Looking Back at Previous Stories
Although we must be careful not to hold the past against people, and remembering difficult situations is not always helpful, it is always worth learning from the past.
The intention of this "Looking Back" section is not to criticize or discourage, but to enable a more objective view and possible lessons to learn from stories that have now disappeared from public view, or where there are still ongoing needs.
Current "Looking Back" Stories:
Syria
Iranian Protests
Syria
Syria, at the time of writing, is in turmoil. Many are predicting descent into civil war; some say civil war has already started.
That there is brutal violence in Syria is clear. The real difficulty in Syria is knowing who to believe: the regime blames Western/Israeli/Saudi conspiracy, the opposition blame the regime and pro-regime thugs.
Rabel WebPaper carried two articles last year and showed the difficulty Mark Hanson was having in discerning the truth. Perhaps there is much truth in both articles. At the very least, the whole truth will be a long time coming to light.
Articles:
Liberty Article - Lessons from Iran
News - Mousavi Prepared to Die - Iranian Events Serious - Church Growing - Green Movement Oppressed - Christian Women on Apostasy Charge
Iranian Protests
After the Presidential elections in Iran, which returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power, a powerful and vocal opposition Green Movement arose in Iran.
The defeated reformist candidates, along with a sizeable number of ordinary Iranians, claimed that the elections were ridden with fraud, and declared that the election had been "stolen".
The Green Movement saw thousands protest across the country, saw moderate political and religious figures issue a challenge to the "illegitimate" President and even the Supreme Ruler, and tragically also saw a violent crackdown, allegations of a Western conspiracy, and the eventual virtual defeat of the movement.
It is very sad that the Western nations remained silent. There was a continuing attempt to start up dialogue with the "illegitimate" regime, and an ignoring of the Iranian people for, as is transpiring, short-term political advantage over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
