Syrian Christians: 'Why is the U.S. at War With Us?'

Religion Today | Updated: Jun 27, 2013

Syrian Christians: 'Why is the U.S. at War With Us?'

Syrian Christians are asking why the United States supports extremists who want to turn Syria into an Islamic state, according to CBN News. That testimony came during a congressional hearing on Syria's religious minorities on Tuesday. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who chairs the House subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights, called on President Barack Obama to defend the rights of Syrian Christians. Smith said statistics showed that "Christians are even more fearful for their lives and safety than other segments of the Syrian population." Nina Shea, director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, testified that Islamic insurgents were targeting Christians for "ethno-religious cleansing." Christian Solidarity International CEO Dr. John Eibner said displaced Christians were asking him, "Why is the U.S. at war against us?" Eibner told the panel he recently returned from a trip to Syria where he met with "many resilient and courageous Syrians," mainly displaced Christians and church workers. "Victims recounted to me the religious cleansing of Christian neighborhoods in Homs and Qusair by armed jihadists who threatened them with death if they did not leave their homes," he said. He added that the U.S. should work with Russia to negotiate peace rather than help Sunni Muslims turn the country into an Islamic state.



Syrian Christians: 'Why is the U.S. at War With Us?'