CAIRO: On Monday, November 21, Myriam Achkar, a 28-year old female who lived in Sahel Alma, Lebanon, was murdered on her 20-minute walk home from praying at the town's church. After being sexually attacked on her way, she was murdered by Fathi El Salatini, the caretaker of the monastery where she prays. Her parents are shocked. In an interview with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), they are focusing on the fact that she was a practicing Christian believer who was killed by a Syrian nationalist. “This is violence from Syrians towards all Christians, and the Christians are too forgiving,” they say. And thus the outrage has become Christian anger against Syrians. However, increased attention must be paid not to turn the story into the light of a Syrian-Lebanese sectarian strife. Achkar was a Christian Lebanese and the murder was a Syrian. But was Achkar killed by a Syrian because she was Christian Lebanese? Against the background of the ongoing anti-Bashar el-Assad protests in Lebanon, which prevalently turn out into violence or even record cases of death, it would be more interesting to find out if Achkar's murderer was a pro-Assad activist. While Lebanese Shiites largely support Syrian President el-Assad, its' Sunnis and many Christians tend to back the anti-government protesters. On Sunday November 27, El-Mawla, a 14-year old teenager from the Sunni Muslim village of Sheikh Ayash died when he was run over by a car driven by a man from a nearby Alawite village, where most residents are loyal to the embattled regime of Syrian President ElAssad. Snap judgments are inappropriate. What is true is that the ongoing unrest in Syria has polarized Lebanese society, fearing that if Syria descends into sectarian violence, the tensions will spill over into Lebanon as well. However, Achkar may be just another victim of a crazy rapist. Religion and nationality may have nothing to do with Myriam's case. BM
