Zinda SayZinda Says		An Assyrian Administrative Unit: Ending the Exodus of Iraq’s Most Vulnerable	Michael Youash
The Lighthouse		Remarks by the Hon. Walid Maalouf at the AACC of Turlock An Interview with Yonadam Kanna	Walid Maalouf The Daily Star - Beirut
Good Morning Assyria		Islamic Group Demands Christians to Stop Attending Churches
News Digest		AUA's Condemnation of the Church Bombings in Iraq Iraqi Lawmaker Speaks to Supports in San Diego Yonadam Kanna Press Conference in Chicago ANA Delegation Meets Turkish Ambassador to Canada Holy Synod vs Soro Hearings End in San Jose Sydney Taxis Refuse Fares for Funeral Turkey Drops Case Against Writer Pamuk Chicago Assyrian Subject of USA TODAY Story Academic Textbook on Assyrian Language Published in Armenia	Zinda Magazine is published every Wednesday & Saturday. To register for your free Zinda notifications enter your email address in the field above and click 'Sign Up'.
Surfs Up!		Open Letter to President Masoud Barzani Addictive Like A Drug The War of Peasants & Aristocrats To Australia Rally Committee Living Outside Assyria is no Longer Tenable	Click to Learn More ZINDA CALENDAR ZINDA ARCHIVES
Surfer's Corner		Ivan Kakovitch in San Jose New Book: Patriarchs of the Church of the East e-Gorgias Free Newsletter
Literatus		For Iraq's Assyrians, a Safe Haven is the Only Solution The West is Clueless ! SEYFO 1915 - The Assyrian & Armenian Genocide The Angel of Nineveh - Finale	AINA Nuri Kino Linda Khoshaba Anthony Nasseri
Bravo		Judy Bretschneider Receives Jefferson Award	Shelah Moody

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Zinda Says An Editorial by Wilfred Bet-Alkhas   An Assyrian Administrative Unit: Ending the Exodus of Iraq’s Most Vulnerable Guest Editorial Michael Youash Project Director Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project The January 29th, 2006 bombing of six churches throughout Kirkuk and Baghdad marks an undeniable trend. The message is intended for two audiences. The international community (mainly the multinational forces in Iraq) constitutes one target audience. The other is Iraq’s Christian Assyrian [1] community. The latter live close enough to insurgents, however, to make prime targets of convenience. Are the latest attacks part of a trend? The Department of State noted the trend in its 2004 Human Rights Report, when 14 churches were bombed in that year alone [2]. The figure is significantly higher now, with no signs of it reversing given today’s political climate in Iraq. Yet the bombing of churches only marks the most visible, albeit impersonal, method in reminding Christian Assyrians of their second class citizenship. More personal attacks on individuals take place on such a great scale and are vastly under-reported – if at all. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees’ (UNHCR) most recent report on Iraq makes the Christian situation all too clear: The fall of the former regime has seen an explosion of Islamist extremist movements and militias which target, among others, members of religious minorities. [They] have become the regular victims of discrimination, harassment, and at times persecution, with incidents ranging from intimidation and threats, to the destruction of property, kidnapping and murder…. Many Assyrian Christians originate from the Governorate of Ninewa …. While much of the hardship and harassment they report that they face is symptomatic of the situation of general insecurity faced by all Iraqis in present day Iraq, members of the Christian minority nevertheless appear to be particularly targeted. Acts of violence reported by Christians and/or which appear to target Christians include bombings and other attacks on churches … the serious or fatal attacks on shop owners and/or business persons involved in trading and selling alcohol, harassment, extortion, kidnapping, and even torture of persons perceived as not respecting Islam (e.g. women who appear in public without a hijab, persons accused of not respecting the teachings of the Koran and persons refusing to convert to Islam). Others have been targeted for kidnapping against ransom based on the perception that Christians are generally more wealthy than others [3]. Flight from the country is not an ideal solution since it is clear that many of these people are committed to Iraq – they remained when so many other Assyrians ran [4]. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzani invited all Christians to seek refuge in KRG-controlled territory in northern Iraq [5]. This option is not acceptable either since the stability of KRG territory is not as it seems, and can also quickly descend into another civil war between the two dominant Kurdish political groupings: the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). As far back as mid-2004 (only a year after liberation) surveys showed Kurdish frustration with the quality of governance in the KRG. A prominent think tank observed, “After 13 years of one-party rule in the respective Administrations of the KDP and PUK, Kurds are fed up with their regional governments.” [6] The lack of stable governance coincides with a dominant Islamic identity that Christians cannot ignore. In July 2005, the Kurdish Religious Affairs Minister indicated that, “those who turn to Christianity pose a threat to society.” The Kurdistan Islamic League told the Institute for War and Peace Reporting that conversions are an “unhealthy phenomenon, and a strange and terrible act.” [7] Yet Assyrians also sadly and unnecessarily face an ethnically driven tension with the KDP in the north. Undeniably, the plight of Kurds and Assyrians in the Middle East is tragic. Yet these two stateless nations are also colliding more often than cooperating. The KDP is using its superior resources and capitalizing on the historical and present wounds of the weakened Assyrian people to subjugate them and override their ability to secure their full rights in a liberated Iraq. People must recall the seizure of well over 50 Assyrian villages with no indication people can return to claim their homes and land. Additionally, Assyrian towns and villages are denied equitable development in terms of basic necessities such as schools, clinics, clean water, roads and electricity [8]. The KDP is keeping Christians impoverished through Apartheid-like policies in terms of real reconstruction and development. Some within the KDP even worked tirelessly to deny Assyrians the right to vote [9]. Clearly recent KDP generosity towards churches in northern Iraq is part of a political agenda designed to whitewash the denial of many fundamental rights to Assyrians in the KRG. Islamist intolerance, KDP/KRG prejudicial policies, and violent crime are a troika of factors driving the unacceptable situation Assyrian people presently face. If there is any question about this, keep in mind the UNHCR’s report stating there are 700,000 Iraqis in Syria and 350,000 to 500,000 in Jordan just by December 2004 [10]. More importantly, the registration of just 22,000 refugees in Syria reveals that almost half of them are Christian [11]. This is despite constituting only +/- 7 percent of the population. The scale of the Assyrian Christian refugee problem reflects the seriousness of Islamist attacks and KDP-driven political pressure. As grim as this picture may seem, there is a solution and it lies within the present Iraqi Constitution. The Constitution provides Assyrians with the right to form an Administrative Unit. It provides the Assyrian Christians with “administrative, political, cultural, educational rights” [12] . This text is part of the only article under Chapter 5, Part 4 “Local Administrations” in the Constitution, reflecting the importance of this right to the Constitutional drafters. This fully constitutional solution to the very real and tragic problem of an Assyrian Christian exodus needs immediate negotiation and implementation. This solution not only promises to provide these people with safety and stability, but can be a positive factor in relation to many other challenges in Iraq’s democratic transition. Of course, the most urgent problem it helps resolve is facilitating a return for the 100,000s of Assyrian Christian refugees mainly living in abhorrent conditions in Syria and Jordan. It can also provide a place of refuge for Assyrians and other ethnic and religious minorities without having to flee Iraq. Formalizing an administrative unit for Assyrians makes them part of the federal system of Iraq, allowing them to play a moderating role. The obvious location for an administrative unit is the Nineveh Plains. This territory covers the lands to the north, east and southeast beside Mosul. The full extent of the territory is subject to negotiation, but with the large Assyrian population in the area (along with other minorities such as the Shabak and Yezidis), and given its present peacefulness and potential for growth, it is the natural choice. This area sits just beside KRG territory and can therefore compel greater reasonability in KDP negotiating positions. At the same time it brings the moderating voice of minorities into Iraq’s new federal system of government. It also facilitates greater ease for the channeling of reconstruction funding to Iraq’s most vulnerable minorities. An administrative unit is an integral part of Iraq, and at the same time provides those within it the opportunity to ensure their own safety, security, and ability to govern their local affairs. It would be something indigenous to Iraq, but allows Assyrian Christians and other minorities the chance to make their contribution to Iraq’s transition. As opposed to calling for a Safe Haven, with UN or US military intervention and its alienating consequences, it would be internally facilitated. In providing a place for these vulnerable communities, it will reverse the present refugee exodus which is costing Iraq so much in terms of expertise (Christians constitute a disproportionate amount of Iraq’s professionals). This ensures Iraq remains an ethnically and religiously diverse society, which is vital for sustaining democracy. The necessity of this solution, its feasibility and practicality, combined with how moderate the proposal is, demands that political representatives in Iraq act. Assyrians in Diaspora can play a critical, supportive role in this endeavour by signaling their desire for such a solution to the relevant political parties. To not begin seeking the formalization of the Nineveh Plain as an Administrative Unit urgently would be negligent on the part of Assyrian political parties. The host of solutions such a measure provides makes it an essential step in the stabilization and subsequent rehabilitation of Iraq. Notes Sometimes called Chaldeans or Syriacs, and referred to as ‘ChaldoAssyrians’ in the Transitional Administrative Law, reflecting one single ethnic group. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (Iraq) – 2004. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41722.htm (accessed February 1, 2006). United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Guidelines Relating to the Eligibility of Iraqi Asylum-Seekers. October 2005. P. 9 - 10. (emphasis added). Assyrians are Iraq’s third largest ethnic group, but proportionately speaking have the greatest percentage of their populations (possibly as high as 50 percent). Zinda Magazine (courtesy of Iberpresse), “Kurdish President Offers Refuge to Christians”. http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2005/12.17.05/index_sat.php (accessed February 1, 2006). Center for Strategic and International Studies, Progress or Peril? Measuring Iraq’s Reconstruction. http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/0409_progressperil.pdf (accessed January 30, 2006). Radio Free Europe, “Christians Face Threats from All Sides”, July 3, 2005. http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/07/4362a76d-1036-45fd-9ef6-04aa53a1d805.html (accessed February 3, 2006). United Nations High Commission on Refugees. Country of Origin Information: Iraq. October 2005. http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/publ/opendoc.pdf?tbl=RSDLEGAL&id=435637914&page=publ (accessed January 27, 2006). P. 169. Readers should look to the following articles on the Inter Press Service by Gareth Porter, “Voting Shenanigans Cloud Key Province” (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=30451), “Vote Figures for Crucial Province Don’t Add Up” (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=30692), and “Witnesses Describe Ballot Fraud in Nineveh” (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=30888). United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Guidelines Relating to the Eligibility of Iraqi Asylum-Seekers. October 2005. P. 8. Refugees International. “Iraqi Refugees in Syria: Silent Exodus Leaves 500,000 in need of Protection and Aid”. November 15, 2005. http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/7297 (accessed February 3, 2006). Constitution of Iraq. Article 121.   Back to the Top

The Lighthouse Feature Article

Remarks by the Hon. Walid Maalouf at the AACC of Turlock Director, Public Diplomacy for Middle Eastern & MEPI Affairs U.S. Agency for International Development The Assyrian Aid Society Turlock, California Saturday, 4 February 2006 It is a pleasure to join you for your annual Board of Directors dinner at the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock. I want to thank you for inviting me to speak before the distinguished members of the Assyrian Aid Society and your friends and supporters. The Assyrian Aid Society has been a great American organization working in the for-front in rebuilding Iraq. Your work has been outstanding from funding building programs, irrigation and electrification projects to education programs at every level; as well as medical projects, which include shipments of medicines and supplies to maintenance of free medical clinics. Since 1991 you’ve grown and were able to have an international reach into Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. I commend your humanitarian work and tell you that you are the perfect example of Americans with a helping hand. You have realized with the change that is taking place in the Middle East and in particular in your ancestral country of Iraq that you have a role to play and here you are galvanizing your communities around the world to participate in this awesome responsibility of rebuilding your societies back home and Iraq as a whole. USAID Through your experience in the Assyrian Aid Society you have realized how unique and generous the United States of America and the American people are when it comes to extending a helping hand. From the Marshal Plan to the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan and the American people have been looking beyond the oceans to help others regain themselves and their dignity. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development, we provide economic development and humanitarian assistance to people around the world. By creating the conditions to help countries move from poverty to prosperity, we serve both the American public and millions of people living in countries in development and transition. The total budget of USAID has grown in the last five years from $8 billion to $ 14 billion. You can clearly see the commitment of our Administration toward a better way of life for all human beings around the world. IRAQ Our work in Iraq is the largest reconstruction effort since the Marshall Plan and we are implementing a $5.1 billion program of assistance to Iraq across every sector from essential infrastructure and economic reform to healthcare and education. We are also working closely with our Iraqi colleagues to coordinate our efforts to meet the needs and priorities of Iraqis and joined by our partners in the international community like Japan, the United Kingdom, the World Bank, and the United Nations. Our program in Iraq focuses on two key initiatives: one, supporting stabilization and security of the Iraqi people and two, assisting Iraqis in building capacity on the national and local levels. Despite all the challenges we have faced we have succeeded in achieving three major accomplishments: First, in the area of democracy and governance in which USAID partners provided support to the Independent Electoral Commission to ensure a free and transparent election. Today Iraq has a newly elected parliament and they are working to form a new government to represent all the Iraqis. Second, in the areas of education where 3000 schools have been repaired, 55000 teachers have been trained, and approximately 8.7 million textbooks have been distributed in the country. Third, in the area of infrastructure from rehabilitation of the electrical sector to building bridges and the telecommunication sector. Ladies and gentlemen President Bush and his administration are committed to victory in Iraq when he said last December at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington:” We are pursuing a comprehensive strategy in Iraq. Our goal is victory—and victory will be achieved when terrorists and Saddamists can no longer threaten Iraq’s democracy. We will complete our mission in Iraq and leave behind a democracy that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself.” NINAWA GOVERNORATE A New Assyrian Magazine From Europe Contact Editorial Office at info@funoyo.de We are working with all the ethnic groups in Iraq and we want them to unite in this effort of rebuilding not only the infrastructure but also its religious diversity, societies and cultures. We support many projects in the Ninawa Governorate and we have accomplished three major infrastructure projects: one, Extended potable water and treatment service to 2 million residents through the supply of pumps, pipeline and rolling stock equipment to the Mosul Water Treatment Plant production which was enhanced and the distribution of potable water, and the treatment and collection of sewerage. Two, Four primary health clinic rehabilitation projects were completed and Three, 46 schools rehabilitation projects were completed. We are also working closely with local officials of the Ninawa on several specific projects including democracy and governance, Constitution support, Community Action Program, Civil Society Program, Health, Education, Economic Growth, Private Sector and Business Developments, Agriculture and transition Initiatives. So many accomplishments in the Ninawa governorate. My office has been working closely with several ChaldoAssyrian American organizations in Michigan, San Diego, Chicago and tonight here with you in finding ways to engage your communities throughout the United States in participating and partnering with USAID in your efforts to rebuild your ancestral homeland. We are also sending the leadership of the Iraqi American community up-dates on a weekly basis of the developments that are taking place as well as to the Middle Eastern media in your local communities and in the nations’ capital. You are always welcome to my office and to the U.S. Agency for International development. Our commitment to Iraq is firm as President Bush puts it:”We will help the Iraqi people so they can build a free society in the heart of a troubled region. And by laying the foundations of freedom in Iraq and across the broader Middle East we will lay the foundation of peace for generations to come.” Thank you for listening to my remarks and May God keep the United States the protector of freedom, liberty and self-governance in this world. An Interview with Yonadam Kanna Courtesy of the Daily Star 7 February 2006 The future of Iraq depends as much on melding the many differences between its Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish groups as on integrating its smaller ethnic and religious communities. Among its largest minority sects are Christian Assyrians, who comprise 800,000 of Iraq's 27 million inhabitants, or 3 percent of the population. But after a rise in attacks by Muslim extremists and political persecution, a growing portion - roughly 100,000 Iraqi Christians since the U.S.-led invasion of March 2003 - has either fled the country or been displaced, says Michael Youash, an Iraqi Christian and project director of the Washington-based Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project. Many of them flee to nearby Muslim countries like Syria or Turkey. Syria alone is home to nearly 250,000 Iraqi Christians who have fled their country since the first Gulf war, according to a recent UN report. The most recent series of attacks targeting Christians came on January 29 when four churches were struck and three civilians killed. "We live in a climate of fear," said Benjamin Suleiman, Roman Catholic Bishop of Baghdad, in a January 30 interview with Agenzia Giornalistica Italia. But he added: "I am certain that there is no premeditated plan against the Christian minority [in Iraq]." Integration of Christians into Iraq's political hierarchy has come slowly. Just one Christian - Younadam Kanna, of the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) - was elected to Iraq's 275-member Parliament last December. Cfr.org's Lionel Beehner spoke with Kanna about the status of Christians in post-Saddam Iraq, the recent attacks against them by insurgents, and the plight of Christian refugees in the region. This interview is reprinted by permission. Q: Tell me a little bit about the status of Christians in post-Saddam Iraq? A: In general, we are very pleased for the first time in history to be recognized officially in this country. In the beginning, I was a member of the Governing Council for the Christians and Chaldo-Assyrians. Later on, we were in the [Transitional] National Assembly as well. I mean, politically, there's a big change. We are free to have televisions, radios, and publications; we are free to educate our kids in our model-language schools. The Constitution recognizes our language - Aramaic - as an official language in our region. Q: Explain the breakdown between Chaldeans and Assyrians in Iraq. A: Those are the names of one nation, but different churches and different denominations. The Catholic Assyrians are called Chaldeans. Now we call ourselves Chaldo-Assyrians, for example, as a political agreement to unite ourselves. We all have the same language, the same ethnicity, the same historical roots. The problem is the leadership of the Church, which is not united. This is the reason why we are so weak in this country. The names have historical roots, but mostly belong to the Church differences. We have a national movement, the Assyrian Democratic Movement, for example, and we are all together in this, regardless of Church or region. Q: So you're saying Christians in Iraq act as a united bloc? A: The differences between us are seeded by those outside of our community. Of course, like other Iraqis, we are suffering because of this transitional period of instability and the security lags in Iraq, the same as our other brothers, the Kurds and Arabs. Q: How were Christians in Iraq treated under Saddam? A: We were fifth-degree citizens. What I mean is first degree were Arab Sunnis, second were Arab Shiites, third were Kurds, fourth were Turkmen, and we were the fifth. Yes, the country was more civil, but the regime was a dictatorship - killing people, discrimination policies, etc. We were never accepted as leaders in the military or high-rank officials unless we accepted we are Arabs and not Assyrians. Several hundred thousand Christian Assyrians fled Iraq during Saddam's time, especially after 1991, when he adopted his faith campaign and closed all our businesses dealing in liquor or alcohol. Over 300,000 Christians fled after [the first Gulf war]. Q: But weren't some Christians, such as [former Deputy Premier] Tariq Aziz, high-ranking Baath Party officials? A: Two or three guys - no more than that - who Arabized, which means they denied their religion and identity as Assyrians. DAVID YOUKHANA ARIZONA Real Estate-Relocation-Investment Associate Broker Certified Commercial Sales Specialist Realty USA southwest Glendale, Arizona 85310 Click Photo For More Information 602-410-9555 Q: Which issues are most important to you as the lone Christian in Parliament? I'd imagine you're involved with issues related to national identity. A: First, we will try for an amendment to the Constitution, which was under the control of two blocs, the Kurdish and Shiite coalitions. So the preamble of the Constitution we are not happy with. We want to add some amend-ments to make it more fair and equal to all Iraqi people. Second, the religious role of Is-lam in the state, we have to take care of that. So we must be very careful when we are legislating rules for explaining articles of the Constitution, because it could be explained in two ways - [first, the letter of the law, and second, according to Article 2 of the Constitu-tion, which broadly says all laws must adhere to Islamic principles] - particularly as it pertains to democracy prin-ciples, women's rights, mino-rity rights. Q: How will you as a Christian amend the Constitution if your party has just one seat in Parliament? A: Over 50 percent of the National Assembly has, if not the same opinion, a similar view of those articles. The Shiites make up maybe 45 percent. If [there are no amendments], then we will not have a stable Iraq. Q: So you will form coalitions with non-Shiite groups? A: Yes, but even with Shiites. Because Article 2 says no legislation shall contradict with Islam principles, [there are, in effect, two bodies of law]. No one can say which or how many principles - 100, 200, 300 principles? Q: Were you disappointed by the outcome of December's elections? After all, the new electoral system was set up to benefit smaller parties whose support was spread out over the regions. Yet Christians only won one seat. Were you surprised? A: I'm sorry to say but the way the distribution of those compensatory seats was designed by the major parties for themselves and far away from the spirit of the law. We were supposed to get two seats - one in Baghdad, one as a compensatory seat. But our seat in Baghdad was swallowed by Sunnis and others. Still, I am very happy the political process is going forward. It's a matter for transition. In the future, we may get more than 10 seats. Q: Is part of the problem that hundreds of thousands of Christians are fleeing Iraq? Isn't that diminishing your voter base? A: Yes, in Saddam's time more than 300,000 fled Iraq. Nowadays, only less than 100,000 have fled, but not only to neighboring coun-tries but also to the north. [Christian Chaldo-Assyrians] fled their neighborhoods and cities for other locations in Iraq. For example, Kerbala is one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq because it's a tangent point between Fallujah and Najaf, between the most extremist of Sunni and Shiite [cities]. And now we are there as victims of those two. We are not targeted. So they leave this region to go north. In Syria , more than 50 percent of the Christian refugees were there during Saddam's time, and they are still there. Q: Will they move back to Iraq once it's stabilized? A: Yes, like in Beirut.Once peace came, the people came back. Q:Over the weekend a number of Christian churches were targeted. Is it your impression that Christians are being targeted by insurgents more, and if so, why? A: This was a reaction by the fanatics by the bad jokes done by some journalists in Denmark and Norway. It was only a message. It wasn't an attack on Christianity. Q: You mean the cartoons in Denmark? A: Yes. It was a reaction from extremists for the bad-color sketches of [Prophet] Mohammad. Q: One of the recent attacks was in Kirkuk. What will happen to Christians there if and when the city is handed over to the Kurds, as some expect in late 2007? A: We have a community among the majority Kurds in [the northern provinces of] Dohuk and Irbil. And they are living in good relations. We have some individual encroachments here and there. But we have been together since 1991. I was a member of the regional assembly there. We have 43 modern-language schools there. But maybe Kirkuk may be a time bomb for relations between the federal and regional state. It's a big problem, but not because we are Assyrian or Christians with the Kurds or with the center. Most of our people are in Kurdish neighborhoods.

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Islamic Militant Group Demands Christians in Iraq to Stop Attending Churches Courtesy of Sot al-Iraq 6 February 2006 (ZNDA: Baghdad)  In Ramadi, west of Baghdad, leaflets were distributed to some 1000 protesters by an Islamic militant group called the al-Janah al-Askari li Jaysh al-Haq (the Military Wing of the Army of Justice). In the leaflets, the Islamic militant group stated that it will attack Danish and non-Muslim targets in Iraq. The group asked its fighters to activate their military operations and to have the 500 Danish army personnel in Iraq as their primary targets. The militant group also demanded from all non-Muslims in Iraq to halt their religious rituals in churches and other places of worship for the crime of insulting Islam and Muslims. Muslims in the Middle East, Africa and Asia have been protesting angrily over the caricatures of Muhammad, which first appeared last September in a Danish newspaper and since have been widely reprinted, especially in Europe. Those protests escalated late last month and in recent days erupted into violence and bloodshed.  Some observers believe that the seven churches attacked in Baghdad and Kirkuk in Iraq on 29 January were the results of such outrage which has since caused the deaths of many Moslems and non-Moslems.

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News Digest News From Around the World

AUA's Condemnation of the Church Bombings in Iraq Executive Committee Assyrian Universal Alliance Member: Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) Post Office Box 19273 Kalamazoo, MI 49019 USA Tel: 269-823-4768 Fax: 269-372-4561 February 1, 2006 CONDEMNATION Once more the terrorists have attacked our Christian people in Iraq through bombing of seven churches in Baghdad and Kirkuk, as well as beating the Christian students at the Mosul University. The Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA), an international alliance of various establishments of the Assyrian people throughout the world, emphatically condemns these attacks and asks the Iraqi government to bring the attackers to justice in the court of law, and provide more security for its citizens and protect the religious worshippers and their places of worship. Such attacks will lead to dividing the Iraqi society and threaten its national unity. Assyrians wish to live in peace and prosperity and enjoy full equality with our Arab, Kurds, and Turkomen countrymen in an atmosphere of mutual respect, and wish to contribute to the development of greater tolerance and diversity in a sovereign, democratic and secular Iraq. We understand that the recent bombings and attack against Christian students at the University were triggered by recent cartoon drawing of the Prophet Muhammad published in certain European newspapers. While respecting the freedom of press, freedom of expression, and the freedom to blaspheme in western societies, democratic freedoms do not give anyone the right to attack prophets and religions. The Assyrian Universal Alliance protests and condemns these publications since they show a lack of respect for religious beliefs and lack of better understanding of certain people and cultures towards one's religious beliefs be it Muslim, Christian, Jewish or others. The Assyrian Universal Alliance asks all people and nations of all faiths to be more understanding and show restraint toward one's religious beliefs and faith. Iraqi Christians have no role in these publications, and the attackers should know that our Assyrian people are the most indigenous people to the Middle Eastern countries, with their roots and history spanning over many millennia. The Middle Eastern Christians, Muslims and Jews the so-called, "people of the book" as were called by the Prophet Mohammad share a common root and are to be respective of one another. At the same time, we ask the Muslim people and governments in the region to show their restraint and sensitivity toward their own none-Muslim citizens and brothers. As it is written in the Holly Koran, it is incumbent upon all believers in the Muslim faith to protect and respect the rights of all the "people of the book." Iraqi Lawmaker Speaks to Supports in San Diego Courtesy of San Diego Union-Tribune 7 February 2006 By Anne Krueger (ZNDA: San Diego)  Baghdad is more than 7,700 miles away, but Yonadam Kanna knew that some of his most important constituents were in a meeting hall in El Cajon last night. Kanna is the only Chaldo-Assyrian, a Christian minority, who was elected to Iraqi's new 275-member National Assembly. Almost half of the votes he received came from Iraqi expatriates like those who cast their ballots in El Cajon and other polling places outside Iraq. He came to the Crystal Ballroom last night to thank his supporters and assure them progress is being made in Iraq since the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein. “We are in much better conditions than in Saddam's time,” Kanna said. Kanna, 54, is the leader of the Assyrian Democratic Movement and was a member of the exiled opposition during Hussein's regime. He was invited to visit the United States to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., and meet with officials there. As part of his 10-day trip, he's meeting with Iraqis around the United States to give his viewpoint on the prognosis for his country. San Diego County has the third-highest population of Iraqis in the country, behind Detroit and Chicago. “The picture you have here is not correct,” he told about 300 people. “Today Iraq is free without Saddam and even small Saddams.” Although he couldn't give a timetable, Kanna said he believes that U.S. troops will soon not be needed to provide security in Iraq's major cities. “For sure in the coming weeks or months, you will see the withdrawal of forces,” Kanna said. He said economic conditions have improved in Iraq, noting that police officers and teachers who used to be paid only $30 per month now receive $300 monthly. “We are on the way as a free economy,” he said. Kanna said he hopes to set up Iraqi consulates in Chicago, Detroit and San Diego, and help Iraqis who fled their homeland recover property confiscated under Hussein. Said Sipo, president of the Chaldo-Assyrian Syriac Council of San Diego, said Kanna is the main political representative for Chaldo-Assyrians. Between 600,000 and 1 million Christians live in Iraq, a small minority of the country's population of 27 million. Based on the population of Chaldo-Assyrians in Iraq, they should have had seven or eight seats in the National Assembly, Sipo said. “He's the one who's been asking for our rights,” he said. “He's a bridge between us and the Iraqi government in general.” Farouk Gewarges, an insurance agent in El Cajon, said he attended to hear firsthand about conditions in Iraq. “We want to smell our homeland,” he said. Yonadam Kanna Press Conference in Chicago Press Release from: Assyrian Democratic Movement, Assyrian American National Federation, Assyrian National Council of Illinois Yonadam Kanna Subject: Press Conference February 13, 2006 At the invitation of the U.S. Congress, Mr. Yonadam Kanna a newly-elected member of the Iraqi National Assembly and the Secretary General of the Assyrian Democratic Movement is visiting Washington D.C. He will meet with President George W. Bush at a breakfast session to be later followed by additional meetings with several members of the administration and Congress from both Republican and Democratic parties. As an extension of this visit, Mr. Yonadam Kanna will stay behind for a short while to visit with the ChaldoAssyrian communities in the states of California, Arizona, Michigan and Illinois. His visit to Chicago will be on Sunday (February 12) and Monday (February 13). On Monday February 13, Mr. Kanna will hold a press conference open to all media outlets at the place and time indicated below: Date: February 13, 2006 Time: 5:00 pm-6:00pm Place: Assyrian National Council of Illinois, ChaldoAssyrian Community Center Address: 9131 Niles Center Rd., Skokie, IL, 60076 Phone:(773) 262-5589 Ask for Isho Lilou ANA Delegation Meets Turkish Ambassador to Canada (ZNDA: Ottawa)  A delegation of Assyria National Assembly (ANA) meets with the Turkish ambassador in the Canadian Capital Ottawa. The ANA delegation, represented by Mr. Sam Shlimon and Mr. David Oraha, met in Ottawa with the Turkish ambassador in Canada, Mr. Aydemir Erman, in the presence of the embassy’s first-secretary Mr. Aslan Alper Yuksel. The Turkish ambassador welcomed his guests and both sides discussed the current conditions in Iraq and the role that the Assyrians have in the re-building of a united democratic Iraq. The Turkish ambassador asserted to his guests that the Assyrians are the indigenous people of Iraq and that the Assyrian civilization is the Cradle of Civilizations. The meeting lasted almost two and a half hours during which time lunch was served to honor the guests and the discussions continued about the situation in Iraq in general and the Assyrian affairs in particular. Holy Synod vs Soro Hearings End in San Jose (ZNDA: San Jose)  The preliminary injunction hearing for the legal case titled "Holy Synod vs Soro" [Case # 1-05-CV-054812] took place between Monday 30 January and 1 February in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara.  The Plaintiff, the Assyrian Church of the East and Mar Odisho Oraham, bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East, were represented by the legal counsels, Robert Oushalem and Robert Sturges.  The defendants, Mar Bawai Soro and Mr. Shimshoon Antar, were represented by the lead counsels Mr. Henry Roux and James McManis. The purpose of this hearing was to have a temporary restraining order effective on the properties claimed by Mar Bawai Soro, allowing the Plaintiff to make use of the three parishes until the date of a full trial to be set by the presiding Judge. Pending further evidences and testimonies at a future trial, the Judge presiding over the case involving the bishops of the Assyrian Church of the East - for now - found none of the charges of financial embezzlement and mismanagement of funds against His Grace Mar Bawai proven to be legitimate. According to sources in San Jose until the final decision is reached, whether in a trial or out of court settlement, the Assyrian Church of the East’s Western Diocese will remain in full control of its Director, His Grace Mar Bawai Soro, and the Plaintiff will use the properties in San Francisco and share the properties in Ceres, California. In the spirit of reconciliation, the Judge permitted the Plaintiff's parishioner the full access of the Mar Narsai's church in San Francisco. The San Jose based Mar Yosip Church, the Banquet Hall, and the Sunday School are to remain off limits to the Plaintiff’s parishioners; however, the Mar Gewargis Church in Ceres (Turlock/Modesto area) would be shared for worship by both sides. This agreement will be in effect until a final legal resolution is reached at a later date. In a last minute motion, the Plaintiff's attorneys asked that the salaries of the two terminated priests, Qasha Ninous (San Francisco Parish) and Qasha Oushana (Ceres) be compensated. The request was denied and deferred to Mar Bawai Soro. The behaviour of some of the Assyrians attending the three-day event was called "unruly" and "despicable" by some observers.  Supporters from either side were heard shouting profanities outside of the court room.  The bishops and their lawyers had to enter and exit the courtroom under the protection of police escorts. A date for the trial at which time the final fate of the properties of the Western Diocese of the Assyrian Church of the East will be set next month. Zinda Magazine continues to abstain from publishing the Letters to the Editor pertaining to this legal case.  To read the views and opinions of the supporters of the Plaintiff and the Defendant, visit the following websites: Mar Bawai Soro & Assyrian Church of the East News.  Please note that contrary to the information disseminated recently on certain Assyrian media sources, Zinda Magazine has never been the subject of any lawsuits and no party has won a legal case against this publication or its staff and reporters.  Zinda Magazine thanks its readers for the many emails and telephone calls to our office in Washington for the support of our unbiased and objective reporting of information on this and any other stories dealing with the Assyrian communities around the world. Sydney Taxis Refuse Fares for Funeral Courtesy of the Fairfax Digital 6 February 2006 Murder victim ... Youbert Hormozi.   Hundreds of Sydney taxi drivers refused passengers for about three hours last week in a mark of respect for the slain Assyrian taxi driver, Youbert Hormozi. (ZNDA: Sydney)  Up to 500 drivers joined mourners gathered at Mr Hormozi's funeral at the St Hurmizd's Cathedral of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East at Greenfield Park (Sydney, Australia). NSW Taxi Drivers Association president Michael Jools said up to 500 drivers flying black ribbons from their car aerials refused fares in Sydney between 1pm and 4pm. He said the stoppage was a gesture of respect for Mr Hormozi, 53, who was bashed and left to die in Canley Heights last Tuesday. Drivers were shocked by Mr Hormozi's death and wanted to highlight ongoing safety concerns that are a part of the taxi industry, he said. "We're fed up (with violence) and we want to see change and it's not just change for the good of the taxi drivers, it's change for the good of the passengers,'' Mr Jools said. Two 14-year-old girls have been charged with the murder of Mr Hormozi, whose taxi was dumped in Bonnyrigg after the assault. Mr Jools, a taxi driver with 15 years' experience, said cabbies were often the targets of serious violence. He said closed circuit security cameras and protective shields were often ineffective against violent passengers. "We want to change that so the workplace of drivers becomes relatively safe, there is no way you can make things completely safe, but we want to improve matters,'' he said. "It's probably the wrong time to make a complaint, but really, whenever is a good time? "You could probably justly accuse us of taking advantage of the death of a driver in taking this action today, but sorry that's what we're doing.'' At the funeral, Anna Hormozi thanked her ex-husband's fellow drivers for their support. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the other taxi drivers, we know how dangerous your job can be," she said in a statement. Grieving … Youbert Hormozi's brother, Dennis, carries his photograph at the taxi driver's funeral at Greenfield Park yesterday. Photo: Brendan Esposito Mr Hormozi's daughter, Melina, 18, spoke about a father who was "not afraid to show his love". She collapsed and was supported by friends and relatives as the coffin was placed in the hearse. His son, Robert, 21, was also at the funeral, as were 18 relatives from around the world. Mr Bradley, who has been assaulted five times during his taxi-driving career, including four times in the past four years, said: "Today everyone knew, we had that absolute assurance, it could have been any one of us, and that's why we were there." The NSW Transport Workers Union said security cameras in taxis must be audited to ensure they're functioning and effective. Protective shields must also be checked, he said. "The thoughts and prayers of every taxi driver are with Youbert's family,'' TWU secretary Bruce Penton said. "No family should ever have to endure this trauma. That's why it's crucial that a security review of the taxi industry occurs as a matter of urgency.'' Transport Minister John Watkins expressed his condolences to the Hormozi family. Premier Morris Iemma said taxis already had security screens or closed circuit television cameras and the government was willing to consider other security measures. "Any reasonable measures to improve taxi driver security will be introduced,'' he told reporters. Turkey Drops Case Against Writer Pamuk Courtesy of the Radio Free Europe 23 January 2006 Petr Kubalek (ZNDA: Prague)  A court in Turkey dropped a case against one of the country's best-known writers, Orhan Pamuk, who had been charged with insulting Turkish identity. The news, which was broken by Pamuk's lawyer Haluk Inanici was quickly welcomed by the European Union. A spokesman for EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the ruling "is obviously good news for Mr. Pamuk but it's also good news for freedom of expression in Turkey." Good news for Pamuk, indeed. The best-selling author had faced up to three years in jail over remarks he made, nearly a year ago, about the World War I-era killings of Armenians and the more recent deaths of thousands of Kurds. In the past century, he'd said, "a million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed in these lands," but few dare to talk about it. The comments touched a nerve in Turkey, which has rejected any attempt to label the killings of Armenians in the last years of the Ottoman Empire as "genocide." And there were noisy scenes at Pamuk's first appearance in court in December, when his car was pelted with eggs as angry nationalists shouted "Traitor!" Today's decision is also good news for Turkey. Pamuk's case had drawn international criticism, particularly from the EU, which Turkey hopes one day to join. But while the EU and others have welcomed today's move, some point to the dozens of others who face similar charges in Turkey. "We are absolutely delighted but we're also concerned that there still remain a number of other writers and journalists who are on trial at the moment for similar offenses," said Sara Whyatt, who works in the London office of International PEN, which campaigns for writers' freedom of expression worldwide. "Even though the trials might end in suspension [suspended sentences] we have to see the end of laws such as Article 301 [under which Pamuk was changed], such as the articles which can bring journalists to court for criticizing court decisions, we have to see an end to that before we can really say that there is true freedom of expression in Turkey." Pamuk's case was dropped on a technicality. The court had adjourned his trial in December to ask the justice ministry whether it should proceed. The justice minister, Cemil Cicek, responded last week, saying the decision was not his to make. So the court said the case could not go ahead. Freedom of speech campaigners say they hope other cases, too, will have a similarly positive ending. Although most western media note only the genocide of the Armenians when referring to the 1915 genocide of the Ottoman Christians, over 750,000 Assyrians and 300,000 Greeks (Pontic) also perished due to the killings, deportations, famine, and cold.  It is estimated that as many as two out of every three Assyrian living in Iran and Turkey lost his or her life between 1915 and 1923 - a direct result of the genocidal policies of the Young Turks in the government led by Kemal Ataturk in Ankara.  It must be noted that recently the city of Rome erected a statue of Kemal Ataturk in the Italian capitol to honor the Turkish leader. Chicago Assyrian Subject of USA TODAY Story (ZNDA: Chicago)  The Monday, February 6th issue of the "USA TODAY" newspaper's cover story in the 'Money' section displayed a picture of the Zinda reader, Mr. Shlimoon Youkhana, of Rosemont, Illinois.  The following is the partial text of this article: Financial scams expected to boom as boomers age By Kathy Chu & John Zich, USA TODAY Shlimoon Youkhana was able to get back $15,000 he and his children lost in a bad investment. As baby boomers swell the retiree population, regulators worry not just about estate-planning seminars for seniors but also about sales of promissory notes, unregistered securities and lottery scams... Financial recovery in senior scams is rare but not hopeless. Shlimoon Youkhana, 80, was one of the lucky ones. He got his money back after what had seemed to be a promising investment turned sour, draining his money with it. A few years ago, he and his children invested $15,000 in the stock of a company that was supposed to file for an initial public offering. But the company never gave them their stock certificates. It eventually merged with another entity and changed its name. Youkhana, of Rosemont, Ill., spent more than two years and hundreds of hours researching the company and documenting his experience, reporting his findings along the way to the Illinois Securities Department. The department did its own investigation and recovered investors' money. Now, Youkhana offers to help other seniors in his community do research before they invest. "I'm not a Don Quixote or anything," he says. He just doesn't want others to be victims, he says. Academic Textbook on Assyrian Language Published in Armenia Courtesy of ARKA News Agency 3 February 2006 (ZNDA: Yerevan)  Recently the academic textbook "Classical Assyrian Language" was introduced in Yerevan, Armenia. According to the author of the book, Armen Hakobyan, a teacher of Semitic languages at the Department for Oriental Studies of Yerevan State University, the textbook is prepared for orientalists, linguists, historians, theologians and Assyrians, living in Armenia. According to Mr. Hakobyan, this is the first textbook of its kind in the Assyrian language published on a territory of the former USSR. "Armenia has become the forth language in the world by means of which Assyrian may be taught", Hakobyan said. In his words, so far Assyrian was taught in three languages- English, French, German. He emphasized that Armenia took the responsibility to preserve and develop the cultural heritage of national minorities, and the publication of the book will contribute to the growth of the image of the republic. The author noted that publication of the book was sponsored by the Armenian National Commission on UNESCO as Armenia complies with its responsibilities for preserving the cultural heritage of national minorities and variety of cultures. One form of the Aramaic language is modern Assyrian, the basis of which may be traced to a dialect of the city of Edessa in the Upper Mesopotamia. The speakers of the language played a significant role in spreading Christianity in Asia Minor and beyond. Currently, Assyrian language exists as a liturgical language in some Near Eastern churches. The first translation of the Bible into Armenian was made from the Assyrian. The Assyrian community of Armenia consists of about 7000 people. Armenia is the only country in the region, where Assyrian language officially is a part of the schools' academic program. Zinda Correction:  Contrary to what is stated in this article, instructional books on the Assyrian (Syriac) language have been written in several language, i.e. Farsi, Turkish, Swedish, and Russian.  Several such books have also been written in Russian and Armenian prior to the publication of the aforementioned book.

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Open Letter to President Masoud Barzani

Sami Abdel Ahad & Kamal Hasso
United States

We need to admit and without exaggeration, that the Kurdistan Regional Government, lead by the Kurdistan Democratic Party, deserves tremendous respect and admiration in having achieved national and political gains for the Kurdish people. Gains characterized by a strong economy, prosperity and security, weather it was accomplished under the protection and security provided by the Coalition Forces lead by United States of America, or acquired after liberating Iraq from the criminal and tyrant Saddam Hussein.

It should be recognized that the political and financial gains that the Kurdish people are enjoying today are fruits of a long and atrocious struggle and massive sacrifices that the Kurdish people have endured for over a century. Fruits that were nourished by the blood of thousands of martyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting years of bigotry, oppression, and tyranny. The struggle that attracted from that part of the world, all those who were hungry for democracy, freedom and liberty, including non-Kurd people like Assyrians, Turkmans, and Yezedests. Non-Kurd heroes that collaborated side by side the Kurdish people and struggled through the Kurdish Revolution lead by the Great Mustafa Barzani, God bless his soul. Such individuals as fallen Assyrian heroes, namely Hormiz Malik Chikko, and Reverend Paules Bedary and Dr. Jarjees Fattahallah. These heroes who joined and strongly believed in the Kurdish Revolution and saw it as a mean to their own national freedom and sovereignty. We should not forget, however, the thousands of Assyrians who were members of the High Committee of Christian Affairs under the leadership of the patriotic Gewargis Malik Chikko, God bless his soul, who struggled side by side their Kurdish brethrens in the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Today we watch as the Kurdish Leadership enjoys the legitimate fruits of that long and hard struggle, and provide the Kurdish people with freedom and prosperity. This realization drives us to say, without reservation, that as of yet we have not perceived nor witnessed any attempts to compensate the widows and orphans of those non-Kurds martyrs who believed in the Kurdish Revolution and sacrificed their lives for its ideology.

Are there any plans or upcoming programs that will compensate the families of these martyrs? Has the Kurdish Leadership forgotten that these families are its responsibility, socially, morally and patriotically? We have to realize that these families have extreme precedence over any other group to reap the fruits of the struggle and the sacrifice that their husbands’ and fathers’ gave to this nation. Those loyal martyrs who nourished these fruits with their own virtuous lives and pure blood, in hopes that one day it will yield to benefits that their families can reap and enjoy. Those families that have long suffered and lived in poverty and hardship. Is it not the duty of the Kurdish Leadership to pay these families special consideration and provide them with good, decent and secure livelihood considering their loss, grief and despair? What value does the Kurdish Leadership give to the sacrifice of these martyrs? What is the merit of the pure blood that they shed? Are we to blame if we consider the refutation demonstrate by the Kurdish Leadership towards these families as sign of rejection and denial of the martyrdom and sacrifice of these fallen heroes and the widows and orphans they left behind?

It is with great sadness that we observe the doors of opportunity being slammed shut in the faces of family members of the non-Kurd martyrs, while they are wide open to the scoundrels and villains who only recently denounced the Kurdish Movement and loyalists of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Hence, we would like to remind President Masoud Barzani and his government that two years have passed since the liberation of Iraq. It is time that His Excellency passes a decree acknowledging the sacrifices that the widows and orphans of the non-Kurd martyrs endured, to compensate them financially and assign to them official positions in the new Kurdistan Regional Government.

We are confident that President Barzani, the man of honor, will give this matter a special attention and consideration, and will personally and officially recognize these families. In doing so, President Barzani will be able to, genuinely and honorably claim that his government is truly looking after and governing all the people of Kurdistan: Kurds, Assyrians, Turkmans and Yezedests, justly and without prejudice and discrimination.

This is only one of the many basic responsibilities and crucial tasks that are facing the Kurdish leadership and the Federal Kurdistan of Iraqi. This of course, if the Kurdish Leadership is planning to be a shining example of democracy and justice in a part of the world tainted with religious and social injustice and governed by merciless and cruel regimes.

Yes, my loyal and patriotic friends, you who have sampled the bitter taste of tyranny and massacres, make of Kurdistan a pond that entice from that part of the world those who are yearning for dignity, security and freedom. Let Kurdistan be a young efficient motherland characterized by great qualities of a progressive nation.

Finally, I call upon the Kurdish Leadership to accept this as an honorable challenge. A challenge that no nation, regardless of how great it is, can advance and prosper without.

Addictive Like A Drug

Billy Haido
Chicago

I wanted to thank you so much for the service you are providing us with the Zinda Magazine releases. There is so much information release to our community and the world as a whole about our community that is beginning to overwhelm me... I find myself closing the website and then coming back to complete it a few minutes later… you got me addicted you’re some kind of drug. I personally love that fact that you are open to all sides of the story and aren’t afraid to publish any side of a controversial topic. I wanted to tell you like I’m sure millions of others have told you to keep up the good work and God Bless you!

The War of Peasants & Aristocrats

Jonathan S. Davidson, M.D.
California

The current challenge against the Church of the East leadership involves various factions which complicate its characterization and understanding. On one hand we are presented with the argument for preservation of our name , national cause ,heritage, language and the church doctrine as the main reasons for supporting the church leadership against efforts from internal and external attempts at destroying it.

On the other hand the argument against the Church leadership is brought forth, in part, by secular forces which support the tenet that historically churches have divided this nation into various denominations and as a result have weakened it. These secular forces seek to create an amalgam consisting of the Chaldeans, Saturday and Jacobites. This union can be used to create a political force in Bet Nahrain which in the present political environment of ’democratic voting rights’ can possibly translate into a block of parliament seats. This block can participate in power brokerage in formation of the Iraqi government and yield fruit for Assyrians in Iraq.

The situation is further complicated by the actions of one bishop who allegedly has sought to destroy the primacy of the patriarch and subjugate the church to Rome. Given our peoples’ fascination of and domination by religious issues and personalities, one may conclude that the solitary bishop is being used by the secular forces to challenge the church leadership, fighting fire with fire so to speak. It is an unfortunate fact that our people have been persecuted and victimized over two and half millennia with the predictable consequence of low educational levels of many of our people.

Immigration to the West has expanded educational and economic opportunities for many of our people. These new semi enlightened liberated Assyrians have embraced many positive values of their new home lands including democracy and the concept of separation of Church and State. Herein lies the seed of conflict with the church which practices an autocratic old world style of leadership which is also practiced by The Roman Catholic Church.

Several other elements are also instructive. The conflict is mainly over property and real estate. One may think of this as a battle between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots‘. The secular forces are represented often by vocal TV personalities which are often angry, less educated and less ‘polished.’ The church leadership is often found to be well educated, soft spoken , well bred , gentle and financially well off controlling millions of dollars of assets and cash flow. The anger and frustration which is so vividly exhibited by those who are challenging the church leadership is reminiscent of peasants in The French revolution as depicted in many motion pictures. Many of our church leadership, unfortunately , remind me of the noble French aristocrats of the 18th. century.

The challenge to the Church leadership may simply be a fight over control of moneys and resources as it is the case for the majority of human conflicts. The choice is between promoting growth of the secular forces amongst our people , which most recently have been democratically elected by wide margins, or support the select few who control a great deal of our nations wealth. Remember that peasants won the French and the Bolshevik revolutions.

To Australia Rally Committee

Ivan Kakovitch
California

FLASH NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

A Committee in Sydney, with the collaboration of some organizations in Melbourne, Australia, has been formed, coordinating a mass rally of the Assyrians and other co-national denominations, for Saturday, February 17, 2006.

The following is one of the extracted paragraphs:

"…Just one word of advice, tell them [the Assyrians and their co-national denominations] to call it a 'Christian Rally' in support of Iraq's Christians, it will make their life easier…"

As an iconoclast nationalist, and a fervent believer in the nation Assyria, I question the soundness of the Australian Committee decision to conduct a rally in Sydney, and Melbourne, under the banners of Christianity.

The name 'Christianity' is already in itself, a peevish, if not inflammatory denunciation of the marches that are taking place all over the world, by the fundamentalist-intrigued demonstrations, blasting and denouncing the non-Moslem media committing unpardonable sin against the faithful Moslems, by tainting the persona of the Prophet Mohammad, in a variety of distasteful caricatures.

Encouraging Assyrian communities of Australia to march under the banners of Christianity, rather than nationals for Assyria, is demeaning, degrading, disastrous and decadent. Such a demonstration can only produce hatred, which might reverberate, and in time, bear a considerable and unpredictably, harsh consequences, entailing sufferings wrought upon Assyrians by disenfranchising them from the generally peaceful trends of livelihood among their Moslem neighbors, and causing a good deal of harm to them, in the occupied Iraq, if not anywhere else.

Nothing can be attained for Assyria, by hordes of citizens marching merely as Christians.

The sane approach, in my opinion, would be to realign the rally or rallies, under the banners of nation Assyria, on behalf of the Assyrian and their religious co-brethren in Mesopotamia.

By this divergence, the Australian Committee for the rally might minimize the impact of gravity that shall ensue following such a demonstration, from the faithful Moslems, around the world, in general, and in Mesopotamia, in particular.

Always bearing in mind that it is the Assyrian and their co-religionist communities that are suffering under the direst of conditions in the occupied Iraq, our outcries, energy, work, and motto ought to heighten their existence, by portraying their sufferings by the triple infringement of the Army of Occupation, The Kurdish Reclamation Boards, and the Errant Army of the Insurgents.

Just as importantly, it is to serve notice to the 2 billion Christians of the world, that since they enshrine themselves in the Christian belief, over all else, it is they that must reaffirm their desire to safeguard and to protect, if not all the Christians, at least, those that are in an immediate danger, in Mesopotamia, where they are barely 4-5% of the total population of around 25 million Moslems.

Living Outside Assyria is no Longer Tenable

Dr George Habash
United Kingdom

Last Sunday, 29 January 2006, and according to some scant reports Islamists targeted the beleaguered Christians and their Churches by exploding car bombs nearby 6-7 Churches in our homeland. The plotters chose Baghdad and Kirkuk in synchronised bombings but as limited data are available from the media so this reflects that the bombings were either not sophisticated in style compared with the past blitz or that the Churches were guarded and barricaded and even closed to traffic by road barriers.

In every country in the East we have limited numbers of Churches that we have built ourselves unlike the Muslims who have enormous numbers of mosques built by their governments, so targeting our houses of worship would have a great psychological impact and on our survival.

Two things had happened last Sunday the first was the restart of the trial of the former thugs of Baghdad and the second was the Islamic furore accrued at the Danish cartoons in Jyllands-Posten newspaper which offended the Islamic religion according to most Muslims; don’t forget the continuing insurgency and counter insurgency that have blighted the country. All these factors contributed to the latest salvo on the Christians.

The soil we live on is our soil and has been ours since the history began but it seems that the Christians are being used as scapegoats when those armed men brandishing their guns in front of Arabic written black banners ran out of ideas. It is not meant to petrify the locals only but also to send the message abroad.

In another gruesome development Christian students of Mosul University were set upon by Muslim students as unconfirmed reports surfaced. This incident is the first of its kind and reflects that the age of tolerance is long gone.

Since Baghdad was toppled and the Mullahs moved into power the Christian community which has no leader has been reeling from bombing, murder, kidnapping, blackmail and harassment to comply with the oppressive Islamic code.

With the demise of the Big Brother and after nearly three years of civil war or near civil war the country is teetering and on the brink of collapse. There is no need for us to shed tears for a state that does not guarantee our freedom while in times past we were the first to be mobilised sacrificing ourselves for its sake.

We and I personally wrote many times before that the only solution for the Christians to live in liberty in our homeland is by instituting a province for Assyrian Christians ( known also as Chaldeans and Syriac) to be followed by autonomous status.

The time has come to leave Baghdad and Basrah and Kirkuk altogether and gather in Assyria. We should leave Basrah immediately, and Baghdad within 5 years and Kirkuk within 10 years; other parts of the north east especially in the Arbil province a formula should be found regarding the Assyrian presence in that province.

Upon granting us a province with autonomous status we should plan for full gathering of Assyrians (Chaldean and Syriac) by the year 2010-2015 and this of course will be tied with the economic status and construction plans in the province.

The territorial Assyrian autonomy is defined in the land between the Tigris River and upper Zab and not by any other definitions. Any definition of the territorial Assyrian autonomy less than that is a conspiracy against the Assyrian people.

To gather our people in our heartland of Assyria requires the construction of new villages, settlements and towns that would diversify our population along the land and mingle them and by this overriding the ecclesiastical isolation.

Once the local gathering is cemented, the return of Diaspora people will commence but this is subject to the success of the gathering in the autonomous province and the economic and security statuses of the province.

In the province, the autonomous status will have its own administration defined by certain laws as reported elsewhere. It will run the province according to the nature of the federal status of the country as a whole.

Ivan Kakovitch in San Jose

The Assyrian American Association of San Jose cordially invites you to partake in the jubilation
of the Third Anniversary of publication in English & the First Anniversary in Farsi, and the book signings by the author of "MOUNT SEMELE"

Sunday, February 19th, 2005
6:00 P.M.

Ashur TV will be airing live interview preceding the ceremony on Saturday, February 18th at its regularly scheduled time slot.

New Book: Patriarchs of the Church of the East

Author:  Daniel D. Benjamin
Title:  The Patriarchs of the Church of the East
Subtitle:  Translated by Youel Baaba
Price: $48
Publisher: Self Published
Publication Date: 1/1/2005
Availability: In Print
ISBN: 0-9707489-2-2
Format: Paperback 6 x 9, 1 volume(s), ca. 200 pages, illustrations

A comparative chronology of the Patriarchs of the Church of the East based on twenty-two sources, five of which are previously unpublished. Benjamin reveals a great number of differences between the sources and concludes that the present Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East was named Dinkha IV instead of Dinkha III. Benjamin also highlights all the inconsistencies, omissions, errors and some dates of successions of some patriarchs that were apparently based on assumption. The current volume, with carefully arranged tabular lists and comments, is essential to further research on the chronology of the Patriarchs of the Church of the East. The book is written in three languages: English, Syriac and Arabic.

Link to the book: click here

Table of Contents

Preface
The List of Kashisha Yosip DeKelaita
The List of Mar Eshai Shimun
The Book of Partote
Kashisha Albert Aboon
Professor Gewargis David Malech
Shamasha David Bet Benyamin
The Nestorian Churches
Josehus Simonius Assemanus
The Death of a Nation
Professor Heleen H.L. Murre-Van Den Berg
Conclusion
Lists:
Chronology of the Patriarchs of the Church of the East
The Patriarchs According to their Occupation and Apostolic Seat
Chronology of the Patriarchs Compiled by Daniel Benjamin

e-Gorgias Free Newsletter

Gorgias Press is pleased to announce that its free monthly newsletter e-Gorgias is now available on the web. The newsletter aims to not only inform you about our recent releases and special sales, but also includes informative content of interest to the scholar and any interested readers. This month's interesting content features reading recommendations of Iain Torrance, the president of Princeton Theological Seminary, as well as a memorial tribute to the late Bishop Cicek of Holland who was considered to be one of the four pillars of the Syriac Church.

To subscribe to receive free e-Gorgias monthly, click here to fill in the form. (We respect your privacy. We will never share your email with any body. Instructions on how to unsubscribe is provided in all issues.)

To read the February issue, click here.

For Iraq's Persecuted Assyrians, a Safe Haven is
the Only Solution

A Report of the Assyrian International News Agency
7 February 2006

On January 29, Assyrian Christian worshippers suffered yet another terrorist attack during Sunday mass as six synchronized car bombs (AINA 1-30-2006) exploded outside churches in Baghdad and Kirkuk. One Assyrian Christian was killed and a Muslim couple who resided near one of the churches as well, 9 others were injured. As in past Church bombings, bombs were synchronized to go off during Sunday mass in order to wreak maximum havoc and terror.

The ongoing campaign to terrorize and intimidate the indigenous Assyrian Christian (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) community of Iraq is widely believed intended to continue and accelerate the exodus of Christians from the country. Some Assyrians believe that the Church bombings may have been in retaliation for a Danish newspaper's publishing of cartoons (AINA 2-2-2006) depicting Muhammad. According to Swedish-Assyrian journalist Nuri Kino, "the Danish editorial illustrations of Muhammad have now reaped their first life...", adding "Several Islamic organizations have screamed for revenge against the Christians in Iraq who are viewed as representatives for everything Western."

According to Ankawa.com, On January 29, a group of enraged Muslim students at the University of Mosul attacked Assyrian Christian students. Apparently, several "fatwas" or religious edicts were issued by Islamic militias associated with Islamic religious schools or madrasses against Christians in Iraq.

During the attacks, Muslim students chanted anti Christian slogans declaring their victims "sinners, infidels, and agents of the West." According to reports, the attackers also urged the "expulsion of the Crusaders and sinners from schools and public institutions."

The belief by some that the Church bombings and student beatings were tied to the Danish newspaper cartoon controversy prompted the Assyrian Woman's Union and Iraqi Woman's Center to issue a statement on February 1 noting "We protest, along with our Muslim brethren in Iraq, the ill-mannered efforts taken in the Danish Press by individuals aiming to defame the image of the kind Arab Messenger Prophet. In addition, these crimes committed against a number of churches in Baghdad and Kirkuk are also devoid of any holy teaching."

Earlier, on January 29, the Ankawa Township Committee published a statement denouncing the attacks while reiterating that they have no connections to the journalists responsible for the cartoon controversy. Most disturbing to many Assyrian Christians inside as well as outside Iraq, however, remains the bitter irony that Assyrian Christians need suffer retribution for acts carried out by Western Christians when to many Assyrians, Western Christianity has simply abandoned them.

For other Assyrian analysts, the motivation for the Church bombings differs from the presumably fatwa driven student beatings. According to one analyst "The synchronization, sophistication, and multiplicity of targets suggest a more pre planned and premeditated attack." Moreover, "The attacks on January 29 are very reminiscent of the August 1, 2004 church bombings (AINA 8-1-2004). To date, 27 churches have been bombed in Iraq, and most predate the European cartoon controversy." The inclusion of Karkuk where two churches were bombed has raised suspicions during a period of increased Kurdish attacks against the Turkman, Arab, and Assyrian communities in a Kurdish bid to consolidate control over the oil rich city. The church bombings come on the heels of the assassination of Kirkuk police general Wael Joseph Jacob. Mr. Jacob was a prominent Assyrian who had of late been highly critical of Kurdish brutality in Kirkuk.

To many inside Iraq, there remains an insidious and systematic pattern of attacks designed to, as one resident complained, "terrorize, demoralize, and drive out Assyrian Christians." The campaign has thus far succeeded with over 40,000 leaving following the first wave of bombings in August 2004 alone (AINA 8-18-2004). Since that time, tens of thousands of others have fled as well. One activist noted that " it must be an embarrassment for the supposedly free and democratic government of Iraq as well as the US Administration that tens of thousands of Christians have chosen safe harbor in Syria of all places."

Irrespective of the terrorists' motivation, the net result is a very real threat to the future existence of Christianity in Iraq with accompanying profound reverberations for the region as a whole. Reacting to the deteriorating situation for Christians in Iraq, the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission labeled Assyrian Christians "endangered," stating "As people, groups, and whole communities start to identify by religious affiliation rather than their common Iraqi nationality, the Christian minority find themselves increasingly despised, marginalized and exposed. They are endangered, without equality before the (Islamic) law, having no clan networks and retaliation ideology, and lacking security in a lawless Islamic society." (AINA 2-2-2006)

The ongoing attacks against Assyrian Christians as well as overall Assyrian insecurity have bolstered Assyrian demands for a safe and secure self-administered area within the Nineveh Plain. The remaining towns and villages within the Nineveh Plain lie outside Mosul and adjacent to the historic ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh. This string of Assyrian towns forms the last area that is predominantly Assyrian Christian in Iraq. According to Mr. Michael Youash of the Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project, "Development assistance for Assyrian Christians in the Nineveh Plain are sorely lacking. A well developed Nineveh Plain with adequate housing and infrastructure is the only hope to secure ChaldoAssyrian existence in Iraq. The hope is to have the capacity to absorb the tens of thousands already on the move within the country and to hopefully one day lure back those who have already left. Only by providing a secure, developed alternative to leaving where Assyrians are given the right to administer their own local affairs can we hope to entice those under threat to stay."

For those envisioning a future stable and progressive Iraq, the true litmus test for democracy and pluralism remains the fate of the Assyrians, the indigenous Christian community of Iraq.

The West is Clueless !

Nuri Kino
Sweden

Laila Freivalds is the Swedish Foreign Minister. Demanded of her is that she has a knowledge in both history and geography. She had no idea where Phuket was located and she obviously cannot differentiate between Syriacs and Syrians.

Syriacs, who are also called Assyrians or Chaldeans are a people who have fled from countries where the majority of the population are Moslems. They have fled from the oppression against the Christians that the world is currently witnessing. A holy war! Syrians are, on the other hand, citizens of Syria, the majority of which are ethnic Arabs and Moslems. The ignorance of the Swedish media and of Swedish politicians is unacceptable. Freivalds should, at the very least, know that the Minister of Education, Ibrahim Baylan, in the very government in which she serves is a Syriac or Assyrian and not a Syrian! He is a Christian and not a Moslem.

“On the contrary”, she stated on TV 4’s late news program on 5 February:“We need ambassadors that can maintain a dialogue with the ‘Syriac’ government to check the violence. Freivalds is not alone in this arrogant display of ignorance; newspapers make the same error. The Swedish afternoon daily, Expressen, had to make a correction the following day.

It is horrible that, despite all the destruction that these caricatures have caused, I still want to be cynical enough to maintain that, perhaps, this was something of necessity. The Mohammad caricatures uncovered something that many have refused to recognize. There is a holy war in progress and there has always been a holy war going on. During the First World War it cost the lives of over one and half million Christians in the Ottoman Empire – that nation which is now Turkey. It’s going on in Iraq, in Iran and continues in the entire Arab world. I hope no one has forgotten the Lebanese Civil War?

I could put together a number of books detailing the oppression of Christians that the Swedish government, EU and the White House have been made aware of – just during the past year. Has someone reacted? Has someone done anything? Why? Probably for the very same reason that the Jyllands-Posten did not accept its responsibility by reporting the first victim of their caricatures - a 14 year-old youngster. He wasn’t Danish, not even Scandinavian – he was a young Assyrian Christian. Perhaps Jyllands-Posten lacked the knowledge of this incident but the major Danish morning daily Politiken (that belongs to the same newspaper concern) certainly did. Several days ago a reporter from Politiken phoned me and wanted to come in contact with Christians in Iraq. Why didn’t they, at least, write about the dead boy?

When Swedish embassies are attacked and burned, the Swedish flag insulted, those Assyrians who have fled to Sweden are more outraged than the majority of Swedes. It is the very reason they have fled here – to escape these types of reprisals. They are also terribly worried. This frightens them far more than others since a large number of their people, many of whom are friends and relatives, reside in those countries where these demonstrations are taking place.

Laila Freiwalds doesn’t have a clue as to what it is to be an Assyrian living in Syria today. When they burn the Danish flag the demonstrators scream anti-Christian profanities at the same time. It’s not only Denmark but the entire “Christian” west that they are attacking. They do not see a national flag – they see the cross on the flag. This is the same cross that nearly every Assyrian wears around his neck no matter whether they live in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan or Sweden. It is here in Sweden that a large part of this folk group live. Journalists and others in the west have to understand why so many Christians flee from an Iraq that is becoming more and more Islamified.

In Sweden immigrants do not have the right to get asylum if the state from which they fled isn’t the primary oppressor. The Swedish Migration Department refuses to recognize asylum seekers from Egypt, for example, who have been persecuted, threatened and forced to flee by their neighbors because of their Christian faith, They are refused asylum because the Egyptian government is not specifically the oppressor. So, when you look at the rioting in Cairo who is demonstrating - the Egyptian government?

´The secular west does not want to understand the mechanisms of religion and, therefore, does not understand the oppression of Christians in the Arab world. Another reason is that they try to equalize everyone - a kind of what’s good for the goose is good for the gander syndrome - refusing to understand that situations are different from one country to another. Obviously it must be hard for them to comprehend that these caricatures are used as a reason to kill Christians in Moslem countries. I hope that Laila Freivalds will begin to learn what the world really looks like. All Moslems are not intolerant but, unfortunately, many are and persecute others for their beliefs every single day.