Do Armenians Have a Place in Syria?

“Public defense committees” have been wandering the streets of Aleppo. These are citizens who have willingly taken up arms and are paid to defend the country's government alongside the army. Their task is specifically to protect the majority of the checkpoints of the city center. Not very far from the front line, the “Armenian checkpoint” at the end of Villat Street is easily recognized; that Armenian neighborhood is known for its vigilance, kindness and politeness.

The rebels call those fighting forces “Shabbih” in Arabic, which means ghost. After a while, the nickname started being used by government supporters too when they started noticing some of their unkind deeds: Arrogance, bribing, theft, dismissing fighting even at the cost of being imprisoned... These things slowly convince people that the “Ghosts” are fighting only for the money. I have to say that I was convinced of the honesty of a 17 year-old “shabbih”, when he insisted that he doesn't fight for the money…

The number of Armenian “shabbihs” can be counted on your fingers... They have nothing to do with the selfless minority of Armenian men who defend our neighborhoods.

The rebel armed forces, however, regard us, all the Syrian-Armenians, as  “Shabbihet Nizam”, meaning: Ghosts of the government.

What kind of a claim is that? – our people will say angrily. – Everyone knows that we maintain a positive neutrality.

Everyone knows? Everyone is only us, the pitiful Armenians, who still think that there will come a time when both sides to the conflict will approach us, to ask us to play the role of the peacemaker.

Perhaps. IF any Armenian will still be here when peace comes ...

Why are only Armenians as a group, among all Christians, considered ghosts of the government?

Because among the others there are opposition supporters, while we have only a few individuals who sympathize with the opposition, and we are the first to ostracize them.

But what would have happened, IF we had also had a small rebel organization? If we had let people who were dissatisfied with the government come together and form an Armenian opposition organization, even with a small number of people... What would have happened? Perhaps we would have also had a representative in the famous opposition coalition. Or an individual who would have been one of them, just like the Assyrians have, for example, and the phenomenon would not have been regarded as a betrayal by the government, because our official leaders would have continued to side with it.

If we had just done that, we would not have been terrified of the rebels today, at least not of all of them...

We Armenians have served this country for centuries, we have provided it with everything. We have taught crafts to its people, we have served the country with our culture and education, but we have rarely talked about that, instead, we have only spoken about our eternal gratitude... But we have lived like frightened birds, always in fear...What would have happened, IF we had not always been in fear? Just as we had been afraid, when the French left the country, and many of us left with them. Just as we had been afraid when they called us up for mandatory military service, as full-fledged Syrian citizens, and... Many Armenians left the country again...

What would have happened, IF we had engaged in all aspects of Syrian life, instead of living like frightened birds, far away from the country's political and social life... We would now have had organizations supporting both the opposition and the government. As a matter of fact, the very few Armenian opposition supporters are men who are active in Syrian life, but at the same time they also have a full Armenian spirit...

Fine. What would have happened, IF we had  sent a couple of trucks full of food, some clothes and other necessities to areas occupied by the rebels? Would we have been considered traitors or humanitarians? You would say that we have done that, we donated some of the aid received from Armenia to local Arabs... But isn't that move considered additional proof that we are the “ghosts of the government”, because they had been allocated only in “our” regions? How good would it have been, IF we had shown a little bit more humanity...

I know an Armenian pharmacist who was abducted in the town of Daret el Ezzeh where his pharmacy was located. They asked for a big ransom to set him free. However, when the “prince” of the fighting forces found out that the pharmacist was acquainted with a priest who was the first person to reach out and help the displaced people of Aleppo, he released the pharmacist and safely sent him to Aleppo…

Do not tell me that it is the same in all cases. Some rebels have beheaded priests who had helped the inhabitants of their regions…

That is another story... I am referring to the Syrian rebels.

Believe me that IF we had acted in that way, we would have saved some of the millions that have been paid as ransoms to free abducted Armenians... And we would have saved many lives.

One third of Kurd fighters are girls... But what happens, IF we have a bigger number of armed men? Are we a minority? Is it dangerous to be armed? Would we be targeted? Aren't we targets already? But IF we ponder and see that putting all our opportunities in the hands of the government is the right thing, then let's do it. Aren't we the “ghosts of the government” already? On the other hand, many of the rebels are extremists who aren't even Syrians.

Or should we wait and see what time has for us? Hopeful one day, in despair the next, and gradually get away emigrate from this country where the new constitution once again underscores that we are second-class citizens. Because Christians, including Armenians of course, do not have the right to become the president of this country, despite the fact that we serve in the military, we defend this country, we live and die for it... I wouldn't say that I know a Christian who is the best candidate to be president, but even if a person like that is to be found some day, even if that person is the most and the only worthy one for the position, that person's candidacy would still be unconstitutional…

Manuel Keshishian, Aleppo

This article is translated from the original Armenian version.