The body of the Greek-Orthodox priest Fr. Fadi Jamil Haddad, pastor of the church of St. Elias in Qatana, was found today in the Jaramana neighborhood (north of Damascus) not far from the place where he was kidnapped, on October 19, by unidentified armed group (see Fides 24/10/2012). This was confirmed to Fides by Fr. Haddad’s Greek-Orthodox confrere, who asked for anonymity. “ His body was horribly tortured and his eyes gouged out,” he told Fides. “It is a purely terrorist act. Fr. Haddad is a martyr of our church. “
With regards to the responsibilities of the terrible act there is an ongoing rebound of responsibilities between the opposition forces and government authorities, that accuse the armed gangs of armed rebellion in the army. According to Fides sources, the kidnappers had asked the priest’s family and his church a ransom of 50 million Syrian pounds (over 550 thousand euro). It was, however, impossible to find the money and meet this exorbitant demand. A source of Fides condemns “the terrible practice, present for months in this dirty war, of kidnapping and then killing innocent civilians.”
Among the various Christian communities in Syria, the Greek-Orthodox is the largest (with about 500 thousand faithful) and is concentrated mainly in the western part of the country and in Damascus.
This act just goes to show that the Wahabis hate Orthodox Christians just has much as they hate any other religion. Not big news, really, not after Bosnia and Chechnia, but I hope that this information makes it into the Russian media as an extra incentive to do whatever it takes to prevent the Wahabis from ever taking power in Syria.
The Saker
I doubt the Syrian people would support these Wahabist lunatic not even the Sunnis would. But there is a danger that they would run amok if the regime fell. Not a fan of Assad either of course. He was involved in rendition and torture on behalf of his CIA bosses. The Syrian people are caught between a rotten regime and the Wahabist lunatics. God help them.
@Robert:The Syrian people are caught between a rotten regime and the Wahabist lunatics. God help them.
My feelings exactly. But I have to add that, in my opinion, Wahabi extremism is something of an absolute evil over which I would prefer to pretty much anything else. It ain’t gonna happen, but if tomorrow a Wahabi insurgency was to flare up in the DPRK, I would probably support the current regime, however reluctantly. Now, I understand, of course, that the mere fact that a Wahabi insurgency could spring up is already a symptom of something very very wrong with the regime in power. That goes for Eltsin, Milosevic, Gaddafi or Assad. While the USA *uses* the Wahabi crazies, it cannot create them ex nihilo, at least not with any success and I therefore personally place the blame first and foremost on the regimes in power before the Wahabi insurgency materializes.
My guess is that Assad’s regime is rotten to the core and in normal circumstances I would be all in favour of the Syrian people giving the Baathists the boot. What must not happen is a Wahabist emirate which would be a puppet of Uncle Sam and in which any elections would be rigged and would be just for show.
Pretty clear that Saudi Qatar also are sponsoring these Wahabists and are attempting to spread their version of Islam across the Muslim world. Saudi is engaging in an imperialism of its own as is Qatar and Uncle Sam may not be fully in control of them.
Off topic the Archdruid Report has been speculating about a future scenario in which the US is defeated by the Chinese and the military defeat triggers a chain of events which threatens the breakup of the United States. Makes for interesting reading.
http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-it-could-happen-part-one-hubris.html
http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-it-could-happen-part-two-nemesis.html
http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-it-could-happen-part-three-to-brink.html
http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-it-could-happen-part-four-crossing.html
“Now, I understand, of course, that the mere fact that a Wahabi insurgency could spring up is already a symptom of something very very wrong with the regime in power.”
The appearance and strengthening of Wahabism in Tatarstan is something really worrying. But differently from Yeltsin, it seems now the authorities are working fast and strong, with the recent special operation in Kazan this week.
On the other hand, Russian relations with Iraq are improving, while Shias are being victimized by Wahabis pretty much everywhere. I guess soon we will see an even greater strengthening of relations between Russia and countries with big Shia populations. They don’t have other choice then get together.
The jihadist threat might be closer to home than you think with sections of America could become like France.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3BGwQr8xg4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX7oezVO1Bk
@Carlo:I guess soon we will see an even greater strengthening of relations between Russia and countries with big Shia populations. They don’t have other choice then get together.
God willing, indeed. That is what I have been advocating for ever since I started this blog, and I still feel very strongly that such a rapprochement would be immensely beneficial for all sides.
@Jack: excerpt of the lyrics of David Rovics’ song “evening news”
Evil men are plotting
To blow up Washington, DC
‘Cause they don’t like freedom
And democracy
They’re fans of the Dark Ages
They are all around
They’re marching from the desert sand
And coming to your town
It’s hard to believe
But I know it’s true
I saw it on the evening news
Hey Saker
I want to share with you the interview :
The Quest For Truth And Peace: A Conversation with Gareth Porter
By Gary Steven Corseri
http://www.countercurrents.org/corseri291012.htm
Has very interetins point of view.
And what do you know about HIllary begging the help of Argelia to invade Mali? another war in the name of freedom and democracy?
@Anonymous: Porter is a fantastic reporter and I always enjoy his interviews. Thanks!!
And what do you know about HIllary begging the help of Argelia to invade Mali?
I did not know about it, but I have not been following the events in Mali at all. Sounds typical, does it not?
Cheers!
@VINEYARDSAKER
Russians are having Schadenfreude with the situation regarding Muslim states within a state in France and Europes high morality hypocracy in supporting Islamic “democratic” insurgencies around the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLru31n1UFo
@jack: unlike you, Russian, and I am talking about the vast majority of Russians, do not confuse the categories “Muslim”, “Caucasian”, “Immigrant” and “Wahabi”. The West has proved itself unable to discriminate not only between Shia and Sunni, but even between Sunni and Wahabi and even between “Islamic” and “Muslim”. This categorical chaos is what so much differentiates the people of the West and most Russians. FYI – there is no “situation regarding Muslim states within a state in France and Europe”. In France, for example, you see some patriots like Alain Soral making very clear distinctions between these categories and, guess what? He is very supportive of what he calls “French Islam”. Think about it…
Jack: Russian soldiers in the Caucasus know exactly who their enemy is:
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=45937&d=1205252867
@Carlo: LOL! Great photo :-) and, of course, you are absolutely correct. In fact, I know of no military figure of national(ist) leader who would hold an anti-Muslim stance in Russia. Russian nationalists (Maxim Shevchenko, Nikolai Starikov, Igor Korochenko, Vladislav Shurygin, Dmitri Rogozin, Leonid Ivashev, Mikhail Nazarov, etc.) typically see Muslims as their *allies* against the Wahabis and thugs. While there are, alas, small movements of rabid xenophobes and, frankly, neo-Nazis, who hate all Muslims or all Caucasians, but, thank God, they are a tiny minority which is despised by everybody else and which has zero influence over the Kremlin or the armed forces. There are strong suspicions that these xenophobes are actually financed by external (Western) interests…
@VINEYARDSAKER
That’s right it is just the mean old wahabbis although French Algerians who recruit for Chechen militants are frequently in terrorist cases are Salafists like Ayman-al-Zawahiri and it is among the French immigrant community that have become no go zones are mostly Muslim immigrants with high rates of crime and public disorder with violent riots, welfare and openly aggressive disregard for French law and customs.
Now Muslims are in conflict with Buddhists in Myanmar who run the drug trafficking their and Thailand who are now literally in conflict with every other religion on the planet.
So much for the religion of peace.
What do you make of Polish authorities finding explosive material on the crashed plane in 2010?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/30/polish-presidential-plane-wreckage-materials?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
Putin is a fool but is he that stupid?
Now Muslims are in conflict with Buddhists in Myanmar who run the drug trafficking their and Thailand who are now literally in conflict with every other religion on the planet.
Any proof that the Rohingya Muslims are involved in the drug trade @Jack.
Jack: the very Polish military prosecutor has denied trotyl or any other explosive was found in the crashed Tu-154:
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_10_30/Polish-prosecutor-denies-explosives-claims-over-Tu-154-Smolensk-crash/
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_10_30/Trotyl-onboard-of-Kaczynski-s-plane-a-ridiculous-sensation/
This accusation is rubbish, just like in 2010 there were “videos” showing Russian troops shooting the survivors of the crash. Russia gains nothing on the death of Kaczynski.
@Carlo
This is not good now a US experts have found positive evidence of traces of TNT.
“The information has been earlier confirmed by leading American experts. The goverment news agency PAP said on Wednesday that Mr. Stanislaw Zagrodzki, a cousin of Ms Eva Bankowski, a victim of Russian terrorist attack on Polish presidential at Smolensk on April 10, 2010, had brought from Russia parts of her cloths. Among them was a safety belt from the attacked Polish plane. Mr. Zagrodzki sent the belt to a research center in the U.S. Traces of TNT have been found on it in 3 separate tests. The belt is now being investigated in another, more detailed test in America.
Meanwhile, a leading American scientist, Prof. Wislaw Bineda, who is now on a visit to Poland, said in an interview to a popular Warsaw newspaper, Super Ekspres, on Wednesday:
– Independent results of my studies demonstrate that the aircraft has been broken apart in the air. Everything testifies to the fact that it has been blown up. There is no doubt that traces of exposives were found on the fragments of the plane. I am convinced that it were the explosives.”
http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2012/11/01/16920.shtml
Jack: I had never imagined that you trust kavkazcenter.