Arab Spring or tornado?

[Steve Hayes]

Arab Spring or Tornado?

Since the so-called Arab Spring began in Libya in 2011, we have seen the
devastation and destruction of that Arab country by Libyan and NATO forces.
This Arab Spring has since spread to Tunisia and Egypt, the most populated
Arab country. This fire has burned relentlessly in Gaza and all of Palestine
since 1948. It is spreading into Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq and has caused the
most devastation in Syria, where many of us have ancestral roots.
Unfortunately, the American and European news outlets are not reporting such
stories to the world, neither through the written word nor graphic photographs
like the ones you see in this sad issue of The WORD magazine. The WORD has
been able to obtain these pictures and information from reliable sources.
Syria has been most victimized and experienced the most devastation by this
seemingly endless war. The WORD believes that the only country that can bring
peace to this most explosive region of the world is the United States of
America, because America has leverage over Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey
and Europe.


For more than two years, a savage war has been raging in Syria. It has
consumed more than 100,000 Syrians and left thousands of refugees in Lebanon,
Jordan, Turkey, Canada, and Australia, to name a few. Billions of dollars have
been lost in the properties of cities like Damascus and its suburbs, Dara'a,
al-Kousyr, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Deir al-Zoor and others in Northern Syria. Our
distinguished President, Barak Obama, and our Secretary of State, John Kerry,
have been calling the world to arm the rebels (the Free Syrian Army) to
continue the fight and topple the regimeof President Bashar al-Assad. We do
believe that there must be a peaceful solution to this war in Syria; If it
continues, however, it may burn the whole Middle East, including our American
interests in the region. Therefore, one might ask what the solution is. Surely
it is not more arms for Syrians to kill each other. What Syria needs is a
peace conference between the Syrian regime and the opposition, supervised by
the United Nations.

Syria does not need more arms. Syria needs more financial aid, more relief to
millions of Syrians who have lost everything and more relief to thousands of
Syrian refugees in Lebanon and other countries. The war in Syria is also
shaking the political situation in Lebanon. This is precisely why the Lebanese
have not been able to form a government or agree on a new parliamentary law.
No, Mr. President, and no, Mr. Secretary of State, arming Syrians against
Syrians will not bring peace to Syria; instead, more war and bloodshed. What
Syria needs most of all is peace, "for blessed are the peace-makers, for they
shall be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9).


Lastly, it pains us beyond measure that two of our venerable Orthodox
archbishops have been kidnapped while on a humanitarian mission in the suburbs
of Allepo and have yet to be found. We ask all peace-loving people to pray for
their release from captivity, because in our liturgy we always pray for
captives and for their salvation.

May Christ, who is our Peace, grant our leaders wisdom and understanding, and
to all our victims and martyrs of this so-called Arab-Spring, rest and eternal
life.

His Eminence Metropolitan Philip

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://khanya.wordpress.com
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com

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