Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 106 | Wed 04 May 2011

— as the regional struggle for balance of power heats up

By Elizabeth Kendal

As US-allied dictators fell in Tunisia and Egypt, Iran scoffed while the
US-allied dictators in the House of Saud shuddered. Everything changed,
however, when Bahraini and Saudi forces, with the tacit approval of the
US, crushed the ‘pro-democracy’ protests at Pearl roundabout. The media
are confused by what they see as ‘mixed responses’ because they fail to
realise that who falls is far less important than who rises. In Bahrain
the protesters were Shi’ites; their success would have been Iran’s gain.
When dissent was crushed in Bahrain, the ‘Arab Spring’ transformed into a
struggle over the regional balance of power. For decades, the US – Sunni
Arab axis prevailed. Then the Iraq War opened the way for Shi’ite Persian
Iran to gain the ascendancy. As the struggle for the regional balance of
power heats up, Syria becomes absolutely pivotal.

Syria is 90 percent Sunni Arab, yet it is central — both geographically
and strategically — to the Iran-Syria-Hezballah (Shi’ite) axis. This
situation arose because the ruling Assad family belong to the obscure
Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’ism considered heretical across Islam.
Needing allies, Syria’s former president Hafiz al-Assad (father of the
current president Bashar al- Assad) forged close bonds with Musa al-Sadr,
the most prominent Shi’ite leader in Lebanon. In 1973 al-Sadr issued a
fatwa recognising Lebanon’s Alawites as Shi’ites. This was not only a coup
for the Alawites, it was vital for the region’s Shi’ites, for without
Syria there would be no ‘Shi’ite Crescent’.

In 1980 the Assad regime formed a strategic alliance with Iran. Since
then, Iranian Revolutionary Guards have served alongside Syrian Republican
Guards protecting the Assad regime. It also resulted in Iranian Shi’ite
missionaries having free range in mostly Sunni Syria. Relations with Iran
have only grown stronger since Bashar al-Assad came to power in 2000.
Hundreds of thousands of Iranian and Iraqi Shi’ites have since been
naturalised as Syrian citizens.

However, nothing has drawn Syria’s Sunni masses to the Iran-Syria-
Hezballah axis as did Hezballah’s 2006 war against Israel. While Syria is
still only around one percent Shi’ite, Shi’ism has been popularised to the
extent that analysts talk of ‘Shi’itization’. Naturally this horrifies the
Muslim Brotherhood and the US-Saudi axis. While Israel, the US and the
Saudis would love to prise Syria out of the Iran-Hezballah axis, Iran and
Hezballah cannot afford to lose Syria if they are to remain ascendant.
Consequently Iranian forces are aiding the Assad regime while Salafi
jihadists from Saudi Arabia are aiding the Syrian opposition. Now Syria
risks being torn apart by an Iraq-style sectarian conflagration over the
regional balance of power. Should this eventuate, Syria — like Iraq —
will drown in blood.

There are about 1.4 million Christians in Syria, comprising 6.3 percent of
the total Syrian population (Operation World). Furthermore, Syria hosts
some 1.2 million Iraqi refugees, including hundreds of thousands of
Assyrian and Chaldean Christians and Mandaeans. Because Syria has been
Baathist (secular and socialist, as was Iraq), repression has been
political, not religious and Christians have had a higher degree of
freedom in Syria than those in other Muslim states where Sharia is
observed. Most Syrian Christians are deeply concerned that if the regime
loses control, they will suffer immensely in the resultant chaos.
Consequently, Syrian Christians are maintaining a very low- key approach
both politically and religiously. They kept their observance of Easter
very quiet this year, cancelling traditional public processions and
celebrations. The riots have not been sectarian yet, being rooted in
grievances that are social (repression and inequality) and economic
(unemployment plus massive fuel and food price hikes). However, the
Melkite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Gregory III Laham, has
cautioned that criminals have become involved now and weapons are flooding
in. What is more, he adds, there are fundamentalist Muslims calling for
jihad.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR GOD TO —

* impart wisdom and restraint to all world leaders involved: the al-Assad
regime in Syria; the Iranian regime; the House of Saud; the US
administration; the Israeli, Lebanese and Turkish governments; and that
a solution will be found to avert collapse and restore peace, for the
sake of the Church and the nation. (Proverbs 21:1)

* fill all Syria’s Christian leaders with great spiritual wisdom and
authority, that they will be able to lead God’s people according to
God’s purposes.

* comfort and encourage all Syria’s Christians with his presence, and
draw them into prayer and Christian unity, that they will grow in
grace, faith, brotherly love and sanctification, to the glory of God.

‘The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.’ (James 5:16b
NIV)

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

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CHRISTIANS VULNERABLE IN SYRIA

As the ‘Arab Spring’ becomes a struggle between the Sunni US-Saudi axis
and the Shi’ite Iran-Hezballah axis for the regional balance of power,
Syria is absolutely pivotal. Because the Syrian regime is allied to
Shi’ite Iran and Hezballah, that puts Syria at the centre of a ‘Shi’ite
Crescent’, yet the population is 90 percent Sunni Arab. With Syria’s chaos
deepening, and Iran and Saudi Arabia interfering, it risks an Iraq-style
sectarian conflagration. If such a conflict eventuates, Syria’s 1.4
million Christians (6.3 percent of the population) will be just as
vulnerable and threatened as Iraq’s now almost annihilated Christians have
been. (In fact, Syria hosts hundreds of thousands of Assyrian and Chaldean
Christian refugees from Iraq.) There is much fear. Please pray for the
Christians in Syria.

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We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.

For more information, updates and helpful links see Elizabeth Kendal’s
blog ‘Religious Liberty Monitoring’ <http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com>.

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.
Previous bulletins may be viewed at <http://www.ea.org.au/ea–
family/Religious-Liberty/Prayer-Postings.aspx>.