Today Putin has become Saint George for Christians and Imam Ali for Shi’a in Iraq, Syria, and Iran.

Today we are witnessing the rise of Russian president Putin’s popularity among Christians and Shi’a in America and the Middle East as a strong leader.

Many Christians from Iraq and Syria as well, as those who live in America, are now in favor of Putin’s political strategy in the Middle East. Their social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are full of postings embracing the Russian leader. Take for example this latest headline: “To Forgive The Terrorists Is Up To God, But To Send Them To Him Is Up To Me” and this tweet from famous Lebanese singer Carole Samaha “Leaders like him come once every 200 years”. Her tweet was picked up by the Russian Embassy in UAE and CNN Arabic.

 

 

Due to the recent dark history of the Middle East, the definition of a dictatorship among the populous, has become synonymous with a strong leader. Today Christians turned to Putin for protection, because he is standing against the removal of the al-Assad regime in Syria and publicly vowing to defend Christians and Christianity in the region.

Having myself, once been a victim of Saddam Hussein’s regime, I am bewildered to find I am not only supporting a dictator (Assad) but I have also changed my mind about Saddam.  And now, along with many Christians, supporting and even embracing Putin.

I have been on the Front Lines of American Foreign policy in the Middle East. It has been a like a set of dominoes, with one failure falling into the next failure. And consequently, although it is stating the obvious, the Middle East is in chaos. Islamic Fundamentalism is rising at an alarming rate and taking root throughout the region.

American Foreign Policy did not only help push away Shi’a by supporting the removal of the Assad regime, but alienated Christians as well. The Christians, residing in the Middle East, and those who have emigrated from there, learned a clear and tangible lesson from Iraq. Christians, Armenians, Mandaeans, and Yazidis had formerly lived relatively safe lives under a dictatorship in Iraq. After the removal of Saddam, minorities experienced massacres and pogroms from the Islamic Fundamentalists and civil wars, and they have come to believe they will face a similar, very perilous situation in Syria if Assad is removed from power.

I am against the removal of Bashar’s Regime from Syria. Removal of Bashar will leave Christians in Syria facing another pogrom at the hands of extremists, and will further escalate the extermination of that group and other minorities, just as it occurred in Iraq after the removal of Saddam.   

The current American administration is engaged with world leaders about the future of the al-Assad regime. The administration is pleasing the Saudis and Qataris by trying to remove Bashar al-Assad. Since I am a member of this group, I believe I can speak for the vast majority when I say – the Christians of Iraq and Syria feel this policy is compromising their position in the Middle East, and that it is coming at the expense of their lives. Furthermore, it makes the Christians feel that their low critical mass in the Middle East is not an important consideration in American policy. We (Christians) vehemently object to such a policy.

Having engaged with many of my Muslim friends about the removal of Bashar’s regime, Sunni Muslims will consistently be in favor of the idea using the following line of argument: “So let the 10%  Alawites Shia massacre the 70% Sunni Arabs?”, will consistently ask sarcastically if you oppose the removal of the al-Assad regime. 

Clearly that is NOT what I am advocating here. Bashar is a dictator like Saddam. Removing the al-Assad regime would have a catastrophic disaster in destabilizing the Middle East further. Very simply, look what happened in Iraq after 1991 war. Once it was clear that Saddam would remain in power after the war, Saddam stopped massacring the Shi’a and the Kurds got their autonomy. Might the same thing work in Syria? Why not do the same thing in Syria?

Many Christians, myself included, strongly believe that America DOES NOT have a strong Foreign Policy for the protection of Christianity and other minorities in the Middle East.

This charade of Public condemnation, speeches overflowing with platitudes, and letters of concern from our American politicians are worthless.

Let me write it boldly, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are in this fight, and have done so for the protection of the Sunnis. Iran has comes to the Shias protection with their money and oil. Christians in the Middle East have no one for protection. (or had no one until Putin stood up for them, and their right to exist in the Middle East.

And let me emphasize: CHRISTIANS WILL NEVER COME BACK TO IRAQ AND SYRIA EVEN IF STABILITY IS RESTORED IN BOTH COUNTRIES. ONCE A CHRISTIAN FAMILY LEAVES IRAQ OR SYRIA, THE FAMILY NEVER COMES BACK. And mark these word In the next five to ten years, there will be no Christians left in Iraq

Letters of concern from our politicians, speeches overflowing with platitudes, or even public condemnation – are all worthless. What do they mean? Are they a statement of policy? Or are they not? Do they make clear what America stands for, or will stand for? Or against? The answers are no, no, no, no and no. America should stand clearly – unequivocally – against any systematic extermination of all the minorities in the Middle East. And perhaps that should be especially true when it comes to the Christians.

Christian lives may be no more valuable than the lives of any of the other victims of the violence in the Middle East, but they are – at the very least – JUST as valuable. And just like any minority group in any situation, righteousness should come to their defense. Those who are strong enough, should step forward and say that it is not right, and that they will defend them.

America has done this so many times, for so many groups. Why not this time?

In this case, Putin is the defender of the weak.

How can it possibly be that America had to be shown the right path by a dictator?

Did every something like this said about our American President in the Arab world? America gives trillions of dollars to the Middle East and most importantly – the blood of American soldiers!

What is wrong here? I do not have the answer to that. But I do know, something is wrong when this is the situation we find ourselves in.

Shame to our President!

If you share my passionate conviction, I ask you to tweet this to the White House @WhiteHouse (I did)

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