The Plight of Assyrians in The Middle East

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday April 14, 2003 10:17 by Hermiz Shahen

The power of angry propaganda is that it rewrites history through the victimization of peace-loving peoples. Such is the case of Christian Assyrians now living in the Middle East. They have and continue to endure butchery and abuse at the hands of Arab despots. Consequently, they now live in a perpetual diaspora such as the Jewish people suffered for hundreds of years before the formation of the State of Israel in 1948. While the pro-Arab Western media largely ignores their voices and ancient heritage, it is the belief of Christian Assyrians that “Israelis have a superior claim to Jerusalem” over that of Yasser Arafat’s Palestinians.

Assyrian “ is a genuine nationality of Mesopotamian ancestry. Since the fall of their capital, Nineveh, 25 centuries ago, they have survived oppression and massacre by oppressors in the Middle East. Assyrians are extant. Though their racial identity has been suppressed, their political status annulled, and their social standing derogated to that of a minority. The Assyrians are neither Arab nor Kurd; they are not Moslems, never were, and shall never be. In addition, the modern nomenclature, “Chaldean” refers to another Mesopotamian ancestry derived of the Assyrian dynasty. The distinction of Chaldeans today is their affiliation of Assyrians to the Papal Church, while the rest of our people continue our adherence to the mother church, the Assyrian Church of the East.

Today, oppression hangs like a plague over the Assyrian people in their ancestors’ homeland. A large part of our population has fled, scattering in every corner of the world for its survival. The bitter facts and crimes of genocide committed against the Assyrian nation, particularly during WWI and continuing since that time, have left deep marks and painful memories. One cannot find a single Assyrian, whether from Turkey, Iran, Syria or Iraq, who was left unscathed by this uncivilized behavior and rampant barbarity. World governments have long ignored the agony of Assyrians and their plea for help. In a way similar to the fate of the Armenians and the Pontic Greeks, the genocide against the Assyrians has not been universally recognized, which only adds to the continuing pain of our people. The passage of time has done nothing to ameliorate this rank injustice, and Assyrians can no longer remain silent. Our people particularly in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey, are not allowed to complain about their inhumane and unjust treatment. If those of us in the free world do not speak on their behalf, no one else will.

Rightly or wrongly, Assyrians in the West are not given to loud and noisy public demonstrations regarding their national tragedy. They have demonstrated for centuries that their culture strongly favors peace and industry. They have always pursued their goals in civilized dialogue, not through violence. ASSYRIANS REMEMBER
THEIR MARTYRS
Assyrian communities throughout the world commemorate the Assyrian Genocide and Martyrs day, on 7th August each year. This is to respect those in our community who lost their lives to save their nation. Last August 7 marked the eighty-eighth commemoration day of the Genocide committed by the Turks (with the assistance of several Kurdish tribes). This campaign of mass extermination was launched against the Christian Assyrians, under the slogan of Holy War (Jihad). As a reward, Turkey helped the Kurds to settle in the Assyrian territory of Northern Mesopotamia (entailing, of course, the expulsion of the Assyrians). Northern Mesopotamia is now unlawfully known as “Kurdistan”. This barbarous genocide led to the deracination of about 750,000 Assyrians. Thousands of villages and towns were lost to the Turks and Kurds in the region of Van, Turkey, as well as the region of Urmia, Iran. All the Churches, holy books and finery were looted, burned and destroyed. Children and young women that escaped the sword were taken prisoners while thousands more fell into the trap of forced conversion to Islam. Their choice was between the sword and Islam; many martyred.

In the month of August 1933, a massacre of Assyrians took place in the district of Simel in the State of Nineveh/Iraq. This slaughter too was committed in the name of the Jihad, and it was no less horrific than the previous ones. It brought death and destruction to over three thousand innocents. The perpetrators in this case were members of Kurdish and Arab tribes, under the direct supervision of the Iraqi Armed forces.

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THE SEPTEMBER 11 TRAGIC EVENT
Assyrians, all over the world stand resolutely against terrorism. The September 11, 2001 catastrophe in the USA, followed by the October 2002 Bali bombing, has deeply shocked this nation. Assyrian organizations from all over the world extended their heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the people of the United States and of Australia, and especially to all those families, whose loved ones were victimized by such heinous crimes. Assyrians stand in solidarity with all peace loving people around the world against terrorism, incursion, war, poverty and exploitation.

Since the barbarous attack of September 11 on the USA, the Western media have pointed their fingers at Moslem fanatics of Middle Eastern origin. As a consequence, this has fueled more hatred towards Christians in that part of the world. We receive a stream of reports indicating that our brothers and sisters over there are confronted, harassed, interrogated and treated as suspects more than ever before. Because we are associated with the West and against Islam, many of our Middle East churches have been torched, and several priests and nuns have been imprisoned or murdered.

The horror that hit the U.S. and Bali, the graphic display of death and indiscriminate killing has dented humanity’s confidence in itself. Terror of this magnitude inevitably affects everyone on our small planet; no one can escape the fallout. Yet, we should remember that such violence is almost an everyday occurrence in the Middle East, in countries such as Iraq, Turkey and Israel.

For years, Western countries have deluded themselves into thinking that they could appease these extremist movements or perhaps simply ignore them. It is very sad to say, but the tragic loss of so many thousands of lives has forced the West to take stock and to consider the fallacy of previous assumptions.

The inescapable fact is that the homeland Assyrian Christians are at the mercy of radical groups or governments with the same mindset as the perpetrators of the recent attacks. Under the name of Allah or Jihad, there is a continuing effort to inflict the worst acts of genocide against both the Jewish and Christian people. In the latter category, this includes Assyrians, Copts, and Maronites, who continue to experience savage treatment, which has resulted in their children remaining scattered throughout the world in diaspora.

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ASSYRIA AND ISRAEL
The world should be made aware that there are only three Semitic identities in the Middle East, chronologically as follows: Assyrians, Jews and Arabs. They differ in their language, their religion, and their culture. As they did in the past, we believe that each of these people should live within its own borders, but in peace.

In Islamic countries in the Middle East, the people and governments have ceaselessly tried to eliminate our Assyrian nation with the long-term objective of seizing the land of our forefathers, hijacking our culture, and crediting Islam for our achievements that are actually Assyrian. The Jewish people are facing -- and will do so for a long time -- the same fate, until Middle East lands are returned to their original people.

Assyrians consider Jews as their nephews with a common forefather: Abraham. Abraham left Ur of Chaldae in 2000 B.C. and relocated in southern Mesopotamia (near Basra in Southern Iraq). He migrated to the land of Israel and originated its 12 tribes. The five million Jews in Israel and the two million Assyrians, mainly in Iraq, share a common fate and common destiny. They are two besieged ethnic Semitic minorities, their existence and national identities threatened by 160 million Semitic Arabs. The language of Assyrians and Jews has a common origin. Aramaic and Hebrew are cognate languages with common vocabularies. A few cognate words include Shalom= Shlama (peace); Shabbat= Shabta (Saturday); Alohim= Alaha (God); Rabbi= Rabi (teachers, priest); Nisan= Nisan (April); Tamus= Tmas (July); Tishirn= Tishirn (October); Tahneen= Taneena (alligator)…” (From The Assyrian Guardian, September 1992).

Assyria was a major power thousands of years ago; then, it was annihilated and vanished from geographical maps, when they were conquered by the Medes and the Persians in 612 B.C. Jerusalem also fell the same year. In order to understand Biblical prophecy and God's plan for the end of times, one must understand the history of the people of Israel and Assyria. Israel was restored to official statehood in May 1948. Likewise God has an end-time plan for Assyrians. God actually calls Assyria "the work of my hands" (Isaiah 19:25). God's handiwork has not vanished from God's maps! The Assyrians will once again be given their own homeland by God's will. Isaiah (19:24) says, " In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land ". Today, while some 2 million Assyrians are living in the Middle East mainly in the heart of their homeland (Iraq of today), a comparable number is scattered around the globe.

In order to find a permanent solution to the Israeli and PLO conflict, Assyrians believe in the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. The hope is that the Israeli government will take some important initiatives and approaches to resolve their internal problems. These solutions can only come from an inner struggle of liberation from hate, fear, revenge and the longstanding history of violence and killings. Without a hopeful solution, innocent people will continue to be victimized, while the perpetrator will be miserable and far worse off.

Unfortunately, the use of violence and revenge is becoming very common in resolving conflicts all over the world. But for once we should remember Gandhi, the towering figure of this century: 'the idea of an eye-for-an-eye will one day make the whole world blind.' This paradigm must be destroyed before it destroys the world. Human beings should take greater pride in having taken the first step toward peace at heart than to have thrown the first stone. One day, perhaps, even the media will focus on the world's peacemakers and not only on warlords.

Based on historical and Biblical facts, Assyrians believes that Israelis have a superior claim to Jerusalem. But this holy city is an important place of worship for the three major global religions. We believe that the Israeli government should seriously consider a neutral status for this holy city, assuring not only its importance for worship, but as a magnet for international tourism. Such a solution would also put an end to the Islamic dream of reoccupying this Holy City.

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ASSYRIANS AND THE
CURRENT REGIME IN IRAQ
Successive Iraqi governments have sought to eradicate the presence of Assyrians from their historical homeland. The thinly veiled intention is to cause the disappearance of this indigenous people from a region where its millennial link is by far the most authentic. This eradication was and continues to be implemented by massacres, political executions, denial of citizenship rights and forceful displacements. By way of some evidentiary support, 102 Assyrian villages were destroyed between 1975 to 1988 by the current Iraqi Ba’th regime, during its Al-Anfal military operations.

The Arabizing regime of Saddam Hussein does not recognize the constitutional rights of Assyrians as the original people of that land. This regime has robbed them of their livelihood and has removed them from their ancient lands. The intention was to destroy countless historical cities and churches that they considered priceless to their community. This has also inflicted irreparable damage to proper future scholarly and scientific exploration, thus pointing to the suppression and/or manipulation of Assyrian history.

The 200,000 Assyrians living in the Northern region of Iraq were caught in the crossfire of conflicts largely involving opposing Kurdish factions and Iraqi aggressors. Assyrians once again fell under the sway of oppression. Their numbers diminished in Northern Iraq due to persecutions that were neither publicized nor acknowledged by the outside world. They were driven to emigration, not by choice, but by force. When the media recently spoke of the problems in Northern Iraq, it made no reference to the Assyrians, despite the fact that film footage clearly showed Assyrian-speaking people, pleading for assistance, and doing so with a language, culture and religion distinctly different from that of the Kurds.

If the Western world does not apply a more proactive and investigatory approach to the situation in Iraq, human rights violations will continue to take the form of ethnic and religious cleansing. This is why Assyrians support United States intervention in Iraq that is aimed at the removal of Saddam Hussein, with the hope this will give birth to a democratic government that is more respectful of civil and social rights."

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ASSYRIAN DEMANDS

The Assyrian people seek international recognition of their respective legitimate rights through their many political organizations in and outside the Middle East. The Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) was the first Internationally recognized organization established from an international alliance made up of various sectors of the Assyrian national organizations and federations throughout the world.

The creation of the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) in April 1968, in Pau, France, provided for the first time a vehicle at the international level to represent various Assyrian national organizations and federations throughout the world. This made it possible for a focused voice to address issues confronting Assyrians, whether in the homeland or the diaspora.

The AUA has made a number of appeals and entered into negotiations with various government and international organizations on behalf of the Assyrian Nation. The objectives of such efforts have been to advance the Assyrian cause internationally, on the humanitarian, as well as the political front. The AUA has done its best to explain that diaspora Assyrians aspire to live in peace and harmony as worthy members of the population, wherever they may now reside. As to the Assyrian people who remain in their homeland (Iraq), the AUA seeks the support of democratic governments and international bodies, in defending their indigenous rights, and their highly prized national identity, culture, heritage, language and religion.

Aside from the AUA, Assyrians whether from Iraq, Turkey, or Syria, have established a number of political parties such as, the Assyrian Democratic Organization, Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party, the Assyrian Democratic Movement, and others.

Assyrian demands can be summarized as follow:

That the Assyrian identity be internationally recognized as a distinct ethnic cultural and linguistic identity and their status as the indigenous people and first class citizens must constitutionally be recognized in Iraq/ Turkey/ Syria and Iran.

That the genocide of the Assyrians by the Ottoman Turks during World War 1 be legally and internationally recognized;

That the Assyrian case involving promises made to them for an autonomous homeland (upon which the Assyrians relied and supported the Allies during World War 1, and for which they were consequently subjected to genocide massacres and continuing persecutions) be reopened, reconsidered and re-addressed by the UN in consultation with Assyrians. The autonomous rights cover the Assyrian Triangle an area that bears testament to the ancient Assyrian history and heritage dating back thousands of years. This land includes historical sites and still buried treasures (artifacts, statues, tablets, reliefs and probably even temples and ancient cities).

Currently, Assyrian historical lands are divided among four countries: Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran. These autonomous zones should be self ruled and entitled to certain state guaranteed rights to freely exercise and enjoy their own language, culture, history and religion.

That Iraq be required to apply a proper and significant proportion of funds from export of oil for the implementation of programs of education, health and resettlement of Assyrians in their traditional homeland.

That all international negotiations involving policy-setting, land distributions and political representations involving Iraq and Northern Iraq be carried out in consultation with Assyrians, with a genuine view of resolving the Assyrian problems;

That Assyrians should have the right to return to their original areas, which they were forced to abandon during the last two centuries, and that they be entitled to receive compensation. That their homes and lands be returned to them.
In conclusion, the Assyrian nation seeks through its organisations to support its condition in the homeland as well as in the diaspora. We are determined to stay on message by increasing international awareness of the Assyrian nation's right to survive, and its quest to find its rightful place among the nations of the world. Our ancestors contributed immeasurably to mankind’s cultural development. We hope to build on this legacy.

References:

Assyria Online

Indigenous People Under the Rule of Islam. By Fredrick P. Isaac. Publisher Xilibris. 2002

Minorities in the Middle East. By Mordechai Nisan, Mcfarland: Jefferson, North Carolina and London

Perley, David Barsum, J.S.D. Whither Christian Missions

www.nineveh.com

Assyria, the Forgotten Nation in Prophecy, by John Booko. USA. 1992

The oldest Christian People, William Emhardt and George Lamsa, AMS Press NY. 1926

A last thought: keep this article in mind the next time an Arab spokesman tries to justify a homicide bombing or other despicable act of Islamist terror such as 9-11 as a legitimate response to their perceived sufferings. This is because the Christian Assyrians have suffered much worse, by several orders of magnitude, and yet they remain peaceful in the eyes of God and the world.