Arab Social Media: Christian Paraphernalia Found on Dead Russian Soldiers ‘Proves They Were Terrorists’

JAFFA, Israel – The publication of pictures of Christian-themed objects found in the pockets of the crew of a Russian helicopter intercepted over Syria on Monday prompted Arab social media users to allege that Moscow is carrying out “Christian terror” in Syria.

The helicopter, complete with five crew, was likely downed by opposition forces.

Pictures of crucifixes and other Christian icons that were allegedly found on the bodies of the crew members went viral on Arab social media with the hashtag #Christian_terror.

Twitter user Hassan shared the pictures and wrote: “Following the interception of the Russian plane we can now say that, according to the moral criteria of the West and Europe, we are the victims of Christian terror.”

“The revealed documents prove that the pilot was Christian as well as Russian,” Mohammed tweeted, and added the hashtag #Christian_terror.

Adel wrote under the same hashtag: “There are secret calls in Christendom to engage the international ‘Christian entity’ in a military war and, under the cloak of fighting terror, they actually seek to spread Christianity.”

“This is what the residents of Idlib found in the pocket of a Russian pilot, rotting after this plane was downed,” wrote the researcher Ahmad Ben Rashed. “Do you remember how the [television] channel Al Arabiya tried to deny the claims that this is a Crusader war?”

Ehab replied: “What’s the difference between you and those who claim that Islam is what the Islamic State and other extremists do?”

Bandar wrote: “There is Christian terror and there is a war on Islam! And then they blame Turkey for waging war against democracy!”