On the Eve of the Return of Tammuz

The Assyrian year 6757 is officially upon us. Tammuz is back from a few months of “hellish” life in the Netherworld only to find life on earth equally revolting. His Babylon is not the same, neither is his Nineveh. Even the ruins of these two capitols are more dismal now than they were a few years back. It’s getting worse every year, he may be saying to himself: “Bring back the dictators who respected the Past, the vultures who built and did not destroy, the killers who murdered when told and not when paid.”

On the bright side of things to come there is something so intriguing about the new year beginning on the first day of spring. For those of us living in the northern hemisphere we are visually satisfied as simple images of flowers blooming and trees blossoming remind us of nature’s return to life.  It is a beatiful end to a series of dull and morbid events mired in death and pain.

Springtime in Assyria - north Iraq

In the very very old days, when just kings ruled Mesopotamia and brave queens defended the rights of our ancestors in battles across the lands of Ashur and Babil, people experienced the same calamities as we do now. They saw foreign armies invade their homeland, alien rulers changing the names of their cities and towns – even historic events were erased from memories, strangers forced our forefathers to convert to new beliefs and so on. However, every year on the first day of Spring, the blooming flowers and the trees reminded them that in the midst of darkness light exists and in the midst of despair hope exists. No matter how powerful, prosperous,or dominant the enemies appeared, at the end Marduk always won. He fought a good fight and victory was his and his people’s. The land of Ashur was returned to its righteous owners until the next cycle of death and rebirth.

These days I find myself spending too many hours asking our activists, artists, authors, leaders, and guides to believe again and to have faith in our future. Many among us, even the best and the strongest, are gradually losing their confidence and in the power of the people. People don’t care any more, they say. They just watch and read, but don’t act. My response is always the same: “Ordinary people watch and do not act. It’s the extra-ordinary people, the Marduks, Ishtars, and Tammuzes among us that stood tall before the enemy and pushed them back to the Zagros Mountains, Anatolia, and the Mediterranean Sea.”

This feeling of despair is the effect of a prolonged lack of guidance from our political chiefs. They are confused and unable to lead. Some of them are engaging directly with the Kurdish leadership in an attempt to win some favor should there be a confrontation between the Arabs and the Kurds, Sunni and the Shi’ai, Moslems and Christians in Iraq. Some are trying to create alliances with the Kurds, against other Assyrian groups, and still calling it a “diplomatic strategy” while keeping a straight face. I admit that the situation is dire.

Less than a month ago, Dr. Emmanuel Kamber resigned from his post as the Secretary General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance (click here). Zinda has learned that the Executive Board of the AUA is now considering attending Sargon Dadesho’s 8th Meeting of the Assyrian National Congress. How warm is this AUA-Dadesho relationship, you ask? Dadesho has been sending invitations on behalf of the AUA Asia Secretary, Mr. Yonatan Bet-Kolia, to individuals in the Bush Administration and the State Department.

The miracle of miracles. The man whose mouth foamed on Friday nights on his one-man television shows, insulting every fiber of the AUA and its affiliates, including the Assyrian American National Federation, may be sitting next to the AUA surplus members this coming weekend and discuss national unity, an Assyrian parliament, Miss Assyria contests, and a new world order according to “Chairman Dadesho”. However, behind the closed doors there will be a different agenda discussed. One that involves the munificence of Masoud Barzani and his Assyrian devotee, Sarkis Aghajan, the darling of the Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac patriarchs.

Dadesho has been stirring conflict between the Assyrian Church of the East and the supporters of the most popular Assyrian political party in Iraq, the Assyrian Democratic Movement or Zowaa, by labeling the latter “anti-Assyrian” and “followers of an ex-bishop”. AUA’s attendance of this meeting will be nothing less than a complete blunder, a mistake that should be viewed as a direct challenge to the ADM in Iraq and the ADO in Syria.

Dadesho’s extremist form of Assyrianism that does not include Chaldeans and Syriacs unless they disavow their former selves and become new-born “Ashurayeh” is racist and should not be acknowledged. Sadly for the Assyrian Church of the East, through a close contact between its reckless bishops in Australia and Europe the Church is now also seen as a pawn played by this “Assyrian Rasputin.”

The Assyrian identity is inclusive of any heritage that traces itself to that of ancient Mesopotamian and Syrian cultures. While some Assyrian extremists deny their Chaldean and Syriac past, a true Assyrian embraces these jewels of his or her heritage and lovingly receives others who profess a common origin. Imagine the rainbow without any of its concentric bands of multi colors; neither can I perceive of my Assyrian identity without the full spectrum of my religious and linguistic tones.

Dadesho’s meeting in Ceres, California is planned to follow another worthless meeting which took place last week in Ankawa, near Arbil in north Iraq. At the end of this earlier meeting, where several Assyrians known publicly for collaborating with the Kurdish Regional Government met to discuss the future of the Nineveh Plains in a place outside of the Nineveh Plains, a final statement was released. No fireworks or delightful surprises here either. Yet again, it was the behind the closed doors negotiations and hand-shakes that mattered the most. Thanks to this gathering, the collaborators are now marked.

Before Tammuz begins strolling through the ancient Assyrian cities of Arbil, Nineveh, and Kirkuk, let us be very clear about a few important points on this first day of the Assyrian New Year:

First, Assyrians are impatient with the U.S. government and especially the State Department that seemingly is acting as the facilitator of the annexation of the Nineveh Plains to the KRG-controlled areas in North Iraq. The Bush Administration is using the excuse of avoiding the Moslems’ wrath against the Christians to force Christians out of Iraq and either into the hands of the Kurds or in refugee camps across the Iraqi borders. The only entities profiting from this policy are the Churches whose payng membership in the diaspora will increase and the immigration lawyers (yes, Assyrian) who will be busy processing the refugees' paperwork in the next five years. Some 7,000 visas have already been issued to Iraqi refugees this year.

Second, a significant majority of the Assyrians in north Iraq are not members of the Church of the East. Neither they nor most Assyrians in the Diaspora are willing to live under a Millet system whereby the headship of the Assyrian nation is assumed by a Patriarch. Attention the Assyrian Hezbollahs defending the leadership of Mar Dinkha last week in Ankawa! Your place is in Qom or Karbala, not in the Nineveh Plains. Assyrians have come a long way not to return 300 years back to the time of Ottoman rule. Repeat this mantra of the new Assyrianism over and over again in Assyrian and in Kurdish: No religious patriarch shall ever become the political or temporal head of the Assyrian nation again.

The Reunion of Tammuz and Ishtar marks the beginning of spring and fertility on earth.

Third, if one or more AUA members attend this weekend’s “Dadesho Fest” in California, their decision to participate should not be perceived as a new direction for the Assyrian Universal Alliance. Sources to Zinda Magazine indicate that the AUA is now split among several party lines from the old rank-and-file and the new “Kurdish collaborators” who have aligned themselves with the Assyrian Rasputin. Former Assyrian representative to the Iranian Majlis, Mr. Homer Ashurian and former State Senator and AUA Secretary General, Mr John Nimrod are opposed to participation of the AUA members at the 8th meeting of the ANC. So are Mr. Simon Mirza, Mr. Pierre Toulakany and Mr. Shmouel Warda. These men have also held executive roles in the Assyrian American National Federation – an organization vilified by Dadesho.

Fourth, if any member of the Bush Administration or the State Department staff attends the meeting in California, in response to the invitation of Mr. Yonatan Bet-Kolia, the current Assyrian representative in the Iranian Majlis, then the U.S. officials are attending an event in response to an Iranian government official. The repercussions of such an act, shortly after the UN threats against Iran, will have grave impact on the well-being of the Assyrians living in Iran. Zinda Magazine has learned that Mr. Bet-Kolia’s request for visa to enter the U.S. was denied earlier.

On 1 March Mr. Praidon Darmo, Acting Secretary General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance emailed members of the executive board and informed them that Dr. Kamber resigned a few weeks prior to the next AUA Congress in April when he and Dr. Kamber were planning to submit their resignation and a new Executive Board would be elected. Mr. Darmo indicates in his email that he had asked to resign 6 months earlier, but his request was dismissed by Dr. Kamber.

Mr. Darmo has called for an emergency meeting just prior to the ANC meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to elect a new Executive Board which will decide whether to attend Dadesho’s meeting.

Mr. Darmo was the subject of a Zinda Magazine’s investigative report on January 29 th (click here). On Wednesday, January 17, he and Mr. Fawzi Hariri, a senior Assyrian member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the appointed Minister of Industry in Baghdad, met with Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and her staff. The result of the meeting was the Congresswoman’s temporary shelving of the congressional resolution, called the Nineveh Plains Resolution, that would support the creation of an administrative area for Assyrians and other minorities in northern Iraq.

The report has since set off a fire-storm between different groups in the AUA. One group accuses Darmo of defacing the AUA by meeting with Rep. Eshoo on a crucial issue without the full consent of the Executive Board, while others praise him for being tough on the indecisive Assyrian-Kurdish relations. Less than a month after the publication of the Zinda report, Dr. Kamber resigned from his post. Mr. Darmo has since threatened to take legal action against Zinda Magazine for publishing this report.

Confused? Then please permit me to summarize the current situation for the returning deity, Tammuz, who is about to explore Mesopotamia in the next six months prior to his return to the Underworld. This synopsis, I hope, may shed some light on this situation for the mortal readers of my unforgiving opinion:

There are two competing visions for “Assyria” today: one is a vision of complete administrative autonomy in the region called the Nineveh Plains, the other is a vision of existence under Kurdish control. The first group – let’s call them the Idealists – believe in a fully democratic house of Iraq, built upon the four major pillars of Assyrian, Kurdish, Sunni and Shi’ai populations. Neither of these groups controls the human and natural resources of the other and all are equally subject to the will of the central government, democratically represented in Baghdad. The second group – the Collaborators – believe the Idealists are naïve in believing that a Christian state can ever exist autonomously in the Middle East. They propose working with the Kurds (not the Arabs) to form a semi-autonomous region under the Kurdish rule which can be protected against extremist Moslems in case of an all-out civil war in Iraq.

The Collaborators in turn are split into two groups: one that wishes to see a civilian authority in the Nineveh Plain reporting to Arbil and the other group – whom I have nicknamed the Assyrian Hezbollahs– who believe in the temporal leadership of the Assyrian Church of the East patriarch, Mar Dinkha IV.

Who are these Collaborators? They are primarily successful land and business owners from Chicago, California, and London pursuing long-term trade and business relationships with the Kurdish authorities in north Iraq. Some have already been identified as former Baathist collaborators. With Saddam gone, they have turned to the Kurdish Regional Government and Masoud Barzani's KDP. Whether collaborating with Saddam or Barzani, the last thing on their senseless minds is the future of the Assyrian heritage, language, and history. Thanks to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, working with the Kurds has afforded them ample opportunity for making money in north Iraq. These parasites from Chicago in particular, cloaking themselves under the tunic of the Patriarch of the Church of the East, travel regularly abroad to receive the blessings of their new Assyrian superiors working for the Kurdish government.

The Assyrian Hezbollahs in turn have a network of closer personal ties and kinship within the collaborators group, mainly tied to the Patriarch’s tribal group – the Nochiyas (click here). These include Mr. Fawzi Hariri, Mr. Sarkis Aghajan, Mr. Praidon Darmo and many working in Masoud Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Where do AUA, ADM, Dadesho, you and I fit into this picture then?

The real question is, of course, how does Washington think we fit into this kaleidoscope? With the backing of the Pentagon (since Condoleezza Rice has intensely warmed up to the idea of a Kurdish State) anything is possible. But the support of Pentagon also means the Christian West helping the Christian East. Another Crusade is all Tammuz can handle before he permanently decides to stay in the Underworld.

The AUA and the ADM, you and I, must heed the lessons of history and remember the golden rule of the regional balancing of power: love thy neighbor and love his enemy even more.

The new Executive Board of the AUA, the less ambitious ADM leaders in Iraq, and you and I should be considering all options before the return of Tammuz in Fall 2007.  But instead of Ceres, California, we should be turning our heads to Ankara, Tehran, and Damascus to establish "selective partnerships" from among all our Moslem neighbors who are the real centers of power in the region. These governments share the same interest as Assyrians do – a stable Iraq is in their best interest.

Collaboration with the Kurds may save us in the near future, but the same history books remind us of what the Kurds have done to their Christian neighbors, over and over again, when forced under the pressure of Turkey and Iran. The Kurdish regional government is already preventing Assyrian businesses from using Assyrian names or putting up signs using the Assyrian language on the front of their stores. The owners of these businesses were informed that they could only use Kurdish or English. The State Department continues to go easy on Kurdish leaders’ human rights abuses.

No region administered by the Assyrians under the direct control of any other "regional" power in Iraq can ever be called AUTONOMOUS. The autonomous region of the Nineveh Plains shall be only subject to the direct influence of a central government of Iraq. Arbil is not Baghdad and the Nineveh Plains under the Kurdish control is not an Assyrian region.

It will not take long before Tammuz realizes that the people of Ashur are facing very difficult times. The dispute over the future of the Nineveh Plains has exposed divisions within our political and religious layers since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

For every Assyrian writer decrying the dangers of mass exodus from our homeland, pummeled by threats and lawsuits, there will always be an immigration lawyer relishing the opportunity offered by the 7,000or more visas granted to Iraqi refugees.

Affiliations shift:  Barzani and Talabani flank the Baathist leaders of the past regime.

For every Father Yusuf Akbulut there will always be a double-crossing bishop like Mor Severios Hazail Soumi of the Syrian Orthodox Church, who defends his Turkish masters and denies the Assyrian Genocide.

For every ADO leader jailed in Damascus for speaking against tyranny, there will always be a Fawzi Hariri speaking against the Assyrian rule in the Assyrian homeland. The oil pumping through the pipes from Kirkuk speak louder than my editorials, I am afraid.

Call me crazy.  Call me a romantic. But I tend to agree with the Idealists that a greater willingness to take a tough line with Arbil and Baghdad is necessary without souring any alliances. As Assyrians and Christians we will always be vulnerable to the social and political abuse from our neighbors in the Middle East. Neutrality is therefore essential, as is our strength in numbers. Attending any meeting that would further polarize our power is a mistake, so is the blind pursuit of religious authority under any condition.

Affiliations may shift over and over again; Baathists become Barzanists, qibla moves from Baghdad to the new epicenter of conflict - Arbil, mavericks are accepted as the establishment, and the seekers of truth are punished for their dutiful love of a forgotten people. So stop wallowing in despair and let’s fight a good fight. The promise of Spring, Neesan, Tammuz, Easter, and the cyclical reality we call life is the same.  At the end, Marduk always wins, Ishtar blesses the land with blossoms and newborns, and the occupiers of Assyria surrender to the followers of Ashur. Such is the promise of Neesan, the source of inspiration of all that we do and fight for - every day.

Happy Kha b’Neesan 6757!

Muslims Forcing Christian Assyrians in Baghdad Neighborhood to Pay 'Protection Tax'

Courtesy of the Assyrian International News Agency
19 March 2007

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Muslims in the Dora neighborhood of Iraq are forcing Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) to pay the jizya, the poll tax demanded by the Koran which all Christians and Jews must pay in exchange for being allowed to live and practice their faith as well as being entitled to 'Muslim protection' from outside aggression.

At least two cases have been reported to a government employee -- who wishes to remain anonymous -- in which the Christian Assyrian wives were instructed to go to a certain mosque and pay, which they did out of fear. The stated reason for the payment was "we do the fighting and you pay to support."

The jizya has been collected since the arrival of Islam in 630 A.D. The last systematic collection was by the Ottomans (Turks), which came to an end only in 1918, when the Ottoman empire was defeated and partitioned in World War One.

Assyrians Against Kurdish bid on Kirkuk

Courtesy of Today's Zaman
14 March 2007
By Çağru Çobanoğlu

(ZNDA: Istanbul)  Iraqi Assyrians wrapped up a three-day meeting in İstanbul on 13 March with a statement opposing Kurdish attempts to establish control over the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk.

In a statement released after the meeting, the Assyrians said Kirkuk was part of Iraq, not of the Kurdish region.

"The Kurdish region is not as big as claimed (by Kurds)," said group member Barem Behram. "If you look at the history, you will see that Assyrians were populating the area that is claimed to be the Kurdish region today."

Iraqi Assyrians discussed the overall situation in Iraq during their three-day meeting at the Conrad Hotel in İstanbul. The meeting was originally planned to be held in Baghdad, but the plans had to be changed after participants from other countries were denied entry visas by Iraqi authorities.

The meeting was attended by some 43 participants, 17 of whom were from Iraq. The participants included US, Australian and German citizens.

Report of the 15th Annual Meeting of the "Solidarity Between Tur Abdin & North Iraq"

2 & 3 March 2007, Conference Venue of St. Ulrich in Augsburg, Germany

“We will not stay silent anymore!”

By Tuma Abraham MD reporting from Germany

(ZNDA: Augsburg)  The 15th annual meeting of the Solidarity Between Tur Abdin & North Iraq (SG) took place in Augsburg, Germany on March 2 and 3.

The SG was founded in spring 1993.  It comprises a soft merger of groups and individuals from human rights organisations, Assyrian organisations and representatives of the Catholic, Evangelical and Syrian-Orthodox churches taking on the preservation of Tur Abdin.

In the recent years also North Iraq was added to the terms of reference. The Board of the SG consists of Rev. Horst Oberkampf and Rev. Thomas Prieto-Peral from the Evangelical Church of Baden Württemberg and Bavaria in Germany; Janet Abraham, vice director of the Society for threatened People from Munich, Germany; and Dr. Shabo Talay from the Institute of Oriental Philology at the University Erlangen, Germany.

In his opening speech Rev. Horst Oberkampf from the Evangelical Church of Baden Württemberg, Germany introduced the two guest speakers, H.E. Archbishop Mor Filoksinos Saliba Özmen from Mardin, Turkey with his secretary Yusuf Begtas and the journalist Nuri Kino from Södertalje, Sweden.

Archbishop Filoksinos was ordained four years ago and has his seat in the parishes of Mardin and Diyarbakir. Rev. Oberkampf described him as a dynamic personality full of ideas and visions for Tur Abdin. He pointed out that Bishop Filoksinos was the first priest from Tur Abdin following the invitation of the SG.

From left to right: Pfarrer Horst Oberkampf, PD Dr. Shabo Talay, Erzbischof Mor Filoksinos Saliba Özmen, Janet Abraham, and Nuri Kino

In his introduction of the freelance journalist Nuri Kino, Mr.Oberkampf honoured the courage and dedication of his work.

Bishop Filoksinos then presented the main lecture of the first day on the political and religious situation of the Assyrians in Turkey. He started with the quotation “If you don’t know your past, you can’t see your future” and explained the reasons and results of the exodus from their home countries in the middle of the last century. He emphasized the decline of the cultural, spiritual and economical level of the whole area due to the migration of the Christians. None the less the experience of Diaspora, education and the dialogue with the world would have opened the chance to the Assyrian people to bring round the idea of a national consciousness.

He further stated the importance of the monastery Mor Gabriel under the head of Bishop Mor Timotheus Samuel Aktas for the re-opening of the monastery Deyrul Zahfaran after 34 years of vacancy. He explained his aims to enhance the monastery of Deyrul Zahfaran and Mardin to reinforce its former position and role as a gate to Tur Abdin. Recent projects are the restoration of the buildings, the issuance of a bi-lingual newsmagazine and instructions in language and religious studies. Future plans imply the inclusion of the monastery and the town of Mardin into the UNESCO world heritage and the establishment of a professorship for theological and religious studies at one of the countries universities.

Bishop Filoksinos underlined the importance of these efforts to second the changes in Turkey and support its path to a democratic society. Despite of the rather grim impression of the minorities’ recent situation he described the climate of public opinion as very positive towards the Assyrians. He relativized the influence of the reactionary forces compared to the development of the reform process. Yet he stressed the role of the European countries and the Assyrian organisations outside of Turkey to impel these changes.

Benjamin Demir then reported on the state of the return project in Kafro, Turkey.  Last year 17 houses were build and 11 families from Europe settled down in the village in summer of 2006. Future assignments include the restoration of the villages’ chapel and the integration of the families into the social and working environment of the area.

Mr. Abdulmesih Bar Abraham introduced the second guest speaker Nuri Kino, a freelance journalist engaged with subject matters on the situation of the Assyrian people around the world.

Nuri Kino was then recognized by representatives of the Syriac People Portal for being elected “Suryoyo person of the year 2006”.

Nuri Kino then reported on his movie “Assyriska – A National Team without a Nation” which plots a picture of the Assyrian peoples struggle for recognition based on the story of the soccer team from Södertalje, Sweden. The movie was awarded as the “Best Picture 2006” at the Beverly Hills Firlm Festival.

During his speech on the second day of the meeting Nuri Kino depicted the recent situation of the Assyrian Christians in Iraq. Refering to the gruesome execution of a young man he drew a grim picture of the terror Assyrians have to face, as they represent a weak target in the ethical conflict burdening the country. By terming figures of the UNHCR he stated that more than 30% of all Assyrians have left the country since the invasion of the allied troops. As a solution to this exodus he considered the acceptance of the systematic dimension of this expulsion by the commonwealth and the establishment of an autonomous administrative area in the Nineveh Plains.

He further explained the contentious issue among the Assyrian parties and organisations relating to the legal claims for such an administration either to be autonomous or under the influence of the Kurdish Regional Government. Also he addressed the difficulties with the Kurdish people in North Iraq and their offers for support of the Assyrians seeming beyond belief due to their intimidate and repressive politics.

He finally pointed out as essential for the fate of the Assyrian people, the silence on all the unjustness has to come to an end.

Together with Bishop Filoksinos he phrased the final thought for the meeting: “We will not stay silent anymore, but shall become ambassadors of peace!”

Assyrian Refugees To Be Resettled Before End Of Year

By Afram Barryakoub reporting from Sweden

(ZNDA: Stockholm)  In the 10th issue of Zinda Magazine in May 2006 when a report on the tragic fate of the Assyrian refugees in Turkey appeared, things were still unclear for the refugees and help was scarce.  Today, almost one year after the report in Zinda the refugees are finally being heard.  They are now receiving a refugee status.

"We have been promised visas to the U.S says," George Oraha Mansur, Chairman of the Iraqi Christian Refugee Community in Istanbul.

There have been many rounds of meetings and visits to the Assyrian refugees in Istanbul by different delegations. The refugees owe most probably much thanks to themselves for finally attaining enough attention.

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"We have been writing appeals to different organizations for years and they have come and met us from the U.S and Europe.  We wrote to the American Congress, to Jewish organizations in the U.S. and others," says George O. Mansur.

It has turned out that the Jewish organizations have probably been the most instrumental in helping the Assyrian refugees. According to Mansur it was the Chaldean Federation of America that asked the Jewish organizations for help.

"A Jewish group came here and they saw our situation, took our statements and took pictures and then went back to the U.S and wrote to the Foreign Office and the Congress about our status."

There have been media reports in the U.S who confirm that the American Jewish organizations have acted politically to bring the Assyrian Christian refugees to the U.S.

Felice Gaer of the American Jewish Committee is one of the persons involved in this issue. Zinda Magazine has on several occasions sought comments from Felice Gaer without any success.

All Assyrian refugees are not heading for the U.S. as some families are waiting to obtain visas to Canada or Australia.

Next month the European Union will conduct a meeting to discuss the refugee situation caused by the Iraq war.  George O. Mansur hopes that even European countries will open their borders for the refugees. "By the end of this year there will be no more Assyrian refugees stranded in Turkey," hopes George O. Mansur.

Receiving refugee status includes a process of three steps. The refugees first receive a refugee certificate by the UNHCR. Then they are interviewed in Istanbul by the International Catholic Emigration Committee which also prepares the applications to the American embassy in Turkey. After yet another interview the refugees finally receive a visa (stay permit) to the U.S.

To start this process the refugees must have valid entry visas to Turkey. But most of the Assyrian refugee’s entry visas have expired because of their long stay in Turkey. Getting a valid entry visa anew includes paying a fee to the Turkish authorities, a fee many refugees cannot afford.

"Because of this people are still in despair, they don’t have the money. We really need people with diplomatic connections to help us by convincing the Turkish government to take away the fee for those who can’t afford it," says Mansur.

But the refugees are happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel after all hardships.

"We are happy, because there are so many problems for us here in Turkey.  Honestly speaking the Turkish people have not welcomed us at all; they are discriminating against us and don’t help us because we are Christians," continues Masnur.

As for the Assyrian organizations George O. Mansur has this to say: "All the organizations that belong to our nation - Assyrians, Chaldeans and Syriacs have failed to submit any assistance to our Christian refugees in Turkey. We haven't heard or seen any aid or assistance or advice from them. Our parties are too busy in-fighting. What those organizations are able to do and succeed in is their singing parties in Ishtar and Ashur TV, and they also succeeded in collecting money using our names, but it went for other purposes," says Mr. Mansur.

In Jordan, Christians from Iraq Harassed

Courtesy of the Associated Press
15 March 2007
By Dale Gavlak

Iraqi Chaldean Catholic women attend Sunday mass at a Chaldean church in Amman, Jordan, on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2007. Overall, there are an estimated 750,000 Iraqi refugees in Jordan, ballooning its population by 14 percent. Of that, about 2,000 are Iraqi Christians and most of those are Chaldean Catholics, who once formed Iraq's largest Christian community and are linked to Rome, acknowledging the Pope as the head of their church. (Photo by Nader Daoud)

(ZNDA: Amman)  Iraqi sisters Nasrin and Rihab enjoyed a relatively peaceful life in Baghdad until the night almost a year ago when militiamen tortured and beheaded their only brother.

Then came threatening phone calls, said the sisters, both members of Iraq's small Christian community. And not long afterward, armed men broke into their home and beat them.

They "started hitting us, pulling our hair and pounding on my sister's stomach with their boots," wailed Nasrin, now 51, in an interview in their tiny apartment in Amman.

Rihab's gallbladder burst, and blood came out of her mouth, the sisters recalled. She was rushed to a hospital and when she recovered, with a large scar still across her middle, the two fled to Jordan.

"We escaped after that. They vowed to kill us," said Rihab, 56, who like her sister would not allow her family name to be used for fear of more attacks.

Their story is a chilling reminder of troubles faced by minority Christians in Iraq amid sectarian fighting between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Churches have been bombed, and businesses - particularly hair salons and liquor shops -destroyed.

As a result, many Christians have joined the flood of Iraqis fleeing their country. There are an estimated 750,000 Iraqi refugees in Jordan, including about 2,000 Christians. An additional 1 million Iraqis have fled to Syria.

Jordan has been especially worried about the influence of Shiite refugees, who are seen as a menace to the country's security and predominantly Sunni character. But Christians - most are Chaldean Catholics - have also faced a tough time here.

Rihab and Nasrin, who have put several locks and deadbolts on the door of their two-room apartment, say they are haunted by memories of Baghdad.

Militants kidnapped their brother, Muhanna, tied him up in a deserted house and tortured him, then killed him.

"He tried to call us from his phone, but the line went dead," Rihab said. "They took his cell phone and made threatening calls to us. .. We realized that something terrible had happened."

Police later discovered his body.

"Now we have no one at all to care for us and protect us," wept Rihab, clutching pictures of the bloody body.

The sisters, neither married, can barely afford their $200 monthly rent here. They have no family left in Iraq. A niece lives in Australia; the sisters were recently denied permission to settle there.

"I help an old woman. ... I'm tired. ... but we trust in God," said Nasrin.

Rihab believes Christians no longer have a future in Iraq, and thinks militants targeted her family because of their faith.

"'We will kill you, like we killed your brother,'" she said the militants threatened, over the phone, after the brother's death. "They shouted obscenities at us, telling us, 'You are Christians.'"

Afterward, the family home was attacked and they fled.

Leila Salman, a Christian whose two daughters were killed by Shiite militiamen last year, is also now living in Jordan and is grim about the future.

Her daughters, Linda and Rita, both in their 20s, were killed when men fired on a minibus taking workers home from a U.S. military facility in Baghdad. The two had washed clothes and worked at a dispensary for the U.S. military.

"We're being persecuted because the allied forces are Christian, and they think we are collaborators," their mother said.

Iraqi Mandeans Face Extinction

Courtesy of the Religion & Spirituality.com
2 March 2007

(ZNDA: Damascus)  Leaders of Iraq's Sabian Mandaeans - one of the oldest religions in the world - say they face extinction as Islamic extremists try to wipe them out through forced conversions, rape and murder.

The pacifistic Mandaeans, who are followers of Adam, Noah and John the Baptist, have lived in what is now Iraq before Islam and Christianity were created. More than 80 percent were forced to flee the country and now live as refugees in Syria and Jordan, BBC News online reported Friday.

They do not feel safe even there, however, and say western governments are unwilling to take them in. There are thought to be fewer than 70,000 Sabian Mandaeans spread across the world with only 5,000 left in Iraq.

In a tiny flat in Damascus, nine-year-old Selwan is too scared to leave his flat because other children tease him. He has burn scars down the side of his face and on 20 percent of his body caused when Islamic militants forced him to jump into a bonfire.

Luay, who is too scared to be identified and wouldn't give his full name to the BBC reporter, said gunmen abducted him off the street and forcibly circumcised him, a practice Mandeans do not allow. Now 19, he is unlikely ever to find a bride from his own faith.

Worse, he was forced to convert to Islam, which means that if he now declares himself Mandaean, the same extremists will declare him a traitor to Islam and worthy of death, so he will not be safe in any Muslim country.

Enhar was raped by a gang of masked men in front of her husband because she would not wear a veil. Mazen was a prosperous jeweller but now lives in a cramped, leaky flat with his wife and children. His legs riddled with machine-gun wounds, he can barely walk. Shoaki showed scars where a gang beat him, cut him with a knife and murdered his brother in front of him.

Mandaean elders call it annihilation and genocide. The say Islamic militants, both Sunni and Shia, offer them no choice but to convert or die. "Some will not consider us people of the book... they see us as unbelievers, as a result our killing is allowed," says Kanzfra Sattar, one of only five Mandaean bishops left worldwide.

Sattar says the Mandeans are a litmus test for modern Iraq. In a secular state Mandean doctors, engineers and jewelers would prosper, but in today's Iraq where lawlessness and religious extremism reign, he fears they will be destroyed.

"We are small in numbers, we ask all the governments of the world to extend a hand of help," Sattar says. He says if the West won't accept his people as refugees, "Our ethnic minority and our ancient religion will die off."

The UN refugee agency UNHCR estimates as many as a million Iraqis have fled to Syria. "The numbers that will be resettled are tiny compared to the very large numbers that are here," says Laurens Jolles, the head of a UNHCR team.
He acknowledges the Mandaeans must "wait in line" with other vulnerable groups.

Roughly two million Iraqis have fled to Syria, Jordan and Turkey, but the West has no plans to welcome large numbers. The United States has offered to take in 7,000, while Britain says it will consider every case "on its merits."

So the Mandaeans wait in line. As Shoaki told BBC, "Here, we live in despair."

Sabian Mandaeans in Iraq Face Annihilation

Based on a Report by the Mandaean Human Rights Group
January 2007

The Mandaean Human Rights Group is a self organized group dedicated for the help and protection of follow Mandaeans in Iraq and Iran given the situation in those two countries. The Human Rights Group watches, investigates and exposes human rights violations against Mandaeans. We have volunteers in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Europe and Iraq. Our model, in our work is the United Nation's Human Rights Declaration of 1948.

Acknowledgment

We gratefully acknowledge the dedicated help and advice of many organizations, without which this work would not have been completed. Numbered among them for this edition are:

1. The Spiritual Mandaean Council – Baghdad, Iraq
2. The Mandaean General Assembly – Baghdad, Iraq
3. The Mandaean Human Rights Association- Baghdad, Iraq
4. The Mandaean Associations Union .
5. The Mandaean Society in Jordan.
6. The Mandaean Society in Syria.
7. The Mandaean Society in Australia
8. The Special High Commission for the protection of Mandaeans
9. The Scientific Mandaean Society in Iran

The Sabian-Mandaean religion is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the Middle East. It is independent of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It follows the teachings of John the Baptist; baptism being its central ritual. Like most religions it emphasizes marriage, family, and peaceful coexistence with other groups. Mandaeans (Sabians or Sub’ba, in spoken Arabic) are the people who believe in this religion. One is born a Mandaean; the group accepts no converts. Well before the Christian era, Mandaeans have lived in Southern Iraq and Southern Iran. In Iraq, after WWI, they migrated to large cities such as Basra and Baghdad. Like Hebrews and Copts, Mandaeans are both a religious and ethnic minority. The word Mandaean refers to their distinct Aramaic language, which is still spoken by Iranian Mandaeans. In Iraq on the other hand, the Mandaean language survives only in liturgy. Similar to what happened to the Coptic language in Egypt. 

Demography

Although it is difficult to estimate, the Mandaeans are around sixty thousands at the present time. Their decreased numbers are due to continued persecution and forced mass conversions as well as relocation and assimilation. Currently, they live in large cities such as Baghdad , Umara and Bsra; few remain in other Iraqi cities like Nasiriya and southern Iranian cities like Ahwaz. During the past decade, and especially the past three years, thousands have escaped Iraq and Iran, choosing self-exile and immigration to death and persecution. There are about 15,000 Mandaean in different parts of Europe, 1500 in the United States, 1000 in Canada and about 4000 in Australia. There is also a large refugee population in various other countries: 1700 families in Syria, 650 families in Jordan, 50 individuals in Yemen, and 20 in Indonesia.

Short History of the Sabian Mandaeans

It is difficult to chart the origins and history of the Mandaean people because their literature does not deal with these topics. Presently only one Mandaean text has emerged which refers, but in a very confused manner, to their history. It is the “Diwan of the great Revelation, called ‘ Inner Haran’” or Haran Gawaita.

Salwan Salam , 10 years old. In Dyala area , kidnapped, beaten then burned on different areas of his body. Family paid ransom and left Iraq.

In Haran Gawaita there is a description of the Nasoraeans escaping from persecution and staying in the “Median Hills” under the rule of King Ardban. King Ardban has been identified with the Parthian King Artaban III, IV or V. This description shows how the Mandaean community, or part of it, penetrated into the Iranian territory of that time, that is during the period of the later Parthian kings, in the first or second centuries A. D. This same text describes how a Mandaean community was established in Mesopotamia and discusses its further history under the Sassanian rulers.

The emigration of the early Mandaean community from the Jordan valley in Palestine into eastern territories, brought about because of conflicts with the locals, must have taken place during the second century A.D. at the latest, because several Mesopotamian and Parthian elements presuppose a fairly lengthy stay in these regions. The emigrants went first to Haran, and the Median hills, and then entered the southern provinces of Mesopotamia.

Haran Gawaita attests to the foundation of a community in Baghdad, i.e. in Mesopotamia, and the appointment of Mandaean governors in this region. In contrast to the Parthian rulers, under whom the Mandaeans obviously prospered, relations with the Sassanians were bad. The same scroll refers to considerable reduction in the number of the Mandaean Mandis (Worship Houses) at that time. It is also clear from the inscription of the Zoroastrian high priest Kartar that those practicing non-Iranian religions – and the Mandaeans were among these – were persecuted during the reign of King Shahpur I.

With the rise of Islam there came renewed oppression. In spite of the mention of the Sabians as a “people of the book” in the Qur’an, Mandaeans were hardly ever tolerated. Thus, the afflicted community retired more and more into the inaccessible marshes of southern Iraq and the river districts of Khuzistan, where the Mandaeans are even now to be found.

During this journey in history, Mandaeans were faced with several massacres and genocide attempts. Examples of which are in :

• The 14 th century in Umara, Iraq by the hands of The Sultan Muhsin Ben Mahdi and his son Fiadh the ruler of Shushter. Thousands of Mandaeans were killed [1].
• The massacre of 1782 in South Iran and east Iraq when the Muslim rulers wanted the Mandaean books and the Mandaeans refused to give it in fear of destruction. Leaders of the community where tortured and killed and the rest had to escape [2].
• The massacres of Muhamra 1837 [3]
• The massacre of Suk Al-Shiuk 1839 [4]
• The Massacre of 1870 in Shuster By the hands Nassir Al-Deen Shah the ruler of Iran [5]

In the beginning of the twentieth century, the Mandaeans returned to the large cities ( Baghdad and Basra), and found opportunities for education social improvement.

After the First World War and with the rise of Turkish nationalism, Arab nationalism took president over religion and the Arab Muslims fought against the Muslim Outman Empire. A new phase of persecution appeared where the ethnic identity of minorities in the Arabic Islamic rule had to dissolve in the pan Arab chauvinistic identity. This included the Mandaeans , Christians, Kurds and all other ethnicities . The Mandaeans lost their language (Mandaean Aramaic), distinctive dress and heritage to Arabic culture. This arabization process especially in

1950 to 1960’s took their religion for the worst [6]. Mandaeans, were forced to deny certain Mandaean mandates. For instance as Mandaean children attended schools they are required to cut their hair, this is in direct violation to Mandaean rules. Since the sons of priests are barred from the priesthood if they cut their hair, this forced act has dwindled the pool of acceptable applicants. In addition they were drafted by force in the armed forces again against there religious mandate which prohibit carrying guns [7].

During the Baath and Saddam era the Mandaeans were under extreme pressure. The dictatorship affected the Iraqi society over the last several decades in a brutal way. This dictatorship held an iron grip over all Iraqis and stained the recent history with terror and the blood of the innocent. The Mandaeans took their share of misery and pain in the suffering that occurred. Several hundred Mandaeans died during Saddam rule for trying to express their thoughts in public. Hundreds of their young men and women were killed, condemned to horrible tortures, or simply vanished. Hundreds more were killed during the Iraq-Iran war under the forced drafting rules. This make s substantial portion of young male population. They were forced to go against their religious doctoring of not carrying weapons and never shedding blood, even in self-defence [8].

The concept of freedom in the Baath regime, especially religious freedom, was directly correlated with the personal favour demanded of Saddam Hussein and the regime [9]. The Mandaeans were no different; they suffered politically, economically, socially, and religiously from the persecution that has occurred against them. The Mandaeans have endured severe discrimination in employment, education, the legal system, and were subjected to forced military service and social shunning. This forced over 15,000 of the Mandaeans to flee from Iraq during that period. This represents a major percentage of the total numbers of the Mandaeans in Iraq, making them the most affected minority. Also, interference of authorities in religious matters and decisions led lots of the Mandaean priests to leave Iraq.

During the last decade and before the fall of Saddam regime, there was a surge in Islamic fundamental ideology both in the Sunni and Shia school of thoughts resulting from many factors out of the scope of this report. These extreme Islamic views carry, among other things, an extreme view of how Muslims should deal with other religions like Christianity, Judaism and Mandaeism. Un-acceptance and forced conversion is the only solution that these ideologies would accept. The followers of these sects used all the means available to them including money, threats and intimidation to convert other religious minority members like Mandaeans to Islam. These tactics were successful with a lot of Mandaean families in areas like in Faluja and Ramadi and some areas of Baghdad. The use of threats, intimidation, brain washing of children, and kidnapping of girls forced a lot of Mandaean families to surrender completely and accept their fate. During that period many Mandaeans where killed for their faith only [10].

Sabian Mandaeans after the fall of Saddam Husain regime.

Major changes have happened in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Husain. The situation has deteriorated further since our previous report in March 2006 [11] . Chaos and civil war are in the horizon. The sectarian identity among Iraqis has preceded the national identity and the violence is increasing in scope and lethality [12]. Sunni and Shia death squads are roaming the streets of Baghdad and other cities of Iraq. These death squads are killing based on the last name and religion presented on Iraqi ID [13]. Mandaeans and other Iraqi minorities are targeted by both sides. Recent incidents include the disappearance of a Mandaean engineer after being stopped by armed militia on the road to an Escanderia factory near Baghdad. Another occurred on the road to Ramadi: insurgents stopped a car and killed the driver, a Shia passenger, and a Mandaean father and his child.

Mandaeans are pacifists and conscientious objectors by doctrine. They are not allowed to carry guns, knives or any other weapon. The Killers are sinners. There main self-defence are dialogue, knowledge, and escape. They managed to wither previous storms in their history through manoeuvring and discussion and paying “Jizia” or ransom to local tribes for protection or escape. All these methods seem not working in this time of mass sectarian killing in Iraq.

Mandaeans are being targeted and killed primarily for their beliefs and secondly because of their position in the community as professionals and jewellers. In the month of November 2006 alone there were nine Mandaeans murdered, fifteen kidnapped and more than thirty known threats demanding ransom. In addition, two religious clergy have been assassinated in October. Al-Halali Raad Mutar Falih was machine gunned in his house in Sewara in front of his family. Al-Halali Talib Salman Arabi in the Ur section of Baghdad was killed at his doorstep in front all his family and neighbours. A list of Mandaeans killed since the removal of the Saddam regime is available in appendix one .

Forceful conversion is happening to an alarming degree. Boys are being kidnapped, forcefully circumcised (a major sin in Mandaean religion) and forcefully converted to Islam (case has been shown to representative of Amnesty International during their visit to Amman in 2006), Young girls have been kidnapped, raped, or forced to marry Muslims. Families receive threats demanding that they either convert or pay “Jizia,” a ransom paid allowing others to live among Muslims. Often these threats come in the form of phone calls, letters, or through direct contact. (All these cases and other similar cases have been presented to the UNHCR in Jordan and detailed accounts presented to UNHCR in Geneva in may 2006)

Confiscation of property is also becoming a common, unpunished practice. Mandaean houses are being taken in areas of Baghdad like Dora, Adamia, and Sidia, in addition to other cities like Basra and Baquba. Sabean Mandaeans first receive threatening letters. As they flee the area, their property is immediately occupied. Often, police and neighbours are unwilling to provide assistance. In one instance, a Mandaean family in the Adamia region of Baghdad went to the police to register the confiscation of their house. When the police questioned the neighbours, the neighbours said that the people who currently occupied the house had been there for 20 years and the Mandaean family was lying. Their case was immediately dismissed, and they later received a death threat advising them to either leave Baghdad or face the consequences. Other properties that have been taken belong to the Mandaean houses of worship. The Mandi (a Mandaean House of worship) in Qalaa Salih, Umara and the Mandi in Baquba were both taken by armed militia. In addition, a Mandaean community center in Baghdad and Mandaean land in Basra were all forcefully taken without compensation.

More than 80% of the Mandaean community has been displaced to outside Iraq.

The Mandaean community in Iraq has dwindled from more than 60 thousand in the early 1990s to 5-7 thousand today. Most have escaped to Syria and Jordon and others have also fled to Yemen and other countries. Those Mandaeans who are unable to leave Iraq are currently moving to different cities inside the country or moving together in houses in order to gain a sense of security and protection.

Dr . Nisreen Abdul-lateef, Dentist, Married with two kids. Attacked on august 8th 2006 by masked gun men in her clinic shouting slogans against the infidels. Kicked and beaten then put to the floor to be slaughtered. She was saved by her patients.

Some have tried to move to Kurdistan, however there is no system of support for refugees, and authorities there are not ready to accept refugee seeker. With recent regulations it has become even more difficult to enter the area. In addition Mandaeans fear that religious persecution in that area will start once their identity is known.

Employment in Iraq is now related to political, sectarian and ethnic affiliation rather than qualifications. The ministries are divided among the Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish factions [14] and they deny all others, namely Mandaeans and Christians, any chances of employment. Large numbers of Mandaean are gold smiths they can not go to work to earn a living as they are easy victims, also their businesses were taken by Moslems, The same goes for Mandaean professionals like doctors and others.

Mandaeans have tried to express their concerns through the political process in Iraq. However, they have no voice in the parliament and no direct solid connection to any of the effective officials. Contacts with officials, religious leaders, and political party leaders have resulted in empty promises and no stop of any of the above atrocities. Many of Iraq’s most powerful and well-positioned leaders are not working toward a united Iraq any way [15]. The police force is corrupt, often helping attackers, and has little to no role in protecting minorities [16].

According to the USCIRF 2006 Annual Report:
"minority communities, including Christian Iraqis, are forced to fend for themselves in an atmosphere of impunity, and lack any tribal or militia structure to provide for their security. The result is that members of these communities continue to flee the country in the face of violence, in an exodus that may mean the end of the presence in Iraq of ancient Christian and other religious minority communities that have lived on those same lands for 2,000 years [17].

The situation of the Mandaean refugees in the middle Countries (where asylum seekers wait for approvals and resettlement)

Mandaeans are escaping mainly to Syria and Jordan.It is rather important to point out that the Mandaean situation is different from other minorities in Iraq as they do not have any identified geographical area to go to temporarily ,they have no choice other than LEAVE IRAQ AS REFUGEE

There are about 1700 families in Syria, mostly in the Germanha area of Damascus, and about 650 in Jordan, mostly in Amman. The conditions of the refugees differ only slightly between the two countries.

These countries are neither ready nor able to deal with a large influx of refugees by their own resources. They are not refugee accepting countries. Refuge-seeker are left to their own resources without any specific legal, social, medical, educational or financial support. At the border, they are given 3 months temporary stay, and after that time, they become illegal. Sometimes this stay can be extended for a maximum of an additional 3 months. Illegal residents are not allowed to work and have no legal or social support from the governments, and they are under the threat of deportation if they have an encounter with the police, even as victims. This leaves the door wide open for all sorts of abuse.

Abuse of refugees by employers is widespread. Refugees are forced to work for long ours and are either paid with meals or are denied compensation and are constantly threatened with deportation if their case reaches police.

Women and children are falling prey t o all sorts of abuse. Pressures of illegal employment, deportation, and even hunger forces women in the pit of sexual abuse. Some girls are being lured into the sex trade and some are kidnapped and married by sex traders to be sold in other countries as sex labourers. Such cases are known but will not be reported due to social stigma in the Middle East communities.

Children are not allowed to enter the education system easily in both countries. Private education is very expensive. Most of the parents cannot afford to put their kids in schools and thus many are left without education. Children are forced to go to work places to help their parents. Some factories take advantage of the government policies regarding refugees and employ children for nominal fees and long hours. Such cases are being reported on personal level never reach the police.

In addition, most of the refugees cannot afford the expensive health care systems in both Syria and Jordan. There is no system for providing proper health care for the refugees. Few humanitarian organizations in Amman provide some health care for free but they do not have medications to treat many acute illnesses much less chronic ones. Most malignancies are diagnosed late, patients are not treated, and some are left to die. To add insult, most families have no money to bury their dead. Some families started to beg in mosques and churches and some even search the dumpsters for food. Psychological problems including depression and posttraumatic stress syndromes are widespread among both adults and children.

Most Mandaeans have presented their cases to the UNHCR offices in Amman. They are usually granted temporary protection cards, but those cards have no value with the authorities in both countries. None of their cases have been processed for resettlement or presented to other refugee-accepting countries. Although the UNHCR office in Jordan is a regional office it has very little staff (only 4 officers) and very little resources to deal with large numbers of refugees [18]. Conditions in Jordan and Syria are becoming inhumane and turning a blind eye and remaining silent have ceased to be acceptable options for the international community.

There are about 50 Mandaeans who had escaped to Yemen even before the fall of Saddam and have been there for more than five years. Their cases where processed by the UNHCR and presented to the United States for resettlement, but the process was put on hold after 9/11. They are under tremendous stress from the community around them who do not know, understand, or accept Mandaeans their religion. As their identity becomes known to the locals they are being deprived even of the meagre resources they gained over the last 5 years. Employment is denied, women are sexually harassed, and they face religious persecution. There are no facilities or running water for Mandaeans practice their faith. If such facilities were provided, many families would not want to use them because they would expose themselves to much danger. In the community, young Mandaean women are being pressured to marry Muslim men. Their refusal has caused many families to face many social difficulties and has forced many of them to relocate. The kidnapping of one Mandaean woman is still unsolved.

There are about 30 Mandaeans left without a solution to their cases in Indonesia. Most were victims of human trafficking on the way to Australia or other refugee accepting countries. They have been left in Indonesia for more than five years, where they have no legal status. The UNHCR has rejected their cases twice even though in other regions the UNHCR has found that the processed Mandaean cases were legitimate. Recently UNHCR reopened the cases but no final decision was ever taken.

What is the solution?

The international community and especially the United States Government, UNHCR, UK government, other Coalition Countries, Australia, the EU countries and all other NGO’s should act i to prevent the Humanitarian disaster in the making.

One of the oldest and most peaceful communities in the Middle East is being annihilated from its origins under the eyes and ears of the international community.

All articles of the U.N declaration that applies to protection of the endogenous, ethnic and religious minorities are compatible with their situation and should be applied.

Because of the role and responsibility of the United States in Iraq, and the commitments the government has made, the United States has special obligations least of which morally to step up and save the Mandaeans and other religious minorities in Iraq [19].

Aseel Dhafer, 12 years old, was Kidnapped on September 28, 2004. Kiddnapped , tortured. The kidnappers asked the parents to convert, pay ransom and leave the country. Family paid $15000.00 and left Iraq.

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has already urged Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Mr. Dobriansky to create new or expand existing options for allowing members of Iraq's Chaldo-Assyrian and Sabean Mandaean religious minority communities to access the U.S. refugee program, and to urge UNHCR to resume full refugee status determinations for all Iraqi asylum seekers and assess all claims without delay [20].

UNHCR has an immediate and urgent obligation to start processing these cases for resettlement. The Organization should take active steps to provide protection for the refugees in Jordan and Syria to give them a proper legal status to prevent abuses.

The UNHCR must grant all Mandaeans a full refugee status in all countries as group and not individual cases and give them complete protection from deportation to Iraq.

Proper Medical, and humanitarian assistance should be offered and financial support to any agency that can provide that help to the refugees.

The Iraqi Government should be held responsible for providing financial help for the Mandaean refugees through independent agencies to provide them with the necessary humanitarian support.

The Iraqi Government should be responsible on recording and saving the properties of the Mandaean community i