I would like to think that the circle of justice is closing in on Emperor Trump, but I'm not holding my breath. He was a crook before he came into office and yet he was chosen to represent the morally bankrupt Republican party and elected by the American people, thanks to the country's arcane electoral process.
As Trump fumed over the temerity of those who are challenging his illegal actions with the possibility of impeachment he found the energy to betray one of his allies this week. For reasons not even Republicans can comprehend he has abandoned Kurds who fought ISIS in Northern Syria, removing US troop and infrastructure support.There are about 30 million Kurds who live in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran but they have no state of their own. It's hard to find anyone who sees the American withdrawal as anything other than an arbitrary sell-out to Turkey, which invaded the region as soon as Trump withdrew support.
Even members of Trump's posse in the evangelical community, including Franklin Graham, are shocked by this development which puts Kurdish Christians at serious risk. In an article in Christianity Today we find:
“The expected military invasion [by Turkey] and the possible confrontation with the Kurds might oblige Christians of the region to leave,” said Joseph Kassab, president of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon. “This means one more tragedy to the Christian presence in Syria.”
“It is very possible that the American withdrawal from the region will lead to the extinction of Christianity from the region,” said Ashty Bahro, former director of the Evangelical Alliance of Kurdistan, in Iraq, noting the safety there for Christians and other minorities.“How can another country [Turkey] enter the pretext of liberation from terrorism? Will the target be only terrorism or ‘undesirable people’? Leaving the area without proper care will lead to another disaster.”
The Kurdish-controlled area of northeast Syria stretches 300 miles from the Euphrates River to the Iraqi border. Approximately 750,000 people live there, including estimates of between 40,000 and 100,000 Christians.Over 700,000 Christians have fled Syria since 2011. And while some warn of further displacement, others fear a greater threat.
While we shouldn't be surprised by another example of the fecklessness and incompetence of the Trump administration we should all be dismayed by this abandonment of brothers and sisters in Christ who deserve loyalty from the Americans.
What a mess. There may already be innocent blood on Trump's hands. We can pray for the Christians who are now imperiled but we should also pray for the end of this travesty of a democratic administration.
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