A Christian town in Syria keeps the biblical language of Aramaic alive. But it fears for its future

A Christian town in Syria keeps the biblical language of Aramaic alive. But it fears for its future
A priest holds Sunday Mass at the Greek Orthodox Convent of Saint Thecla in the town of Maaloula, Syria, Sunday Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
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Updated 28 February 2025

A Christian town in Syria keeps the biblical language of Aramaic alive. But it fears for its future

A Christian town in Syria keeps the biblical language of Aramaic alive. But it fears for its future
  • Town’s residents have asked the country’s new leaders for protection after incidents of looting and harassment.
  • The scars of an extremist-linked attack over a decade ago remain

MAALOULA: Church bells echoed across the rocky slopes of this ancient Syrian town on a cold Sunday morning. But few families remained.
Maaloula is one of the world’s few places where residents still speak Aramaic, the language that Jesus is believed to have used. The town is also home to Syria’s two oldest active monasteries. But since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in an insurgent offensive late last year, some residents fear their future is precarious.
After a few dozen people attended Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint George, some residents sat in its courtyard and spoke of looting and harassment that they believe were targeted at their religious minority.
Father Jalal Ghazal said he woke one morning in January to a loud sound and ran outside to find streams of red liquid. He immediately feared the kind of targeted killing that occurred during the country’s 13-year civil war.
Instead, he discovered that some people had broken into apartments where clergy lived, vandalized them and threw bags of wine bottles from a balcony.
Many Christians in Syria felt they were collectively accused during the long conflict of siding with Assad, who came from the small Alawite sect and portrayed himself as the protector of minorities.
Residents of Christian-majority Maaloula, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Damascus, sent a letter last month to Syria’s new Islamist government under former insurgent leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa, who has promised to protect religious and ethnic minorities.
“We want the guaranteed safe return of the Christians of Maaloula,” it read. “Maaloula is a red line. We will not let anyone encroach on its culture, heritage and sanctities.”
Nothing has changed since then, and the clergy of Maaloula hope for a chance to speak with authorities.
Maaloula still bears the scars of war. What it went through over a decade ago made global headlines and cast a light on Syria’s minorities at a time when anti-government rebels largely became more extremist.
In September 2013, rebels including Al-Qaeda-linked extremists took over the town. About two-thirds of Maaloula’s estimated 3,300 residents fled while fighters abducted 12 nuns.
The nuns were later freed for ransom, and Assad’s forces took back the town, banishing some Muslim residents who were accused of supporting armed opposition groups.
But since Assad’s fall, Maaloula’s Christians said some of those people have returned and carried out acts of vengeance including looting and vandalism. No one has been arrested.
Christians say they have lived in peace with local Muslims and that the perpetrators are unfairly targeting them for what Assad did.
“There are no guarantees,” the priest, Ghazal, said. “What we have to do is to try to reduce these incidents from happening.”
No police officers have been seen in the town recently. All the weapons and munitions in Maaloula’s police station were looted in the celebratory chaos following Assad’s fall.
Sameera Thabet was among many residents who fled that night to Damascus. “We were living in fear, wondering if we were going to get slaughtered again,” she said. “But the next day, we came back after we heard that our houses were being looted.”
Already, the war had left bullet holes in religious symbols and artifacts. Paintings and mosaics of Jesus and other Christian figures had been damaged and defaced.
Now residents and clergymen hope that Syria’s new leaders will protect them and their efforts to pass down Christian tradition and the Aramaic language. Many people who had fled the town have not returned.
Maaloula’s church officials have asked Al-Sharaa’s government for more security. In late December, some security forces came from the capital during the Christmas holiday to protect the Christians who decorated homes and lit a tree in the town square.
“They didn’t stay long. They came for two or three days then left,” a dejected-looking Ghazal said. “But our voices were heard.”
On a summit overlooking the town, Father Fadi Bargeel of the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus lit a candle before examining the long-damaged ruins.
The church overlooks the abandoned remains of a luxury hotel that became a de facto military base for armed rebels.
Bargeel said he’s trying to look to the future. He wants to encourage more people, especially children, to learn Aramaic or become more fluent.
“The moment a child is a born, the Aramaic language would be spoken at home.” he said. “When we started going to school as children, we didn’t know Arabic.” Now the language is mainly taught at home and is spoken more widely by older generations.
Though the town is largely empty, remaining residents try to carry on.
The Christmas tree still stood in the square. A few children fed stray dogs and cats loitering by a bakery.
Thabet said she trusts in God that their fate will be better. Unlike some residents, she has faith that Syria’s new leaders will make the country a civil state that’s inclusive of her and other Christians.
“God who put us on this land will protect us,” she said.


Palestinian armed group in Gaza admits to coordination with Israel

Palestinian armed group in Gaza admits to coordination with Israel
Updated 45 sec ago

Palestinian armed group in Gaza admits to coordination with Israel

Palestinian armed group in Gaza admits to coordination with Israel
GAZA CITY: The head of a Palestinian armed group opposed to Hamas and accused of aid looting in the Gaza Strip confirmed Sunday it was coordinating with the Israeli military in an interview with public radio.
Yasser Abu Shabab said his group, known as the Popular Forces, was able to move freely in zones under Israeli military control and communicated their operations beforehand.
“We keep them informed, but we carry out the military actions on our own,” he said in an interview with Makan, Israel’s Arabic-language public radio broadcaster.
Abu Shabab also said his group had received “logistical and financial support from several parties,” without mentioning Israel directly.
“There are things we can’t talk about publicly.”
Last month, the Israeli authorities admitted to providing support to armed Palestinian groups opposed to Hamas in Gaza, without naming them, though local media reports identified the group in question as Abu Shabab’s.
“It is only good, it is saving lives of Israeli soldiers,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time.
Knesset member and ex-defense minister Avigdor Lieberman, however, accused the government of “giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons.”
The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank describes Abu Shabab as the head of a criminal gang in the Rafah region of southern Gaza that has been suspected of looting aid trucks.
Abu Shabab did not address the accusation in his radio interview, and stressed that the only goal of his militia was to defeat Hamas and to provide an alternative for governance in the Gaza Strip.
“We do not belong to any ideology or political organization,” Abu Shabab said in the interview, adding that he was seeking to eradicate Hamas’s “injustice” and “corruption.”
“We will continue to fight, no matter the bloodshed,” he added. “Right now, Hamas is dying. They know their end is near.”
Abu Shabab has drawn the ire of Hamas, which has ruled over the Gaza Strip since 2007. On Wednesday, a Hamas military court gave him 10 days to turn himself in to be tried for treason, among other charges.
On Sunday, a coalition of Palestinian clans accused the Popular Forces of “shamelessly collaborating with the enemy.”
“They are rejected by all our people,” the coalition said in a statement.
“We will show no mercy to them or to anyone who follows in their footsteps by aiding the occupation. They will be treated as they deserve to be: traitors and collaborators.”

Abu Dhabi crown prince holds talks with Brazilian president on sidelines of BRICS summit

Abu Dhabi crown prince holds talks with Brazilian president on sidelines of BRICS summit
Updated 26 min 40 sec ago

Abu Dhabi crown prince holds talks with Brazilian president on sidelines of BRICS summit

Abu Dhabi crown prince holds talks with Brazilian president on sidelines of BRICS summit
  • Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan emphasized that the 50-year bond highlights the UAE and Brazil’s commitment to collaboration
  • Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva underscored the strength and depth of the bilateral relations between Abu Dhabi and Brasilia

LONDON: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, discussed ways to strengthen ties between the UAE and Brazil during a meeting on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit.

Sheikh Khaled emphasized the UAE’s pride in its strategic relationship with Brazil, a pioneering partnership built on decades of cooperation, mutual respect, and shared interests, the Emirates News Agency reported.

He stressed that the 50-year bond highlights both nations’ commitment to collaboration and sustainable development.

BRICS was founded in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa became a member the following year, and in late 2023 Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE accepted invitations to join.

Rio de Janeiro is hosting the 17th edition of the summit on Sunday and Monday.

The Brazilian president underscored the strength and depth of the bilateral relations between his country and the UAE.

The meeting was attended by several Emirati officials, including Reem Al-Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation; Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, minister of foreign trade; and UAE Ambassador to Brazil Saleh Ahmad Salem Alsuwaidi.


Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy

Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy
Updated 06 July 2025

Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy

Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy
  • Bezalel Smotrich’s comments come a day before Israeli leader is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump

JERUSALEM: Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized on Sunday a cabinet decision to allow some aid into Gaza as a “grave mistake” that he said would benefit the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

Smotrich also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to ensure that Israel’s military is following government directives in prosecuting the war against Hamas in Gaza. He said he was considering his “next steps” but stopped short of explicitly threatening to quit the coalition.

Smotrich’s comments come a day before Netanyahu is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire.

.”.. the cabinet and the Prime Minister made a grave mistake yesterday in approving the entry of aid through a route that also benefits Hamas,” Smotrich said on X, arguing that the aid would ultimately reach the Islamist group and serve as “logistical support for the enemy during wartime.”

The Israeli government has not announced any changes to its aid policy in Gaza. Israeli media reported that the government had voted to allow additional aid to enter northern Gaza.

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The military declined to comment.

Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid for its own fighters or to sell to finance its operations, an accusation Hamas denies. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, with conditions threatening to push nearly a half a million people into famine within months, according to UN estimates.

Israel in May partially lifted a nearly three-month blockade on aid. Two Israeli officials said on June 27 the government had temporarily stopped aid from entering north Gaza.

Pressure

Public pressure in Israel is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire, a move opposed by some hardline members of his right-wing coalition. An Israeli team left for Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Smotrich, who in January threatened to withdraw his Religious Zionism party from the government if Israel agreed to a complete end to the war before having achieved its objectives, did not mention the ceasefire in his criticism of Netanyahu.

The right-wing coalition holds a slim parliamentary majority, although some opposition lawmakers have offered to support the government from collapsing if a ceasefire is agreed.

The war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced by the war, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded, and much of the territory lies in ruins.


Gunmen on skiffs attack ship in Red Sea off Yemen: monitors

Gunmen on skiffs attack ship in Red Sea off Yemen: monitors
Updated 26 min ago

Gunmen on skiffs attack ship in Red Sea off Yemen: monitors

Gunmen on skiffs attack ship in Red Sea off Yemen: monitors
  • The incident occurred 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations

DUBAI: Gunmen on small boats fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at a commercial vessel in the Red Sea off Yemen on Sunday, monitors said, in the latest attack on the vital shipping lane.
The incident occurred 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
“The vessel has been engaged by multiple small vessels who have opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades. (The) armed security team have returned fire and situation is ongoing,” said UKMTO, which is run by the Britain’s Royal Navy.
UK-based security firm Ambrey reported the merchant vessel “was approached and attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea” before being attacked with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.
Hodeida is controlled by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, though no one has claimed responsibility for the assault.
The Houthis, who have controlled large swathes of Yemen for more than a decade, began firing at Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 2023, weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
They broadened their campaign to target ships linked to the United States and Britain after military strikes by the two countries began in January 2024.
In May, the group struck a ceasefire with the United States but vowed to continue targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea, despite agreeing to the truce that ended weeks of intense American strikes targeting the group.
The Houthis have attacked dozens of commercial vessels since launching their anti-shipping campaign and have prompted some freight companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global trade, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.


GCC countries’ Expo 2025 participation reflects heritage, secretary-general says

GCC countries’ Expo 2025 participation reflects heritage, secretary-general says
Updated 06 July 2025

GCC countries’ Expo 2025 participation reflects heritage, secretary-general says

GCC countries’ Expo 2025 participation reflects heritage, secretary-general says

OSAKA: Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said during his visit to Expo 2025 Osaka that the GCC countries’ pavilions showcase their cultural heritage and national visions. 

Albudaiwi, who also visited the Japan Pavilion alongside the GCC pavilions on Saturday, added that they showcase the countries’ influence in global events and enhance international cooperation, according to the Saudi Press Agency. 

The secretary-general also shared that the GCC’s participation highlights its members’ strategic planning, stressing the importance of creating strong relations with nations worldwide.

The GCC members’ pavilions offer experiences that combine heritage with technology, reflecting their commitment to their identity while embracing innovation.

Various countries from the GCC are participating in Expo 2025 Osaka, such as , which has the second-largest pavilion after Japan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar. 

Expo 2025 Osaka began in April and will conclude in October.