Father Hanna Jallouf and about twenty of his parishioners were taken from the convent in the village of Knayeh by the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front on Sunday. Nuns at the convent have taken refuge in nearby homes. Many nuns, monks and priests have been kidnapped or killed in Syria since 2011. A senior Franciscan official said Fr Hanna and the other Christians had been accused of being ‘collaborators’ with the government. ‘We don't know what to do. We don't know with whom to talk, we're totally unable to get in touch with anyone.’ he said. Christians have tried to avoid taking sides. However, they are gradually being drawn into the conflict. Many fear that if the secular government is overthrown they will be targeted by groups calling for an Islamic state and Christian communities will be destroyed