By Ethar Abdulhaq
(Zaman Al Wasl)- An official document from the regime intelligence revealed the intelligence monitoring the activity of churches, watching the clergymen overseeing them, evaluating them in terms of reputation and political orientation, and their legal, financial and educational situation.
Zaman al-Wasl obtained the document numbered 10475 dated 25-07-2004 issued by the Idlib branch of the military intelligence (Branch 271) and sent to Branch 235 popularly known as Palestine Branch and the division in the same branch.
A response from Palestine Branch arrived requesting information about the Catholic churches, in all its branches, present in Idlib and its countryside. The document confirms that Idlib’s intelligence branch conducted a swipe of those churches falling within their domain of operation, and it emerged that the Catholic sect there has churches particular to the Roman sect only and no other branches of Catholicism. The Roman churches existent are 4 distributed over different cities and towns, Jisr ash Shugur, al-Qunaya, al-Yacubiyeh, and al-Ghassaniyeh.
-Four Churches-
The intelligence document presents for each respective church of the four some details beginning with the Roman church in Jisr ash Shugur which is subordinate to the Patriarchy in Aleppo and tied to the Vatican. It was built over 8 decades ago, and formed of three levels, with four rooms on each four and a hall that may hold up to 100 people according to the document description.
The Idlib Intelligence Branch goes on to discuss the church’s activities indicating that it is restricted to Sunday mass without a sermon, and the clergyman responsible for the church is the priest Ibrahim Yunus Bin Salim and Jamille born in al-Qunaya in 1938.
The document clarifies that Yunus graduated from the Vatican and then became a monk in Jordan before he lived in one of the monasteries in Latakia for 6 years following that he went to the al-Ghassaniyeh monastery where he remained for 11 years.
The intelligence report concluded describing Yunus saying, “reputable, has no prior judgments, single, and hardworking,” adding, “his family, relatives and friends are party members (Baath Party) and neutral.”
According to the same document the Roman church in the village of al-Ghassaniyeh in the area of Jisr ash Shugur is also run by the priest Ibrahim Yunus who was aforementioned with the knowledge that the activities of this church includes, “giving a sermon, holding Sunday mass, celebrating religious holidays and social occasions.”
The Roman church in al-Ghassaniyeh gives religious lessons under the supervision of the church nuns, each lesson is one hour long, and it is held periodically every day of the week except Friday and Sunday.
-Progressive-
The document turns to discussing the al-Yacubiyeh church subordinate to Jisr ash Shugur area which is overseen by the Priest Atif Falah bin Shukri and Bernadette born in Tubna, Deraa 1965.”
The regime intelligence indicates that Falah is the shepherd of the sect and he has “some activities” such as greeting trips coming from all over Syria with the aim of looking at archeological sites.
The document mentions that most of the Roman Catholic sons of al-Yacubiyeh live abroad where part of them live in Aleppo and the other in Latakia, and there are very few in their village.
The paragraph finishes by describing Priest Falah, “his education is high school level, he is well mannered, financially middle class, hardworking… left the territory to go to Jordan to study for the priesthood… originally from the village of Tubna subordinate to Deraa province, appears to be neutral, positive, progressive ideas, his sermons are good and support the situation, and he did not appear to engage in any opposition activity.”
The regime intelligence then continued to the 4th and last church, the Roman church in the town of al-Qunaya in Jisr ash Shugur which is overseen by the priest Hanna Jalouf son of Mosa and Janet born in 1950 in al-Qunaya.
According to the document, the church activities involve, “giving sermons, masses, hosting social celebrations,” other than hosting an art exhibition and welcoming “entertainment and missionary trips.”
The document does not describe Jalouf in contrast to the other church overseers, and concludes indicating that the Catholics did not form a church in Idlib and its countryside for any of their sects other than the four aforementioned churches.
-No life-
A detailed reading of the document shows that the Christian clergymen are not excepted from the observation and monitoring of the intelligence which is expected and unsurprising from the al-Assad regime. The document confirms what is known about the nature of the regime, but what is scary is the regime intelligence turning to using one single general measure to evaluate and no one falls above this measure and it is the measure of political party belonging and political activity that must adhere to the regime standards.
It is necessary for every Syrian even a Christian clergyman to be a party member, as must his family and friends or otherwise they must be what is described as “neutral” and show no political color or clear political attitude towards what is going on around them. It is preferred and even a duty to appear as an open supporter for the situation, and it is a given that they will engage in no opposition activity of any sort, and by the word opposition here it is meant what the regime defines exclusively as opposition not what is set by right or truth which religions seek to implement and prompt its followers to commit to.
Without doubt, in the regime’s rules and its classificatory dictionary, Syrians must be, and we included the priest, progressive and there is no need to explain the real meaning of this term for the Assad family, as Syrians have simply to remember Hafiz al-Assad’s famous phrase, “there is no life in this territory except for progress and socialism,” and compares it with what is implemented on the ground to learn and examine the true image of progression painted by the regime.
Similar to religious men, the church is considered a judicial entity, and must not according to the al-Assad intelligence “divert” from the role drawn up for it within the regime’s imagining. As much as the church is committed to holding mass only or giving a sermon or speech with a literal religious focus devoid from any connection with the current situation or making judgments about it, then the regime and its intelligence organizations were reassured and in any instance the opposite happened, it was a cause of suspicion and they forced the current to shrink or disappear entirely.
(Zaman Al Wasl)- An official document from the regime intelligence revealed the intelligence monitoring the activity of churches, watching the clergymen overseeing them, evaluating them in terms of reputation and political orientation, and their legal, financial and educational situation.
Zaman al-Wasl obtained the document numbered 10475 dated 25-07-2004 issued by the Idlib branch of the military intelligence (Branch 271) and sent to Branch 235 popularly known as Palestine Branch and the division in the same branch.
A response from Palestine Branch arrived requesting information about the Catholic churches, in all its branches, present in Idlib and its countryside. The document confirms that Idlib’s intelligence branch conducted a swipe of those churches falling within their domain of operation, and it emerged that the Catholic sect there has churches particular to the Roman sect only and no other branches of Catholicism. The Roman churches existent are 4 distributed over different cities and towns, Jisr ash Shugur, al-Qunaya, al-Yacubiyeh, and al-Ghassaniyeh.
-Four Churches-
The intelligence document presents for each respective church of the four some details beginning with the Roman church in Jisr ash Shugur which is subordinate to the Patriarchy in Aleppo and tied to the Vatican. It was built over 8 decades ago, and formed of three levels, with four rooms on each four and a hall that may hold up to 100 people according to the document description.
The Idlib Intelligence Branch goes on to discuss the church’s activities indicating that it is restricted to Sunday mass without a sermon, and the clergyman responsible for the church is the priest Ibrahim Yunus Bin Salim and Jamille born in al-Qunaya in 1938.
The document clarifies that Yunus graduated from the Vatican and then became a monk in Jordan before he lived in one of the monasteries in Latakia for 6 years following that he went to the al-Ghassaniyeh monastery where he remained for 11 years.
The intelligence report concluded describing Yunus saying, “reputable, has no prior judgments, single, and hardworking,” adding, “his family, relatives and friends are party members (Baath Party) and neutral.”
According to the same document the Roman church in the village of al-Ghassaniyeh in the area of Jisr ash Shugur is also run by the priest Ibrahim Yunus who was aforementioned with the knowledge that the activities of this church includes, “giving a sermon, holding Sunday mass, celebrating religious holidays and social occasions.”
The Roman church in al-Ghassaniyeh gives religious lessons under the supervision of the church nuns, each lesson is one hour long, and it is held periodically every day of the week except Friday and Sunday.
-Progressive-
The document turns to discussing the al-Yacubiyeh church subordinate to Jisr ash Shugur area which is overseen by the Priest Atif Falah bin Shukri and Bernadette born in Tubna, Deraa 1965.”
The regime intelligence indicates that Falah is the shepherd of the sect and he has “some activities” such as greeting trips coming from all over Syria with the aim of looking at archeological sites.
The document mentions that most of the Roman Catholic sons of al-Yacubiyeh live abroad where part of them live in Aleppo and the other in Latakia, and there are very few in their village.
The paragraph finishes by describing Priest Falah, “his education is high school level, he is well mannered, financially middle class, hardworking… left the territory to go to Jordan to study for the priesthood… originally from the village of Tubna subordinate to Deraa province, appears to be neutral, positive, progressive ideas, his sermons are good and support the situation, and he did not appear to engage in any opposition activity.”
The regime intelligence then continued to the 4th and last church, the Roman church in the town of al-Qunaya in Jisr ash Shugur which is overseen by the priest Hanna Jalouf son of Mosa and Janet born in 1950 in al-Qunaya.
According to the document, the church activities involve, “giving sermons, masses, hosting social celebrations,” other than hosting an art exhibition and welcoming “entertainment and missionary trips.”
The document does not describe Jalouf in contrast to the other church overseers, and concludes indicating that the Catholics did not form a church in Idlib and its countryside for any of their sects other than the four aforementioned churches.
-No life-
A detailed reading of the document shows that the Christian clergymen are not excepted from the observation and monitoring of the intelligence which is expected and unsurprising from the al-Assad regime. The document confirms what is known about the nature of the regime, but what is scary is the regime intelligence turning to using one single general measure to evaluate and no one falls above this measure and it is the measure of political party belonging and political activity that must adhere to the regime standards.
It is necessary for every Syrian even a Christian clergyman to be a party member, as must his family and friends or otherwise they must be what is described as “neutral” and show no political color or clear political attitude towards what is going on around them. It is preferred and even a duty to appear as an open supporter for the situation, and it is a given that they will engage in no opposition activity of any sort, and by the word opposition here it is meant what the regime defines exclusively as opposition not what is set by right or truth which religions seek to implement and prompt its followers to commit to.
Without doubt, in the regime’s rules and its classificatory dictionary, Syrians must be, and we included the priest, progressive and there is no need to explain the real meaning of this term for the Assad family, as Syrians have simply to remember Hafiz al-Assad’s famous phrase, “there is no life in this territory except for progress and socialism,” and compares it with what is implemented on the ground to learn and examine the true image of progression painted by the regime.
Similar to religious men, the church is considered a judicial entity, and must not according to the al-Assad intelligence “divert” from the role drawn up for it within the regime’s imagining. As much as the church is committed to holding mass only or giving a sermon or speech with a literal religious focus devoid from any connection with the current situation or making judgments about it, then the regime and its intelligence organizations were reassured and in any instance the opposite happened, it was a cause of suspicion and they forced the current to shrink or disappear entirely.
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