VIDEO: Syria, military intervention and Christians in danger
A Lebanese Christian talks to BMS World Mission about Syria, the position of Christians in the Middle East and military intervention.
Western military intervention in the Middle East doesn’t work, according to a the head of a BMS partner organisation in Lebanon, commenting on recent events in neighbouring Syria.
Nabil Costa from BMS World Mission on Vimeo.
Nabil Costa, Executive Director of the Lebanese Baptist Society and a BMS trustee, said in an interview that democracy would have to be learned in the Middle East, rather than imposed from the outside. He called on Christians to pray and pressure their governments for protection for Middle Eastern Christians.
“Since Lebanese independence in 1943, I have seen that military intervention from the West to the Middle East has never helped,” said Mr Costa, commenting on recent speculation that Western powers might intervene in Syria to prevent bloody government crackdowns on pro-democracy demonstrations. “I’m not being smart, I’m just reading history,” he said, adding that Western concerns over Syria and the Middle East were a bit late in coming. “I wish they had understood the situation 20 or 30 years back and built better trust with countries in the Middle East.”
Asking for prayer for Christians in the region, Mr Costa commented: “The West only thinks in terms of dollars and pounds and oil. Muslims think differently. I hope the West this time will wake up, find a way to protect the Christians, who love Muslims in their areas.” He was keen to stress that Christians in the Middle East did not see their Muslim neighbours as enemies. “We are not against Muslims ‒ on the contrary. We live with them, they are our fellow citizens, we love them. I hope the West would understand this but I hope they would also understand that the Christians depend on them, as Muslims depend on strong Muslim countries.”
The need for protection for Christians was particularly important in times of social and political upheaval because of the relative weakness of Christian communities, particularly in countries where democracy has yet to take root fully. “You cannot reach democracy in a year or two,” Mr Costa said.
“It’s a culture. You have to learn it, you have to walk it, you have to understand. We need maybe ten or 15 years to understand real democracy. And during those years, unfortunately, there will be some bloodbaths here and there. And Christians are likely to sacrifice most.”
Mr Costa also discussed the religious background and geographic spread of unrest in Syria and its importance for and impact on Lebanon and the whole region. “I hope Christians can pray for Christians to stay safe, and use their influence with their governments to protect us.”
Please pray for Christians in Lebanon and the whole of the Middle East, that they would enjoy God’s protection and be supported by Christians in the rest of the world as they live in peace with their Muslim neighbours.
Nabil Costa is a regular contributor to Engage magazine. Subscribe now to get a copy delivered directly to you four times a year.
15/02/2012
Image 1: part of the viral "I am with Syria" web campaign.