日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語(yǔ)Fran?ais
World
Home / World / Middle East

Not a Merry Christmas for Syria's Christians

China Daily | Updated: 2018-12-25 07:14
Share
Share - WeChat
A Syrian man drives past destroyed buildings in Arbin on Dec 18. MAHER AL MOUNES/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

ARBIN, Syria - With Christmas approaching, Nabil al-Aash dusts off religious books as he attempts to tidy up the war-scarred Saint George Church in the town of Arbin, northeast of the Syrian capital Damascus.

Retaken in the spring by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad during a brutal offensive to capture the rebel stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, Arbin is anything but festive.

Rubble from razed buildings spills out into deserted streets lined with burned-out cars and twisted scraps of metal. The town looks more apocalyptic than merry.

Arbin's only church, Saint George's flame-scorched walls and empty nave are a testament to the seven-year conflict that has left more than 360,000 people dead and displaced millions.

"There's no celebration here. Christian homes are destroyed and their church is destroyed," said Aash.

The restoration of the Greek Orthodox church, built in 1873, "will take a lot of time, money and effort", he added.

"There's not a single icon left-all of them were either burned or stolen," said the 55-year-old, approaching the altar.

"We also found broken crosses."

Aash fled Arbin in 2012 as fighting engulfed the town, plagued afterward for years by violence and a crippling siege imposed by Damascus.

But after regime forces retook the area, he decided to return home.

"I grew up in this church, I spent all of my Christmases here … it was once overflowing with joy," he said.

"I almost collapsed when I saw it."

For him, the festive spirit "won't return until the residents and parishioners do".

After a blistering offensive, government forces in April retook Eastern Ghouta, a key rebel foothold at the gates of Damascus.

The military push and years of shelling flattened large swathes of the area and forced most of its prewar population to flee.

Before the war, Arbin was home to about 3,000 Christian residents, according to Mayor Khalil Tohme.

But despite the return of relative calm to the capital and its surroundings, Arbin residents are still hesitant to come back.

"We are only five Christians who regularly visit the town, the others go from time to time… most of their homes are destroyed," said Aash.

The mood is gloomy is Arbin, but just a few kilometers away, bright colored lights illuminate the streets of Damascus.

A giant tree decorates Abbasiyyin Square, long avoided due to its proximity to the front-line with the former rebel stronghold.

Festive lights and garlands also decorate homes in the predominantly Christian neighborhood of Kassaa in eastern Damascus.

But not everyone is in the Christmas spirit.

Since Riad Rajiha's family arrived to the area after fleeing Arbin in 2012, they have not had the heart to celebrate.

"We left our Christmas tree behind, so we missed out on decorating," says Rajiha, his eyes brimming with tears.

"What's the meaning of decorating a tree in a house that's not yours?"

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESEE

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: a级片在线免费观看 | 精品久久久久久久 | 国产精品久久国产精品 | 午夜小视频免费观看 | 91短视频在线免费观看 | 新婚人妻不戴套国产精品 | 奇米在线观看视频 | 亚洲午夜在线观看 | 三级视频网址 | 久草在线在线观看 | 欧美在线观看a | 欧美二区三区 | 国产精品久久久久久久一区探花 | 成人午夜亚洲影视在线观看 | 精品午夜寂寞影院在线观看 | 亚洲一区二区三区中文字幕 | 欧美另类videosbestsex久久 | 久久天天躁狠狠躁夜夜躁2014 | 久久99精品国产 | 福利在线网 | 成人高清在线视频 | 欧美综合社区 | 人成免费a级毛片 | 亚洲高清一区二区三区 | 国产11一12周岁女毛片 | 亚洲精品一区二区三区蜜桃久 | 国产精品第1页 | 亚洲综合色丁香婷婷六月图片 | 欧美电影网站在线观看影片 | 日本三级理论 | 亚洲欧美日韩高清一区二区三区 | 中文字幕自拍偷拍 | 一区在线播放 | 亚洲永久 | 瑟瑟综合 | 国产一区二区精品在线观看 | 国产在线观看福利片 | 日韩欧美在线观看 | 操日日 | 国产精品午夜电影 | 久草在线新免久费观看视频 |