Russian Official Urges Defense of Christians in Syria in Wake of Chemical Attack
Vladimir Bulygin, head of the Constitutional Legislation Committee of Russia's Federation Council, has called on the Russian government to defend Syrian Christians and to seek the help of the international community.
The calls come as reports are emerging from Syria that more than 1,000 people may have been killed in the largest attack in the two-year conflict.
"Syria's Christians are in serious danger, as the world ignored crimes committed against them. Russia should speak, publicly, about this disaster in the international fora to draw the world's attention to their suffering in Syria," Bulygin said during an interview with Novosti News Agency.
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"The accordance between Muslims and Christians continued for centuries, but was recently undermined."
In recent reports, armed individuals killed 11 people, most of whom were Christian, in the Syrian governorate of Homs. Media channels also reported on the burning of the Syriac church in Deir al-Zour, in June, by armed members of the Al-Nusra Front.
The church was not the only target for the radical group, as they also targeted the Latin Church, which faced two consecutive bombings by Salafist and takfiri groups.
Churches in Syria adopted a neutral position in the current conflict and provided support for all evicted and displaced people on the basis of humanitarian ethics.
