Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
Mother Agnes-Mariam of the Cross, Mother Superior of the Monastery of St. James the Mutilated, a Melkite Greek Catholic monastery in central Syria, spoke about the importance of bringing peace to Syria and surrounding nations Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, during a news conference in downtown Lincoln.
Nov 18, 2013, Journal Star
An outspoken Catholic figure from a monastery north of Damascus said Monday the uprising in Syria is driven largely by Islamic extremists and foreign fighters whose efforts should not be supported by the United States.
Mother Agnes-Mariam told a Lincoln news conference that last summer’s widespread video report of the use of sarin gas by the government of President Bashar al-Assad to attack and kill civilians was false.
“It’s a fake video,” she said.
“The victims are fake,” she said.
The video was designed to rally international support and arms for the rebellion against the Syrian government, Agnes-Mariam said.
The violence she has witnessed was inflicted by “death squads attacking security forces and (in) attacks on civilians killed during the night and early morning without any reason,” she said.
Stopping in Lincoln during a North American speaking tour to address a Nebraskans for Peace event Monday night, Agnes-Mariam said, “America should stop fueling religious extremists with money” or weapons and help bring peace to Syria.
The Syrian government’s decision to accept a Russian-led agreement to destroy its chemical weapons represented a peaceful step forward that should be followed by other nations, Agnes-Mariam said, and then should lead toward nuclear disarmament.
“I hope it’s the first step in the dismantling of weapons of mass destruction everywhere,” she said.
Agnes-Mariam’s views are controversial, and some critics have described her as a tool of the Syrian government.
Her efforts have triggered “threats and bribes to shut up,” she said.
In Syria, Agnes-Mariam is Mother Superior of the Monastery of St. James the Mutilated. She is a leader of the Institute for Peace, Justice and Human Rights in Syria.
Agnes-Mariam’s supporters point to her record of criticizing Syrian rebels for the brutality of their methods while at times criticizing the Syrian government.
“We need support for a peaceful settlement,” she said.
“America should stand against religious extremism,” she said.
“The benefits of war are poison,” Agnes-Mariam said. “The benefits from peace are everlasting.”
