BEIRUT, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS. The forced displacement of the Kessab Armenians has raised a new wave of disturbance among the Armenian community of Lebanon. At St. Elie Armenian Catholic Church in downtown Beirut, the Armenians participating in the mass dedicated to the Holy Easter, prayed for the establishment of peace in Lebanon and in the region. "The future is not clear for the whole Christian community in the Middle East, not just the Armenians": reports “Armenpress”, citing Shahan Kandaharian - the executive editor of the Armenian daily newspaper, who told this in his interview to the American National Public Radio media organization. For this he blames the rise of Islamic fundamentalism across the Middle East.

National Public Radio informs, that as Islamist opposition groups in Syria grow in power, Christians increasingly find themselves caught up in the civil war. “In December, a group of nuns was kidnapped from their convent in the ancient town of Maaloula and held for three months; they were released only in March. In the northern city of Raqqa in February, a Jihadist group imposed strict rules on Christians, outlawing public prayer and the ringing of church bells.

Part of the resentment toward Syrian Christians can be traced to their relationship with the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Himself a member of the minority Allawite sect of Islam, Assad has long positioned his government as a protector of all minorities. In turn, he has gained the often-tacit support of many of the country's Christians” – writes National Public Radio.

During the mass dedicated to Holy Easter, John Yazigi, the Greek Orthodox patriarch in Syria, said that Christians "will not submit and yield" to extremists. He called on all sides to end the practice of "intimidation, displacement and extremism". But Krikor Geukjian, the priest of St. Elie Church, says that for Armenians, the situation is different, as Armenians have survived the Genocide, which has left a mark on each Armenian. “It has affected every single Armenian. Every single Armenian has known a victim. It's a wound that doesn't close" – he noted. Despite many concerns, Geukjian is hopeful about the future. "Perhaps it's our Armenian-ness. We've learned from our history that after every bad thing comes a better thing. Otherwise, we couldn't have survived all those centuries."