The ongoing civil war in Syria has left the Middle Eastern country in shambles, with more than 11 million people, or half of the nation's pre-war population, either killed or driven away from their homes. Because of this, the Syrian civil war has arguably been called the worst humanitarian crisis in history since World War II.
Amid this bleak situation in Syria, however, the Christian aid group Christian Aid Mission sees a silver lining. For the U.S.-based organisation, the current conflict in Syria is a good opportunity to share God's love to its people for them to discover the beauty of Jesus Christ's teachings.
Steve Van Valkenburg, Christian Aid Mission regional director, described the current situation in Syria as a "family feud" and "basically an inter-Islamic squabble." He added that Christians can provide embattled residents a glimmer of hope in the midst of the conflict around them.
"Refugees...see the Muslim-on-Muslim fighting, and then they see how the Christians are reaching out with love and caring – that has to do something with their hearts," Valkenburg said, as quoted by the Middle East Eye.
He said the influx of Syrian refugees in Europe also provides a good opportunity to introduce them to Christian teachings. The Christian aid group director said while some Syrian migrants may be "terrorist-minded," some of them can be inspired to embrace Jesus and find comfort in God's Words.
"There is great opportunity for ministry among those people. They are basically going into Europe with nothing except scars and heartache and desperation, and it's a great opportunity to reach out," Valkenburg said.
Recognising this potential, Christian Aid Mission is currently distributing copies of the Holy Bible in Arabic language to around 8,000 Syrian refugees housed in Turkey. The group is also working with 16 Syrian Christian organisations to ensure that the faithful in the war-torn Middle Eastern nation receive sufficient aid.
