Qara, Syria, October 20, 2014
In her interview with the Lebanese journalists, Nun Agnes Mariam of the Cross—human rights activist and Mother-Superior of the St. James’s Catholic Carmelite Convent on the outskirts of the town of Qara, has sharply condemned the actions of the pro-American coalition in the Middle East, accusing the USA of creating the Islamist terrorism, reports the Al-Binaa.
In describing her participation in the “In Defense of Christians” international conference, held in Washington, DC, on September 9-11 this year, Mother Agnes said:
“This is a stillborn initiative. More than that, I had a feeling of danger there, especially after the speech by senator Ted Cruz who called upon us to collaborate with Israel; it was terrifying for me as well as for many other Palestinians to hear that after so many years of occupation. Our stay in “the most democratic country in the world” began with the undemocratic order—to be silent: at once we were told to avoid burning issues, not to mention that we belong to the Syrian nation, and to refer to the Syrian government only as to a “regime”. We were bound hand and foot and “the masters of the meeting” were virtually the only speakers there,” the mother-superior related.
Discussing President Obama’s meeting with the heads of Christians churches, Mother Agnes expressed her disappointment:
“The very fact that the government media were seriously discussing the question whether Obama at last was going to make an appointment with clergymen of all the Christian denominations or not, was insulting for them. Yes, the president eventually received the hierarchs—but again in an insulting manner—he received them through the back door after he had delivered his famous ‘Defeat ISIS speech’. It was no more than a window-dressing: real decisions, not dependent on us and beyond our control, were made beforehand”.
Mother Agnes stated that she felt that the aim of western powers is to “shatter the human memory, to form a colorless society without history and values, in the Middle East. It is evident that one word ‘from across the ocean’ is enough to declare the Syrian government ‘illegitimate’ and to wage a full-scale war against us, against ordinary people.”
Mother Agnes has also noted the role that the occupation has assigned to religion.
“Politics are striving to make religion its obedient slave. We see as examples the ISIS and its predecessor, al Qaeda, since they are by no means connected with Islam, but the States are using them as a bomb capable of tearing the region apart from inside. That is why it is necessary to return to the true religious community, to listen to it,” said the human rights activist in conclusion.
