"Syrian people are facing international community of hypocrisy"- Mother Agnes-Mariam

Mother Agnes-Mariam shared her eyewitness experience in Syria with people in Toronto during her speaking tour.
 
Mother Agnes-Mariam of the Cross is Mother Superior at the Monastery and Convent of St. James the Mutilated in Qara, Syria. She came from Syria in a speaking tour to share her eyewitness experience and to urge people from around the world to take action to help Syrians. Mother Agnes talked about the horrific war crimes committed against civilians in Syria and urged people around the world to help Syrians by showing solidarity and contributing to the humanitarian aid, while being against military intervention.
 
“Any explanation will not cover the human crisis in Syria,” Mother Agnes said during her talk in Etobicoke.  She said that Syrian people are facing an international community of hypocrisy. When faced by political questions from the audience, Mother Agnes said: “I am not an expert on geopolitics.” She does not take any sides in the Syrian conflict and her message was about peace and reconciliation.
 
Mother Agnes had a great role in helping to evacuate Moadhamiya town near Damascus after courageously mediating between fighters and the Syrian government. She helped to evacuate around 700 women and children and 650 men in October.
 
Conflict zones
In March 2011, protests erupted in Syria in March 2011 as part of the Arab Spring that began in Tunisia and Egypt. Western direct and indirect intervention turned the protests to a civil war. While the government forces shell Syrian towns and villages, rebels have recruited child soldiers, attacked religious minorities and used civilians as human shields.  
 
The Western-backed gulf countries (GCC), mainly Saudi Arabia and Qatar, fund fundamentalist military groups in an attempt to counter the revolution and control the region, which serves the imperialists’ goals. “Fundamentalism is under the supervision of United States and is funded by the GCC governments,” Mother Agnes said.
 
During her visit to Homs, which is under the control of the opposition military groups, Mother Agnes witnessed horrific human rights violations. “In one day we counted around 100 corpses.” Mother Agnes said that beheading is a normal act committed by fundamentalist groups that control some parts of Syria. For instance, she narrated a story of a man who refused to shutdown his shop during the strike that was called by the opposition in Homs. She said that his car was bombed and his body was cut to pieces.
 
Mother Agnes also talked about the 13 nuns who are kidnapped by Jabhat AlNusra and its allies. AlNusra and its allies are mainly funded by the Western-backed Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Shockingly, the international community is silent, while their families and loved ones do not know their destiny. She also talked about the attack on Northern Latakia. “Al Qaeda fighters attacked villages in Northern Latakia and killed 250 innocent women and children,” Mother Agnes said. She added that people were crucified on trees in the villages. More than 100 women and children from Northern Latakia have been kidnapped.
 
No to intervention
Being in solidarity with people in Syria means supporting their rights to self-determination and opposing Western direct and indirect intervention. Mother Agnes called for an international inquiry commission to investigate the current situation in Syria without any political affiliation. It is important to ensure that no further funding goes to any side of the conflict in order to stop bloodshed. At the same time contributing to humanitarian aid, like Mother Agnes’s initiative, is an effective way to bring comfort to Syrians by providing them with medicine, food and items necessary for living.