Qamishlo Christians denounce attack on Mar Elias Church, praise DAA

Christians in Qamishlo organized a large march today in solidarity with the victims of the Mar Elias Church bombing in Damascus and to condemn the attack. Hundreds of Qamishlo residents, including Kurds and Arabs, as well as representatives of the Democratic Autonomous Administration, joined the march.

Participants carried photos of the bombing victims and raised a cross draped in black cloth as a sign of mourning. They also held banners in Syriac and Arabic with messages such as: “We are all against terrorism, we are all against extremism, we are all Syrians, Muslims, and Christians,” “We will remain the cradle of civilization despite the haters,” “Those who bomb a church today will bomb a mosque tomorrow; terrorism does not distinguish between Muslims and Christians,” “The bells of our churches will keep ringing,” “From the city of peace, Qamishlo, to Damascus: No to terrorism, terrorism has no religion,” “We will stay in our homeland with our people of all religions and sects,” and “Religion is for God, and the homeland is for all.”

Subhi Malki, the Co-Chair of the Progressive Syriac Youth Union, delivered a statement mourning the victims of the “terrorist” bombing and condemning the attack.

The statement emphasized that the protest was a message about the need to eliminate “terrorism and terrorists"

The statement noted that the attack targeted all components of Syrian society and stressed the importance of fostering unity and national solidarity as the only solution to counter plots and policies aimed at dividing people and sowing discord. It highlighted the suffering of the people in NE Syria from terrorism and how they overcame it, stating: “The people of  NE Syria suffered from terrorism and malicious policies, but they managed to create a model to be emulated through united arms against terrorists, shared destiny, and coexistence under the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA).”

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ANHA