I'm not a political person, actually quite the opposite, but the older I get, the more I realize that politics affect all facets of life for nearly every person. As I've been overseas working with mainly Syrian people fleeing the incredibly political war that is being waged in their country, I've come to realize that most Americans/Europeans don't have a clue what is actually going on in Syria. The truth is, that I don't know all the ins and outs of things, but after months of listening to my friends talk about it, I would like to take a little bit of time to paint a better picture of what's happening in their country- what the media isn't portraying. And I'd like to do so by depicting it in story form, as if it was happening in America (please don't take offense at any country, religious, or political reference I use- it's all purely fictional to help people understand better):
In 2011 the Republican party held office, but the Democratic party was upset by some things that the president was doing. So, they took to the streets in protest, creating chaos, asking for him to leave office. Instead of hearing their thoughts, the president and his supporters responded back with escalated violence and force. In response, an army, the Democratic Free Army, was formed to protect themselves and their ideas. As time passed, and the fighting worsened, various groups split off from these two groups. (Since there is no people group I would like to liken to the inhumanity of ISIS, I will just refer to them as the Wild Animals.) People from Mexico, that were living in the US, decided to form their own army, and since they were really strong in number and force, the fighting began to gravitate to the South where they were most heavily populated. All the fanatical people in the world began to take interest in the Wild Animals, and this group grew and began to do unspeakable things to not just the American people, but any foreigner that could be found. Things continued to grow and gain national recognition. Bigger countries around the world, like England and China, took notice and started to get involved and support various groups. But their support was biased and invested in their own purposes. Now the war was being waged not just on the ground, but with air raids and horrific bombing strikes. Since it had begun to affect their economy and borders, even Canada began to take sides and fight against the Republican army.
Soon everything was unclear and chaos reigned supreme. Who was fighting who? What was being fought for now? And why? But years continued to pass, and more and more people were slaughtered and more and more places were destroyed. There was nowhere safe, there was no one that could really be trusted, and there was no end in sight...
That's the state of present day Syria! You have the Syria Army, the Syrian Free Army, the Syrian Democratic Council, ISIS, the Kurds, the Turkish Army, the Iraqi and Iranian people, the American military, and the Russian military. Brothers are forced to fight brothers. So many other countries have become involved, fighting their own personal battles, using Syria as a staging ground for their agendas. Most of the people are innocent and wanting no part in any of this mess, forced to take sides and senselessly kill their kinsmen. There's no end in sight, because no one even knows what is happening anymore. Why in the world are humanitarian aid trucks that are delivering much needed goods to starving people being blown up during a cease-fire? There was supposed to be an agreed upon time of no fighting so people could receive aid, but it didn't even last for a week.
People are dying by the hundreds each day- why? People are stuck in camps in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, Germany, and countless other places- why? Little children are being trafficked all throughout the Middle East and Europe now- why? Why, why, why and when will it end? And please hear me on this, I know very well that my own country has played a role in causing this mess and keeping it going without providing a place for the refugees to flee to be safe. I'm not pointing any fingers, I'm just asking anyone who reads this to care, to understand, to not judge, to not shut your heart to these hurting people, and most of all to pray! Humanly this war has no end that can be fathomed, but I believe in miracles, and I'm asking you to join with me in praying for one.
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