Z E N D A  M A G A Z I N E
[renamed Zinda Magazine in 1999]


Volume I                       Issue 5                      April 3, 1995

 

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A Weekly Online Newsletter Serving the Assyrian Communities Around the World

SURFERS UNITE!

A newsgroup is a system of public discussion groups devoted to a specific topic.
There are thousands of such groups on the internet, covering such topics as
Bosnian politics to the Aerosmith fan-mails. Once an article or message is
posted on the newsgroup it can be read using a "news reader" software.  There
are several news readers available in the public domain.  A school or company
systems administrator should have a copy of the latest version of a news reader.
 
On April 7, Assyrians will take an important step toward the advancement of the
Assyrian electronic communication through the internet.  It will be possible to
simultaneously join hundreds of Assyrophiles (and some bitter enemies of
Ashuraye) to post and receive information.  A newsgroup under the title
"soc.culture.assyrian" will enable us to exchange ideas and socialize in a way
never encountered before (see related story below).  Zenda urges all its readers
to connect to this newsgroup and vote YES during the "Call For Votes" period.
 

                      ASSYRIAN WORLD POPULATION REVISITED

Abdulmesih BarAbrahem, an Assyrian Zenda reader from Germany, has kindly
submitted the following revisions to the UNPO population estimates published in
the second issue of Zenda, based on a research conducted in Germany.
Abdulmesih's articles on the current situation of the Assyrians in Europe and
the Assyrian Journalism will be published in the upcoming issues of the Nineveh
Magazine and the Journal of the Assyrian Academic Society, respectfully.  Mr.
BarAbrahem is currently visiting the United States through the month of April.
 

                         UNPO      Abdulmesih
 
Armenia             15,000      15,000
Austria                                 7,000
Australia             30,000      30,000
Brazil                                 80,000 (?)
Belgium                               5,000
Canada              20,000      20,000
France               10,000       15,000
Georgia              14,000      14,000
Germany            20,000      30,000
Greece                 5,000       5,000
Holland              15,000     10,000
Iran                   50,000      20,000*
Iraq               2,000,000   1,500,000
Italy                                      3,000
Lebanon            40,000        40,000
New Zealand       3,000          3,000
Russia               35,000        35,000   (w/Ukraine)
Sweden              35,000       35,000
Switzerland                           4,000
Syria                350,000     700,000
Turkey               60,000       20,000** (Tur-Abdin & Istanbul)
United Kingdom    8,000        8,000
United States     290,000     290,000
Other countries  150,000     150,000
 

TOTAL            3,150,000   3,039,000

* Ladimer Moghadassi of San Jose, a Zenda reader, believes that this number, as of 1989,  is actually no more than 18,000 (see Zenda I.4).

** According to Shlaemon Moussa, also a Zenda reader, there only remain 2000
Assyrians in Tur-Abdin and another 10-15,000 in Istanbul (see Zenda I.4).
 
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S U R F S  U P !
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"Zenda is wonderful!!  I'm writing in regards to Shlaemon Moussa's statement
that there are only 2,000 assyrians in  Tur-Abdin.  I wonder if he's taking into
 

account the Jacobiite (Sir'yan) population in Turkey along with the Assyrians
that he accounted for.  Just a thought."
                                                                -California
 

"I'm so excited about ZENDA!!  This is the exact medium that Assyrians
need to bring them together from every corner of the earth."
 
                                            -Vivian Hormuz
                                             UC, Berkeley, California
 

"Shlamalokhon Bne Omte Mokhibeh
 

Bayan shaqlan aha persat d'Daryan shlama Ashuraya-Omtanaya al kolokhon
w'Barkhan Zoyakha d'6745 shineh - sheeta Atourteta khata.
 

B'Hewewan Kolokhon Bsalamt-eton wAha Sheeta khata bit maya shokhlapeh go
shoshada omtanaya d'Bne omtan.  Bkhela D'Alaha bit tapqakh kolan am odaleh
gu Knoshia D'Barawyoota B'Chicago."
                                                                     -Pauline Jasim
                                                                      Chicago
 

"Warmest greetings and congratulations to you and to the Assyrians all over the
world on the occasion of the KHA - B'NISSAN, THE ASSYRIAN NEW YEAR (6745).  Best
 

wishes for all the happiness that the Assyrian new year can bring, and we wish
our people the prosperity they deserves and unity to dominate all our
organizations.
                                            -Emanuel Kamber, Ph. D
                                             Chairman
                                             Political Arm of the
                                             Assyrian Universal Alliance
 

"On behalf of the Kurdish community in Houston, I wish you  and all fellow
Assyrians a jolly and happy  Kha B'Neesan - 6745th Assyrian New Year. We very
much value the contributions made by the Assyrians to our civilization. Let us
all hope for the peace and unity on the eve of Assyrian New Year."
 

                                            Nozad Karim
                                            Houston, Texas
 

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W E L C O M E   T O   Z E N D A
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Zenda welcomes our new on-line subscribers from:
 

                        [UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS]

University of Utah

                        [INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS]
Toronto, Canada
Chicago
Houston, Texas
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N e W s    D i G e S t
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                  -SADDAM'S TROOP ENTER NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA-
 
Cyprus (RU)-    According to the unconfirmed reports of the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan, an invasion of more than 3000 Iraqi troops into Northern Mesopotamia
was repelled by the Kurdish forces in the region.  The report stated that after
the bombardment of the residential districts in Erbil and Kani-Qirzala dozens of
homes were destroyed.  Iraqi forces were backed by 30 tanks and over 50 armored
personnel carriers.  The number of casualties was not reported.

                    -TURKISH TROOPS IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA-
 
According to the Turkish Press Agency so far over 300 Kurdish rebels have been
killed, while the commander of Kurdish operations reports a loss of only 25
guerilla fighters.   Turkish forces continue to prevent the Kurdish fighters to
cross the border into Syria where the headquarters of the Kurdish rebel leader
Abdullah Ocalan, head of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) is located in the
Syrian-controled Bekaa Valley.  At Zenda press-time the Assyrian Democratic
Movement (Zowaa) had made no official statement regarding the conditions of the
Assyrian communities in Northern Mesopotamia.   Northern Iraq has virtually no
international telephone connections and foreign journalists' access has been
restricted by the Turkish forces in the region.  Turkey, which in March took a
key step towards membership of the  European Union by signing a customs union
with Brussels, has come under harsh criticism from its Western allies over
civilian casualties and human rights.
 

                     -I VOTE YES FOR SOC.CULTURE.ASSYRIAN-

Chicago (ZN)-   Soon, Assyrians on the internet can enjoy posting to an
exclusive newsgroup, namely soc.culture.assyrian.  A "request for discussion" or
RFD will be posted on April 7 to news.announce.newsgroups.  A discussion period
will commence immediately, lasting approximately 3 to 4 weeks.  A "call for
votes" lasting another 21 to 31 days will follow the discussion period.  Mr.
Peter Jasim of Nineveh Software Corporation in Chicago, Illinois, who will
administer the operation has asked all Assyrian internet surfers to voice a
constructive opinion and show support for the creation of this newsgroup.
Anyone with a valid account, Assyrian or not, has the right to a vote on
soc.culture.assyrian.  A two-thirds vote is required with over one hundred YES
votes.  Mr. Jasim asks that everyone interested in establishing a forum for
discussion for Assyrians on the internet to actively participate in the 3-4
weeks of discussion.   An email message to a designated address stating "I vote
yes for soc.culture.assyrian" is all that's required for a YES vote.

                  -ASSYRIANS IN SWEDEN ELECT A NEW PRESIDENT-
 
Germany (ZN)-   The Assyrian Federation of Sweden (Assyriska Riksfvrbundet i
Sverige), established in 1978, held its annual General Assembly on February 18
and 19.  The delegates from more than 25 Assyrian Associations elected the new
Executive Board with Mr. Barsom Malke as the new president of the Federation.
Among the many cultural and educational activities of the AFS is the publication
of the monthly magazine HUJADA or Unity.  The articles appear in Swedish,
Turkish, Arabic, both modern and classical Assyrian-- a representation of the
complex Assryian community in Sweden.

                 -THE VOICE OF TUR-ABDIN HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR-
 
Germany (ZN)-   The first issue of the Assyrian magazine "Qolo d'Tur-Abdin" or
The Voice of Tur-Abdin, will appear this month.  As the official organ of
communication of the Syrian-Orthodox Diocese of Tur-Abdin, this publication is
and printed in Austria with support the support of the Association of the Tur-
Abdin Friends and the Tur-Abdin Solidarity Group.

             -MEETING OF THE TUR-ABDIN SOLIDARITY GROUP IN GERMANY-
 
Germany (ZN)-  The "Tur-Abdin Solidarity Group" held its annual gathering on
February 10 and 11 in Wuerzburg, Germany.  The Group was established in 1993
with the initial support of the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO), also
called Mtakasta.   Supported by the Assyrian Federation of Germany and the
Assyrian Democratic Organization, the Tur-Abdin Solidarity Group monitors the
activities of several human rights organziations and the Assyrian churches in
Germany and Austria.   The main goal of the Solidarity Group is to support and
finance projects, including product marketing in Tur-Abdin, and report any human
rights violations against the Assyrian population of Tur-Abdin.

                  -ASSYRIANS IN CHICAGO TO PRODUCE A WWW SITE-
 
Chicago (ZN)-   Under the direction of Tony Khoshaba of Chicago a group of
Assyrian internet surfers are currently working together to create a World Wide
Web home page entitled "Assyrians in Chicago."  The web site will feature the
social and cultural activities of the Assyrian community in Chicago and allow
hyperlink access to other useful home pages.
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                                     D I R E C T O R Y  OF THE  N E W S  S O U R C E S
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AP (Associate Press)
EB (e.Babylon BBS):    Hollister, California
RU (Reuters)
ZN (Zenda Reporters):  Toronto, Germany, Chicago, San Jose
MC (Mercury Center):   San Jose
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                                                         C A L E N D A R  OF  E V E N T S
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Mar 24-April    "Gilgamesh"
                New York City
                For tickets call 388-8100
 

April 22        International Festival:  "Faces of the World"
                Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club of MJC
                Assyrian music, food, and fashion show
                Modesto, California
                Cost:  $5.00,  $3.00 (students)
 

May 25-29       California State Convention
                Pasadena, California  U.S.
 

June 8-10       The Syriac Conference
                Catholic University
                Washington D.C.  U.S.
 

June 29         Legal Aspects of Care of the Elderly in the Ancient Near
                East:  A Colloquium
                [Society for the Study of Ancient Near Eastern Law]
                On Mesopotamia:  Drs.  C. Wilcke, M. Stol, and K.R. Veenhof
 

                Papyrologisch Institut
                Witte Singel 27
                NL 2311 Eig Leiden
                The Netherlands
 

July 3-7        42nd Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale
                Luven, Belgium
                "At the Crossroads of Civilization in the Syro-Mesopotamian
                 Realm,  Lanaguages and Cultures in Contact"
 

July 1-4        Assyrian United Organizations of California Olympics
                San Jose, California
                Chairman:  Homer Benjamin @ (408)  997-3592
 

Aug 31-Sept 4   Assyrian National Convention
                Sheridan Hotel
                Chicago, Illinois   U.S.
 

June 9-11,1996  The ARAM Conference
                Harvard University
                Cambridge, Massachusetts  U.S.
 

ENTERTAINMENT
                NO PARTIES LEFT IN APRIL?  How can this be???
MEETINGS
 

  Thursdays     Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club at Modesto Junior College
                1:00 pm,  Founders Hall  125.
 

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                       P U M P  U P  T H E  V O L U M E
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English            Assyrian         Pronunciation

Left                semmala
Right               yameena
Hall                awana     (as compared to ROOM "tawana")
 

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                        B A C K  TO THE  F U T U R E
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B.C.    (676)   Esarhaddon campagns agains the Persians, marching far into the
deserts of modern Iran, a distance of 1200 miles.  Having slain 8 kings,
Assyrians succeed in imposing their authority and assign complete control of the
eastern territory to a local "persian" king named Lailie.

A.D.    (1025)  During the Patriarchate of Mar Ishuyabh IV, the Kurds attack
Edessa (Urhai) and during the next 5 years carry off over 3000 Assyrian captives
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                                                              Z E N D A   A  S  K  S
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If you wish to receive subscription information to HUJADA and QOLO D'TUR-ABDIN
write to Zenda at walkhas@qntm.com.

Would you like to have your email address included in the Assyrian Email
Directory?  Contact Firas Jatou in Canada (jatou@waves.toronto.edu).

Comments?  Suggestions?  Write to Zenda at walkhas@qntm.com and let us know
about your community's activities.  The materials published in Zenda are not
edited and your stories and articles will be published as received, unless
directed otherwise.

Would your friends like to receive their own copy of Zenda via email?  Send us
their address.

If you or someone you know may wish to receive "hard" copies of Zenda contact:
          Zenda @    P.O. Box 20278    San Jose, California   U.S.
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                       A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
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Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals for making this issue of Zenda
possible:

Abdulmesih BarAbrahe    Germany
Pauline Jasim:                 Chicago, Illinois
Firas Jatou:                     Toronto, Canada
Albert Gabrial:                 Hollister, California

The next issue of ZENDA will be sent to you on April 17, 1995.