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=> Christian foreign fighters deserting Kurdish YPG in Syria...

Christian foreign fighters deserting Kurdish YPG in Syria...
Posted by Marcello (Guest) - Thursday, February 26 2015, 20:00:53 (UTC)
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-- These right-wing reactionaries went to Rojava and Kobane to kill Muslims, and found themselves fighting alongside Qurdish anarchists. "Deez' sum'bitches are gut'dam Reds!"


Christian foreign fighters deserting Kurdish YPG in Syria because they're 'damn Reds'

Volunteers with the Kurdish group have warned of an exodus to other militias over the group's left-wing views

Alex MacDonald
Thursday 19 February 2015 12:04 GMT
Last update:
Thursday 19 February 2015
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/christian-foreign-fighters-deserting-kurdish-ypg-syria-because-theyre-damned-reds-1976493133


Foreign volunteers fighting the Islamic State (IS) are leaving the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and joining other militia’s due to the group’s left-wing socialist ideology.

According to foreign fighters quoted by AFP, an exodus is currently underway of US and other Western volunteers from the YPG due their left-wing stance, with one US army veteran – referred to as “Scott” – claiming he decided not to join after finding out they were a “bunch of damn Reds.”

Another British volunteer named Alan Duncan also said he had left the YPG, who are based in the Syrian Kurdistan region also known as Rojava, because of their leftist views and said he knew a number of other people were planning to leave soon for the same reason.

Many have instead chosen to join Dwekh Nawsha, a Christian militia in northern Iraq whose ideology chimes more with western Christian volunteers than the intensely secular YPG.

One Christian American volunteer, who called himself Brett, told Reuters that he had joined Dwekh Nawsha (which translates as “Self-sacrifice) in Iraq’s Ninevah province where Christian villages still held out against IS.

“Here I’m fighting for a people and for a faith, and the enemy is much bigger and more brutal,” the army veteran said, comparing it to his time with the US military in Iraq in 2006.

“These are some of the only towns in Nineveh where church bells ring. In every other town the bells have gone silent, and that’s unacceptable.”

He added that he was not afraid to die for his faith.

“Everyone dies,” he said, “One of my favourite verses in the Bible says: be faithful unto death, and I shall give you the crown of life.”

Although the fight against IS in the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane galvanised many right-wingers in the West, the YPG’s “democratic confederalism”, which espouses a libertarian socialist ideology derived from the writings of the US anarchist Murray Bookchin, has proved controversial.

The YPG are also closely linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey, a formerly Marxist-Leninist group who have waged a brutal guerrilla war with the Turkish state costing over 40,000 lives. The group has been banned as a terrorist group in the EU since 2002.

IS supporters themselves have often denounced the YPG and PKK as “commies” and “atheists” on social media.

Other volunteers and supporters of the YPG have, however, remained with the group precisely because of the politics they espouse.

"I come from a political family and I am a democratic socialist,” Greek volunteer Kristopher Nicholaidis told the YourMiddleEast website.

“I used my art and politics to defend the Muslim community from attacks initiated by fascists of the Golden Dawn party, but I consider IS jihadists as 21st century fascists posing a greater global threat as they barbarically spread Islamo-fascism on an international level.

"I believe that the YPG is therefore leading the greatest anti-fascist struggle of our time by fighting against IS jihadists,” he added. “I joined this struggle to fight against global fascism in defence of democracy and peace in Kurdish Rojava."

Though ideological reasons have been cited for the desertion, others have suggested that the intensity of the fighting in Rojava – particularly in Kobane – was a more plausible explanation.

"Most of the Internet cowboys have come to realise this isn't a normal deployment," volunteer Jordan Matson told AFP. "So they lose the stomach to come or stay."

Though Matson (who has “Christ is Lord” inscribed on his vest) has become something of a poster-boy for the American Christian right, he has so far expressed no interest in leaving the YPG for a Christian militia.

Speaking on Fox News’ Hannity Show, he claimed the Syrian Kurds were “extremely pro-Western, pro-American” and decried the lack of support they were getting from the US.

On his Facebook page he asked that volunteers interested in joining the fight contact the "Lions of Rojava" FB group, referring to the banner under which he and other western volunteers fight.

“If you would like to take up the fight against ISIS with the YPG then like the page and send them a private message inquiring about joining,” he wrote.

“Please be pacient (sic) as they receive many mails and bump your message if it takes a while for a response.”

Though numerous countries have passed laws to prevent their citizens travelling to fight with IS in Syria and Iraq, the same scrutiny has not been applied to volunteers in other militias.

The UK Home Office, in particular, has specified that there would be different approaches to dealing with volunteers for non-IS groups.

“UK law makes provisions to deal with different conflicts in different ways – fighting in a foreign war is not automatically an offence but will depend on the nature of the conflict and the individual’s own activities,” it said.

27 Comments

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Oded
19th February 2015
Good. You don't need reactionaries in a revolutionary group

Josep from Catalonia
19th February 2015
I hope they are not fighting to go from a teocratic fascism to another... Religions have to stay in the temples and within each person, and only laicism can command in the streets and in government.

james
19th February 2015
Kurds are watering all those land with their blood. And they have saved thousands of Yezidis and Christians from being slaughtered. They have higher moral values than many capitalist nations. Just because they choose socialism and secularism does not make them bad. However, obviously if you have a religious agenda you won't fit in there. They are fighting for their life not religion, does not matter Islam or Cristianity

kuro
19th February 2015
what the **** is wrong with these right-wing "Christians"? The YPG defended Christians against ISIS. By the sounds of it, these are 'moral majority'-types who are just there to kill Muslims for Jesus, instead of fighting for humanity and anyone being threatened by ISIS, regardless of their religion. Solidarity is means fuckall to these sectarian ********. These are the kinds of people who harass peaceful Muslims in the US and protest their mosques.

Mulgarat
20th February 2015
Not true. Article is derived from reading Face Book posts and not actual interviews with persons named other than the quotes taken from Jordan's FOX interview. All this article does is misrepresents the volunteers going to the assist the Kurds and Assyrians and will cause them problems in a place where problems don't need to get worse. Sloppy journalism.

Paul B
20th February 2015
A Christian militia "chimes more with Western volunteers"? What century are you lot from? The YPG are one of the few groups in the region who recognise that religion is the single biggest weapon used against ordinary people in the middle-east, dividing neighbours on archaic and irrational grounds for the sole benefit of existing and would-be elites. All those going to the region to fight in the name of religion should just stay away - all you achieve is more death and division. The corpses have piled high over millennia as generations of deluded idiots seek some greater glory. All they find is blood and dust. All they leave is pain. All they achieve is a future ****** from the next generation of ordinary local peoples.

mikael altemark
20th February 2015
It's always sad to see when mere religious convictions comes between saving people's lives. But, then again, this is a pretty important aspect of the struggle between authority and libertarian equality

The Truth
20th February 2015
Shame on these conservativd reactionary Volunteers who were all about themselves and their own right wing/Christian agenda rather than actually helping the Syrian Kurds fight ISIS or whoever else attacks them in the future such as the regime. Also Alan Duncan is an unhinged **** with more than a couple screws loose that keeps running his mouth to the media that he left the YPG because he didn't like their ideology or how he didn't like them being "socialists" (the complexities of Bookchin derived democratic confederalism, social ecology and libertarian-anarchism are apparently beyond his and other deserters comprehension, so they just reduce the YPG to "socialists" or "reds") . However in reality he was kicked out of the YPG because of apperently ******** and other things they didn't reveal. I wish the YPG would publically shame and reveal the truth of the circumstances of these fighters who weren't truly committed to fighting with them at the end of the day and can't go a single day without talking **** to the media about the YPG. It seems they don't care to publically castigate them or they just arent fully aware of how much damage and negativity they are spreading because of langauge barriers. How hard would it have been for these ultra conservative religious dumb ***** to have done a google search on the YPG to find out about their very public and well known political beliefs and ideology that includes secularism and gender equality that apparently offends these clowns.

Billy
20th February 2015
Religion ***** to stay out of the YPG dialogue.

Ron B
21st February 2015
The only good fight is the fight against the evil impulses of man. Regardless of one's theological persuasion, uncorrupted and conscientious spiritual human beings agree on this regardless of personal faith. This is no crusade. This is a fight for the good of humanity and to protect the innocent. Anyone who does not understand that should not be there.

GoldNugget
21st February 2015
Imagine that, the fight against ISIS is more complicated than the American right wing realizes. Surprise! There are no easy answers and almost any group you support in the fight is probably an ally of Iran, hates Israel and may someday be pointing those American weapons back at us.

Krastavac
21st February 2015
How the **** didn't they know this when they joined? I mean, it's not like the Rojava revolution took place in a nearby city and they just was dragged in to the fighting without knowing what was up. They ******* traveled to a country far away and join a milita. Didn't they do any reasearch what so ever? Besides, the YPG & YPJ has been fighting to protect all refugees and minorities since, well since they first was founded. Not caring which etnicity or religion one belonged too.

ray
21st February 2015
Fyi those kurds have killed over 1 million of the indegenious christians who iwn that land. That land belongs to the assyrian CHRISTIANS. NOBODY AND I REPEAT NONE OF THOSE GROUPS KURD IRAQI ****** DONT EVEN BELONG IN SYRIA OR IRAQ. KURDS ARE IRANIAN. ARABS ARE ARABS. THEY ARE FOREIGNERS. ONKY ASSYRIAN CHRISTIANS ARE INDEGENIOUS. NOBODY HAS SPILLED MORE BLOOD THAN THE CHRISTIANS ON THAT LAND. FORGET KURDS. THEY ARE JUST LIKE ISIS.

TFG Casper (ame...
21st February 2015
This is clearly a process of the American propaganda system (particularly, but not exclusively, Fox News) burying the context (the "communism" of the Rojava Kurds) under the weight of an anti-Islamic agenda. These "Lions of Rojava" go off to fight in a foreign land thinking that this is a holy war of Muslims vs. Christians, when in reality, as far as the YPG/PYD/PKK see it, it is a war of secularism and direct democracy against religious fundamentalism and authoritarianism.

oodgl
21st February 2015
I sense this is just click bait as well and people are falling for this bs... no sources no videos, just made people...

William
21st February 2015
Jesus was a socialist, he wasn't selling his bread and fish, he didn't charge the lepers a medical fee, he didn't say to hoard up and covet worldly possessions in fact he said to give them away. These so called Christians can't even follow their own fairy tales correctly.

David Glen
22nd February 2015
You need to learn about YPG before you go to what is really a WW2 situation and messed up things happen every day. You can be crippled or killed ! I have no respect for these religious ***** who rip on these Syrian YPG kurds. They have to smuggle and capture arms and suffer everyday due to lack of basic things modern armies take for granted. All of them know somebody who has lost loved ones in this conflict they don't need your religious b&*llshit lectures or your imported political agendas stay away from YPG if you have a problem with their beliefs. BTW do you believe in saying hail marys or that she is the "mother of G. O. D.?" In some church circles that will make you a heretic. Go look down on people some place beside YPG they fought & **** for yazidi & Christians while peshmerga fled and the world watched from the sidelines (no boots on the ground) ect.

dj kohlmann Jr
22nd February 2015
Isis ***** to be stopped. Period. I love America and I love my God. I will fight with the ypg any day.

Paula Hopewell
22nd February 2015
I believe if they are willing to die in the fight against ISIS, they can choose who they want to fight along side with. Regardless, please pray....pray....pray....that is, unless you plan to join them. God bless them all - red, white, or blue!

missy
22nd February 2015
Stay calm And think. There are many kurds thinking the west And jews are bad.So When you are an west Christian And you depend with your life on fellow fighters...Its normal to think twice if you feel resistance towards Who you are..think from every aspect without judging

Keno
22nd February 2015
IS attacks the Christian minorities of iraq and syria. The Kurds dont protect the christian villiages. There are Christian people of the near east are the decendents of the ancient mesopotamians. The Assyrians of Iraq and Syria; among the first of nations to adopt Christianity. These people have suffered the brunt of the islamic state and they have formed a militia because the Iraqi Army and the Kurdish militias both withdrawled their troops from Christian villiages in Northern Iraq, during the advance of the foreign fighters of the islamic state. The Kurds can protect themselves now, they're more than equipped. But I just hope people know what the Kurds have done to Christian people of the near east in modern history. Kurds commited war crimes and genocide against the Assyrians. This conflic is not about religion. Its about doing whats right. The only way this whole thing is about religion is if you're a member or supporter of ISIS. The Kurds dont have a good track record for human rights and rules of engagement. These soldiers have obviously deduced that helping another islamic malitia with that kind of track record is going to get everybody nowhere, fast. Its easy to point our finger from a far and give these Christian freedom fighters a political lable. Seems to me like they want to do whats right.

Contraversial
22nd February 2015
The Truth has obviously done his/her homework very well, (much respect) and absolutely right about Alan Duncan, I can also confirm from YPG sources that he is nothing of whom he says, and infact other than the western guys with him, no one had any positive comments about his total 3 weeks in country and 10-14 at a line which was miles from any fighting. Only to return and beef up his own popularity through nieve newspapers and tv slots. The guy is a pure idiot, and has wittingly or unwittingly damaged the Kurdish reputation. I Also hear through various sources he ran away when under fire, leaving kurds to fend for themselves. The guy is a walking disaster and a danger to all he meets and especially the kurds. im on the understanding he will not be allowed back into Kurdistan and even has western soldiers on the look out for him for his betrayal of the kurds. Mr Duncan seems to not quite be the big I am that he portrays himself. I have friends who know Jordan matson, and he is not party to this article and certainly doesn't get involved politically or religiously. I wish the Genuine westerners whom are serving with the kurds the very very best of luck, and may you all return safely to your families.

grimeandreason
22nd February 2015
Because jesus would have been an individualistic, competitive, consumerist, money worshipping westerner. Obviously.

propaghandi
22nd February 2015
even the infighting is entertaining.

Anonymous
23rd February 2015
This war against DAESH is about GOOD and EVIL so kick religions and political agendas out WIYHOUT PREJUDICE. The media portrays a revolution but so what? Kurdistan to become a country is deserving and long overdue from nearly hundred years of persecution and oppression.

Marcelo
23rd February 2015
The PKK and the YPG arent, communist, but anarchist.

Me2
25th February 2015
Matson seems like nothing more than a poster boy. He's a veteran with no combat experience or training and kept miles away from any danger.



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