Thousands of Christian Syrian refugees have fled from Syria. Many of them have gone to Zahleh in Lebanon. An initiative by the local Melkite Catholic Church called St. John the Merciful Table helps to feed these refugees. ACN is supporting this initiative. 

By ACN Staff

It is just over ten years since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War. Hundreds of thousands have been killed, and millions have been displaced. Many of these refugees have gone to neighbouring Lebanon for sanctuary. Majed and his family are amongst these people. Majed is 12 years old He does not remember living in his native Syria; his family sought refuge in Lebanon when Majed was three years old. 

Majed’s father, Basman Abboud, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about what the family went through in Syria and why they left to find safety in Lebanon: 

“At least fifty people in our own locality died in six months, while others were abducted. Many others had their possessions and their means of survival destroyed and burnt. We endured it for a year, living in hell – with no work, no electricity, no schools, no food. We daily ran the risk of being shot by snipers. The closure of the schools left an entire generation without education.” 

Christians were specifically targeted by many militant groups during the war. Barman tells us about a saying that was going around at the time: “the Alawites to the grave, the Christians to Beirut”. The Alawites are a Shia Muslim sect that are regarded as heretics by many Sunni Islamists. Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, is an Alawite. It became clear as the war became worse and worse that Majed’s family and other Christians would not be able to stay in their ancient homeland.

Basman told ACN about the attack that finally forced them to flee for their lives: 

“They attacked us with guns, although we were completely defenceless. They killed fifteen young people and burned down five houses. Everybody fled. We ran, along with everybody else, not taking anything with us except the clothes on our backs. We ran out of our homes and fled.” 

On 20 March 2012, the family arrived at Zahleh in Lebanon. Zahleh is a very unusual city in the Middle East. The city is the largest majority Christian settlement in the Middle East. The majority of the population (around 90%) are Christians, and most of the Christians are Catholics, particularly Melkite Greek Catholics. For this reason, alongside the fact it is close to Lebanon’s border with Syria, many Christian refugees from Syria have gone to Zahleh for safety.  

Life was very difficult for Majed and his family. They lived in an overcrowded house with other refugees, and they did not have enough warm clothes as winter approached. It was at this time that Majed’s father heard that the local Melkite Catholic archbishop was offering aid to the refugees. Basman said he does not know what they would have done if it was not for the help from the local Melkite Church. 

The archbishop set up an initiative with the local Church called St. John the Merciful Table. St. John the Merciful was a 7th century Patriarch of Alexandria who was very well known for his care for and work with the poor. St. John the Merciful Table provides food to Syrian refugees and impoverished Lebanese families. Lebanon is currently going through a political and economic crisis that has seen many forced into poverty. The work of St. John the Merciful Table was particularly vital during the time of COVID-19, when many people lost their jobs in Zahleh.  

The faith of Syrian Christians is truly inspirational. Majed’s family are no different. Basman explains that the family trusts in God: 

“The Lord is present, and we trust in his presence. We are still all alive, and we are grateful to all those who have been so good to us, and we pray that God may reward them because we can never repay them for what they are doing for us. But God sees and knows everything they are doing for us.” 

Majed is happy that Christmas is coming despite all the difficulties: 

“I have become a refugee, just like the Child Jesus, who also had to flee together with his parents. Sometimes my family gets sad and feels nostalgic. And there are also tears when daddy tells us that we once had a beautiful house, light and spacious. The church used to be decorated and welcoming for everyone at Christmas time, but now everything has disappeared. My desire for Christmas is that people may think of families like mine and help refugees to have hope in a better future. Happy Christmas everyone!” 

ACN supports many projects in Lebanon, such as St. John the Merciful Table that help refugees from Syria. If you would like to help ACN’s work with refugees in Lebanon and all over the world, please consider donating to ACN.