Displaced Muslim families in Aleppo surprised by Christians' hospitality

Muslims who have been displaced by the war in Aleppo have taken refuge in churches and they are startled by the hospitality displayed by Christians.

A 28-year-old Syrian Christian mother named Kristina said that more and more Christians are leaving Aleppo. She herself fled to Lebanon with her husband and daughter for safety and they are waiting for the violence to die down before they return to Syria.

Kristina heard from her friends that only 10 percent of the regular churchgoers are left in Aleppo but the church is still surprisingly full.

"The church is still full; displaced people take their place. Especially Muslims are coming to the church now," she told World Watch Monitor.

Kristina noted that the fighting is mostly concentrated in Muslim areas and many Syrians have fled to Christian areas for refuge. For many Muslims, it is their first time to interact with Christians.

"Many Muslims were genuinely surprised when they met Christian women in our churches willing to serve them. Their image was that all Christian women spend most of their days dancing in night clubs and drinking alcohol! Meeting each other was a shock, both for them and for us," she said.

Muslims were surprised by the support and programs offered by the churches for all Syrians not just Christians.

"Their mosques don't do that. Many are re-thinking the faith they grew up in and have dropped their hostility towards Christians," she remarked.

Kristina said that the Christian children's activities attract the most attention from the Syrians. More Muslim children are now attending the activities where the Bible is being taught daily. She said that mothers are fine with it but the husbands are usually more strict.

She noted that Muslim families are gradually attending the church services and activities which never happened during the war. She said that some are still afraid to enter the church buildings but they come in anyway.

"For the first time in history, Muslims are coming to us. The only thing we have to do is tell them the good news; they are waiting for it," she said.

Meanwhile, a Syrian pastor of a Presbyterian Church in Aleppo told the BBC that about 75 percent of Christians have already left the war-torn city. The attendance in his church dropped from 500 families down to 140 members but he still continues to hold services every Sunday.