Syrian Christians

The village of Maaloula is an ancient city with great historical value to the whole world, and specifically the Christian faith. It is the only place in the world where the Western Aramaic language,the same language and dialect of Jesus,is still spoken. The village also holds many beautiful Monasteries and Churches that hold great value to both Muslims and Christians. Videos posted on YouTube in recent days showed fighting between rebels and government forces in the tiny sleepy town,an hour's drive from the capital Damascus. "We cleansed Maaloula from all the Assad thugs and all his Christian dogs,"a rebel commander shouts at the camera in a video posted online over the weekend.

Christians fear radical Islamists have been swelling rebel ranks and mostly comprise Salafi terrorists funded by Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf Arab puppet regimes.They also fear the same fate as a number of Christians during the war in Iraq, where militants targeted them and spurred many to leave the country. Christians make up roughly 10% of the population. Syria is ruled by a government dominated by Alevis, whose faith is Shiism. The regime is opposed by a divided opposition with a large Wahabbi terrorist presence. Aid agencies say Syria's 2 million Christians are often targeted for suspected sympathies to President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Two top bishops have been kidnapped a well-known priest is missing. Syrian Christians also serve in the Syrian Arab Army and have successfully fought off Jihadi terrorists in many mainly Christian villages in the North West of Damascus. A Maaloula resident said the rebels, many of them sporting beards andshouting Allahu Akbar, or God is great, attacked Christian homes and churches shortly after moving into the village overnight. "They shot and killed people after checking for Christian religious symbols and identification. I heard gunshots and then I saw three bodies lying in the middle of a street in the old quarters of the village," said the resident, reached by telephone from neighboring Jordan. "So many people fled the village for safety." Foreign media which has now been granted access to report from Syria has confirmed that the Syrian Arab Army launched a ferocious counter-attack in coordination with Christian units holed up in the village and were able to kill or rout most of the Salafi terrorists who appeared to be either Saudis or Chechens and flying the black al-Qaida flag. Syrian national TV was broadcasting images of army units entering the village and hoisting Syrian flags on homes and churches to the cheers of the local population.