Iraqi Census to Exclude Expatriates

A report of the Assyrian International News Agency
1 August 2004

Earlier reports of Assyrian inclusion in the upcoming census had buoyed Assyrian hopes that the upcoming Iraqi census would be the first true accounting of Assyrians in the modern history of Iraq. In a major blow to Assyrian aspirations for full and comprehensive participation in the new government of Iraq, however, reports have surfaced that the upcoming Iraqi census will exclude Iraqi expatriates. The new census is tentatively planned to be carried out in one day by an army of school teachers on October 12. Presumably, due to logistical difficulties, the nearly 4 million estimated Iraqi expatriates scattered throughout the world will be deliberately excluded.

Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) are the indigenous Christian people of Iraq and have a continuous history in Iraq spanning over 6700 years. During the past Baathist regime, Assyrians were denied recognition as a people in official censuses. Over 200 Assyrian villages were razed by the government in an attempt to resettle Assyrians into urban areas where they could be more easily Arabized. Following the first Gulf War, Assyrians in the northern UN administered "Safe Haven" did not fare better. Here as well, Assyrians were denied recognition as a people, referred to instead as "Christian Kurds." Moreover, over 50 villages were occupied in whole or in part by Kurds with ties to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

A deliberate policy to exclude Iraqis in the Diaspora from the census has a disproportionately adverse affect on Assyrian population statistics at a very critical time in the lead up to general elections. Although hard figures are difficult to quote since previous censuses deliberately excluded Assyrians, it is widely believed that 30-40% of Assyrians have emigrated out of Iraq since the 1970's. As an example, in the US it is estimated that 80-90% of Iraqi Americans are Assyrian. According to one analyst, "For Assyrians, losing 30-40% of their numbers prior to the establishment of the National Assembly is a potential disaster. The first National Assembly will establish the first basic principles from which a new Iraqi society and government will emerge. If we are shut out in the early stages, it will be an uphill battle to regain full participation." The reasons for the overwhelmingly lop-sided representation in the Diaspora are numerous but, in the words of an observer, "boil down to disproportionate persecution leading to disproportionate emigration."

The proposed exclusion of Iraqi expatriates impacts Iraqis from across the religious and ethnic spectrum. However, no community is impacted to the same extent as Assyrian Christians. As one Assyrian political leader noted, "It would be inconceivable and downright dangerous for the government to virtually erase the existence of 30-40% of Shiites, Sunnis, or Kurds. But, for Assyrians, this is the reality of the government census proposal."

Assyrians are keenly aware of the delicate situation surrounding the nascent Iraqi government. Assyrians, perhaps more than any other group, are heavily invested in the prospects for a better, more democratic Iraq. With a violent insurgency and isolation from surrounding regimes afraid of democratic progress, Assyrians are loathe to contribute to a further weakening or condemnation of the government. However, as one activist noted, "at some point we have to ask what indeed are we supporting? If there is a policy whose outcome is the undercounting of our people, then it is democracy itself that is under attack. We cannot support such a policy."

Various suggestions have been proposed to alleviate the disproportionate impact on Assyrians. One such suggestion has been to establish Consulates in major urban areas in Europe and North America where sizeable Iraqi communities exist. As one analyst suggested "Although they may not be able to send out school teachers to every home in the Diaspora, at least those Iraqis who want to be counted would have that option. The government could follow up the process with a full accounting in later months." Such a good faith effort would help to lessen the impact on the Assyrian population and send a clear signal to the community that there is not a deliberate intention to undermine the Assyrian community's numbers. In the US, for example, a minimal effort of establishing Consulates in San Diego, San Jose, Chicago, Detroit, and New York would help to reach the major concentrations of Iraqi Americans. The personnel associated with these Consulates naturally would need to be representative of the make up of the communities in those areas.

Iraqi Christians Fleeing to Syria

Courtesy of the Associated Press
4 August 2004

(ZNDA: Damascus) In small but steady numbers, Iraqi Christians are moving to Syria to escape the threats and violence of Islamic extremists, say Iraqi Christian exiles.

"The religious and ethnic pressure on us is tremendous," said Shamasha Muayad Shamoun Georges, 45, a deacon of the Chaldean Solaqa Church in Baghdad, who fled to Syria two weeks ago with his wife and five children.

Georges said the pressure comes from "Muslim extremists," not from the interim Iraqi government, which has a Christian as minister of immigration and refugees.

During Sunday evening mass, suspected Islamic militants set off a series of explosions at five churches in Baghdad and the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing at least seven people and wounding dozens. It was the first major assault on Iraq's Christian minority since the Iraqi war began last year.

Christians number about 750,000 people among Iraq's total population of about 25 million. They include the Chaldean-Assyrians, the majority sect, Armenians _ one of whose churches was bombed on Sunday, Syrian Catholics and Syrian Orthodox.

Islamic militants have told Christian owners of liquor stores to close down their businesses, and they have threatened Christians who run beauty salons and shops selling fashionable clothes.

Georges said he does not expect such pressure to end soon.

Another Iraqi Christian in Syria, Jacqueline Isho, said that when Christians complain to the authorities in Iraq, they are "always ignored."

"Some police sympathize with, or support, those Islamists and gangs," Isho said.

Scores of Iraqi Christian families move to Syria and Jordan every day, according to Emanuel Khoshaba, a representative of the Iraqi Assyrian Democratic Movement in Syria.

Khoshaba said there are now 10,000 Iraqi Christians in Syria, and 90 percent of them arrived after the Iraqi war began in March last year. Such figures could not be confirmed with government officials as Syrian and Jordanian immigration forms do not ask a person's religion.

"I have run away because gangs kept on threatening me," said Adeeb Goga Matti, 48, who belongs to a wealthy Chaldean-Assyrian family in Baghdad.

He said his 10-year-old nephew, Patrous Yakou, was kidnapped at the end of 2003 and released only after his family paid a ransom of US$15,000.

After the kidnapping, Matti stopped sending his four children to school.

"Chaldean-Assyrians are the easiest targets for gangsters because they don't belong to a tribal system like other Iraqis," Matti stressed. Muslim Iraqis tend to belong to clans who rally round and protect their members.

Matti is in Damascus applying for a visa to Australia. Iraqi Christians in Syria are also applying to emigrate to Canada, the United States and other Western countries.

Albert Sargon, 24, and his wife, Suhat, 26, left Iraq last month.

"I ran away from threatening messages sent by Islamists because I was working as a cook for Americans," Sargon said.

He and his wife do not plan to return.

Iraqi Christians are Fleeing, Eyeing Australia

Courtesy of The Age (Australia)
4 August 2004
By Meaghan Shaw

(ZNDA: Sydney) Iraqi Assyrian Christians have been fleeing across Iraq's borders and applying for Australian visas fearing a rise in Islamic sentiment threatens their safety.

Their fears have been exacerbated by co-ordinated explosions outside five churches in Baghdad and Mosul at the weekend, which killed 11 people and wounded more than 50.

Tirana Hormiz Oshana has left Iraq for Syria and, maybe, Australia.

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone confirmed there had been a "moderate increase" in applications by Iraqi Christians in the past month.

Assyrian community leader Edwina Dinkha said many Assyrian Christians were contacting their relatives in Australia to sponsor them for visas.

She said she believed about half the nearly one million Assyrian Christians in Iraq had fled to neighbouring Syria and Jordan since the war began.

"What happened at the weekend shocked everyone," she said. "I received many, many calls from my relatives in Iraq, and in Syria and Jordan, feeling not safe because of what happened."

A spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Department said the Government deplored the continuing terrorist attacks in Iraq, including the explosions outside churches, and supported efforts by the Iraqi Government and coalition partners to restore security.

Christians Leaving Iraq

Courtesy of Mother Jones
3 August 2004
By Nonna Gorilovskaya

The religious leaders of Iraq's small Christian community have long-downplayed the fact that many Iraqi-Christians are leaving Iraq. But Sunday's coordinated attacks in Baghdad and Mosul on five churches -- which, unlike mosques, have not previously been targeted -- will no doubt strengthen the resolve of Iraqi-Christians thinking of leaving Iraq and convince others of the necessity of doing so.

Iraq's Christians -- Chaldean Catholics; Assyrians; Roman and Syriac Catholics; Greek, Syriac and Armenian Orthodox; Anglicans and others -- make up 3 percent of the population, and are concentrated in the cities. Of course, the lack of security has been a problem for all Iraqis, whatever their religion, but the country's Christians feel particularly vulnerable to attack. For one, many within the insurgency view the American-led coalition as a Christian crusade and Iraq's Christian community as its supporters and collaborators. Shops selling alcohol, many of them owned by Christians, have been attacked, their merchandise destroyed, and their owners beaten and even murdered. As the BBC reported last month, the Iraqi police blamed the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army for the attacks: "His men are no longer fighting American and interim Iraqi government troops, and some suspect they are now channeling their energies into a moral battle instead."

Iraq's national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie held Egyptian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi responsible for Sunday's attacks on the churches, which occurred during mass, killing 11 people and injuring 47: "Zarqawi and his extremists are basically trying to drive a wedge between Muslims and Christians in Iraq. It's clear they want to drive Christians out of the country." But as the Christian Science Monitor reported last month:

"Not all Christians are killed by Islamic militants. Issaq [director of international relations for the Assyrian Democratic Movement] has compiled a list of 102 Christians killed since April 9, 2003. Some were killed for selling alcohol; others for working with Americans as translators or laundresses. (About 10 percent were killed by coalition troops, casualties of postwar violence.) Many were kidnapped and killed for money, a fate that befalls Muslims, too. But sometimes it's hard to separate kidnappings from religious murders. Among Iraqis, there's a widespread belief that Christians are wealthy. This stereotype, too, can kill."

Iraq's Christians had their churches destroyed and themselves forcibly relocated under Saddam Hussein, but they didn't experience the sort of persecution that the majority Shia, not to say the Kurds, have been subjected to. Considered less politically threatening by the Baath Party than Islamic minorities and the Shia majority, Christians were granted a greater degree of religious freedom in return for their political obedience. Relations between Muslims and Christians have generally been placid.

Today, Iraqi Christians are upset about what they say is inadequate representation in the current government (a claim echoed by every group) and they fear the creation of an Islamist state. Some Christian leaders say that a separate Christian province is necessary to protect the country's minority. Aside from the obvious failure of coalition troops to provide security, the United States is blamed by some Christians for promoting Islamic rule in Iraq, where Christians date their presence to the first century. As one Assyrian-Iraqi told UPI in early June:

"The American-funded TV station, Al Iraqia, broadcasts Muslim programs four times every day and for two hours each Friday but nothing for the other religions. The recent inauguration of the new government was opened by a Muslim mullah reciting a long passage and a prayer from the Koran, but none of our priests were invited. Why do they do this? Why do the Americans promote Muslims? They need to promote equality and democracy and freedom, not Muslim dictatorship."

Among the Iraqi-Christians who have emigrated, some have settled in neighboring countries like Syria, while others have received asylum in Australia, North America, and Europe. Australia's Iraqi-born population, which includes the various Christian dominations as well as Kurds and Jews, has grown dramatically since Gulf War. In 1991, there were 5,186 Iraqi-born persons in Australia, but in 2001, the last year for which census figures are available there were 24,819. Among Iraqi-Armenians, who make up one of the smaller Christian communities, some have emigrated to the Republic of Armenia.

The number of Christians seeking to emigrate is unknown, but the estimated 800,000 that live in Iraq today represent a marked decline from the 1987 census that registered 1.4 million Iraqi-Christians. Shmael Benjamin a member of the political bureau of the Assyrian Democratic Movement told Reuters: "We're the Red Indians of Iraq. We were the majority, today we're the minority, our percentage is reducing day by day in this country." Perhaps, as Slate puts it, "with Iraq's Shiites and Kurds having earlier been targeted by bombings, it was probably only a matter of time before the country's Christians would get their turn." But given the previous attacks on Christians, the continuing lack of security for everyone, and fears of a future Islamist state, Iraqi's Christians are more likely to draw the conclusion that it is time to pack their bags.

Turkey's Christian Revival has a Message for Iraq's Own Communities

Courtesy of the Guardian
4 August 2004
By Martin Wainwright

(ZNDA: London) This week's attacks on churches in Iraq are a reminder of a small community that has lived for years with the term "beleaguered", but has the potential to re-establish a more tolerant way of life in the Middle East.
It might easily be assumed that Iraqi Christians are a colonial implant that any self-respecting nationalist would view with suspicion.

But in fact they are among the oldest religious communities in the world.

Protected for most of their long history by Islam's tradition of tolerance, they are honoured for their own great gift to mutual understanding:

Syriac, a version of Jesus's native language, Aramaic. This was the vital bridge in the transmission of Greek, Roman and Jewish thought into Arabic, from which Aristotle, Plato and company eventually returned in the Renaissance to Europe.

Its greatest stronghold is just outside Iraq, in Turkey's Tur Abdin, the "Mountains of the Servants of God", where an intriguing shift is taking place.

Pilgrims, students, and tourists of all faiths and none, are returning to nearby monasteries, which were 700 years old when the first stones were laid at Fountains or Rievaulx. Four-and-a-half centuries after the English abbeys were dissolved by Henry VIII, the cloisters still ring with Syriac chants.

Yet it is only 20 years since the pocket-sized congregations lived in terror, with bombs going off outside their walls. Almost everyone with the money to do so had fled to the west.

Like their co-religionists in Iraq today, the Christians were caught up in a civil insurgency that saw fundamentalist hatreds let loose.

As in Iraq, the quarrel was not of their making. The issue was Kurdish separatism and the Turkish army's iron-fisted response.

Anyone "different" was potentially a target for both sides; and old resentments resurfaced that Christians were better-educated and had a rich diaspora in the United States.

It was the thinnest of times; but the churches not only survived but are now enjoying a revival that could in due course help their Iraqi counterparts.

With armed Kurdish insurgency defeated, the Turkish government two years ago began to move towards greater regionalism.

Its need to reach first base for membership of the European Union has been a key factor. Most encouragingly of all, the region's Muslim communities are lending a hand.

The process is best seen in Sanliurfa, an important Islamic shrine. Abraham - Ibrahim to Muslims - is said to have lived here and his cave attracts permanent devout queues.

But the city is also crucial in Christian history. As pre-Byzantine Edessa it was the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as the official religion, more than 500 years before St Augustine landed in Kent.

Jesus legendarily corresponded with its king, as the local council goes out of its way to acknowledge.

Sanliurfa is now promoting what it calls "belief tourism", inviting Muslims, Jews and Christians to come together and share the ancient sites.

The process is an eastern version of Spain's work in Toledo and Cordoba to create "three faith" centres where divisive myths can be dismantled and real divisions understood.

And what lessons there are to be learned: how Christians, Jews and Muslims lived as neighbours for centuries under the Caliphate and the extraordinarily cosmopolitan Ottoman empire.

How Saladdin's strongest allies against the tolerance-wrecking Crusaders were the Eastern Orthodox Christians and the Egyptian Copts.

This may seem far off and fanciful to the now embattled Christians of Iraq. But it is a stone's throw from their border; it honours the noblest traditions of Islam; and it has deeper and longer-term potential for countering al-Qaida than guns.

Assyrians in Europe Respond to Church Bombings in Baghdad

A Dark Sunday in the History of the Christian Churches of Iraq

Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO) / Diaspora Branches
Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM)
Assyrian Patriotic Party (APP) / Europe
Assyrian Federation of Sweden
Assyrian Federation of Germany (ZAVD)
Tur Abdin Federation of Holland

On Sunday August 1, 2004, Iraq witnessed a series of deadly terrorist bombings, through the use of cars loaded with explosives, which targeted 6 Churches, five of which are Assyrian (Syriac and Chaldean) Churches and one Armenian Church. These attacks attempt to destroy the security and stability of the new Iraq.

So far, there are 18 casualties and scores of wounded, the majority of whom are children, women and elderly ChaldoAssyrians who were attending the Sunday Mass in their Churches. Prior to these terrorist attacks there was a period of many threats which were followed by a series of assassinations, kidnappings and attacks on Christians.

The future of ChaldoAssyrians in Iraq, whose population is more than 1.2 million, is in acute danger. Today, as in the past, they are once again the victims of the struggles of the major political powers in the Middle East. The American invasion of Iraq did not bring democracy and freedom only, but it has also brought the destruction, murder, never-ending worries, and instability to all Iraqi citizens and especially the ChaldoAssyrians.

We appeal to the international community to condemn and help put an end to such terrorist attacks targeting Christians and especially ChaldoAssyrians, and to take the needed measures to ensure the security and protection of their lives, places of worship and properties.

We are also calling on the Iraqi government and all the democratic and national powers in Iraq, as well as the neighboring countries, coalition forces and the United Nations to use their full resources to help cease such barbaric actions against the innocent and passive Christians and their Churches. These terrorist attacks aim to dismantle the Iraqi national unity and harm the close ties between the national, ethnic and religious groups comprising the Iraqi society.

We condemn such terrorist, barbaric and inhumane attacks, and we offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the innocent casualties. We also offer sympathies to the wounded and wish them a fast recovery. Our hopes are that the roots of these terrorist groups are completely destroyed. These terrorist groups lack human compassion and have violated the teachings of all heavenly religions and human rights.

We value the stands and the attempts of the noble groups, presented in the vision of leaders of the political parties and religious leaders who had immediately condemned the terrorist attacks which kill the innocent civilians and create ethnic and religious tensions in the Iraqi society.

Assyrians of Russia Condemn the Terrorist Attacks on Churches in Iraq

(ZNDA: Moscow) On 2 August, the Russian Branch of the Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa) and the Assyrian Association of Moscow (Khayadta) condemned the terrorist attacks on the Christian churches of Baghdad and Mosul. In a statement released on Monday, the terrorist attack was said to be directed at the indigenous Christian population of Iraq : Assyrians and Syriac-Chaldeans "who are being displaced by the religious extremists out of the country."

The Statement

The situation of the Assyro-Chaldean communities of Iraq is getting worse every day. There is a great number of Christians leaving the country due to increase in violence and anti-Christian acts.

The majority of Iraqi Assyro-Chaldeans are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia and for thousands of years have been living in their original land. Chaos and anarchy in Iraq have become beneficial grounds for all sorts of extremists who are trying to force Assyro-Chaldeans and the representatives of other Christian communities out of that country. Terrorists consider them as allies of the occupying forces in the country just because they are Christian. Many Christians are leaving the country which is also making the situation in Iraq and in the Middle East more complex.

We believe that the persecution of the Christians will turn into another brutal genocide against this ancient people that have inhabited the cradle of civilization. The world community cannot allow it to happen. It is absolutely necessary to prevent another humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East.

The Assyrians of Russia are planning to render financial support to all Christian communities of Iraq that have been victims of the terrorist act and appeal to the world community to provide security for the Christian citizens of Iraq.

Rev Joseph Calls For Autonomy Based on Article 53

Courtesy of the Assist News Service
3 August 2004
By Dan Wooding

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Rev. Ken Joseph Jr. of www.AssyrianChristians.com says: "For whatever their disagreements over the war, I do not think any American agreed to fight a war to create the Islamic Republic of Iraq and to cause the Christians to have to leave their historic country. We must provide this minimum protection accorded to the community under the law."

His statement follows a long predicted series of attacks on five Christian Churches – two in the Karada section of Baghdad, one in the Dora Section, one in the New Baghdad Area and the other in Mosul – on Sunday evening just as worshipers were leaving.

The attacks killed 11 people and wounded more than 50 in the first big assault on Iraq's Christian minority since the 15-month-old insurgency began.

"We have warned and warned that this was going to happen" screamed one Assyrian Christian who asked that his name be protected. "We have begged for help, from the International community; we have begged for protection but nobody would listen. Maybe finally they will realize that what we have been saying is true," he continued.

"The bombings follow a long string of bombings of Assyrian Christian-owned businesses, homes – a particularly gruesome killing involved two children aged 6 and 16 gunned down in cold blood in their home," said Joseph.

"Further difficulty happened days ago when the Assyrian Christians were completely shut out of election preparations for their two most populous areas in northern Iraq.

"Entitled to a minimum of four seats out of 28 for the upcoming National Congress to prepare for Iraq elections, the Assyrian Christians received no seats."

Another individual at the scene, who also asked not to be named, related what happened immediately after the bombing.

"American troops immediately circled the area and visibly angry soldiers nearly lost control as they watched and attempted to do all they could to help the worshipers as they struggled out of the church" he said.

"They were screaming. They were so angry at the people who would bomb a church as people were leaving the service. Frankly, I can't repeat some of what they were saying, but it was very clear they were deeply affected by this brutal act."

Another individual involved in the efforts, who to asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisal, put it more succinctly.

"Maybe this will finally alert the public to what the situation is. We call specifically on the U.S. Congress to attach a rider to the appropriations bill for Iraq. The Assyrian community is demanding protection and needs specifically four things – resettlement to their original villages, repair of the villages destroyed by Saddam Hussein, autonomy in Assyria as provided by Article 53 of the Iraqi Constitution and voting rights."

"The only way we can remain in Iraq is if we can have a protected area in our original homeland. Without this we must tell our people to leave. With all due respect, we do not believe the American people fought a war and liberated Iraq to have it become a radical Muslim state.

"It is we – the Assyrian Christians who love the Americans and will be eternally grateful for what they have done. This is the true feeling of the majority of the Iraqis. Now is the time for the Americans to help their friends and insist that the Assyrian Christians have an autonomous area in their homeland so they can live in peace."

Experts predict a continuation of the violence against the Assyrian Christians until either they leave the country en masse or the Assyrian Regional Government is set up as provided for in the Iraqi Constitution next to the similar Kurdish Regional Government, seen by many as the only long-term solution for the estimated 2.5 million Assyrian Christians in Iraq.

Predicting much of what is happening, EU Parliament Member Albert Jaan Maat had weeks earlier issued a report to the European Union saying, "Is the commission aware that the Assyrian Christians are systematically excluded from the distribution of aid by local leaders?"

Maat went on to speak of clear-cut religious discrimination, saying, "International aid is mainly distributed through regional, and therefore Muslim, leaders and seldom or never reaches the Assyrian Christians." according to Assyrianchristians.com, a website devoted to the Assyrian community worldwide.

Reflecting the widespread lack of assistance to the minority community including the Assyrian Christians, Yazidis and other non-Muslim communities, some view the whole situation as another example of ethnic cleansing in a more subtle way.

"This is our last cry for help" said a local Assyrian Christian. "If the world will not listen to us now then they do not care. Where are the Christians of the world when we need their voices and help? Why should we have to leave our own homeland where we were the first people to accept Christianity and where we have practiced our faith and lived in peace for 2,000 years?"

"The bombings are expected to increase as more and more responsibility is handed over to the interim Iraqi government and the move toward elections proceeds," stated Ken Joseph Jr.

"We are calling on American Christians to appeal to their congressman to have a 'rider' attached to the $18.4 billion appropriations bill for Iraq that demands that according to Article 53 of the Iraqi Constitution the Assyrian Christians be provided with autonomy over their homeland as the only way for them to survive in this terrible situation, and all aid and assistance to be provided without discrimination."

Iranian Christians may Now Worship at Hamedan`s St Gregory`s Church

Courtesy of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Official News Agency
2 August 2004

(ZNDA: Tehran) With the renovation of the St Gregory Church complex in Hamedan coming to an end, Iranian Christians have been given the go-signal to again conduct their religious worship in this historical church.

The city of Hamedan is located 336 kilometers west of Tehran. Its foundation is attributed to a Median king, dating back to 700 BC. In Ecbatana, the ancient name for Hamedan, the royal palace contained 7 castles encircling each other. The palace was called Hagmetaneh. The Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanian kings had palaces in the city. For fifty years Hamedan was the capital of the Persians. In 612 B.C. the Median king and the Babylonian insurgents attacked the capital of Nineveh and brought an end to the ancient Assyrian empire.

The English-language daily `Kayhan International` quoted the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization (CHO) as saying the church complex, which covers an area of over 3,000 square meters, consists of two cathedrals--a 75-year-old Greek Orthodox church and a Protestant one dating 160 years back.

All the buildings and their facilities are located near the historical city of Ecbatana. They had undergone renovation in accordance with a national preservation plan for this ancient city, at one time the capital of the Medes Dynasty.

"The property was previously owned by the Council for Iranian Christians, but was bought in 1999 by the CHO which had it registered in the list of national heritage sites," said Habibollah Rashidbeigi, director of Ecbatana`s cultural office.

"Right now, 90 percent of the renovation work on the Protestant church has been finished while 80 percent of that in the Orthodox church is done." According to historical documents, some 300 Christians migrated to Hamedan, west of Iran, during the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1722).

It is believed they were the ones who originally designed and built this complex.

Sad Day For Assyrians

Joseph Kanon
Canada

In this very sad day for Assyrians and christians around the world ... We stand with all relatives of the victims of barbaric terrorism , whom are hiding behind their religious beliefs which are supported from Islamic fanatic, and some countries in the Middle East .... May God bless souls of the innocent people who killed in the churches in Iraq.

Mendacious Melodramatist

Ashuriena Baba
California

In response to Dr. George Habash’s “Kha b’Tammuz”

I would like to set the record straight. First off, Ms. Esho is ethnically Assyrian (hence her name, Pascal Esho Warda), but she lived in France for quite a while, where she earned her PhD. I have yet to see a statement linking Ms. Esho and the Kurdish ethnicity.

In a Spanish chronicle entitled, “La Crónica de Hoy”, an article was published called, “Iraqi minister supports possible capital punishment against Hussein”. In this article it states that Ms. Esho is “The only Christian minister of the new Iraqi government considering it possible that the ex-Iraqi dictator is condemned with capital punishment (click here) ”

Based on the ratio of Assyrians to the rest of the citizens of Iraq, we can only have a small portion of the interim government. According to the CIA World Factbook, Christians (ChaldoAssyrians, Armenians, and others) make-up only 3% of the population versus the whopping 97% Muslim population (click here). Now, we have a real representative that will deal with Assyrian issues, rather than cause more of them to arise.

Dr. Habash quoted, “Within this regime we ended up with a minor portfolio (assuming the position is Assyrian) in a government of 36 persons in the time of the so-called democracy or near democracy. In the previous regimes we held better portfolios in a government of 15 persons only.” During Tariq Aziz’s era (with Saddam’s regime), Saddam slaughtered ADM members by the masses like they were cows in a slaughterhouse, instigated ethnic cleansing, destroyed villages, ravaged churches, and stripped Assyrian identities by gathering Assyrian-Iraqis whose parents were Assyrian-Iranians, in spite of the fact that they served in the Iraqi military, and dumped them on the border of Iran. And now Dr. Habash is trying to say that this former “representative” really represented the ChaldoAssyrians of Iraq by watching Saddam commit such chaotic acts?

Where was Dr. Habash when ADM resisted Saddam’s oppression? Where was he when the ADM resisted ethnic cleansing? Does he remember the bombing of 1988 when Assyrian churches and villages were being demolished by Saddam under his Kurdish cleansing motive?

ADM is the only Assyrian political organization that really fought for the Assyrian cause. Although they were a small group, their work was and still is unparalleled.

The Assyrian case had been deceased for over 50 years and if it were not for the ADM our case would have turned over in the grave. How could a fellow Assyrian deny ADM, while still clutching their identity?

Support may come from all dusty corners of the world, criticism calls for change and change must be prompted from the country itself. We cannot sit and drink our $300 bottle of champagne in our luxury homes with six garages holding 3 Jaguars, a McLaren, and two Ferraris, while criticizing Assyrians who are working hard for our nation. Step aside Ebert & Roeper; we’ve got ourselves a new critic in town. We can criticize till the end of time, but it takes a true patriot to take a stand and fight for our nation.

I say good morning to Dr. Habash about Saddam being a “double agent”. This was quickly revealed when the Baath regime eliminated Bill #80, which was created by Abdul Kareem Qasim to take over 99% of the undiscovered oil fields from the British. In addition, when Qasim declared Kuwait as a part of Iraq, the British Army created a blockade in the gulf in order to quarantine Qasim if he were to invade Kuwait. Then, in 1968, the Baath regime under Ahmad Hassan Al-Bekar declared that Kuwait was a separate country. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the link between the Baath Regime and the British.

The lack of establishment of a power base by ADM? ADM and what army? If a power base is created then a civil war would break out! If ADM establishes a power base, the Kurds will build one, the Sunnis will build one, and the Shiites will build one. It will be a royal rumble with every man for himself. A civil war will break out and result in more Assyrian casualties. Is that what Dr. Habash’s wants? More Assyrians killed in Iraq? Remember the American Civil War? The Confederates built a power base and the Union did the same as well. And guess what? Their ideas clashed and a civil war was created resulting in millions of American deaths.

Did Dr. Habash forget that instead of a power base, the ADM built schools taught in the Assyrian language and converted all the books from K-12 to the Assyrian language? Did Dr. Habash forget that the ADM has 4-5 representatives in major city governments, like Basra, Mosul, Kirkuk, Arbel, Dohuk and Baghdad? For the first time our name has shown up in the Iraqi constitution recognizing our existence in the Iraqi state.

My father was a second lieutenant in the Iraqi Army in 1965-1967. He continually tells me the war stories and the Iraqi history during the times he lived there. He was in the six-day war in Jordan, and in Northern Iraq fighting the Kurdish militia. His statements totally contradict Dr. Habash’s annotations and his experiences.

Positions are not as important as rights, there I said it. During Qasim’s era, we had no representatives, but we had rights—MUCH MORE rights than we did under that fiend named Saddam. We “had” a representative named Tariq Aziz, but what did he do? He permitted Saddam to massacre the Assyrians and rape them of their youth, freedom, and their identity.

More credibility for Saddam? They found him in a freakin’ spider hole! What credibility? All the “credibility” he once had was hidden in his hole just like he was.

“ADM must allow our people to represent themselves and stop monopolising their cause as events have proven that they can not deliver and their continued presence on the stage continues to irritate the nation.” Dr. Habash, I don’t know if you know this, but Iraq is currently undergoing this certain process called democratization. Thus, the people don’t need ADM’s permission to choose their representatives. ADM is not forcing themselves upon the people, the people are free to choose who they want to represent the nation and thus far, they have chosen the ADM. I must say, please Dr. Habash, stop dancing around the subject and creating loops in your annotations.

At What Cost Mr. Kanna?

Ramona Ellyin-Abbo
Nevada

Mr. Younadam Kanna's views, which he shared on Fox News, on the coordinated attacks of churches in Baghdad and Mosul, are horrifying! I am bewildered and shocked that the representative of Chaldo-Assyrians told the American media that the bombings of churches was neither a religious nor ethnic statement, but one of pure politics. Furthermore, he added that these violent acts against Christians were no different than prior attacks against Kurds, Shia, etc.
I am fully prepared for an American representative of the government or media to have little to no clue about the implied religious nature of all political acts in the Middle East, but to have one of our own perpetuating this simplistic and self-serving American philosophy is truly sad.

I understand that Mr. Kanna is walking a political and diplomatic tight-rope in Iraq. His ability to survive the violent nature of Iraqi politics is admirable, but at what cost? What do we, the Chaldo-Assyrians gain, when our most recognized representative protects himself instead of our interests?

[Zinda: Mr. Yonadam Kanna told the BBC Arabic Service on Monday that western missionaries had exacerbated sectarian tensions in Iraq, as they tried to tempt people to convert with economic incentives. Muslims have complained that missionary organizations have been distributing Christian literature to Muslim households.]

[Zinda Stands Corrected! In our last issue two Assyrian farmers carrying a large sum of money were said to have been killed in Syria. According to Mr. George Stifo of the BethSuryoyo Assyrian, both victims were working for the local bank and were on an official assignment to take the money to the headquarters. The money was not theirs and for unspecified reason was left with the bodies of the two Assyrian victims.]

Assyrian Martyrs Day Commemoration in Toronto

United Assyrian Youth of Canada & Assyrian Canadian Lobbying Committee commemorate the Assyrian Genocides of 1914 - 1918 and 1933 Semele Massacre

Our Guest Speakers:

• Ivan Kakovitch, author of "Mount Semele"
• George Davis, author of "Genocides Against the Assyrians and Assyria" and "Mesopotamia and the Assyrians"
• Dr. Hirmis Aboona, historian and author of the highly acclaimed series "Assyrians After the Fall of Nineveh"

Where: Humber College - North Campus
(Lecture Theater, Driveway D, Lot 9, Registration Entrance)
205 Humber College Blvd.
Toronto, Ontario

When: Saturday, August 7th 2004 @ 5pm

For more information, please contact us at: info@aclconline.org
613.733.4275 / 416.312.9472

San Jose Assyrians to Commemorate Martyrs Day

In collaboration with the

Assyrian Democratic Movement
Mar Yosip Assyrian Church of the East
St. Mary's Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church
Assyrian Presbyterian Church of San Jose
Assyrian Evangelical Church of San Jose
Bet-Eil Assyrian Church
Assyrian Universal Alliance

on August 6th at the "Arc at Willow Glen" (Hall of the Church of the East) on 680 Minnesota Avenue

Doors open at 7:30
Program will begin promptly at 8:00 PM
Admission Free

Catch Robert Alaux' "The Last Assyrians" on 5 August on KTO TV in France

Un documentaire inédit sur les Assyro-Chaldéens

Pour admirer ces costumes aux couleurs chatoyantes ou surprendre cette femme plongée jusqu'aux coudes dans des grandes bassines de fromage frais derrière un pavillon, il suffit de rencontrer une famille assyro-chaldéenne de Sarcelles. Les membres de cette communauté n'ont rien perdu de leurs traditions et continuent à les faire vivre loin de leur région d'origine, partagée entre la Turquie, l'Irak et la Syrie. Victimes d'exactions au cours du XX e siècle, ils ont fui les montagnes où ils s'étaient réfugiés pour s'installer en France - dont la moitié autour de Sarcelles -, en Suède, en Hollande, aux Etats-Unis...Robert Alaux est allé à la rencontre de ce peuple.

For further information and to access the application form, all applicants are invited to refer to www.aanf.org.

Pendant six ans, il a suivi ces familles disséminées à travers le monde. Son documentaire, « les Derniers Assyriens » est diffusé ce soir et demain après-midi sur KTO TV. D'autres dates sont programmées jusqu'au début du mois d'août. Un travail d'une grande qualité qui commence à faire parler de lui. Déjà projeté en France, à Bruxelles, le documentaire sera présenté à Beyrouth à l'automne. Un grand distributeur a fait également part de son intérêt. Robert Alaux fait du documentaire depuis une dizaine d'années. Il a laissé le dessin animé et les images de synthèse pour se pencher de près sur la question des identités qui le titillait depuis quelque temps. On parle souvent des Assyro-Chaldéens comme une minorité chrétienne originaire du sud de la Turquie et du nord de l'Irak. Mais leur parcours est plus complexe que cela. Robert Alaux explique avec une grande limpidité toutes ces nuances et cette histoire faite de schismes religieux, de divergences entre églises, jusqu'à ce désir actuel de ne former qu'un peuple autour d'une identité commune. Ce film de 52 minutes donne toutes les clés pour cerner cette communauté qui s'est forgée une identité dans la diaspora. Pour cela, Robert Alaux transporte le spectateur de Damas aux régions montagneuses du sud-est de la Turquie et du nord de l'Irak, l'envoie aux Etats-Unis, fait des haltes à Sarcelles, dans l'oasis de Palmyre où l'on retrouve des traces écrites de cette langue qu'ils sont désormais les seuls à parler, l'araméen.

Un voyage à travers des siècles d'histoire C'est aussi un voyage dans le temps. Depuis l'Antiquité, on traverse les siècles d'histoire pour parvenir aux épisodes chaotiques du XX e siècle. Ce génocide dont ils ont été victimes au même titre que les Arméniens mais dont personne ne parle. Les exactions subies en Turquie, la soumission d'un peuple sous le régime de Saddam Hussein. Depuis l'arrivée des Américains, ils nourrissent de réels espoirs, même si l'avenir est teinté d'inquiétude. A Sarcelles, ces familles qui, il y a encore trente ans, élevaient des chèvres dans des montagnes reculées de Turquie regardent tout cela avec un grand intérêt tout en poursuivant leur travail ici pour bâtir leurs repères.

« les Derniers Assyriens » de Robert Alaux : ce soir sur KTO TV à 20 h 50, demain à 14 h 20, le 25 juillet à 9 h 55, le 28 juillet à 7 h 35, le 5 août à 23 h 30. Pour tout renseignement : alaux.robert@wanadoo.fr.

English

" The Last Assyrians " film by Robert Alaux KTO TV on 5 August 11:30 am (Paris Time).
For more information: alaux.robert@wanadoo.fr.