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Middle Eastern Christians appeal to Damascus for dialogue and not crackdown
The request comes from the Alliance of Middle Eastern Christians (RCMO), a "civil, non-political" organisation, which gathers its members among the 150 thousand Middle Eastern Christians living in Quebec. No to any external interference aimed at keeping the state of tension. Condemnation of the "incendiary language" of people living abroad.
Montreal (AsiaNews) - Dialogue, the search for truth, the rejection of violence and interference: these are the means by which Syria must respond to the call for reforms aimed at eliminating corruption and promoting freedom and natural rights of the population. This is the appeal contained in a statement released by the Alliance of Middle Eastern Christians (RCMO), a "civil, non-political" organisation, which gathers its members from among the 150 thousand Middle Eastern Christians living in Quebec.
"Syria - RCMO writes - is suffering from painful events where use of violence is causing many casualties and wounding scores of others, following demonstrations demanding reforms to eliminate corruption and promote freedom and natural legal rights of the people" which could undermine the national spirit of harmony between religious and cultural components, that has always characterized Syria.
"The escalating pace of events, the growing number of victims, and the use of violent means instead of dialogue have led our Alliance to express a “cry of conscience” to appeal to all our dear Syrian compatriots of different affiliations and sects to renounce violence and reject any religious tutelage from any source in order to prevent the spread of hatred spirit based on sectarian strife between brothers and sisters of our native soil".
The Assembly also expressed condemnation of “the inflammatory language used by some individuals from outside Syria, taking advantage of their influence to spread the spirit of division and superiority in the name of religion and incitement to disobedience rather than calling for dialogue, calm and the containment of rivalry in order to insure security and stability in society. "
"The safety of the Syrian people as an overall community can only be achieved by the unity of its members, the peaceful coexistence among all its components, and by an open dialogue in a positive spirit."
The Alliance, finally, "rejects any external interference in local Syria’s affairs, or any form of sectarian incitement, whether from governments, entities or third parties that aim only to exploit the crisis in order to achieve its interests and maintain or even increase the state of tension, causing more material and human losses" and calls on the government of Canada "to maintain its policy of impartiality. "