in Washington!

Posted on February 8, 2014 by fatherdave

It’s not often that Christian bishops have US politicians walking out on them and shouting! According to the Judicial Watch blog though this is exactly the treatment visiting Syrian church leaders received from one US Senator in a recent briefing held … Continue reading →

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Why the Saudis want to get rid of Assad

Posted on September 14, 2013 by fatherdave

Here’s an excellent interview with Toby Jones (professor of Middle East history at Rutgers University) shedding light on the role of the Saudis in Syria. Most of Assad’s other enemies have clear motives. Doha wants to put a natural gas pipeline … Continue reading →

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