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Foreign-backed insurgents in Syria have kidnapped 12 nuns from a convent in the Christian town of Ma\'lula. Local authorities say the insurgents have taken the nuns to the nearby town of Yabrud. There is no word on the fate of the nuns, but militants are usually known to kill people they kidnap. The insurgents have entered Ma\'lula several months after they were pushed out of the historic town. The Syrian army has been battling the insurgents in the regions near the capital Damascus. The army has cleared many towns and villages of the insurgents. Sources close to the militants have admitted that government forces have been making significant gains near Damascus and elsewhere in the country.

Latest media reports from Syria say insurgents fighting against the government plan to use a group of nuns kidnapped from their convent in the town of Ma\'loula as human shields. The 12 Syrian and Lebanese nuns were kidnapped from a Greek Orthodox convent after the notorious al-Nusra Front militants took over parts of the Christian town. The nuns were then taken to Yabrud - a town under insurgent control north of Damascus. This, as Syrian forces have been deployed to the historic town to restore security there. The militants took over the town on Monday after rolling explosive-filled tires down the hills onto government forces, following three days of intense fighting. The kidnappings have drawn condemnation from the Vatican. Iran has also slammed the assault on the Christian religious site and called for the immediate release of the nuns. It\'s also urged the international community to take immediate action to prevent such criminal acts from taking place in the future.

Latest media reports from Syria say insurgents fighting against the government plan to use a group of nuns kidnapped from their convent in the town of Ma\'loula as human shields.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Mark Glenn, political commentator, about foreign-backed militants in Syria kidnapping 12 nuns from a convent in the Christian town of Ma\'loula.

[11 Mar 2014] Al-Qaeda-backed terrorist groups in Syria have freed a group of nuns - English

Hezbollah\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to the Christians of the Middle East: \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Where are your Churches, Crosses, & Nuns?\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' Extended subtitled version of the same speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7C_V-... This video is a subtitled version of a speech delivered on 16/02/14. Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheKeysToEte...

While the Christmas celebrations are on the peak around the world, the event in Syria this year is a grim one. For Christians, here, the Christmas is simply a reminder of displacement and loss of family members in the attacks carried out by foreign backed militants. A huge mass was held in the Mariamite Cathedral in Damascus and attended by Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and The Mufti of Syria. Prayers called for peace for the country and the souls of those who sacrificed their lives for protecting the homeland. Prayers also called for the return of those who have been abducted by Takfiri militants. Foreign-backed militants operating inside Syria recently took over the ancient Christian town of Maloula in Damascus countryside. A large number of residents were displaced. Al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front terrorists also stormed the Orthodox Mar Takla convent in the middle of the city and abducted several nuns. The Maloula incident is not the isolated one. The militants have sabotaged many churches across the country in recent months. And, mortars fired by them continue to claim the lives of both Christians and Muslims including women and children. Christians in Syria celebrated the Christmas amid calls to boost the security of their war-torn country. Syrian Christians believe that their country will only be stronger with their presence and steadfastness. And despite their sufferings, they still try to live a normal life, hoping stability would be restored.

The al-Qaeda-affiliated militants have vandalized churches in the Damascus countryside of Ma\'lula. That\'s according to the secretariat of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. The militants have reportedly removed the bells of all the churches, burned the crosses, and stolen the bronze statue of Christ. The ancient Christian town of Ma\'lula has been the site of fierce fighting for months now, and thousands of its residents have fled to safer parts of the country including Damascus. Al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front insurgents stormed the Orthodox Mar Takla convent in the town in December and abducted several nuns. Christians make up about 10 percent of Syria\'s population. The religious minority and its holy sites have been subjected to numerous attacks by militants since the outbreak of violence Syria in 2011.

Aisha El-Mekki’s mother didn’t believe in ‘sparing the rod’. She also had a deep respect for teachers, nuns and other authority figures; a respect that never trickled down to her youngest daughter. Discipline was real in the El-Mekki household, so from an early age she and her older sister formed an alliance. They promised not to tell on each other. Sometimes El-Mekki even took a beating for her sister. When she was in first grade, the two were sent away to a private, all-white boarding school. In third grade, El-Mekki was expelled. “As a child, if I got backed into a wall, I would refuse to do whatever you wanted me to do because you were trying to force me.” Upon returning to her home in Philadelphia, El-Mekki’s mother – who worked until five everyday – enrolled her daughter in the neighborhood school. It was around this time that El-Mekki met her best friend, Shakora. The two began spending afternoons together, deepening their friendship and getting into trouble. “One time I was on a bus. It was a Friday afternoon. The bus driver said my pass had expired; that I had to get a transfer…so he gave me a transfer while waiting for the next bus and the next bus was late. We waited for a while. There was a crowd of people by the time the bus came. [The next bus driver] said that my pass had expired and that I needed to get off the bus. Well I didn’t have any more money, so I said, ‘I paid my fare and I will ride.’ This man decided that he was going to send a message. So he stopped a police car and told them that I refused to pay. The police emptied the bus and told the driver to drive to the police station with just me on it….so he drives this empty bus to the police station and they arrested me. And this just infuriated me. My mother had to be called and of course she was just livid….she had to end up getting a lawyer, and had to go court, miss time from work…and eventually it was resolved but I mean they charged me. I had a record. It was ridiculous. That was my first incident with what I consider police brutality…and how they can escalate a situation unnecessarily.” Three years later, El Mekki graduated from an all-girls Catholic high school. It was at this point that she began to question the Trinity. She didn’t want to leave the church; she believed she would go to hell if she did. Still, the questions remained. So she kept her eyes open. After college, El-Mekki decided she wanted to become a social worker. She learned about a group called the Black Panther Party that was organizing programs for the needy. “When I heard about these people feeding children – and I worked on the midnight shift – I said, ‘you know what? I’m gonna go up there’. And there were tables and tables of children being fed cereal and toast, and I was really amazed. People were doing this out of the bottom of their hearts. They weren’t getting paid for it. But they wanted to make sure the children were getting a decent breakfast.” El-Mekki joined the group. At the same time, her religious search continued. “I had an aunt that was Muslim. I used to visit her. She was not aggressive, she was not pushy, she was not trying to convert me. Anytime I had a question, she would answer. Her husband was very nice. And I liked the way her family was so calm. It was so peaceful. And so I would go visit her often. During that time I was in the Black Panther Party, and she didn’t disapprove. Everybody else in my family said, ‘Here she goes again, doing something off the beaten path.’ But not aunt Mariam. One time when we knew that there was going to be a police raid, and we were trying to get the children out because I didn’t want the children to be there. And she just told me to bring them to her house. You know? And I just admired her. I just said wow, if her religion supports revolutionary acts like that, then I want to hear more about it. So she would always be listening to Shaheed Malcolm’s albums. She owned every word he ever said. And she’d often have his records on when I’d go over there. And she gave me his book to read because I was always asking questions about him. And that was like the answer to my prayer. You know? The part where he said that our religion doesn’t teach us to be aggressive, but if you lay a hand on me, then I can send you to the cemetery. And I said, ‘I can do that. That is the religion that I need.’ You know, that allows me to defend myself. That doesn’t encourage me to just constantly turn the other cheek. Nobody else is turning the other cheek. They’re turning the other side of their hand. And so i decided you know what, that’s when I decided Islam was for me because it allowed me to be religious and at the same time, be revolutionary.” innerrevolutions.net

The 41st installment of BISKIT is here with a #Christmas Special! Was Jesus a #Revolutionary? Did early Christians wear Hijab? Did the Bible foretell of the coming of Prophet #Muhammad (S)? Using proofs from the Bible, this BISKIT is bound to change your entire perspective on Jesus and Christianity. The Holy Quran says, “And do not dispute with the followers of the Book [Christians & Jews] except by what is best,” [29:46] #MerryChristmas #Paganism #Christmas #Xmas #Bible #Jesus #WWJD #ChristmasTree #ImamKhomeini #ImamKhamenei #Monotheism #Trinity #Mary #VirginMary #Hijab #Hijaab #Catholics #Pope #Pedophilia #Pedophiles #ChildAbuse #Nuns #Priests #ProphetJesus #IslamicRevolution #JingleBells #Hebrews #IslamicRevolution #Lord #Saviour #ChristiansAgainstTrump #ChristmasOnMyMind #ChristianityToday #ChristmasTreeFarm #ChristmasParty #ChristmasCruelty #ChristmasTime #ChristmasDay #ChristmasEve #ChristmasHolidays #Christ #Scrooge #ChristmasCarol #Palestine #FreePalestine #Jesus_Was_Palestinian #SecondComing #ImamMahdi #ProphetMuhammad #Mahdi