The Fourth Column

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance."       Isaiah 19: 23-25

The end of Iraq as a nation state will mark the end of a long 90-year struggle, divided into three 30-year phases, during which the astonishing turns of events are leading up to the restoration of the last of the three ancient nations of Egypt, Israel, and Assyria. The story of the formation of the last of the three blessed nations, or the Fourth Column in Iraq, is one of the most fascinating chapters of modern history.

The first phase of the restoration of Assyria began in the year 1918 with the end of the First World War. On this year the Ottoman Empire (modern Turkey) collapsed and the Turkish influence in Palestine and Mesopotamia ended.  For the next thirty years the Balfour Declaration of 1917, mass immigration starting in 1920s, World War II and the Holocaust, and the international support for Jews seeking to settle in Palestine helped to restore a national home for the Jews in Palestine.

In the 19th century the Ottoman Turks had formed three provinces or Vilayats in Mesopotamia: Mosul or Ninewa ( Nineveh) Vilayat - the heartland of Assyria, the Baghdad Vilayat, and the Basra Vilayat.

In 1921, Iraq was carved out of the Ottoman Empire by combining all three provinces and handed over to a ruling Arab family– the same three provinces that today are being discussed as the Kurdish State in the north, the Sunni State in the center, and the Shi’ai State in the south. In effect, the history of the past 90 years in Iraq has been a history of the un-doing of what the French and the British did in 1918 to Mesopotamia under the Ottoman Turks. Interestingly, it was not until the third phase of the restoration of Assyria that the Mosul Vilayat is politically referred to as Kurdistan. When in 1926 the League of Nations settled the Iraqi-Turkish border dispute (Turks were claiming Mosul Vilayat or North Iraq as a part of greater Turkey) many Kurds began pouring into Iraq from Turkey. Until then the Christians in the Mosul Vilayat outnumbered both Kurds and Arabs.

The second phase of the Restoration Period begins exactly 30 years after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire when the independence of the modern State of Israel was achieved in 1948. A period of considerable instability follows in the Middle East as Arabs attempt to regain their hold on the lost Palestinian territories, now called the State of Israel. In Mesopotamia, the monarchy in Iraq was overthrown in 1958 and the Baath - an ideology formulated by a Syrian Christian, Michel Aflaq- comes to power in 1968.

Thirty years after the independence of Israel, in 1978 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, makes a historic visit to the Jewish State, and officially recognizes the state of Israel. In essence, at the end of the second 30-year period, two of the three blessed nations in the prophecy of Isaiah form the highway of mutual political cooperation.

The start of the final phase or the last of the three 30-year periods also saw the overthrow of the Shah of Iran and the coming to power of Saddam. This was also the year the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, leading to the rise of the Mujahedeens and the Talibans. All these events in 1978, directly and indirectly, result in the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq in 2001 and 2003, respectively.

In 1982 an essay appeared by Oded Yinon in the Journal for Judaism and Zionism’s February issue. It was titled “A Strategy for Israel in the 1980s”. Yinon explains that all Arab states should eventually be broken down into small units and points to the best case scenario in Iraq when it dissolves “into a Shi'ite state, a Sunni state and the separation of the Kurdish part". He concludes: “In Iraq, a division into provinces along ethnic/religious lines as in Syria during Ottoman times is possible. So, three ( or more) states will exist around the three major cities: Basra, Baghdad and Mosul, and Shi'ite areas in the south will separate from the Sunni and Kurdish north.”

Twenty years after the publication of Yinon’s essay, in 2002 George W. Bush supported by his Neo-conservative strategists in Washington formulates the Plan of Attack on Mesopotamia and on the first day of the Assyrian new year 6753 invades Iraq – removing Saddam from power and putting into motion the strategy of the breakup of Iraq into the “three or more states”.

In 2005, the academy-award winning political thriller “Syriana” focused on the influence of oil money and its geo-political ramifications in the Middle East. The title “Syriana” was never explained in the film. Last year Zinda Magazine’s staff contacted several film studio and government officials and one anonymous source explained that the name “Syriana” referred to a State Department code name for a country that was to be artificially created by the western powers, namely the United States, to ensure continued access to oil in the Middle East. The source explained further that this country is to be created between the modern countries of Turkey, Iran and Syria – hence called “Syriana” – the name Greeks applied to “Assyria” or “Assyriana”, that which comes of Assyria.

The final 30-year phase is to end in 2008 with the creation of Syriana.  Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 the State of Israel has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in helping transform northern Mesopotamia (Bet-Nahrain) or old the Ottoman Ninewa Vilayat into Kurdistan. It has helped create financial institutions, banks, financing redevelopment projects and even provide military and surveillance assistance.

As this editorial is going to press, a few blocks away from Zinda office in Washington, James Baker III, the former U.S. Secretary of State during the collapse of Communism and the end of Cold War, is leading the Iraq Study Group, commissioned by the Congress to study the policy options regarding the future of Iraq and the implications of breaking up of the country into three or more States. The commission is expected to present its findings and reviews after the November mid-term elections in the United States.

Washington and the media may be talking about a political settlement or a power-sharing arrangement between the Arab Sunnis, Arab Shi’ai, and the Kurds; however, the language of the policy options include the phrase “three or more autonomous regional governments” sharing oil revenues in the north and south of Iraq.

The House of Iraq cannot be built on three columns; it will collapse under its weight of sectarian divisions between Moslems and non-Moslems, proponents of western-style democracy versus the Sharia rule. The Assyrian Column or the Fourth Column must be seriously taken into consideration, as the only region in Iraq open to both Moslem and non-Moslem minority groups who uphold the primacy of the rule of law and multiculturalism above all restrictive religious laws.  At any point in the future, citizens of any one of the other three states or columns may fall prey to a pro-Islamic frenzy. Turkey is a great example of how a so-called nationalist and secular "Islamic" nation can move back and forth between a secular and an Islamic government.   The Fall of the Shah in 1978-79 was another clear example.  The rights of the Iraqi Christians, Yezidis, Shabaks, Jews, Mandeans, and all other non-Sunni or non-Shi’ai – both Arab or Kurd – can only be protected by the formation of the Fourth Column or the Restoration of Assyria.

In short, the Fourth Column is needed to stabilize the future of Iraq – a strategy currently pushed forward by Assyrians in Washington and in Iraq.   It is about the formation of the State of Nineveh, an autonomous region encompassing the areas where the majority of the Assyrian people are concentrated in the governorates of Ninawa (Nineveh) and Dohuk.

There are many political reasons why the creation of the Fourth Column will be a stabilizing factor in the region – reasons that are currently discussed and studied in Washington. Here it is important to focus on a few other facts and matters of importance.

1. The Bush Administration is carefully studying the ramifications of breaking up Iraq into three or more states, initially under a federal structure and eventually as three or more separate nation-states.  The Assyrian solution is being seriously studied at this time.
2. Several proposals for the creation of the Fourth Column have been put forth by two or more Assyrian political parties and lobbying groups. These proposals are different in their geographical scope as to how the borders of the State of Nineveh (the Fourth Column) should be drawn, yet they all focus on the relevance and timeliness of this plan to ensure a more stable Iraq.
3. The western media is now actively placing greater attention on the plight of the Christians in Iraq.
4. The Kurds show no interest in sharing their oil revenues with the Assyrians unless the Assyrians agree to a new arrangement in which they are provided a limited political autonomy in an area controlled by the Kurds. To expedite the implementation of this new arrangement, the government in Arbil is quickly manufacturing a “puppet leader ” out of a previously insignificant Assyrian individual, namely Sarkis Aghajan, and pressuring all three Assyrian Churches (Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac) to fully recognize the authority of this member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Fully complying with Masoud Barzani’s demands, the patriarchs of all three Churches have in the last few weeks decorated Aghajan with medals and honors.  Last year, all Assyrian political parties except the Assyrian Democratic Movement, were consolidated in a single Kurdish-led election ticket under the leadership of Masoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
5. The Restoration of Assyria cannot materialize unless Assyrians work directly with their Kurdish, Arab, and Turkish neighbors and ask for political,  economic, and military support as equal partners - and not subject to their rule.  To accomplish this task, Assyrians must prove to their Moslem neighbors that the formation of the Fourth Column in Iraq will bring both economic and geo-political benefits to all concerned parties. 
6. Assyrians and the Kurds have struggled, together since 1960's, to reach this point in history; they ought to be able to share the Mosul Vilayat as two autonomous regions- first under a federalist arrangement and later as autonomous nation-states.

For the Assyrians of the world, the restoration of Assyria, a nation-state surrounded and outnumbered by non-Christian states is nothing short of a miracle. The realization of this dream in the next few months or years will require careful planning – an Assyrian National Strategy – to be worked out by various political, religious, and civic institutions. Not relying on a consensus building policy among themselves, the advocates of the Fourth Column Plan are working closely with Washington, Baghdad, and Ankara. Yet, there is much more to be done – an effort requiring massive human resources and capital investment.

The course is certain – to fulfill our ancient longing, the establishment of an Assyrian state in Mesopotamia; therefore, the going will be tougher than before. It has taken two enormous genocides of non-Moslem nations in 1915 and during the WWII, ninety years of upheaval, relentless wars and destruction, to bring us to this point in our history. It is now our duty to act selflessly and unified to bring about the greatest miracle of history – the Restoration of Assyria – the last of the three blessed nations in the Prophecy.

Iraq’s Christians Flee as Extremist Threat Worsens

Courtesy of the New York Times
17 October 2006
By Michael Luo

(ZNDA: Baghdad)  The blackened shells of five cars still sit in front of the Church of the Virgin Mary here, stark reminders of a bomb blast that killed two people after a recent Sunday Mass.

Muslim fury over Pope Benedict XVI’s public reflections on Islam in Germany a month ago — when he quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor as calling Islam “evil and inhuman” — has subsided elsewhere, but repercussions continue to reverberate in Iraq, bringing a new level of threat to an already shrinking Christian population.

Several extremist groups threatened to kill all Christians unless the pope apologized. Sunni and Shiite clerics united in the condemnation, calling the comments an insult to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. In Baghdad, many churches canceled services after receiving threats. Some have not met since.

“After the pope’s statement, people began to fear much more than before,” said the Rev. Zayya Edward Khoshaba, the pastor of the Church of the Virgin Mary. “The actions by fanatics have increased against Christians.”

Christianity took root here near the dawn of the faith 2,000 years ago, making Iraq home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities. The country is rich in biblical significance: scholars believe the Garden of Eden described in Genesis was in Iraq; Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees, a city in Iraq; the city of Nineveh that the prophet Jonah visited after being spit out by a giant fish was in Iraq.

Both Chaldean Catholics and Assyrian Christians, the country’s largest Christian sects, still pray in Aramaic, the language of Jesus.

They have long been a tiny minority amid a sea of Islamic faith. But under Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s million or so Christians for the most part coexisted peacefully with Muslims, both the dominant Sunnis and the majority Shiites.

But since Mr. Hussein’s ouster, their status here has become increasingly uncertain, first because many Muslim Iraqis framed the American-led invasion as a modern crusade against Islam, and second because Christians traditionally run the country’s liquor stories, anathema to many religious Muslims.

Over the past three and a half years, Christians have been subjected to a steady stream of church bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and threatening letters slipped under their doors.

Estimates of the resulting Christian exodus vary from the tens of thousands to more than 100,000, with most heading for Syria, Jordan and Turkey.

The number of Christians who remain is also uncertain. The last Iraqi census, in 1987, counted 1.4 million Christians, but many left during the 1990’s when sanctions squeezed the country. Yonadam Kanna, the lone Christian member of the Iraqi Parliament, estimated the current Christian population at roughly 800,000, or about 3 percent of the population. A Chaldean Catholic auxiliary bishop, Andreos Abouna, told a British charity over the summer that there were just 600,000 Christians left, according to the Catholic News Service.

At the Church of the Virgin Mary, Father Khoshaba showed a visitor the baptism forms for parishioners leaving the country who need proof of their religious affiliation for visas. Some weeks he has filled out 50 of the forms, he said, and some weeks more.

Attendance on Sundays has dwindled to four dozen or so, he said; it used to be more than 500 on average, and on Easter Sundays, before the collapse of the Hussein government, more than 1,500. Not all the missing members have left, of course; some simply stay at home on Sundays because of fears for their safety.

Many Christians have relocated, changing neighborhoods or even cities. About a thousand Christian families, from Mosul, Baghdad, Basra and elsewhere, have taken refuge in Ain Kawa, a small town outside the Kurdish city of Erbil, which has become an oasis for Christians, said the Rev. Yusuf Sabri, a priest at St. Joseph’s Chaldean Catholic Church there.

A Christian man with Baghdad license plates on his car who asked not to be identified said he had just arrived in Ain Kawa to inquire about moving there. A leaflet had been left at his home demanding he leave in three days. It bore the signature of Muhammad’s Army, a Sunni insurgent group.

“They regarded me as an agent for the crusaders,” he said.

Asaad Aziz, a 42-year-old Chaldean Catholic, is one of those trying to leave the country. After the ouster of Mr. Hussein, he bought a liquor store in a mostly Shiite neighborhood. Nine days after he opened, the store was bombed. Mr. Aziz was hospitalized for a month.

The employees rebuilt the store. But several months later, a note slipped under the door gave Mr. Aziz 48 hours to close.

“Otherwise, you will blame yourself,” it said.

Mr. Aziz closed. But after an unsuccessful stint at a friend’s printing company, he returned to the business he knew best, opening a liquor store in a mostly Christian neighborhood. Last month, a gunman riddled the new storefront with bullets as Mr. Aziz cowered in a back room.

He told another story: the teenage daughter of another Christian family he knows was kidnapped recently. The captors initially demanded a ransom, but later sarcastically said the pope was the only one who could release her. She was eventually killed.

“When the pope gave his statement, it destroyed any last hope that we had here,” said Mr. Aziz, who has forbidden his daughters, one in high school and the other in college, to return to school.

He recently went to the Turkish Embassy to inquire about a visa but was rebuffed. At this point, he said, he will go anywhere.

“We cannot practice our rituals and we cannot bring food home to our families,” he said. “That’s why I want to leave the country.”

Mosul, near the historic heart of Christianity in Iraq, has also become increasingly dangerous. The recently murdered priest, the Rev. Boulos Iskander Behnam, is just the latest member of the Christian community to be kidnapped or killed there.

Conditions have been especially bleak for Christians in Basra, the southern city that is dominated by radical Shiite militias. Christian women there often wear Muslim head scarves to avoid harassment from religious zealots trying to impose a strict Islamic dress code. After the pope’s statement, an angry crowd burned an effigy of him.

In Baghdad, Juliet Yusef attends St. George’s, the country’s lone Anglican church. She, too, now wears a head scarf anytime she ventures outside her neighborhood. “I am afraid of being attacked,” she said.

Dora, a neighborhood in southern Baghdad that was once heavily populated by Christians and has been plagued by sectarian violence, has now been mostly emptied of them. Christians were singled out there by insurgents who accused them of being friendly with the occupying Americans.

“They are Christian, we are Christian,” said one holdout, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Suzan. “They think most likely we know each other well.”

Two priests were kidnapped over the summer in Dora, although both were released, one after nearly a month.

Oddly, before the pope’s comments, as sectarian violence has escalated in Baghdad in the past year, some said the situation might have actually improved for Christians as Muslim militants turned their attention on one another.

Canon Andrew White, the Anglican vicar of Baghdad, who lives in Britain but visits Iraq frequently, said his driver was kidnapped recently but was promptly released after his Sunni Arab captors discovered he was a Christian. He said his captors apologized by saying, “We thought he was Shiite.”

“It must be the only occasion when being a Christian actually helped in this country,” he said.

Iraq: Christian Minority Seeks Haven From Violence

Courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
19 October 2006
By Heather Maher

(ZNDA: Washington)  Bombed churches, a beheaded clergyman, and the massacre of 13 women and girls. In the last month, these are just the most extreme acts of violence carried out against Christians across Iraq.

Pascale Warda speaking in Washington, D.C. (RFE/RL)

In Mosul, Father Boulos Iskander Behnam was kidnapped by men seeking retribution for Pope Benedict's comments about Islam. His severed head and limbs were found piled atop his body. In Baghdad, the Church of the Virgin Mary in Baghdad was just the most recent Christian church to be hit by a bomb blast. An estimated 30 have been attacked in the past three years.

In the southern city of Al-Basrah, where crowds burned an effigy of the pope last month, Christian women routinely don veils to avoid public attack.

From Mosul to Al-Basrah, segments of the Sunni and Shi'ite communities are seemingly becoming united in their hatred of Christians, who have been in Iraq for nearly 2,000 years. They are considered one of the original Iraqi peoples. Biblical references to sites in Iraq are numerous.

When Saddam Hussein was still in power, the country's estimated 1.2 million Christians lived peacefully side by side with Sunnis and Shi'ites, but after Hussein was arrested, they became a target of violence. In some quarters, they are associated with the majority Christian armies of the United States and Britain, who many Muslims believe are waging a modern-day crusade against Islam. A particularly vulnerable group are Christians owners of liquor stores, which Muslims disdain and frequently firebomb.

"Today we are specifically targeted," says Pascale Warda, an Assyrian Christian and former minister in the Iraqi transitional government. "Why we are targeted, we don't know. All Iraqis are targeted, yes, but today, Christian Assyrian, [one of the] original peoples of Mesopotamia, of Iraq, ... are, like [other] minorities, in a very sensitive situation."

Autonomy As A Protection

Pascale Warda speaking in Washington, D.C. (RFE/RL)Warda was in Washington this week to raise her voice about what she described as "a real dark phase" for Iraq's Christians, and to try and convince members of President George W. Bush's administration to support the idea of an autonomous province in Iraq where religious minorities could live without fear.

She is the public face for what is now a three-year-old campaign in Iraq to develop a neglected area located to the north and west of Mosul, called Ninawah Plain, for such a settlement.

A self-governing province, she believes, the only way to stop the violence and the flow of Christian refugees out of Iraq. Citing the UN, she said that "36 percent of refugees are Christian. Why? We are targeted in our church, in our schools, [for] our personal [habits]: 13 Christian women two weeks ago were kidnapped and killed. Why? Because they didn't wear the traditional Islamic veils."

And life for refugees is, she said, very tough. "No country wants to help them, no one likes to really recognize what they're living through every day," she said, describing the situation of Iraqi Christian refugees that she met in neighboring Iraq as "very bad."

"13 Christian women two weeks ago were kidnapped and killed. Why? Because they didn't wear the traditional Islamic veils."Now the director of Iraqi Women's Center for Development in Baghdad, Warda insists that the proposal is not for a "Christian empire" separate from Iraq. Christians, and all Iraqis, she said, want to participate in the democratic development of the country but cannot do so if they are being forced to flee for their lives.

An estimated 200-300,000 Iraqi Christians have fled to surrounding countries since the war began. Only one Christian currently serves in the 275-member Iraqi National Assembly.

Stopping the Christian exodus is in the best interests of both Iraq and the United States, Warda argues, because their presence ensures that Iraq remains a diverse country that embraces the democratic ideals of tolerance and multiculturalism. The Christian voice, she said, is a voice for democratization.

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Michael Youash, of the Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project -- the group that brought Warda to Washington -- said the delegation has met with staff members of the National Security Council, State Department, and Vice President Dick Cheney's office. He said the response had been polite and at times warm, but not enthusiastic.

Father Keith Roderick, the Washington representative of the religious-rights group Christian Solidarity International and the secretary-general of the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights, appeared at the press conference with Warda to "stand in solidarity" with the persecuted Christians of Iraq.

No one in the Sunni, Shi'ite, or Kurdish communities has called "to end the violence against others: against the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Mandeans, Turkmen, Yezidis, and Shabak. Their blood is flowing freely in Iraq.""It's striking that during the month of Ramadan, which has been such a violent month for religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq, that there hasn't been any form of protest aimed at the defense of these minorities," he said.

Roderick criticized the Organization of Islamic Countries for not reacting when Father Iskander was beheaded in Mosul, and decried the fact that no Muslim leader in Iraq has protested.

"The problem," he said, "is that no one has raised that call within the Sunni or Shi'ite communities, or the Kurdish community, to end the violence against others: against the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Mandeans, Turkmen, Yezidis, and Shabak. Their blood is flowing freely in Iraq."

He also endorsed the idea of an autonomous province. While he emphasized that this would not stop the violence in large cities such as Mosul, Baghdad, and Al-Basrah, "it would provide a place where people can go for sanctuary if they need to," adding that "it is not a safe haven but it is an autonomous administrative unit, by which the affairs of the persecuted minorities are governed by themselves, and they have an opportunity to participate in the federalist system which is developing in Iraq."

Roderick noted that although the U.S. Iraq Study Group -- headed by former Secretary of State James Baker -- is currently considering a proposal to divide Iraq along ethnic lines, the Assyrians are asking for something that is already in the Iraqi constitution: a provision already exists enabling the creation of independent governorates.

"The law exists in theory but in implementation it's another matter," he continued, "and implementation will not happen unless there is a policy of the United States, or of Congress, to make a resolution to recognize the existence of this Assyrian governorate for these minorities."

He added that the crisis in Iraq reflects a larger pattern in the Middle East. In 1900, Christians comprised just over 20 percent of the region's population. In 2000 that figure was just below two percent.

Roderick said some of Iraq's smaller Christian groups are considering undertaking a project like the World War II "kindertransport" that took Jewish children from Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Austria to Britain to escape the coming genocide. He said that is increasingly becoming an attractive idea, especially if the notion of a province on Ninawah Plain does not succeed. Saving the children of these minorities for the future is essential, he said, "otherwise they will not exist."

Iraqi Assyrian Christians Requesting Province

Media Contact:

Michael Youash
202-378-8082

(WASHINGTON) - Iraq’s 1 million Assyrian Christians are being viciously targeted on all fronts. The liberation of Iraq is ironically driving them out of the country. Providing them a province is the only solution to keeping them in Iraq.

Former Iraqi Minister Pascale Warda, an Assyrian Christian (herself targeted by insurgents – leaving 4 guards dead thus far), is in Washington raising awareness of this option. “Washington must realize that Iraq could lose its Christian Assyrian population – something never thought possible.” says Warda.

On October 11th, Fr. Paulis Iskander (Paul Alexander) was beheaded. The Pope’s past comments about Islam were the cause of the beheading, said a note from the terrorists. Just over a week ago13 Christian Assyrian woman were kidnapped and killed. Their crime was not dressing according to Islamic requirements.

On September 24th, two bombs struck the parishioners of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Baghdad. Sometime before that, a church in Basra was bombed.

UNHCR says Christians are targeted by Islamists/militias of all groups, reporting that Christian Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) comprise upwards of 40 percent of refugees.

A brave group of Iraqis is working to create a new province as one vital protective measure.

Michael Youash, Project Director of the Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project, says, “It is vital to recognize this as an Iraqi minority effort, for the good of democracy in Iraq.”

Pascale Warda reaffirmed this, saying, “The constitution of Iraq allows for the creation of an administrative unit for the Assyrian Christians, Shabaks, Yezidis and others. For us, this should be done; no, it must be done.”

The Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project invites the press to attend a press conference to engage with Former Iraqi Minister Pascale Warda about developments in Iraq, her recent efforts in Washington and the crisis facing Iraq’s vulnerable Assyrian Christians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs).

EVENT DATE: October 18, 2006
EVENT TIME: 10 am
EVENT LOCATION: National Press Club, 4th Floor Studio
EVENT CONTACT: Michael Youash (202) 378-8082, youash@aas.net

Speakers:

Ms. Pascale Warda served as Minister of Displacement and Migration during the Allawi government. A senior politician from the Assyrian Democratic Movement, she is active in political developments in Iraq. She was most recently serving as human rights advisor to the Speaker of the National Parliament, she is a member of the committee forming the Iraqi Human Rights Commission, and is the President of the Iraqi Women’s Center for Development.

Rev. Dr. Keith Roderick, is the Washington representative of Christian Solidarity International, a Christian human rights organization for religious liberty helping victims of religious repression. He is also Secretary-General of the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights.

Michael Youash is Project Director of the Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project, a Washington, DC based think tank which focuses on the plight of Iraq’s most vulnerable minorities.

To listen to a National Public Radio's interview with Ms. Pascale Warda and Mr. Michael Youash on 21 October click here.

Hope for Assyrian Christians 'Rapidly Dying,' Says Former Iraqi Minister

Courtesy of the Christian Post
20 October 2006
By Michelle Vu

(ZNDA: Washington)  “In today’s Iraq, all we have is hope,” said former Iraqi minister and Assyrian Christian Pascale Warda in a press conference on Wednesday. “For the Assyrian Christians, this hope is rapidly dying. The targeting of our people is something the world cannot ignore and the governments of the world cannot deny.”

Warda pointed to the recent beheading of a Syrian Orthodox priest, the abduction and murder of 13 Christian Assyrian women just over a week ago as examples of violence targeted against Christian that is forcing many Iraqi believers from the country.

“The consequence of this situation is clear,” said Warda. “The Christian Assyrian population, in all its denominations, is fleeing the country.”

Michael Youash, project director of the Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project, a Washington-based think tank focused on the plight of Iraq’s most vulnerable minorities, is a supporter of the idea of a province for minorities. He believes the province will help maintain minority voices in Iraq that will be able to provide a voice of compromise in debates about federalism, the constitution and other contentious issues.

Youash noted that the liberation of Iraq did not intend to drive out the Assyrian Christian population, but unfortunately this has occurring.

She cited that the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees is reporting that 36 percent of refugees are Christians.

“If this continues, Iraq will more and more look like other Middle Eastern countries which lost their Assyrian population decades ago,” Warda concluded. “Iraq needs it minorities for democracy.

Warda said she is part of a group of Iraqi trying to create an “administrative unit” for minorities in the Nineveh Plain and specific minority lands in the western part of Dohuk governate. Discussion on the province is still underway but supporters believe it possibly might be the only solution to retaining Iraq’s Assyrian population.

The Rev. Dr. Keith Roderick, the Washington representative of Christian Solidarity International, cited from his recent article about the month of Ramadan and persecution against non-Muslims in Iraq.

“Hope in Iraq’s future cannot be found in the destruction of minority faith and ethnic communities,” concluded Roderick in his article. “It must be discovered in the actions of those right-hearted and –minded persons who have courageously dedicated themselves to the creation of a truly pluralistic multi-ethnic/religious society in Iraq.”

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Christians in Iraq Live in Fear

Courtesy of ADN Kronos International
20 October 2006

(ZNDA: Rome)  Lionan Daved, a self assured financial consultant for the past 28 years, says she is used to mumbling her name these days so people won't understand she is Christian. She is also used to hiding the cross pendant she always wears on her neck and to wearing a head scarf on her frequent trips from her hometown Kirkuk to Baghdad where she works as a financial advisor to coalition forces in Iraq. "We don't even go to Church to pray anymore because it is too dangerous," she told Adnkronos International (AKI) in a recent interview in Rome.

Daved is in Italy with a group of Iraqi women to attend a two-week training course on federalism promoted by the Italian foreign ministry's Task Force Iraq and coordinated by Adnkronos Comunicazione.

Three years after the US ousted Saddam Hussein from power, reports say as many as half the Christians in the country could have fled, driven out by church bombings, murders and death threats targeting their community.

Muslim anger over Pope Benedict XVI's speech in Germany a month ago in which he linked Islam to violence led to a further escalation of attacks targeting Christians. Many churches cancelled services throughout Iraq as extremist groups threatened to kill all Christians unless the pope apologised. Although the pontiff expressed regret that his speech on 12 September at Germany's Regensburg university was "misunderstood", the damages appear significant in Iraq today.

"In our community we decided to hang banners saying 'we are not responsible for what he (the pontiff) said' so we wouldn't be targeted," said Daved. "All Christians had to do that in Iraq, we apologised for what he said."

She added that during Sunday services, the priest in her church would "advise us to be patient with Muslims, not to talk about the (pope's) speech nor fight because we were asked all the time by people why he said that."

The number of Christians who have not fled is uncertain. The last Iraqi census in 1987 counted 1.4 million Christians. Many started leaving the country in the 1990s when sanctions were imposed on the country.

Today many more have left. Yonadam Kanna, the only Christian member of the Iraqi Parliament, was quoted as saying by the New York Times this week that Christians in Iraq are around 800,000, approximately 3 percent of the population. Catholic News Service quoted a Chaldean Catholic auxiliary bishop, Andreas Abouna, as saying this earlier this year that only 600,000 had remained.

"It is very difficult and in Baghdad and the south the situation is terrible," said Daved. "More Christians left because after what the pope said the situation got worse. When they had to pray they risked an attack. They even killed our priests. Many Christians have left for Syria, Jordan and Turkey but, still, it's difficult to migrate and many want to stay."

Church attendance has dropped in Iraq and at least 60 percent of Baghdad's churches have closed after receiving threats from fundamentalists since the pontiff's speech, the UN's IRIN news service reports.

In the northern city of Mosul, a priest from the Syriac Orthodox Church was kidnapped last week. His community complied with the abductors' request and publicly apologised for the pope's remarks on Islam - to no avail. The beheaded body of Boulos Iskander Behnam was found on Wednesday - the latest member of the community to be killed there.

"The pressure is really strong on Christians right now and the situation is hard to bear," Najla Hanna Rawoof, an attorney who lives in Mosul, told AKI. "I am forced to wear the veil all the time and not to make others notice I am Christian. This is why many Christians leave Iraq or move to places where there are more Christians, like Kurdistan."

Hanna Wisal, a teacher in Mosul, who is also attending the federalism training course in Italy, said "Christians have moved to the Christian areas of Kurdistan."

Many have taken refuge in the town of Aain Kawa, near Erbil, in the Kurdish north, which is believed to be the main centre for internally displaced Christians. Though no official data is available on the number of refugees in the area, religious leaders say thousands have moved there.

In Baghdad, the Dora and Karrada neighbourhoods once heavily populated with Christians, are now reportedly empty. Yet, though the south is more dangerous for Christians - said Daved, Rawoof and Wisal - Mosul and Kirkuk in the north are also witnessing a rise in threats and killings.

Wisal told AKI she has never experienced problems as she lives in a Christian area of Mosul. But her sister, who attends Mosul university lives a difficult situation, she says.

In Mosul, where both Baathists and Islamist groups reportedly control entire neighbourhoods, a Christian woman from Mosul university was recently abducted and then beheaded.

The kidnappers said that "if anyone comes to college without hijab [headscarf], they risk their lives," she said.

Iraqi Christians Live in Fear of Death Squads

Courtesy of the IRIN News
19 October 2006

(ZNDA: Baghdad)  Julie Carlo, 36, has tried to leave Iraq for Jordan several times to be with her parents, but hasn't been allowed in by the Jordanian authorities. The reason for her desperation to leave is her religion. She is Christian and has been threatened by Islamic militants.

"Recently, life for Christians in Iraq has turned into a horror movie," Carlo said. "I will leave everything here [and] even if I do not have anything to eat there [Jordan], it is better to die from hunger than be beheaded."

Carlo is one of thousands of people from the minority group who are receiving death threats and are living in fear. Threats have increased since Pope Benedict XVI, head of the Catholic Church, made a speech on 12 September that included what were perceived to be disparaging comments about Islam. This caused fury among segments of the Muslim community worldwide.

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The repercussions of the Pope's speech continue to reverberate in Iraq, bringing a new level of threat to an already shrinking Christian population. Although the Pope apologised soon after for the comments he made, the damage is seemingly irreparable in Iraq.

"There were cases of Christians being killed but it was part of the ongoing violence in our country and not a direct threat against our community," Carlo said. "We have been clearly advised through letters and intimidating leaflets that all Christians should leave Iraq because the punishment is going to be worse in coming days."

Several Islamic groups had threatened to kill Christians unless the Pope apologised.

"Their leader [the Pope] has verbally abused and offended our religion and the Prophet. Unfortunately, he did not analyse the consequences of his speech. Our country is an Islamic land and they [Christians] will have to rely on the Pope's charity from now on," said Abu Jaffar, an Islamic extremist from Muhammad's Army, a Sunni insurgent group.

Carlo and her family have lost three of their relatives over the past two weeks and she received a threat on Monday.

"They [the extremists] do not care about who we are or what age we are, they are furious and want us out. The Pope should have thought better before offending one of the biggest religions in the world," Carlo said.

Christian community shrinking

The last Iraqi census, in 1987, counted 1.4 million Christians, but many left during the 1990s when economic sanctions were imposed on the country.

According to the local Christians Peace Association (CPA), about 700,000 Christians remain in Iraq, making up about 3 percent of the population.

Church attendance has decreased considerably in Iraq and at least 60 percent of Baghdad's churches have closed after receiving threats from extremists since the Pope's speech.

"Less than 20 percent of the devout [Christian community] who were attending prayers are continuing to come to the church. Thousands have left in the past weeks to other countries and we are sure that soon this church is going to be forced to close too," said Reverend Zayya Edward, the pastor of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Baghdad.

Many Christians have taken refuge in the town of A'ain Kawa, a few kilometres from the city of Arbil in the Kurdish north, which has become the main centre for internally displaced Christians.

There are no official numbers of how many are taking refugee in the area, but religious leaders say the number is in the thousands.

In the capital, the Dora and Karrada districts used to be home to the Christian community but are now empty. Christians in Mosul and Kirkuk, in the north, have also witnessed dozens of killings and threats.

Beheaded and dismembered

On Wednesday, the beheaded and dismembered body of a priest from the Syriac Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary was found in the northern city of Mosul.

Father Boulos Iskander, 59, was kidnapped several weeks ago and his family was in constant contact with the abductors who demanded a ransom payment as well as the publication of a rejection of the Pope's comments on Islam.

His death has increased fear within the Christian community, who are calling for international assistance to help them leave the country.

"We urge the international Christian community to help us to leave Iraq before we have the same fate that Father Boulos had," said Lucas Barini, a spokesman for CPA.

Iraq's Ministry of Human Rights has called on all religious groups to put aside differences and help the local Christian community.

"The main reason for such targeting is merely religious and in this case religious leaders should intervene to prevent more violence and forget their beliefs and remember that everyone is a human being," said Hummam Dairi, public officer in the Ministry of Human Rights.

"Our ministry has asked for international support and we hope that we soon can bring more stability and safety to this community," Dairi added.

In the meantime, Christians who can not leave Iraq make do the best they can. Christian parents have stopped their children from attending schools and universities after many fellow students made verbal threats against Christian students.

Christian women have started to wear 'Abayas' (the traditional full-length cloak that Muslim women wear) and head scarves to prevent them from being distinguished from Muslim women.

"We now are being forced to be Christians just in our heart because externally we should be like Muslims, even though we don't have anything to do with the sectarian violence" Carlo said.

Living in Fear

Courtesy of the Intelligencer/Philly Burbs
22 October 2006
By Marion Callahan

(ZNDA: Philadelphia)  Mary Josef lives in hiding. Worse, her son, just 8 years old, does too, and has for as long as he can remember.

The 30-year-old Iraqi woman is an Assyrian Christian who fled Baghdad six years ago after her husband was imprisoned and her family threatened. They surrendered all their money and valuables to one of Saddam Hussein's soldiers to make it across the border into Jordan, a country they planned to stay in temporarily before heading to the United States to reunite with family.

Six years later, Josef and her son still hide in a one-room apartment in Jordan, their lives in limbo. They wait for word from their family in Warminster that a door to a life in the United States will open and they will be able to pass through. Josef lives in fear that she will be discovered and sent back to Iraq, where her husband is feared dead and only more persecution of minority Christians await. Mary is not her real name; Josef's family worries that using her real name would jeopardize her safety.

“We are only two people, me and my little boy,” said Josef, on a recent call from Jordan. “We have no family, no future here. I don't understand why it has to be so hard.”

But living a threatened existence as an Iraqi Assyrian Christian in a Muslim world is not enough to grant her passage to the United States. Too many other Iraqi asylum-seekers like Josef wait.

A United Nations survey reports that more than 200,000 Assyrian Christians — members of an ancient form of Christianity born in the Holy Land of the Mesopotamia — have fled Iraq since the beginning of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, leaving only 20,000 remaining in the country, according to the U.S. State Department. Their exodus sped up in August 2004, after the start of the terrorist bombing campaign against Christian churches and a hike in kidnappings and assassinations.

Hanna Josef, Mary's 74-year-old mother, made it to Warminster in 2004, expecting her daughter and grandson to follow shortly after. She took a job as a housekeeper, applied for U.S. citizenship and completed the paperwork to bring her daughter here. Then she learned Josef's visa could take eight more years to clear. Hanna Josef's sister and Mary's aunt, Deanna Tamraz, have been firing off letters each week to politicians, churches and nonprofits, appealing for help in bringing Josef and her son to safety.

“I should have never left her,” said Hanna Josef. “Here I thought I could help; now, I feel helpless, and she's all alone with an 8-year-old boy trying to protect her.”

Each day, the family gathers in the living room of their Warminster home to call Mary Josef and update her on their efforts. The pain in the room is hard to conceal. Hanna Josef, wailing in a mix of English and Arabic, can't hold a steady voice as she speaks of her grandson who kneels by a picture of Jesus each night and prays for his mother's protection. He doesn't go to school. He doesn't play outside. He doesn't know freedom, she said.

“He should be playing, acting his age, and doing what little boys do, but instead he's sick with fear, afraid that someone will come take him or his mother away.”

From her room in Jordan, Mary Josef says they have no life there, since local authorities won't allow her to work or her son to attend school. She survives on the money her mother and aunt send from Warminster. This pays for rent and groceries. They rarely venture outside for walks or entertainment for fear they will be discovered and sent back to Iraq, where she no longer has family or a home.

Going back is as good as a death sentence, she said. Getting out once was hard enough, she said.

Leaving home

Mary grew up in an Assyrian Christian neighborhood north of Baghdad. Her mother worked for the railroad, and her father was an office clerk. Life was never easy for Assyrian Christians in Baghdad. Jobs were restricted. So was health care. When her father was diagnosed with diabetes, he could not get medication, and he eventually died. Education was limited, and people were shunned because of their beliefs. Still, life was tolerable, since it was home. They could put up with public jabs at their Western clothes and their Christian names. The family survived, Tamraz said, “by keeping to themselves and minding their own business.”

In the late 1990s, anti-American sentiment intensified with newly imposed sanctions aimed at enforcing weapons inspections. The 1999 bombings that followed worsened already strained conditions for Assyrian Christians, viewed as “America-lovers” and “spies,” Tamraz said.

It was shortly after Mary Josef's son was born when she confronted the first sign of trouble. Saddam's guards began to harass her at the local market. She would dismiss their approaches, concealing them from her husband. Eventually, her husband found out and confronted the men.

“A few days later, the soldiers took him and put him in prison. We tried to get him out, but he told Mary to sell the house, take their son and leave the country,” said Tamraz, adding that Mary Josef's husband had to sign a document allowing them to leave Iraq.

Mary Josef has not heard from him since. The family believes he is dead.

Hanna Josef was with them when they crossed the border. She recalls having to bribe their way out of Iraq, giving up everything but the clothes they wore and their passports to gain entry into Jordan. In Jordan, they hoped, they could seek asylum through the U.S. Embassy and reunite with family in Warminster. Hanna Josef had already qualified for a U.S. visa, which she hoped would be enough to qualify her daughter and grandson.

It wasn't. Hanna Josef was allowed into the United States, but her daughter and grandson would have to wait — a few months, she thought. But not years.

No future in Jordan

Conditions for Iraqi Christians in Jordan are poor. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has documented the Assyrian Christians' plight in Jordan as among the worst in the country: Refugees can't work, get educated or receive any other public benefit.

“Iraqi forced migrants have created inside Jordan a group of deprived, invisible migrants,” the 2002 reports states. “And the country is unwilling to target any international aid for Iraq refugees,” adding that, “they probably fear a relief program would improve the migrants' social condition, attracting other Iraqis.”

Jordan, acting against the policy of the United Nations, “offers Iraqis no potential for long-term residency, forbids them to work and returns some back to Iraq, against their will.”

This is what Hanna Josef fears will happen to her daughter.

“If she returns, we'll never see her again,” said Hanna Josef, adding that Iraqi women need a male family member's permission to leave the country. “She has no one left in Iraq. She doesn't stand a chance.”

Hope for a home

Janet Hinshaw-Thomas, a Philadelphia-area advocate for Iraqi Christians, said Josef's situation is dire. However, U.S. immigration officials have put her on the list behind other asylum-seekers who are living in safe environments.

“This means that under uniquely good circumstances she would "only' have to hide illegally in Jordan with her 8-year-old son for eight years, but it is much more likely that she would be stuck in Jordan for 12 years plus.”

The Christian population is particularly vulnerable because they are viewed as being pro-West, she said. Thomas said they don't have the protection of any embassy or consulate and they don't have visas to exit the country and escape.

Governments and U.N. organizations are hesitant about granting any refugee status because there is no country willing to accept them, Thomas said.

“Then you have governments saying they would take them in if they had refugee status; it's a no-win situation,” she said.

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick and his staff are working to get Mary's immigration status changed, so she can qualify for a humanitarian visa, granted to asylum-seekers whose lives are in danger.

“We will continue to try to convince the U.S. State Department that they should be entitled to that exception,” said Michael Conallen, Fitzpatrick's chief of staff. “The Congressman and our staff definitely appreciate the seriousness of this particular case, and we are working really diligently to try to assist them.”

Meanwhile, Tamraz continues to mail handwritten letters, to politicians, newspapers and talk shows, hoping one will make difference.

“But over here, no one has heard of them; no one knows of Assyrian Christians,” she said. “And they are suffering, even worse because of the war. For Assyrians, America is like a security blanket, a place they want to be. For my niece and her son, America is the only thing keeping them going.”

Church of the East Decorates Aghajan with 2 Medals,
Title of Successful Engineer

Sarkis Aghajan was decorated with two medals awarded by the patriarch of the Church of the East (photo courtesy of Ankawa.com).

(ZNDA: Arbil)  His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East became the third Assyrian patriarch to award Mr. Sargis Aghajan, Minister of Finance and Economy in the Kurdish Regional Government, with two medals.

The patriarchs of the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Chaldean Catholic Church had already decorated Mr. Aghajan with the medals of the Order of St. Ignatius Theophroros and the Order of
St Gregory the Great, respectively.

The first medal presented by His Holiness Mar Dinkha, called "the Medal of the Successful Engineer", was created especially for Mr. Aghajan, the first ever presented by the Church of the East.

The second medal awarded to Mr. Aghajan is the "Patriarchate Medal", presented in recognition of Mr. Aghajan's "strong belief and love for his Church" according to a letter written by the Patriarch and released last week.

The award ceremony took place in Arbil and was attended by several bishops and priests of the Church of the East. In his letter, the Patriarch praised Mr. Aghajan, wishes him well and blesses him for his accomplishments.

Mr. Aghajan, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party headed by Masoud Barzani, was earlier this month appointed by Nechiran Barzani (KRG Prime Minister) as the Minister of Finance and Economy.

His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV and Mr. Sarkis Aghajan after the Award Ceremony in Arbil, north Iraq. Photo courtesy of Ankawa.com.

Ancient Ruins Inspire U.S. Forces in Iraq

Courtesy of the News Tribune
18 October 2006
By Sean Cockerham

(ZNDA: Mosul)  Remains of the giant columns, temples and fortifications of the 2,600-year-old city of Hatra tower over the Iraq desert.

This was a major city along the Silk Road. Hatra sent caravans of traders throughout the Middle East with spices, woodwork and gems. It was a tolerant center of diverse religions that twice drove back Roman invaders.

Now the 1st Battalion of the 37th Field Artillery Regiment from Fort Lewis does daily combat patrols in the area, and religious tolerance is hard to come by. A month ago, a suicide car bomber killed several people in the neighboring settlement of al-Hatra.

But the U.S. soldiers draw inspiration from the beautiful ruins, hoping someday they can be a world-renowned center of tourism.

'If this thing can last ..."

"It's remarkable that it's still standing in a place of pretty much chaos," said Capt. Alex Aquino, 26, who lived in Tacoma before the Stryker brigade deployed in July. "It's like there is some hope, if this thing can last after all the stuff that has happened in Iraq."

The places where Fort Lewis and other U.S. soldiers are fighting in Iraq are exceptionally rich in history. Cities might be garbage-strewn battle zones now, but this is still Mesopotamia, cradle of civilization.

"It kind of makes you feel like you are not just in a counterinsurgency fight but something real, with some historic significance," said Lt. Col. Ken Kamper of DuPont, commander of the artillery unit.

The Mosul area, where most Fort Lewis soldiers in Iraq are stationed, was the capital of the powerful Assyrian empire 700 years before the birth of Christ. Jonah, the biblical figure fabled for being swallowed by a whale, is said to be entombed in a mosque in a dangerous part of Mosul.

There's an abandoned Christian monastery dating from sometime before 595 on Forward Operating Base Marez, where Fort Lewis soldiers in Mosul live. The chaplain gives tours.

Academics say the Hatra site, 68 miles southwest of Mosul, is arguably the most spectacular archaeological site in Iraq. It is one of two places in the country to be designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site. The other is the city of Ashur, the capital of ancient Assyria.

Hatra, built mostly of limestone and gypsum, blends Greek, Roman and Arab architecture. Remains of public baths, statues and defensive towers give a feel for its former grandeur.

It's not known how much more remains under the ground. About 70 percent of the ancient city's 750 acres have yet to be excavated.

Staff Sgt. Adam Armstrong, 30, of Puyallup had his re-enlistment ceremony at Hatra. Inscriptions within the ruins are mostly in Aramaic, the language Christ spoke.

"I'm a Christian, and this is over 2,000 years old," Armstrong said. "Knowing Christ possibly could have walked on these grounds is phenomenal."

Hollywood took note of the ruins in the early 1970s. Hatra is featured in the opening scene of "The Exorcist" as the site where a priest discovers a relic foreshadowing that he soon will face evil.

The ruins also are a testament to Saddam Hussein's staggering ego. Saddam ordered that the bricks used in renovating the historic site in the 1990s had to be carved with his initials.

The new era of violence in Iraq has affected the ruins. A U.N. archeological team investigated the site and found looters had damaged two features after the U.S. invasion in 2003. The archaeologists also complained the United States was threatening the stability of the buildings through the destruction of stockpiles from a nearby Iraqi ammo dump.

"These delicate and sensitive remains are vulnerable to permanent and irreparable damage owing to the detonation of recovered ordnance nearby," Jane Waldbaum, president of the Archaeological Institute of America, wrote the U.S. government in 2004.

The blasts were reduced, and the U.S. and Iraqi forces have now secured relative calm in the area, although insurgents operate not far away.

Archaeologists still find Hatra too dangerous for excavations, and few visitors come to the site.

"If they fix it, we can have tourists and stuff like the way we used to have," said Mahamed Hamed Al Ahmade, an Iraqi policeman who helps guard the Hatra Ruins. "Before the (Saddam) regime fell, people used to come from all over the world."

Local sheiks have asked the Fort Lewis soldiers to help protect the Hatra site. Kamper's artillery battalion is able to do a lot of reconstruction work in this rural region because it is more stable than Mosul or Baghdad.

The Stryker brigade troops said they want to add Hatra protection to the list, although a bid for a security fence came in too high at $700,000. The unit is working on finding other ways to make sure the site is secure.

Assyrian Students at the Summer School in Damascus

(ZNDA: Damascus)  Below is the photo taken on 22 September in Damascus, Syria, of this year's graduation ceremony where 268 Assyrian students attended.

The ceremony was held at the Hall of the Ibrahem Al-Khaleel Church in the Garamana District in Damascus.  Fourteen volunteer teachers instructed the students this year.

Photo is provided to Zinda Magazine courtesy of Mr. Toma Rowel Youkhana in Amman, Jordan.

Choosing the Right Policy for Assyrian National Rights in Iraq

Part I

There are two ways Assyrians are seeking autonomy in Iraq. One policy in the national dialogue is to support the Assyrian representatives in the Kurdish government as the national leader, and involve the churches with the national destiny of Assyrians. The other policy is to support the Assyrian Democratic Movement, their elected Iraqi member of Parliament, and their activities in Iraq, separating religious leaders from the democratic process.

Those who seek Assyrian rights in Iraq are confounded with anger, confusion, bitterness, and sheer stubborn defense of the organizations they have chosen to defend. The blind tend to follow the blind, on both sides of the issue, on who exactly should speak for Assyrians in Iraq. I have attempted to outline the two main policies people are advocating, with their strengths and weaknesses.

The policy idea – Working within the Kurdish Regional Government, the Assyrian appointees, and the Assyrian churches for representation and leadership in Iraqi Kurdistan

While it is generally accepted in the Assyrian community that the Kurds do not have the interest of Assyrians in mind for the long haul, some argue that the support should be given to the Assyrian Minister in the KRG, Sarkis Aghajan, because he is working toward uniting the churches, claiming territory for Assyrians in the Nineveh Plains (mostly Chaldean Catholics) and has funneled millions of dollars to Assyrians to rebuild churches and homes. These seem to be, at face value, true. But moving past short-term “gifts” of Aghajan and his employers, the KRG, is imperative if we are to plan, as we should, for long-term sustainability in the Assyrian issue in Iraq.

The policy strengths

The main strength of this policy is the tangibility of it: the KRG and their finance Minister, Sarkis Aghajan, have shown tangible results in their efforts to help the Assyrians of Iraqi Kurdistan. Such tangible results include: Ishtar T.V., a Kurdish funded Assyrian satellite channel, homes for certain neighborhoods, churches, and many many visits between the Kurdish authorities and Assyrian Patriarchs and Bishops (Syriac Orthodox, Chaldean Catholic, and Church of the East). Regardless of the motivations behind these gifts, medals of honor, and attention, they are things that those who support this policy can point to and say: “See – we support those who bear fruit, regardless of where it comes from. Aghajan and the KRG are producing for the Assyrians, and it is foolish to bite the hand that feeds you”.

Another strength of this policy is that the seeming need for Assyrians by the KDP has brought attention to the Assyrians, and allocation of resources to the Nineveh Plain. The KRG ultimately wants as much land as possible, and that includes cities like Kirkuk and Mosul. Those who oppose the KRG control of these two cities are not just the Turks and Arabs, but also Assyrians. Since the Assyrians are doing a (pretty good job) of making civil rights abuses and human and economic discrimination by the Kurds against the Assyrians public and well known, the Kurds are forced to “play nice” and attempt to reconcile relationship with the Assyrians, especially of the Nineveh Plain, as it lies just outside Iraqi Kurdistan and next to Mosul City. Therefore, Assyrians are reaping the benefits of being “needed” by the Kurds to eventually increase the size of Iraqi Kurdistan.

A lesser understood benefit of this policy is that the power to federalize the Nineveh Plains will be out of the hands of Yonadam Kanna, Secretary General of the Assyrian Democratic Movement and a deeply controversial figure. Those who would rather work with the Kurdistan Finance Minister, Sarkis Aghajan, accuse Kanna of pocketing Assyrian dollars and of being a Mukhabarat agent for the Ba’athists at some point. As a disclaimer, none of these points have been proven, and are, as of yet, rumor, mostly discussed by those who strongly dislike the Assyrian Democratic Movement. But wrestling the Nineveh Plains issue from the ADM and the Baghdad government and putting it in the hands of Aghajan and Kurds is seen as a patriotic move.

The policy weaknesses

First, the clearest weakness of this policy can be wrapped up in a sentence I heard on Ashur T.V. on Saturday, October 21, 2006: This policy advocates for the Nineveh Plains to be a “piece of a ‘piece’, rather than a piece of the ‘whole’”.

John Lazar

For Mayor of Turlock

In other words, to allow Sarkis Aghajan and Kurds more power over the Nineveh Plains than the government in Baghdad means that the authority over the Assyrian area will be the Kurdish Regional Government. All monies, resources, contracts, and anything the Assyrians of the Nineveh Plains would need or want in the future would have to be asked for by the Kurdish Regional government for the Assyrian, and then be given to the Kurdish Regional Government before it reaches the Assyrians. In other words, Kurds would be the middle man.

Second, for Assyrians to sustain under this policy, something else must happen: the success and security of Kurdistan. Sarkis Aghajan is given money at his seeming discretion to build homes for Assyrians in the North, and Kurdish funded Ishtar T.V. is a success. The Kurds are, for lack of a better word, caring for the Assyrians in what they want to be their territory. So for this policy to continue, Assyrians should not only support Sarkis Aghajan, but also the government that employs him, the KRG. The success – economic and political – of Kurdistan is imperative for Assyrians to live in peace for this policy to be sustainable, and also of the KDP and their permanent majority in the KRG. It isn’t known, for example, if the PUK takes power in the North, what the policy with Assyrians will be. Or, should the Islamic Kurdish parties take over, if they would continue the KDP policy of building homes and churches for their Assyrian population. It would be futile to assume the KDP will always be there to have Sarkis Aghajan as Minister to always help Assyrians. Think long term.

As I stated above, the need for the Assyrians has brought attention and resources from Kurds. We do not, however, know the consequences of successfully creating a Nineveh Governorate under Kurdish control. Once they do not need Assyrians anymore, and they have acquired the Nineveh Plain, the attention – and resources - may wane. Especially if the idea is to first gain an area under Kurds and then gain the area for Assyrian control, separately. This is impossible, and creating more work than necessary. The Iraqi government is the one to lobby for autonomy, as it is within the Iraqi constitution. There is no such provision for “secession” from Iraqi Kurdistan, only “protection of minority” clauses. It is possible Kurds simply want the area in their territory, and what we do after that is none of their concern, but the KDP and Kurds have been openly practicing Ba’athist like economics and political discrimination against Assyrians, as is shown by the unequal distribution of resources and attacks against the Assyrian T.V. station, Ashur T.V. If the Nineveh Plains goes to the KRG, it will stay with the KRG. The success of this policy is also based on a few assumptions: first, that there will be a strong, autonomous (or semi-autonomous) Kurdistan; second, that the Kurds will always have Assyrian interests at heart; and last, that Assyrians would be incapable of governing themselves, and would therefore need the interim KRG to govern them instead.

The final weakness is the mixture of church and politics. I have heard the incorrect claim that a Patriarch of one Assyrian church can somehow become a leader for the nation. As a majority of Assyrians in Iraq are Chaldean, for example, the Patriarch of the ACOE cannot become the “national leader” for these people. They would, in essence, be leaving their Patriarch for another, and no Christian sect of Assyrians will do that. In fact, no Patriarch has suggested he wants to be the leader of the “nation”. This rhetoric must stop, as involving church in politics eventually leads to the weakening of the church, and I am sure no Assyrian wants that. Build a “wall” of political groups, such as a political party, between the churches and those who want to deal with Assyrians as to protect our (2,000 year old) churches, so that politics is dealt with through politics.

Policy Suggestions – Countering the weaknesses

For a policy to work, the idea must be stronger than the people. People come and go, the policy idea is moved forward by those who survive it. Looking for a “one-man leader” policy is a dead-end policy. A strong organization, or institution, must such “leader” in order to keep it going regardless of what may happen. An organization is stronger than its leader – for example, if Romeo Hakkiari resigns, the BNDP does not die with him. So put together an organization that will ensure the maintenance of this policy.

Separate the church from politics. There is really no way around this: it is a matter of practicality than anything else: For Assyrians to have their own area, all Assyrians must be on board. Creating an “umta” (nation) by assuming that all Patriarchs will happily work the Aghajan and the KRG is false – this will not create a strong “umta”. It will simply reinforce the “Eta” (church) and rather than being treated as one, we will be treated as many. There will never be a single entity to represent all Assyrian Christians politically in Iraq – something every other Iraqi group will have, and is absolutely necessary for sustainable survival and to gain a separate district for all Assyrians, just like Kurds or any other Iraqi group seeking federalized areas. They will never be under the command of another Patriarch not their own, and vice versa with other Assyrian Christian sects. One cannot simply cast aside those who choose not to follow a certain Assyrian Christian sect – if Assyrian autonomy is wanted, you must work with all Assyrians, regardless of their religious denomination. The Kurds, for example, know better than to involve their religious clerics in their quest for an independent Kurdistan – they make a mockery of Assyrians by promoting church use in our politics. Protect the churches from external forces – make them deal with politicians rather than Patriarchs.

The best advice in politics: watch what the other guy is doing, but don’t obsess over it, or they will guide your actions more than you think. In other words, focus on the policy of working with Aghajan and the churches in order to gain nationhood and don’t obsess with other Assyrian organizations. All that does is make you reactionary, rather than proactive. Work through the logistics of making your policy work, and think about how to make a sustainable working relationship with the KRG that will allow, one day, self-determination, and have faith that if you have the right idea and it can actually work, then it will.

Good luck.

Part II will discuss the second popular policy option for Assyrians in Iraq: Working with the existing structure of the Assyrian Democratic Movement and other civil groups, outside the churches, to lobby directly for a Nineveh Governorate.

Anna Eshoo's Letter to Condoleezza Rice

(ZNDA: Washington)  Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) wrote a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging immediate attention to the worsening condition of the Christians in Iraq. 

Last year, on 19 July Congresswoman Eshoo offered an amendment to H.R. 2601, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, to protect indigenous Christians in Iraq from continuing religious persecution and political exclusion. The amendment unanimously passed the House by a voice vote.

Below is a copy of the letter sent to Secretary of State Rice on 19 October 2006:

Mob Attacks Assyrian-Chaldean Center in Tbilisi

Courtesy of Forum 18 News Service
19 October 2006
By Felix Corley

(ZNDA: Tbilisi)  The Assyrian Catholics in Georgia's capital Tbilisi fear more mob attacks, after a religious and cultural centre was attacked by a mob recently.

"The Orthodox Church and fundamentalists don't want a Catholic presence," said Fr Benny Yadgar, a priest of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Georgia. "If we start to use the centre for worship these fanatics could attack our people with knives and wooden posts. Our people have a right to be protected."

Fr Yadgar insists that the problems do not come from the authorities, but a current signature campaign could lead to pressure on the authorities. Police have refused to comment on the attacks.

Fr Yadgar said the new centre was invaded by a mob of about 60 people on 18 September, three or four days after anonymous, undated leaflets started to circulate in the district, stirring people up against the Catholics and urging them to come to the centre. "The letter alleged that Catholics are aggressive proselytizers who killed our monks in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It also alleged they marry cats and dogs and give the Eucharist to animals."

Fr Yadgar was away at the time of the mob invasion, but Giuni Gulua was one of two community members who tried to explain to television journalists and to the mob why the community was building the centre. "Part of the mob obviously had no clue as to why they were there, but the other part was very aggressively hostile, saying we had no right to build a Catholic church," she commented on 19 October. "We explained that we had all the legal documents we needed to build the church, but many of them weren't prepared to listen to us. We then left to avoid any possibility of violent confrontation." She said some of the mob then went down to the cellar and damaged the interior walls.

The Georgian Orthodox Church and the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee – unlike human rights activists, religious minorities and the Human Rights Ombudsperson - have refused to defend the Assyrian Catholics. "I called on Patriarch Ilya to defend our church, but he says it is not his business," Fr Yadgar stated.

Giorgi Khutsishvili, head of the Tbilisi-based International Center of Conflict Negotiations, said the "disturbing" attack was instigated by fundamentalist Orthodox determined to prevent a Catholic church being built. "This is a clear issue: the Assyrian community has the right to build its centre," he said on 18 October. "So what if it is going to be used for worship?" His centre has hosted a meeting of the multi-faith Religions Council to discuss the issue.

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Fr Yadgar insists that the problems do not come from the authorities. "The government says: 'Go ahead, don't worry!'" He added that the police had offered to send officers to protect the building, as long as the Assyrians paid for it, an offer the community had turned down. "We don't want the police to have to stand at the doors of our place of worship." But he fears that a signature campaign now underway in the local district could lead to further pressure on the authorities. "They go around saying they need 200,000 signatures to block us."

Fr Yadgar said the office of the Human Rights Ombudsperson has been sympathetic and has scheduled a 27 October meeting to discuss their concerns to which he and the Catholic bishop, Giuseppe Pasotto, have been invited.

Georgi Siradze, police chief for Vake-Saburtalo district where the Assyrian Catholic centre is based, could not be reached for comments.  However, the duty officer said the police were not allowed to give information to journalists and refused to give Siradze's number.

Despite the fact that the attack was widely reported in the media and was the subject of a debate on Rustavi-2 television, Zurab Tskhovrebadze, spokesperson for the Orthodox Patriarchate, said on 19 October he had never heard anything about any problems over the Assyrian Catholic centre. "If it was true, of course it would be unacceptable for us Orthodox to use force, whether for political or religious ends."

The Orthodox Patriarchate retains a powerful hold over society and the government and has successfully prevented almost all minority faiths from openly building new places of worship in recent years. Some Georgian Orthodox priests have a record of inciting mob violence against religious minorities. Intolerance of religious minorities is widespread within Georgian society, despite some legal improvements.

Georgia's politicians have shown little interest in the Assyrian Catholics' concerns. "This was not an attack – it was merely misinterpretation of the feelings of people," Lali Papiashvili, deputy head of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee, told from Tbilisi on 19 October. "People were falsely informed by some kinds of activists that the building may cause religious problems for the local population." She denied that anyone would object to the building of a non-Orthodox place of worship. "I don't have any information that the Assyrian population is afraid."

Papiashvili's colleague, Elene Tevdoradze, who chairs the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee, was equally unconcerned. "I haven't been to the Assyrian centre, but I've received no complaints," she said.

Human rights activists and other religious minorities, however, have defended the embattled Assyrian Catholic community. "The city authorities were wrong to take into account Orthodox objections to the Assyrian centre," Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili, head of Georgia's Baptist Church, said on 4 October. Support for the Assyrians has also come from the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Lutherans, Fr Yadgar noted.

Fr Yadgar said the cultural centre deliberately combines classrooms and meeting rooms with a sanctuary for worship. "Without Christianity, we Assyrians have no culture, so it is natural the two go together," he said. "But in any case, we are not recognized in law as a religious organization and do not have the right to build a church." After initial difficulties, he eventually managed to get all the approvals they needed from the city authorities. Construction work began in 2004, he added, but finding the necessary money has delayed building. "Because of the situation in Iraq we have had no support from there."

Although all the external work is now complete, Fr Yadgar said completing the interior could take another year, especially in the wake of the damage and any potential attack.

Russia's Assyrians Ask for protection from the Skinheads

Report compiled and translated from Russian by Nina Georgizova

(ZNDA: Moscow)  The Moscow Assyrian Association “Khaydta” issued a press release in the Russian mass media addressing the General Prosecutor of the Russia Federation, Yuriy Chaika. The press release states:

“Assyrians of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Kazan and Krasnodar demand from the General Prosecutor’s Office to control the investigation of the case of the assault and battery of the Assyrian youth activist, Shavel Bidzhamov."

On October 17 in Moscow extremists with shaved heads attacked the young man in a subway train, shouting “Russia for the Russians”.   Shavel Bidzhamov contacted the Moscow metro police, but the policemen refused to help him and did not file a case stating that the assault did not have a nationalistic (racist) motive. Only after Bidzhamov demanded an investigation did the Moscow police agree to begin the legal proceedings. Bidzhamov is currently hospitalized recovering from his injuries.

This is not the first time that the radical elements have attacked the Assyrians of Russia.  The "Khaydta" spokesperson said to Zinda Magazine:  "We are not going to tolerate these attacks from the extremists. We condemn the actions of the law enforcement which prefers to reduce the nationalistic and religious attacks to the level of common hooliganism."

Khaydta spokesperson also noted: "We are asking the General Prosecutor’s Office to help us in the investigation of this crime so that the case as it often happens is not postponed until a future time. At the same time we are going to help the investigation to find the attackers.

General Sada Bringing Born-again Message to Illinois

Courtesy of Herald & Review
21 October 2006
By Huey Freeman

(ZNDA: Chicago)  When U.S. troops invaded Iraq in March 2003, they found no weapons of mass destruction.

But President Bush and other U.S. and British leaders said they had been convinced Iraq was hiding significant quantities of outlawed weapons.

Georges Sada, formerly second in command in Saddam Hussein's air force, has shed light on what happened to Iraq's stores of chemical and biological weapons.

Sada, 66, author of "Saddam's Secrets," released early this year, revealed that hundreds of tons of toxic weapons and delivery systems were transported to Syria in the months preceding the war.

In a phone interview, Sada said Iraqi pilots told him how they flew the contraband to Damascus, as U.N. inspectors were being stalled from re-entering Iraq. Pilots flew 56 sorties into Syria, while drivers took 100 more loads in government trucks disguised as commercial vehicles.

A born-again Christian since 1986 and a leader of evangelical believers in Iraq, Sada will be speaking Monday night at a missions conference at New Life Tabernacle in Sullivan.

"I want to make it very clear to the world what is happening in Iraq," Sada said. "The Americans have made a great job. They have liberated the country from a brutal regime."

While Sada acknowledges that Americans have made mistakes, he blames the ongoing war on the shoulders of his countrymen.

"I can assure you that the Iraqis didn't play it good, how to deal with the liberation. They didn't get the benefits of the freedom delivered to them on a golden plate. They started fighting among themselves, getting revenge for hatred going back 1,400 years, between Sunnis and Shia."

Sada is credited with saving the lives of U.S. fliers who were shot down during the first Gulf War. In the foreword to "Saddam's Secrets," U.S. pilot retired Col. David Eberly expresses appreciation to Sada for saving him and fellow prisoners from "certain death." Sada, who was in charge of POWs, was imprisoned for disobeying the order of Qusay, Saddam's son, to kill 24 pilots.

Bob Rasho, a native of Iraq who lives in Forsyth, said he highly recommends "Saddam's Secrets."

"I think it's very informative and very factual, based on what I know about Iraq," said Rasho, a retired engineer who served in Iraq with the U.S. State Department early last year. "It is really an eye-opener about the problems the Christian minority is facing in Iraq. It gives insight into Saddam's regime and what you had to do to survive and the brutality of Saddam's regime. I urge Americans to read this book."

Rasho, a member of the same Assyrian ethnic group as Sada, said they were both born on the same British Air Base at Habbiniyah, west of Baghdad. Rasho said some of his cousins grew up with Sada and knew him well.

"He's a great guy, and I'm proud of him as an Assyrian," Rasho said, adding that Sada was well known as the nation's outstanding pilot and the highest-ranking Christian in the military. "I'm looking forward to seeing him."

Sada, whose career as a pilot spanned several Iraqi regimes, retired from the air force as a general with the second-highest rank, rather than join Saddam's Baathist Party. He was later called back for the first Gulf War but removed after disobeying orders.

Sada credits God for repeatedly saving his life during his days as a pilot, as well as on several occasions when he disagreed with Saddam Hussein concerning military matters.

A member of the Assyrian group, which has inhabited the land for 5,000 years, Sada said the Christian tradition dates to the first century A.D., when the apostle Thomas preached there en route to India. Muslim Arabs conquered the land in 634 A.D.

After Saddam's government fell, violence was once again unleashed against the Christians. Of the 1 million Christians in Iraq three years ago, about half have fled to neighboring countries to escape persecution.

"When the liberation came, Christians expected something good to happen for them," Sada said. "But actually, their churches are being bombed, their people are being killed, their children are being kidnapped, all done by terrorists and Muslim extremists. This part is really sad for us as Christians."

Sada said he hopes the U.S. military and the Iraqi government will take measures to protect the Christians.

"Not all the Muslims are agreed on what is happening to the Christians, but I hope that the good Iraqi Muslims should condemn and do something for what is happening to the Christians," he said. "We were there 5,000 years ago, and they are doing this to us. If there are any left, good Muslims, they should condemn and not let this happen to the Christians."

The Mosul Vilayat

At the end of World War I, the British occupied Mosul in northern bet-Nahrain, noted for its minerals and oil reserves. At the San Remo Conference of April 25, 1920, the French agreed to leave Mosul out of French mandate in exchange for 25 percent of Iraqi Oil. On November 1925 the League of Nations gave the Hakkari region to Turkey and agreed to the Settlement of the Assyrians in the Mosul Vilayat.

On June 5, 1926, after the signing of a treaty With turkey, Britain denied the Assyrians their
rights granted by the League of Nations. Six years later Agha Petros died under suspicious circumstances At a railway station in Paris. Less than one year after, the Arab and Kurdish neighbors began collaborating in the indiscriminate killings of thousands of Assyrians.

Excerpts from "AN ASSYRIAN AUTONOMOUS STATE IN IRAQ"
by General Agha Petros , 1923

I ask that His Britannic Majesty officially grants to the Assyrians as a home that portion of Northern Iraq in the Vilayet of Mosul which lies north of latitude 36. Its eastern boundary would approximately follow the course of the river Zab from its junction with the Tigris to where the former river is crossed by the main Mosul-Revandos road, thence as far as the Persian frontier, which it will follow to its junction with Turkish territory (Vilayet of Van). Thence its northern frontier would march with that of Turkey as far as longitude 42, which would roughly be its western boundary.

The greater portion of the cultivated lands between the rivers Zab and Tigris already belongs to the
Assyrians, otherwise known as the Chaldeans, as it did to their fathers before them, while the rest of
it is mainly occupied by Yizidis and friendly Kurds, but the Assyrians form the majority. As to the
Yizidis they too are Assyrian by descent and are quite prepared to make common cause with us, also the friendly Kurds.

As to Mosul, it is the only town at present that could be made the capital of the State, by its situation
and defensibility, this latter being a most important matter in view of the necessity of having a secure
place for the storing of war material and supplies of all sorts. It serves as the market town of whole
region, and by reason of its distance from Baghdad and the Iraq seat of Government should fall within the sphere of Assyrian influence. It is fully recognized that a large proportion of the town population is
Arab,and for this reason the State would, in return for its inclusion in its boundaries, be prepared to
grant his Majesty King Feisal special financial privileges in regard to it.

It Takes A Woman!

Rev. Ken Joseph
New York

The saying `when you need a real job – get a woman` seems most appropriate for Wijdan Michael, the 34 year old, born in Baghdad, Minister of Human Rights for, yes, The Republic of Iraq!

In a region where women are usually relegated to the back rooms, Wijdan brings very special strengths to what is undeniably a most unenviable job.

First, she is passionate that Iraq is going to make it. `Human rights, which is my portfolio is totally different that it was before. We never had human rights, let alone a Human Rights Ministry! `

`Before people lived in constant fear. For 35 years we lived under terror. ` She says, eyes flashing `That is gone and we are finally free.`

When questioned about the general perception of an Iraq in chaos, she bristles. `Of course there are many difficulties, but we are making huge progress. In particular the northern part of Iraq is doing very, very well.`

I have three goals` she continues.

`First, to help those who have been victims in the past – we have large numbers of people who were victimized by Saddam or neighboring Iran.

Second, to stop current human rights abuses in the country and third, to educate the population on what it means to treat people right. `

The Human Rights Ministry is a new Ministry. What makes Michael stand out even more is the fact that she is an Assyrian Christian in a nation, as well as a region in which they are a very distinct minority.

`We have 30 Cabinet positions and three are lead by minorities – two Assyrian Christians and one Turcoman` she says

The Turcoman are a Turkish minority in Iraq.

In addition to pushing forward a difficult at best vision for human rights, she also is fiercely proud of the fact that she is an Assyrian Christian.

Most people are not aware of the fact that Iraq in fact was originally `Assyria`, and the first nation to accept Christianity and the only people who today still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus.

The Christian population of the Middle East as whole has gone from nearly 20% a generation ago to now under 2% today.

Her third passion, is keeping the door open for women.

`Many people think that during the time of Saddam women had many rights. In one sense that was true, but the real reason was not that they respected women, it was simply that so many men had been killed in the numerous wars that they had to use women.`

With a twinkle in her eye she says `With Liberation, we have a new battle we have to fight to keep equality for women. They recently tried to remove the law to reduce the equality of Women. We all fought very hard and the previous law was kept, but we must remain diligent. `

Honestly, when one thinks of Iraq education does not come to mind, but in fact Iraq is highly educated. `Over 60% of the population has a University degree` she says `I think that is a higher percentage than the United States` she says with a smile.

Wijdan`s special point of pride is the fact that in the face of rising ethnic tensions, shortages of every kind and bad news everywhere she has managed to establish a Human Rights office in every one of Iraq’s 18 provinces and also in each of the 30 Ministries – no small accomplishment considering the realities of Iraq.

`Why does just the bad news get reported about Iraq` she muses `These days you can fly nonstop into Iraq from Europe, Turkey, Dubai, Cairo – things are completely different than they were before! In spite of all the bad news, Iraq is doing very well. `

Surprising words from Iraq, but nevertheless true.

`We also have not forgotten our friends` she continues `

It was America who stood behind us and sacrificed for us. We will never forget that fact and on behalf of the Iraqi people – the silent majority – and the Government I have also come to say `thank you! `

Pressed on the difficulties of the Assyrian Christians, minorities in general and what is being called a classic `brain drain` of educated from Iraq she gets testy.

`We are all Iraqis! Our enemies want to divide us.

`At the same time, there are many cultural differences and they should be respected. If there can be an Assyrian Province or region like Kurdistan that would be wonderful for our people.

My only concern is that it be an integral part of Iraq, and have an International Border so it can be viable. `

A proud Iraqi, a proud woman, a proud Human Rights advocate and a proud Assyrian Christian, Michael named after the protective Angel of the Assyrians; St. Michael, is still a beautiful, outwardly quiet and gentle woman.

Just don’t cross her – the moment you do, you will have a fight on your hands!

She is treading where few men have the courage to go. As they say, even in Iraq – get a woman for the job!

The Real 'New Iraq'

Colbert I. King
Washington Post
21 October 2006

Christians are being targeted in Iraq. It's not because they are one of the dominant groups vying to run the country. They aren't. Their clerics also are not part of Iraq's religious elite, although Christianity has deep roots in that country.

As the New York Times reported this week, since the Bush administration launched the invasion of Iraq 3 1/2 years ago, church bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and threats have become a daily part of Christian life. And the persecution of Christians began even before Pope Benedict XVI called attention to the words of a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who had some unkind things to say about Islam. Many churches in Baghdad have been forced to cancel services, the Times reports, and some have not met since.

Why? Because religion is moving front and center in Iraq, and to be a Christian in that Islamic nation has become dangerous.

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But it's equally risky to be a Shiite living among Sunnis or a Sunni residing in a province dominated by Shiites. These days, if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, religion can get you kidnapped, tortured and beheaded.

If that isn't enough, toss into this cauldron Americans in military uniform, many in the flower of their youth. Most have no idea why religious extremists are tearing each other apart. Trained to fight wars and combat terrorism, American troops have instead been engaged in sweeps through Baghdad's slums in an effort to uproot religiously chauvinistic death squads hellbent on destroying each other. For rendering that service to the Iraqi people (who should be doing the job themselves), America has been paying a high price in blood and treasure, and with little apparent success.

Instead of the violence being reduced, sectarian bloodshed and attacks in Baghdad have shot up 22 percent in the past three weeks. American military fatalities are occurring at the highest rate in more than a year, reports The Post. And toward what end?

Look at the post-Saddam Hussein Iraq taking shape.

In the eyes of the Bush administration and its foreign policy allies in Washington, Iraqi reconstruction and the march toward democracy are just a matter of time. All that's needed is for the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi armed forces to quell the sectarian violence. Put together the right alliances and the problem is solved, they believe. They see the answer to Iraq's problems in political terms.

But there are other aspects of Iraq that bother those of us who aren't as smart as the brilliant Washington thinkers who got us where we are today.

Some of us can't forget the prewar talk about weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein's partnership with al-Qaeda, and how wrong the foreign policy elite were about that.

Then there was the rosy post-Hussein world portrayed by the Bush administration, in which Iraqis, liberated from the grip of fear and imbued with a deep and abiding respect for human rights and freedom, would be busy building a better future for themselves.

Now let's return to the Christians.

From Tuesday's New York Times: "Conditions have been especially bleak for Christians in Basra, the southern city that is dominated by radical Shiite militias. Christian women there often wear Muslim head scarves to avoid harassment from religious zealots trying to impose a strict Islamic dress code." An Iraqi woman who attends the country's only Anglican church told the Times that she wears a head scarf anytime she goes outside her neighborhood. "I am afraid of being attacked," she said.

A priest was beheaded last week. A bomb blast at a Baghdad church killed two worshipers recently. From this mayhem, however, the Bush administration averts its gaze.

Within months of the U.S. invasion in 2003, The Post's Anthony Shadid and Rajiv Chandrasekaran were reporting on religious fissures in Iraq. The deepening divisions among Iraq's principal religious and ethnic groups were a regular theme in their writing.

But the White House and its cheerleaders would have had us think otherwise -- that the source of trouble was solely foreign infiltrators and remnants of Hussein's Baathist Party.

There is a new Iraq emerging before our eyes.

It is an Iraq that torments Christians, that indulges in unrelenting sectarian bloodbaths, that cheers for Hezbollah, that is no more a friend to Israel than is Iran, all despite the lies sold to the White House and Pentagon by self-serving, power-hungry Iraqi expatriates.

The new Iraq is not what George W. Bush talks about. But that's the Iraq he's got. And, worst of all, that's the Iraq we are in.

The Un-Holy Month Of Ramadan

Rev. Keith Roderick
Washington D.C.
Courtesy of the National Review Online

Fasting from sunrise to sunset is a struggle for Muslims during this month of Ramadan. The month will present a more dangerous struggle for non-Muslims in Iraq, against whom Islamic terrorists promise to increase their violence.

On Thursday, October 12, Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan of Mosul, Saliba Chamoun, buried one of his priests, the latest victim of violence targeting Christians and other minorities in Iraq during Ramadan. Father Boulos Iskander had been kidnapped the previous Monday by an unknown Islamic extremist group. Family and church authorities negotiated with the abductors, who demanded $350,000 in ransom, but later promised to reduce the amount to $40,000 if Pope Benedict XVI’s reference to historical Islamic violence was publicly condemned.

The ransom was raised and paid. St. Epharim’s parishioners dutifully posted 30 large signs on walls around the city repudiating the Pope’s statements. They awaited word of Fr. Iskander’s promised release. On Wednesday in the Tahir City District, a mile from the Mosul city center, the priest’s body was found. Fr. Iskander’s severed head lay atop his chest. His severed arms and legs were placed around his head.

The mother of Fadi Raad, 13, mourns during his funeral after being killed in a bomb attack during Sunday's church services, Monday, Jan. 30, 2006, in Kirkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq. Three civilians were killed and one wounded in the attack on the Church of the Virgin in central Kirkuk. (AP)

The same day as Fr. Iskander’s kidnapping, the leader of the Mandaean religious community (followers of John the Baptist), Sheikh Raad Mutar Saleh, was assassinated in Suweira, 35 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Also, during that same violent week, there were reports that a 14-year-old boy was crucified in the Christian neighborhood of Albasra. Unfortunately, the killing of children is not a new tactic of Muslim insurgents targeting Christians; nor is its practice limited to Ramadan.

In June, Rosie Malek-Yonan, Christian Assyrian author of The Crimson Field, recounted additional cases of murdered Christian children to the U.S. House International Relations Committee. Two years ago, a 15-year-old boy, Fadi Shamoon, was riding his bicycle in the Assyrian district of Baasheeqa, when he was kidnapped by Kurdish Islamists. His body was found along a roadside, cut into pieces and burned. Similarly, another Assyrian boy, 14-year-old Julian Yacoub, was knocked unconscious by a concrete block, then set afire in a Islamist-inspired attack in the same district.

On October 4, an Assyrian Christian neighborhood in Camp Sara was devastated by a bomb that killed nine persons. The week before, two similar explosive devices were used in an attack on the Assyrian Cathedral of the Virgin Mary in Baghdad. Islamists also targeted a Dominican convent. Two days later, during the second week of Ramadan, the Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul was attacked. In the past two years, over 27 churches have been attacked or bombed. Reports of kidnappings and rape of young girls are widespread. A Syriac-Orthodox priest living in Sweden described the Ramadan campaign against Christians as pure terror: "Now only hell is expected for the Christians of Iraq."

Other minorities have also suffered at the hands of Islamists. The Shabak community (a minority Muslim sect) has claimed that 100 of their followers have been murdered by Muslim extremists since June. The Yazidis (an ancient pre-Christian community) have undergone a mass exodus from Mosul during the past year, driven away by Islamic violence and intimidation.

ChaldoAssyrian Christians comprise less than 5 percent of the population of Iraq. However, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that between October 2003 and March 2005, 36 percent of those fleeing Iraq for Syria were Christians. In 1987 the Christian population of Iraq was 1.4 million; today, it is estimated to be between 600,000 to 800,000. The Mandaean faith community adheres to pacifism, yet their numbers in Iraq have been reduced from 30,000 to 5,000 during the past three years. According to community leaders, most Iraqi Mandaeans have been murdered or fled to Jordan.

Shiites and Sunnis are in open warfare against each other in Iraq. Leaders from both sects are meeting in Mecca to endorse a call to end the sectarian bloodshed between the two groups. According to Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, if there is a call to stop shedding Muslim blood, especially during Ramadan and initiated in Mecca, it may influence actions on the ground. This could be a positive development for both sides. But who in the Muslim community will call to end the violence against the others, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Mandaeans, Turkomen, Yazidis, and Shabak, whose blood is also flowing freely in Iraq? There are currently two Christian members of the 275 member Iraqi Parliament, a sparse number that will not be heard or heeded by Sunni and Shiite counterparts.

The London Times recently reported that the Iraq Study Group, chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker III, was prepared to recommend to President Bush the division of Iraq into three autonomous regions. The proposal was offered by Senator Joseph Biden, a member of the group. Opponents worry that dividing along ethnic lines would lead to all-out civil war.

On paper, there are already provisions for creating autonomous administrative districts for ethnic/religious minorities in Iraq. Chapter 4, Article 121, of the Iraqi Constitution, "Local Administrations," does guarantee the administrative, political, cultural, and educational rights for ethnic minorities. However, Assyrian activists argue that the law stands in theory but not in practice.

The Iraqi parliament narrowly approved a law allowing the country's 18 provinces to hold referendums in order to create federal regions in Iraq. Sunnis opposed the legislation because such a division would leave them without a source for oil revenues. The move is the beginning of a process of federalism process that will likely lead to self-governing regions more autonomous from Baghdad. The ethnic and religious minorities, so vulnerable from Islamists in the larger Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish communities, should be integrated into the federal process.

The Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project noted in a policy brief earlier this year that implementing the "Local Administration" provision is a constitutional solution that promises safety, stability, and a solution to facilitate the return of tens of thousands of Assyrian Christian refugees. Michael Youash, the director of the organization, argues, "Formalizing an administrative unit for Assyrians makes them part of the federal system of Iraq, allowing them to play a moderating role … it provides those within it the opportunity to ensure their own safety, security, and ability to govern their local affairs." The group notes that the Nineveh Plains, the indigenous territory of Christians, along with other minorities such as the Yazidis and Shabak, would be a natural location for such an arrangement. The autonomous administrative unit of the Nineveh Plains would not end the attacks on minorities in the large cities of Mosul, Baghdad, or Basra. However, it may offer a place for these besieged minorities to flee for safety without giving up their national identity as Iraqis.

Western media outlets have been conditioned to call the Muslim month of fasting "the holy month of Ramadan." For many Iraqis, especially ethnic and religious minorities, Ramadan has been less than blessed this year. Murder, intimidation, rape, torture, and other forms of violence have increased during this "holy" month. Hope in Iraq's future cannot be found in the destruction of minority faith and ethnic communities. It must be discovered in the actions of those right-hearted and -minded persons who have courageously dedicated themselves to the creation of a truly pluralistic multi-ethnic/religious society in Iraq.

The fruits of Ramadan should not result in the further sowing of seeds of destruction in Iraq.

Rev. Keith Roderick is Washington representative for Christian Solidarity International and secretary general of the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights.

Vincent Oshana

Vincent Oshana

Damon Wayan's The Underground, a half-hour sketch comedy series to premiere on the network this fall,

The Underground, produced and starred by Damon Wayans is a half-hour sketch comedy series which premiered on the Showtime Network this fall. 

Vincent Oshana started his comedy career in his family's living room, imitating cartoon characters and TV personalities. After high school, Oshana joined the US Air Force and was promoted to Staff Sergeant, earning medals for his skills in various shooting competitions.

Following his tour, Oshana ventured to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian. After living in his car for a time, he landed a part on MTV's Yo Momma, and was later discovered at an open mic night by Damon Wayans' niece.

Wayans cast him on UNDERGROUND and currently, Oshana writes for and tours with Wayans. Oshana notes that he is a proud Assyrian from Yonkers, New York.

Vincent is fluent in Assyrian, and has some command of French, Spanish, and Persian.

Catch Vincent on his MySpace site (click here) or his website (click here).