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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syria rebels warn of attack against Hama Christians
2012-12-23
[Al Ahram] Syrian rebels have warned two Christian towns in the central region of Hama they will be attacked if they do not evict pro-regime fighters, according to a video distributed by a watchdog on Saturday.

The footage released by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and entitled "Warning mainly to Christian cities in the province of Hama", shows seven Islamist fighters armed with Kalashnikovs.

"We issue this warning so that you expel gangs of (President Bashar al-) Assad and shabiha (pro-regime militia) from your towns and convince them not to bomb our villages and families," said a fighter who identified himself as Rashid Abul Fida, head of the Al-Ansar Brigade in Hama.

"If not, we will immediately attack the hideouts of Assad's gangs and shabiha."

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the towns of Mharda and Al-Sqilbiya to which the rebel video was addressed both had pre-war populations in the tens of thousands but most of their residents had already fled, taking refuge in the coastal province of Tartus.

Rebels on Monday launched an all-out assault on army positions across Hama, according to the Observatory.

"Since the start of operations to liberate Hama province, the (rebel) Free Syrian Army has attacked the tyrant's soldiers and shabiha in the majority of towns and villages," said Abul Fida.

There are some 1.8 million Christians in Syria, many of whom have remained neutral in the country's conflict. Others have taken Assad's side, for fear of the rise of Islamism.
Posted by:Fred

#4  Thank you, Pappy. You are so much better at that brevity thingy than I.
Posted by: trailing wife   2012-12-23 15:13  

#3  We support the sunnis but they are less tolerant than the Shias.Why?

Brushing aside the obvious rhetorical aspect, and following tw's comment, one doesn't have to be 'tolerant' when one is solidly in the driver's seat.
Posted by: Pappy   2012-12-23 11:47  

#2  We support the sunnis but they are less tolerant than the Shias.Why?

Because the Sunnis were always a physical majority as well as the ruling sect in most of the Moslem world, and so they never learnt to submit, Hupert Omuque5563, or so it seems to me. Even today, as I recall, Sunnis are 90% of the total Muslim population, while Shiites are 10%. Except for Iran and Bahrain, they are a small minority...and they only actually rule in Iran, if I understand correctly.
Posted by: trailing wife   2012-12-23 07:07  

#1  We support the sunnis but they are less tolerant than the Shias.Why?
Posted by: Hupert Omuque5563   2012-12-23 05:40  

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