Statement on Syria
09 September 2012
The Peace Commission of the International Association for Religious Freedom has noted with great concern that in the pursuit of geostrategic policies, ill-considered military and material support of ‘popular’ revolutions with poorly-defined aims and structures has led to situations where human rights have been systematically abused, religious freedom has been denied, and transnational violence exacerbated.
Amongst the consequences of such support has been the inability of affected countries to sustain democratic governance; the destruction of sites of international cultural or religious importance; large-scale military intervention; and the spread of conflict to neighbouring democratic states.
The growing conflict in Syria has seen the development of terrorist organisations with ideologies of religious and ethnic hatred which threaten the peace and security of all nations in the region. They are funded and supported by non-democratic states with sectarian rulers who are known to promote enmity towards Christians, Jews and various denominations of Islam within their own national territories.
It is therefore essential for the long-term peace and stability of the region, and for the safety of countless citizens of Syria’s neighbours, that the international community applies diplomatic pressure to ensure that aid from any state is not intended or diverted to support sectarian or racially motivated terror.
