The Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights has been
informed by observers that an unknown group has kidnapped Father Jacob (Jack)
Murad from the Headquarters of the Mar Elian Monastery at Midday of Thursday,
21 May 2015. Father Jack Murad,
is the Head of the Congregation of Monastery of Saint Moses the Abyssinian and
the President of Mar Elian Monastery in the village of Al Qarytein. The village
of Al Qarytein is adjacent to the Syrian Desert in the province of Homs (85 km
from city center of Homs).
Father Jack Murad was born in Aleppo, Syria over four
decades ago and is the Head of the Catholic Monastery of Monks in Syria. This Monastery was restored in 1982.
Father Jack Murad is also one of the priests.
Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights strongly condemns
the kidnapping of Father Jacob (Jack) Murad, who has devoted his life to spread
love, message of brotherhood, tolerance, justice and coexistence among all
Syrian people and solemnly embraced the principle of dialogue with the Syrian
Muslims community. Father
Jack Murad kidnapping mirrored that of his fellow Monk Father Paolo Dall'oglio
a 60 years old who was kidnapped by the Islamic State (Daash) in the Syrian
city of Raqqa on 29 July 2013
Regardless of any motives or reasons we condemn all
kidnappings that affect all Syrians. We consider the abduction of Father Jacob
Murad and before him the abductions of Bishop Hanna Ibrahim and Paul Yazici,
Father Kayal, Mouawad and Dall'oglio and all other criminal acts intended to
stir up sectarian sedition and threaten the Christian existence in Syria as the
abuse of the values of co-existence. We demand the opposing parties in the Syrian conflict to take
responsibility and neutralize the civilians from the conflict in addition to
making all efforts to free the hostages immediately and reunite them with their
families