Syria

As the violent conflict between rebels and the Syrian government continues putting the lives of civilians at risk, many Christians are reportedly considering fleeing the country, once considered a safe haven for Christians in the Middle East.

Syrian Christians are faced with danger on two fronts, as remaining in the country means risking getting caught in the crossfire between government and rebel forces. At the same time, if the rebels prevail and the regime falls, an Islamic government could emerge, making life even more difficult for the Christian community, according to Issam Bishara, regional director for Lebanon, Syria and Egypt at the Catholic Near East Welfare Association's (CNEWA).

Consequently, Christians are not only fleeing ares of violence, like the city of Homs, but more and more are reportedly considering leaving the country all together, driven by fear grounded in "a deep concern based on the reality that where the Arab Spring has flourished, political life has become more fanatic and less tolerant of recognizing equal rights for Christians," Bishara revealed. more >>

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will not remain in power much longer, his uncle has told the BBC. Rifaat al-Assad has also stated that the Assad family is "still pretty much accepted by the Syrian people."

As tensions between Syria and the international community continue to rise, it is unlikely that Assad will remain in power, Rifaat said. "The problems are now general to all parts of Syria-there are no places that have escaped violence-so I don't think he can stay in power," he explained.

Daily fighting between Bashar's regime and Syrian opposition continues to take a heavy toll on the country. To date, over 6,000 people have been killed in the struggle for power. World leaders, including United States President Barack Obama has called for Assad to step aside in order to allow the country its democratic freedom. more >>

While the world is raising concerns over rights abuses by anti-government forces in Syria's ongoing violent conflict, few would even know that militant Islamists have expelled the majority of Christians from the western city of Homs, according to the country's largest church.

The Catholic news agency Fides says it has received a note from the Syrian Orthodox Church, which represents 60 percent of the Christians in Syria, about "an ongoing ethnic cleansing of Christians" by members of the a militant Islamist outfit, Brigade Faruq, which has links with al-Qaida.

The militants have expelled 90 percent of Christians in Homs, which has faced the brunt of violence related to the uprising, and grabbed their homes, it said. They went door to door in the neighborhoods of Hamidiya and Bustan al-Diwan forcing Christians to flee without giving them the chance to take their belongings, it added. more >>

Asma al-Assad, first lady of Syria and wife of dictator Bashar al-Assad, has been sanctioned by the European Union, banned from shopping with European companies, stifling her penchant for expensive Christian Louboutin shoes.

In addition to sanctioning Asma al-Assad, the EU took steps to put pressure on the al-Assad regime's heinous human rights violations by sanctioning the Bashar al-Assad's mother, sister, and sister-in-law. A cache of hacked emails revealed that the crystal-encrusted Christian Louboutins and Chanel dresses Mrs. Assad enjoys would no longer be an option while Syrian blood continues to be shed.

"With this new listing we are striking at the heart of the Assad clan, sending out a loud and clear message to Assad: he should step down," Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said at an EU ministers' meeting in Brussels. more >>

Will Christians in Syria – which has thus far been a relatively safe haven for religious minorities amid recent turmoil in the Middle East – be persecuted by Muslim extremists and forced to migrate after the fall of President Bashar Assad, as was the case with Iraqi Christians after the fall of Saddam Hussein? Yes, according to experts, and that prospect has Syria's Christians already making plans to flee.

A senior Syrian bishop who spoke with a Christian advocacy group, Aide to the Church in Need (ACN), recently said that as a Christian leader, he fears the danger of a mass exodus of the faithful, similar to the one that happened in Iraq after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and the fall of Hussein.

Both countries traditionally had a significant population of Assyrian Christians. In addition, thousands of Iraqi Christians sought sanctuary in Syria, which today has an estimated 2.5 million faithful who have traditionally prospered in that country, which used to be one of the most liberal and tolerant countries in the Middle East, even if ruled by a despotic leader. more >>

Arizona Sen. John McCain has called on the Obama Administration to lead a military strike against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose security forces are accused of killing thousands of people protesting his rule.

McCain argued on Monday during a speech at the Senate that President Barack Obama's diplomatic approach to the Assad regime is "starting to look more like hope than strategy" and pointed to a U.S.-led military engagement in Libya as a case for intervening in Syria.

"The president must state unequivocally that under no circumstances will Assad be allowed to finish what he has started, that there is no future in which Assad and his lieutenants will remain in control of Syria, and that the United States is prepared to use the full weight of our airpower to make it so," the Republican senator said. more >>