Volume II Issue 7 March 18, 1996
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A Weekly Online Newsletter Serving the Assyrian
Communities Around the World
HAPPY NEW ASSYRIAN YEAR 6746 (4750 B.C. + 1996 A.D.)
=====================================================
THE L I G H
T H O U S E
=====================================================
THE ETERNAL MOTHER
The mist of the early dusk sets
in, and the sound of
a wolf howling in the distance
frightens the children
as they huddle closer to their
mothers. It is cold
in these mountains, and especially
miserable for the
people here, with no shelter and
no place to go. I
see the infants' anguish, as the
coldness of the
mountains numbs their limbs.
I hear the adults'
silent pleas for help, which they
are too frightened
to express, in fear of demoralizing
the children
even more. I shiver, not
from the cold, but from the
realization that a long time ago
I once owned this
terrain, I was the civilization;
I was the law. Now,
the rears come, as they have so
often, bringing with
them the memories.
I have been sick for such a long
time. My bones are
weak, and my strength is gone.
I have been diseased
from hunger, from oppression, from
prejudice, from
fear, and from persecution; yet
the wound that affected
me the most is that of silence.
I had to remain
silent in fear that they would
harm my children if I
expressed my opinion. This
silence has gnawed at my
soul, and finally I have to break
it, for it is too
often mistaken for indifference.
Many have tried to
predict my downfall. Some
think that I am already
dead, yet I am still here, waiting,
yearning for the
day I will have strength again.
Some even say that
this will be the last sharp wound
that will pierce
my heart and uplift my roots, to
destroy me once and
for all...
You are my children, and you are
deserting me, leaving
me behind. I cannot blame
you, for I see you suffering,
I see the lost look you have in
your eyes. like a child
who wants to go home, but is lost
and does not know the
way. All I ask of you is
to remember me, what we were
all about. Remember the glory,
but do not forget the
battles. Remember the happiness,
but do not forget
the sorrow. Remember our
history, but do not ever
forget that the present is the
key to tomorrow.
My only hope is that one day we
will see each other
again. Someday, I will embrace
you once again, and
you will know that I had never
really deserted you.
I will welcome you back into the
glorious mountains
with open arms. One day you
will see the face of
your mother, and you will realize
that she really is
all powerful, and all knowing.
Someday may tears of
joy will wash away all the pain
that we have had to
endure over the years. Many
have forgotten my name,
Perhaps I should remind you of
who I am. They once
called me ATOUR...now, I have no
name.
Vian Younan
Modesto, California
Qala: Voice of the Assyrian-American
[Ms Younan is completing her undergraduate
studies
in biology and is pursuing a career
in medicine.]
=====================================================
G O O D M O R N I N G B E T - N A H R A I N
=====================================================
TURKISH
TROOPS AMASS AT THE BORDER, AGAIN
(RU: Zakhu) Several thousand
Turkish soldiers and more
than 50 tanks and armored personnel
carriers have been
gathering at the Turkish/Iraqi
border in northern
Bet-Nahrain. It was unclear
if they are preparing for
a fresh assault, one year after
their last invasion.
Iraqi officials and Western aid
workers said the Turkish
troops near Iraq were greater in
number than during usual
spring operations, but could not
see the point of a new
incursion. ``They came in last
year with a lot of sound
and fury but didn't accomplish
much,'' said a U.S. aid
worker in the Iraqi town of Zakho.
``There is no reason
to believe they would be more successful
this time around.''
A Western allied air force shields
the Iraqi Assyrians &
Kurds from Saddam Hussain's
armies but is powerless to
protect them from a spillover of
the fighting in Turkey.
IRAQ REPAIRS OIL PIPELINE IN NORTHERN BN
(RU: Iraq) A technical Iraqi team
was allowed to repair
a war-damaged pipeline ahead of
any decision at United
Nations talks with Baghdad to reopen
it after five
years, Iraqi Kurdish officials
said. Sixteen km
(10 miles) of the line runs through
northern Bet-Nahrain.
It was damaged during a Kurdish
uprising in 1991. The
U.N. Security Council has offered
to allow Iraq to sell
$2 billion worth of oil over six
months in order to raise
money for humanitarian supplies
to its civilian population,
suffering severe hardships since
sanctions were imposed
after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August
1990.
=====================================================
S U R F S U P !
=====================================================
"In reply to Marian Younan's column
(Take the Lead)
in your last issue of Zenda, I
couldn't agree more.
However, one of the largest setbacks
our nation faces
is the fact that in almost every
Assyrian Organization
there are many who want to be "Leaders"
and very few
who are content as followers. As
an American Born
Assyrian, I have been actively
involved in Assyrian
Organizations, both locally and
nationally for almost
18 years now. It is with great
sorrow that I must say
for every two steps forward we've
taken, there has been
one step backwards with it. This
is not due to any lack
of governmental issues, but to
the lack of unity and
the willingness to take direction
under one leadership.
I have witnessed many elections
and where there were 2
or more candidates for presidency
of a certain organization,
It never failed that the losing
candidate or candidates
formed together with their own
supporters and did nothing
short of destroying and working
against the presiding
authority. How will our nation
survive under these
circumstances? Will we ever learn
to put our personal
differences and animosity aside
to work together giving
and receiving constructive criticism
for the welfare of our
nation. We must realize that
when one is a chosen leader,
the rest of us should not attempt
to give him or her
instructions but just report for
duty, because the great
thing in this world is not so much
where we are, but in
what direction we are moving.We
must have leaders that are
not only successful but also faithful
to our cause. As
Marian made mention, the best leaders
are those who are
made, not born. And in closing
I recall a quote I once
came across by Tallyrand "I am
more afraid of an army of
100 sheep led by a lion than an
army of 100 lions led by
a sheep. So True. P.S. After
reading this, my husband
asked me to add his own quote "Freedom
comes with
discipline."And he truly believes
it..."
Janey Golani
Dearborn Heights, Michigan
----------------------------
"First of all, let me thank you
for your unbelievable
dedication and commitment for creating
such a wonderful
and informative Newsletter.
Unfortunately, some of our
Assyrian brothers/sisters (may
be less than 1%) do not
appreciate Zenda's service for
the Assyrian community.
Instead of helping and encouraging,
they try to look for
a spelling error or as Mr. David
Baba did on your Monday
3/18/96 issue, for an inaccurate
historical reference.
Well, you certainly did a good
job in responding to that
part. Mr. Baba mentioned
something about a "hidden agenda"
which may cause some kind of confusion
among some readers.
As a Zenda reader, I understand
that Zenda has no hidden
agenda. If there is an agenda,
the rational Zenda readers
realize that it is for the benefit
of everything that is
Assyrian; whether it is political
or religious. Keep up
the good work and may God bless
you all for this excellent
job."
Tomy Doomany
Electrical Eng Dept.
Univ. of The Pacific
Stockton, California
----------------------------
"As I finished reading your article
about "Leaders are
born or made" copied from Qala
magazine and transmitted
by Ms. Marion Younan, I was very
disturbed by her of not
mentioning the name of the person
who wrote that, which
it happens to be myself(Samson
Badal)and I wrote that
article many years ago. As
a matter of policy I would
like to suggest an idea to you
so you don't have to get
involved in legal matters, please
ask your readers or
contributors ,first to acquire
the permission of that
magazine and also as a respect
to the original writer
it is only fair to give credit
where it is belong. Please
don't take this as a ridicule but
just a positive comment.
Your cooperation and understanding
in this matter is
appreciated."
Samson Badal
J.D. Candidate
[Last week's feature article was
researched by our staff
and used without the prior knowledge
of Ms. Younan, as
has often been done in the past.
Ms. Younan's name
appears as the author of this article.
We suggest that
the Assyrian American Civic Club
of Turlock be contacted
for further information regarding
your claim:
Qala: Voice of the Assyrian
American. Vol 1, No.2 P.7.
Ms. Younan's articles appearing
in many issues of Qala
have continued to inspire the Assyrian
youth. This week's
feature article is by Ms. Vian
Younan, Marian's
sister, which appeared in the same
issue of Qala.]
----------------------------
"I really want to ask all the Assyrian
clubs and
organizations all over the world
who has the financial
ability to set up a PC in there
locations connected to
the internet ( even to the UNIX
Free Nets which are
available in the most big cities
across the world ).
This will let a lot of Assyrian
to get on line and be
able to contribute to the world
of Cyber-Assyrian."
Samir Younan
Toronto, Canada
--------------------------
"Thank you for including the Kha
b'Nissan's party
announcement in ZENDA's newest
issue. However the
starting time of the event was
reported by you as
10PM which it should have been
10AM. The confusion
could have been provoked by an
oversight on our part;
since the starting times for picnic,
tournaments and
dance party were bunched together
and sent to you as
10AM...It would be appreciated,
if you make the
following changes in the time of
the events in your
next issue of ZENDA:
Picnic, Tournaments and Drama
10:00AM to 6:00PM
Dance 8:PM to dawn.
God bless."
Mardook Betoushana
New Britain, Connecticut,
U.S.A.
--------------------------
"This message is to all Zenda readers
and their
families: As you know the
U.S. Immigration &
Naturalization Service requires
all resident aliens
possessing old versions of form
I-551 to renew their
green cards. Please instruct
your families to consult
their nearest district office for
more information."
Alexsandra Youkhanneh
U.S. Immig. & Natlztn
Deportation Officer
Los Angeles, California
=====================================================
S U R F E R S C O R N E R
=====================================================
GAP: What's the significance
of the year B.C. 4750
in the calculation of the Assyrian Year 6746?
Deadline to submit your answer or
just a "wild guess" is March 31.
=====================================================
N E W S D I G E S T
=====================================================
IRAQI CHIEF OF STAFF FLEES TO JORDAN
(WS: Amman) Jordan siad
it has granted asylum to
former chief of staff of the Iraqi
army, who was
removed from that position in 1990
as Baghdad was
making preparation for its invasion
of Kuwait. Iraqi
dissident groups said he escaped
into Turkey through
the Kurdish autonomous area in
northern Iraq.
ANTI-SADDAM GROUP ASSEMBLES IN DAMASCUS
(UP: DAMASCUS) -- Delegates from
Iraqi opposition
groups met last week in Damascus,
Syria to prepare for
the April 2 summit of opposition
leaders aimed at
overthrowing Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein. The
Iranian-backed Supreme Council
for the Islamic
Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI), the
Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK) led by Jalal Talbani
and the Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP) headed by
Massoud Barzani, were
among the participants. The meetings
of the 11 Iraqi
opposition groups were to prepare
for a summit of
opposition leaders scheduled to
take place April 2 in
Damascus and which was meant to
draw up strategies to
overthrow Hussein. King Hussein
of Jordan was widely
reported to favor a solution for
the Iraqi predicament
based on a confederation of the
Kurds in the north of
Iraq, the Shiites in the south
and the Sunni in the middle
of the country. During numerous
visits to London, the
Jordanian monarch has held meetings
with the Iraqi National
Congress and its affiliates, particularly
the Kurds.
It is still uncertain if representatives
of the
Assyrian Democratic Movement (ZOWAA)
will participate
in the Damascus talks.
=====================================================
D I R E C T O R Y
OF THE N E W S S O U R C E S
=====================================================
RU (Reuters): ClariNet Communications
Corp.
UP (United Press International)
WS (Wall Street Journal)
ZN (Zenda: zenda@ix.netcom.com)
=====================================================
C A L E N D A R OF E V E N T
S
=====================================================
March 26
Lecture: "Does Iraq have a Future?"
Speaker: Kanaan Makiya
Author of "Republic of Fear:
the Inside Story of Saddam's Iraq",
"Cruelty and Silence"
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Lown Auditorium (Lown 2)
Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachussets, U.S.
March 27
Lecture: The Struggle For Power in
Northern Iraq
Speaker: Wilfred Alkhas
3:00-5:00 pm
Modesto Junior College
Forum Building 101
Modesto, U.S.A.
March 28-31
Assyrian Universal Alliance
20th World Congress
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
April 12-14
The Assyrian Art Exhibition 1996
Toronto, Canada
(416) 972-0106 Voice
(416) 650-1983 Fax
April 27
Two Plays by William Daniel
"The Meeting" & "Tdalaboota"
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California
May 24-27
Assyrian State Convention of California
Fairmont Hotel
San Jose, U.S.A.
May 24-25
Memorial Weekend Games
Chicago, U.S.A.
May 25-26
2nd Assyrian Community Networking Conference
Fairmont Hotel
San Jose, U.S.A.
June 1
Nineveh Choral Concert
Conducted by Maestro Nebu Issabey
Santa Teresa High School Auditorium
San Jose, U.S.A.
8:00 pm
June 9-11
The ARAM Conference
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A
Thru Aug 15
"Beirut: Uncovering the Past"
Profiles recent UNESCO archeology efforts
The British Museum
London, England
Aug 29-Sept 2 AANF National
Convention
Red Lion Inn Hotel
Modesto, U.S.A.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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March 30
Kha b'Neesan Celebrations
92 Mclintock Street
New Britain, Connecticut, U.S.
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Picnic, Tournaments and Drama
8:00 PM until Dawn
Dance Party
Admission: Free
Kha b'Neesan Party
Assyrian American Association of San Jose
Banker's Club
8 South First St (& Santa Clara)
San Jose, U.S.A.
Entertainer: Edmond
Donation: $20.00
April 12
St. Mary's Annual Church Party
Assyrian Catholic Church
Scottish Rite Center
San Jose, California
Entertainer: Walter Aziz/Haroot Band
Nights of Babylon DJ
Donation: $30.00
April 14
Neesan Dinner Social
at Jora's Restaurant
1250 Aviation Ave, STE 235
San Jose, California
6:30 PM
Donation: $15.00
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REGULAR MEETINGS
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Fridays
Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club at
Modesto Junior College
1:00 pm
Founders Hall 108
Modesto, U.S.A.
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CLASSES
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Thursdays
Nineveh Choir: Maestro Nebu Issabey
BETA: AAA of San Jose, U.S.A.
7:30-9:00 pm
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A S S Y R I A N
S U R F I N G P O S T S
=====================================================
New Site(s)
No new sites
=====================================================
P U M P U P T H E V O L U M E
=====================================================
ENGLISH
ASSYRIAN
Complaint
Shke-ta, Qvalta [F]
Suggestion
Makhshakhta [F]
Comment
Noohara [M]
Ana eet-lee khda shketa....I have a complaint
khda makhshakhta...have a suggestion
kha noohara...I have a comment
Note: Several readers have
inquired about the following
Assyrian words:
Bit-Arke........Library
Bit-Kreehe......Hospital
Bit-Atqeh.......Museum
In Modern Assyrian, prefix "m" replaces
"bit, English
'of' " used in Classical Assyrian.
Each pair of words
can be used interchangeably to
refer to the same location.
_____________________________________________________
F = Feminine
M = Masculine P = Plural
=====================================================
B A C K T O T H E F U T U R E
=====================================================
B.C. (Sept/Oct 539) King Cyrus
of Persia attacks the
city of Sippar, forcing King Nebunidos
to flee to
Babylon. Two days later Babylon
is captured by the
Persian king. So ended the
Assyro-Babylonian rule
in the Middle East.
<<The Cambridge Ancient History,
Vol 111>>
A.D. (1948-50) Malik Lawku, Malik
Daniel, and Yousif
Malik are selected to go to Brazil
to negotiate the
settlement of the Assyrians in
that country's two
states of Goyaz and Minas Geraes.
Because of lack
of funds all negotiations failed;
however, many
families did emigrate to Cuba and
South America. It
is estimated that today nearly
80,000 Assyrians live
in South and Central America.
<<re negotiation team: see
Nineveh Magazine, Vol 14,#4>>
======================================================
L I T E R A T U S
======================================================
*** THE WORM & THE TOOTHACHE ***
From the Amorite Text in Mari (ca. BC 1500)
After Anu had created heaven,
Heaven had created earth,
the earth had created the rivers,
The rivers had created the canals,
The canals had created the marsh,
And the marsh had created the worm-
The worm went weeping before Shamash,
His tears flowing before Ea,
"What will you give me for my food?
What will you give for my sucking?"
"I shall give you the ripe fig,
And the apricot?"
"Of what use are they to me, the
ripe fig,
And the apricot?
Lift me up among the teeth,
And among the gums cause me to
dwell.
The blood of the tooth I will suck,
And of the gum I will gnaw its
roots."
======================================================
T H I S W E E K I N H I
S T O R Y
======================================================
March 28, 1899: born, Yousep
Malik in Baghdad.
March 30, 1966: George April
Hewin (spelling?), an
Assyrian musician, is awarded a
medal of honor from
the government of Finland.
March 29, 1971: passes away,
Mar Toma Bidavid: a
Spiritual leader and scholar, fluent
in English, French,
Latin, Italian, Arabic, and Hebrew.
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B R A V O
======================================================
ZENDA is currently being distributed
online to nearly
300 readers in 10 countries around
the world:
Australia
Austria
Canada
England
Germany
Italy
New Zealand
Norway
Sweden
United States
Thank you to all our faithful readers
who have made
ZENDA, the fastest growing journal
dedicated to the
promotion of Assyrian politics,
culture, and religion.
=====================================================
W E L C O M E T O Z E N D A
=====================================================
Zenda welcomes our new on-line
subscribers from:
CORPORATE ACCOUNTS
Sun Microsystems
UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS
Cal State, Northridge
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
Toronto, Canada
Winnipeg, Canada
Rome, Italy
Abbot, Illinois
=====================================================
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
=====================================================
Zenda wishes to thank the following
individuals &
organizations whose contributions
appear in this issue:
Firas Jatou
Chicago, Illinois
Albert Gabrial
Hollister, California
Vian Younan
Modesto, California
____________________________________________________
ZENDA will continue to print your
comments and
suggestions free of editing, as
they appear in our
mailbox. All letters will
be printed in our SURFS UP!
section unless directed otherwise.
We urge you to submit your community
events, personal
accomplishments, and meeting/school
times to Zenda
no later than Sunday at 12:00 PM,
Pacific Standard Time.
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Our Next Issue will appear on Monday,
April 1, 1996.
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