From: Subject: ZENDA - March 21, 2000 Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 11:19:38 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_008C_01C31553.B6871200"; type="text/html" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_008C_01C31553.B6871200 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2000/zn032100.htm ZENDA - March 21, 2000
 =20
 Z I N D = A  M A G A Z I N = E
Adaar 21,=20 = 6749           &nb= sp;     =20 Volume=20 = VI            = ;       =20 Issue=20 = 5            =        =20 March 21, = 2000

To receive our weekly = notification message=20 or this issue in text format write to = z_info@zindamagazine.com.=20

T H I S   W E E K   I N   Z I N = D=20 A
The=20 Lighthouse The Akitu Festival:  Twelve Days of=20 Rebirth
Good=20 Morning Bet-Nahrain Turkish Interior Ministry Forbids New Year=20 Celebrations
Assyrians in Jordan Pleas = for Papal=20 Help
News=20 Digest Assyrian-Syrian-Chaldean Delegation in=20 Strasbourg
Thank You Letter to Assist = Secretary=20 Edward S. Walker
Hannibal Alkhas = Exhibition Opens=20 in Holland
State of Illinois Proclaims = April 1=20 Assyrian New Year Day
Surfs=20 Up "The Conspiracy Continues"
Surfers=20 Corner Raabi Nimrod Simono Scholarship
Assyrian=20 Surfing Posts The Ancient Middle Eastern Capital City =
New Year Celebration (Kha b'Neesan)
Literatus Seven
Bravo FIU to Examine Middle East = Christians
Pump=20 Up the Volume Endurance and Weakness
Back=20 to the Future Free Mesopotamia under Parthians and the = Mongolian=20 Convert
This=20 Week in History The First Girls' School
Calendar=20 of Events Kha b'Neesan Party in San=20 Jose

All blue=20 links throughout this issue are hyperlinks to other sections on this = page or=20 featured websites.=20

THE LIGHTHOUSE=20

THE AKITU FESTIVAL:  = TWELVE DAYS OF=20 REBIRTH

The New Year's festival, also = called the=20 Akitu Festival, dates from about 2000 BC in Mesopotamia.  The New = Year=20 commenced with the new moon nearest the spring equinox.   = Akitu lasted=20 twelve days beginning with the first day of the month of Neesan and=20 served several objectives:=20

Although the main actors in the festivities = were the=20 gods, the king's participation in the celebrations and the community = were=20 essential. Indeed, in Babylon, certain rites would not be performed = unless the=20 king was present in person. He was the representative of the community = in a=20 concourse of forces which sprang from beyond the range of human will or=20 understanding.=20

The inner logic of these celebrations comes from = ancient myths,=20 i.e. the Myth of Creation, or the Enuma Elish, the Descent of = Inanna/Ishtar and=20 the Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi in the highlights of the festival=20 celebrations, or the Sacred Marriage Rite. The Descent of Inanna/Ishtar = is=20 hardly mentioned by most scholars, but it is there in full symbolism, in = the=20 kings descent, the high priestess=B4 and the city's wailing for the=20 vanished/captive king. The beauty of the Courtship and the Sacred Rite = is not=20 overlooked, but it is seldom ignored that it was the most hallowed of = all rites,=20 the culmination of events that led to the following day Second = Determination of=20 Destiny.=20

Days 1 through 4 of = Neesan:  Preparations and Purifications

During the first five days, the rites within Esagila = (Marduk=B4s=20 temple in Babylon) reflected a somber mood, where priests and = priestesses=20 attuned to desolation, utter bereavement and grief for the uncertainties = of the=20 coming future. It is known that the people of the city also gave = expression to=20 misery and anxiety by ritual wailing, which, nevertheless, seem not to = have been=20 part of any temple service, though many temple hymns reflect this = mood.=20

Each morning, before sunrise, the high priest, after = a ritual=20 washing, entered the temple alone and prayed to Marduk and to other = gods.=20 Afterward the other priests commenced their daily tasks.=20

On the evening of the fourth day, the Enuma Elish, or the Epic of = Creation,=20 was recited in its entirety, for each New Year shared something with the = beginning of times, when the world was created and the cycle of seasons = started.=20 A recital of that triumphant achievement increased the power of all = favorable=20 forces to overcome the hazards which had led to the incarceration of the = god of=20 natural life. In later stages of the festival, Marduk=B4s battle with = Chaos was=20 actually represented in the ritual, but on the evening of the fourth day = the=20 recital of the Epic was only an interlude in the general preparations = for the=20 atonement.=20

Day 5:  Day of=20 Atonement for the king

In the fifth day, the king is the main participant in = the=20 ritual. In the morning, the high priest again offered prayers of = appeasement,=20 this time to Marduk as manifest in the heavenly bodies.=20

Then the temple was purified. Offerings and = incantations=20 continued. Craftspeople equipped the chapel of Nabu (Marduk=B4s son who = was to=20 arrive on the morrow) with na offering-table and a gold canopy from the = treasury=20 of his father. While these preparations were going on, the king entered = Marduk=B4s=20 shrine. He was escorted into the chapel by priests, who left him alone. = The high=20 priest emerged from the Holy of Holies where the statue of Marduk stood. = He took=20 the kings scepter, ring, scimitar and crown and put them upon a "seat" = before=20 the statue of the god. Again, he approached the ruler, who was standing = deprived=20 of signs of royalty, and struck his face; then, the high priest made him = kneel=20 down to pronounce a declaration of innocence:=20

I have not sinned, O Lord of the = Lands,=20
I have not been negligent regarding thy = divinity,=20
I have not destroyed Babylon...
The High Priest replied in Marduk=B4s name: =
Do not fear... what Marduk has spoken...
He=20 will hear thy prayer. He will increase thy dominion
Heighten thy royalty...


The High Priest then took up the insignia and = gave them=20 back to the king, striking his face once more in the hope of drawing = tears -=20 which were counted a favorable omen and proof of the god's will.=20

It is clear that by his penance and confession, the = king=20 cleansed himself of the taint of past sins , thus cleansing also the = community,=20 becoming fit to officiate in the succeeding rites. It is also clear that = his=20 renewed investiture with the insignia of royalty signified a renewal of = kingship=20 and the bond with the gods and the community he embodied. At the = coronation,=20 too, the insignia had been placed upon seats in front of the god. I = would like=20 to point out that the seat is also a sign for the Earth Mother or Ki, as = well as=20 a symbol of Anu, the Skyfather, or in the words of the myths "the horned = crown=20 upon a shrine". The meaning is thus is very clear. It tells of the link = the king=20 has with Anu and Ki as the ruler of the land and shows the bond between = the=20 heavenly and earthly powers the king should protect and ensure through = wise=20 leadership in all levels and spheres.=20

Likewise, the ritual humiliation of the king brought = him into=20 harmony with the conditions under which the great ceremony of renewal = started.=20 Though communication with Marduk was still possible in the Esagila, in = the outer=20 world the god had "disappeared", as does Inanna during Her annual = descent to the=20 Underworld.=20

In the city, people were disturbed. The king, the = shepherd of=20 the land, had been robbed of his splendor, of the protection of the = royal=20 insignia and reduced to a minimum of power which corresponded to the low = ebb in=20 the life of nature, to the "captivity" of the god and also to the state = of chaos=20 preceding creation. Five days of sacrifice, atonement and purification=20 culminated in the kings degradation and reinstatement.=20

While the measured rites occupied priests and = priestesses at=20 the great temple of Marduk, city dwellers entered a different state of = mind. We=20 learn about these popular activities from commentaries, explaining the = ritual=20 acts of the people in terms of mythology, for the benefit of a priestly=20 school.=20

The commentary says that "Marduk was confined in the = mountain",=20 and it is a Mesopotamian formula for the death of a god, characterizing = the=20 point from which the festival took its start.  Death here means the = suffering of the god, and here we have a clear allusion to the Descents = of=20 Inanna/Ishtar, who descended, were wounded, died and were reborn. = Similarly, it=20 is said of Marduk at the New Year's festival that "Into the house of = bondage,=20 from the sun and light, they caused him to descend".=20

And more: "people hasten in the streets, they seek = Marduk=20 saying, ' Where is he held captive?'" We assume then that much of the = commotion=20 centered around the temple tower, the ziggurat, the man-made mountain = that links=20 the Underworld to the Realms Above.=20

Now, thanks to the Dumuzi/Tammuz hymns, we recognize = the=20 goddess who in her sorrow seeks the god and, when she has found him, = stays at=20 his side. Her acts clearly represent, on the mythological level, the = acts and=20 feelings of the people! Indeed, there is a line in a commentary that = says "the=20 dazed goddess who from the city goes, wailing"...=20

There is an obscure text called Marduk=B4s Ordeal, = which tells of=20 the abduction of Marduk by the enemy and who wails for him is not = Sarpanitum,=20 Marduk=B4s wife, but Ishtar. This is another arcane reference of the = relationship=20 of Marduk and Ishtar.=20

Finally, community participation may also have = involved the=20 representation of fights, because commentaries state that "after Marduk = went=20 into the mountain, the city fell into a tumult because of him, and they = made=20 fighting within it". We do not know whether the fights took place in the = night=20 of the fifth of Nissan or whether they accompanied Nabu=B4s triumphal = entry into=20 Babylon and his battle with the enemies of Marduk on the sixth or = seventh days.=20 The preparatory rites were completed; the scene was set for the arrival = of the=20 avenging son, Nabu, who would defeat the powers of death.=20

Day 6:  The=20 Arrival of the Gods

Nabu, the god of the scribes, goes first to Borsippa = to arrive=20 in Babylon on the same day. Meanwhile barges carrying statues of the = gods from=20 Nippur, Uruk, Cutha and Kish converge to Babylon. The commentary is = quite=20 explicit:  "That is he who comes to seek after the welfare of this = father=20 who is held captive". Possibly there was a great procession from the = quays to=20 the temple led by the king, who is mentioned as being present and = pouring out a=20 libation before the gods. In Assur [Ashur], the role of the king was = more=20 impressive than it was in Babylon. There, the protagonist of the gods = was not=20 Nabu but Ninurta, and the king himself represented the Divine Hero, = standing in=20 the royal chariot in the procession or being carried out of the Assur = temple=20 with a golden tiara as "Ninurta, who has avenged his father". We can = assume that=20 Nabu=B4s/Ninurta=B4s arrival brought back renewal and was celebrated = accordingly by=20 the people=20

Day 7:  Nabu and=20 other gods liberate Marduk from the mountain of the=20 Netherworld

We do not have accounts of the actual Marduk=B4s = liberation from=20 captivity by Nabu. We do know however that Nabu led the army of visiting = gods to=20 accomplish this task. The commentary that refers to events is the = following:=20 "The door with aperture as they call it, that means that the gods = confined him;=20 he entered into the house and before him one locked the door. They bore = holes=20 into the door and there they waged battle".=20

Iconography shows that on cylinder seals of the = middle and=20 third millennium the liberation of the god is from a mountain. The = liberator god=20 is Ninurta, a god with a bow, and a goddess is his attendance. Again, a=20 reference to the presence of the Divine Feminine, and I would risk an = educated=20 guess that the goddess in the seal is Ereshkigal, the Queen of the = Unerworold=20 and Stern Judge of Souls, who is by then appeased and ready to set = Marduk free.=20 Iconography also shows the goddess kneeling with the captive god, while = another=20 god destroys the vegetation above the ground. This is a clear reference = to=20 Inanna/Ishtar and the Underworld events, or the Mysteries that took = place in the=20 Underworld, which were known, but not explicitly mentioned, especially = to the=20 non initiates. These seals prove the antiquity, if not of the usage, = then of the=20 myths which are reflected in the ritual, but are not included in the = Epic of=20 Creation.=20

Day 8:   First determination of Destiny

After Marduk=B4s liberation, the statues of the gods = were brought=20 together in the Chamber of Destinies "to determine destiny". This was on = the 8th=20 day, and another determination of destiny followed on the 11th day. The = two=20 gatherings differed in significance, but both took place in a temple = called=20 Ubshu-ukkina, a name designating the place of assembly of the gods in = the Epic=20 of Creation and elsewhere. There, the gods proceed to the first = Determination of=20 Destiny, when Marduk is chosen king of all gods, according to the Enuma = Elish. A=20 text from Uruk describes how the statues of the gods were arranged in = order of=20 precedence for the assembly. The king acted as master of ceremonies. = Carrying a=20 shining wand or staff, he summoned each god in succession to leave his = chapel=20 and, taking his hand, guided the deity to the appropriate position in = the great=20 hall where the gods faced the leader.=20

The gods then put all the power of which they dispose = in the=20 hands of Marduk.   Marduk=B4s destiny is now declared to be = unequaled,=20 for he actually commands the consolidated power of all the gods. It is = in the=20 Epic that this power is given so that Marduk can command all threats of=20 annihilation to existence, and this is also the meaning of the ceremony = of First=20 Determination of Destiny. All gods=B4 powers are conferred to the = liberated god,=20 who then is ready to lead the battle against all powers of darkness, = death and=20 chaos that could affect Babylon in the coming year.=20

We know that a hush of reverence dominated the city = while the=20 gods assembled, in order that evil influences could be avoided. In = connection=20 with the New Year's festival of later times, there is an entry for the = eighth of=20 Neesan in a calendar of lucky and unlucky days that says "Show no enmity = at=20 all". Thus, there was a sort of Pax Babylonium, tacit agreement to be = followed=20 and pursued at least in atonement to the days.=20

Day 9: = Triumphal=20 procession to Bit Akitu

When the late Assyrian kings recorded their annual = visits to=20 Babylon, they gave us the purpose of their participation in the = ceremony. Sargon=20 II, for example, wrote: " Into Babylon, the city of the lord of the = gods,=20 joyfully I entered, in gladness of heart and with a radiant countenance. = I=20 grasped the hand(s) of the great lord Marduk, and made pilgrimage to the = House=20 of New Year's feast, the Bit Akitu. The gods, too, came to Babylon " to = take the=20 hands of Bel" - to lead him in the procession to Bit Akitu. The king was = privileged to give the sign for departure, "Come, go forth, Lord, the = king=20 awaits thee!... By the side of Ishtar of Babylon, while her servants = play the=20 flute, Goes all Babylon exultant!".=20

The procession was considered so important that every = detail of=20 its start and completion was watched carefully and possessed the = significance on=20 an omen for the year which was beginning. It seems, therefore, that the=20 procession itself, and not a mock battle, represented Marduk=B4s victory = in the=20 cult. This view is supported by a commentary which enumerates various = acts that=20 are evident parallel to phases of the victory as related in the = Epic.=20

Basically, two conclusions can be drawn. Firstly, = Marduk=B4s=20 victory over chaos was celebrated, or realized once more during the New = Year's=20 festival. The Bit Akitu was the place where the Creator's victory over = Tiamat=20 was celebrated, and the bronze figures on the door of Sennacherib appear = relevant, as well as an inscription of Nebuchadnezzar in which he calls = the "the=20 temple of the sacrifices of the exalted New Year's festival of Enlil of = the gods=20 of Upper and Netherworld". Secondly, this was most probably a time for = peace in=20 the region, once high dignitaries and the gods came to Babylon for = celebrations,=20 a peace that should at least be a concerted effort to be maintained in = the=20 coming year. The gods=B4 assembly of the Enuma Elish was re-enacted to = show union=20 and stability in the region as well.=20

Day 10:  Marduk=20 celebrates his victory

If the victory over Tiamat was achieved on the ninth = of Neesan=20 (on the eighth day the gods met in the Chamber of Destinies), the great = banquet=20 may have fallen on the tenth. This is also suggested in the stela of = Nabonidus:=20 " In the month of Neesan, on the tenth day, when the king of the gods, = Marduk,=20 and the gods of the Upper and Netherworld take up their abode in the = House of=20 Prayer (Bit Akribi), the House of the New Year's Festival (Bit Akitu) of = the=20 Lord of Justice".=20

In Babylon, the Bit Akitu was always located outside = the city.=20 It was build about two hundred meters outside the city walls, and its=20 outstanding characteristic was the richness of the gardens which = surrounded it.=20 The courtyard was filled with regularly spaced trees and shrubs. On = either side=20 there were porticoes, an unusual feature in Mesopotamian temples. The = enormous=20 "stela", 25x100 feet, extends over the whole width at the back and may = well have=20 served as a banqueting hall. All around the building were elaborate = gardens,=20 carefully watered. They remind us of the fact that the god was not = merely a=20 conqueror of Chaos, but also the personification of the life in nature. = It is=20 this aspect of the complex figure of Marduk or Ashur that is especially = stressed=20 by the Sacred Marriage Rite, or the following phase of celebration. Of = Marduk,=20 it is said that "he hastened to the wedding".=20

Indeed, the renewal of nature in Spring, at the New = Year's=20 festival, was conceived as the marriage of the Goddess with the = liberated god.=20 Their union took place in the temples, and the change in nature and the = temple=20 ritual constituted the Divine Union, being the two events inseparable = and=20 equivalent. The king was then made the Divine Bridegroom, and the High = Priestess=20 as his Divine Consort, the Goodness incarnate.=20

It is likely that during the Akitu the Sacred = Marriage took=20 place in the Esagila, Marduk=B4s temple in Babylon, and not in the Bit = Akitu. We=20 know that Nabu, Ningirsu and Inanna of Isin celebrated their weddings in = the=20 temple. According to our knowledge of Mesopotamian religion, it makes = sense to=20 place the Sacred Marriage on the tenth day, because only when harmony = and order=20 is restored love and fertility can return to the land in all levels and = spheres.=20 Remember that kingship should be acknowledged by the Goddess, from = Ninhursag-Ki=20 to Inanna/Ishtar in Mesopotamia.=20

Day 11:  The=20 Second Determination of Destiny

It is extremely meaningful that the Second = determination of=20 Destiny is now concerned with the microcosmic scale, and so the gods = meet again=20 on the 12th of Neesan in the Chamber of Destinies, Also, remember that = in=20 Mesopotamia, by the bond of Heaven and Earth, or Duranki, humankind had = been=20 created as a result of the gods=B4 wish to humanity to continue the = workings of=20 existence for Them. Thus, humankind's destiny and happiness was possible = only if=20 man and women lived out their destinies carrying out the deeds of = existence for=20 the gods. Basically, the auguries for the coming year were aimed at = attuning to=20 the future and once again reaffirm that the gods=B4 designs were of = relevance to=20 humankind who lived to celebrate the gods and Their creation in everyday = life.=20

Day 12:  The=20 Return of the Gods

It is constantly said in the literature that = Mesopotamians=20 viewed life as a burden to be carried by humankind. The picture that = emerges=20 when we look at their rituals and meditate on the significance of their = values=20 by listening to the words ancient Mesopotamians left inscribed in clay = differs=20 from the bleak scenario of more recent times. Think of the cycle of = events we=20 have just seen together: there was chaos, there was wailing, but there = was also=20 joy, justice and reasons to be happy about, ensured by the right = divination=20 procedures, which would aid the king and the land to choose the best = courses of=20 actions and guide the requests of help and assistance to the Powers = Above and=20 Below when there was a need.=20

The Akitu festival reaffirmed my personal view of = Mesopotamian=20 religion and worldview as faith in life, faith in the world, faith in = what will=20 be and become, because most of it will be the fruit of our deeds in the = world,=20 and guided by the Light of the Tradition, we will try to make it = better... again=20 and again, for as many times as it takes, this lifetime, another = time.=20

Author:  = Lishtar=20
Excerpts from the entry = Akitu in=20 "Gateways = to=20 Babylon"=20

References:=20

Frankfort, Henri (1978) Kingship and the = Gods: a study=20 of Ancient Near Eastern Religion as the Integration of Society and = Nature=20 (with a preface by Samuel Noah Kramer). The University of Chicago Press, = Chicago, London.=20

Wolkstein, Diane and Kramer, Samuel Noah (1983) = Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: her stories and hymns from = Sumer.=20 Harper & Row, New York.

GOOD MORNING = BET-NAHRAIN=20

TURKISH INTERIOR MINISTRY = FORBIDS NEW YEAR=20 CELEBRATIONS

(ZNDA:  Istanbul )  = The Interior=20 Ministry of Turkey forbade the New Year celebrations, including Assyrian = Kha=20 b'Neesan and the Kurdish/Iranian No-rooz in Tur-Abdin.  = The city=20 of Mardin's mayor, Osman Akkoyun, said that the rejection of his = people's demand=20 to celebrate their New Year did not agree with the spirit of the recent = peaceful=20 developments in that region.  Both Kha b'Neesan and No-rooz (New = Day in=20 Farsi), occur on the first day of spring or Vernal Equinox.  This = year the=20 spring equinox occurred on the 20/21 of March.=20

ASSYRIANS IN JORDAN PLEA = FOR PAPAL=20 HELP

(ZNAF: Amman)  Over 10,000 Iraqi Assyrians = living in=20 Jordan attended the parade in the Amman Stadium on Tuesday, waving the = Assyrian=20 flags as shown on CNN News Hour.  The Assyrian community was urged = by the=20 Catholic priests in the Misdar neighborhood of Amman to greet the Pope = and hand=20 him a letter to pray for the end of nearly 10-year-old U.N. sanctions on = Iraq.  The United Nations imposed sanctions on Iraq after it = invaded Kuwait=20 in 1990.  Earlier this week, some 500 Assyrians had attended the = Sunday=20 Mass and pleaded for the Vatican's help in obtaining visas to emigrate = to=20 Australia, Canada, the United States and Europe.=20

=93It's very difficult to leave Jordan,=94 said Souad = Ibrahim, who=20 has been stranded with her husband in Amman for the past seven years = trying to=20 join her children in Australia.  =93I want to leave. It's too = expensive here.=20 There's no work. It's not good for food,=94 Ibrahim said following the = Sunday=20 mass.=20

Other Iraqis, pale-faced and wearing their threadbare = Sunday=20 best, echoed her appeal, saying there was no work here and they were = relying on=20 family overseas to send them money.=20

In response to the=20 Assyrian demands for papal support, Pope John Paul II commented:  = "The sons=20 and daughters of the Church in Iraq, and all the Iraqi people who are = being so=20 severely tried by the continuing international embargo, never cease to = be=20 present in my thoughts.  I assure all those who are suffering, = especially=20 the women, children and elderly, of my prayerful support."  The = Pope has=20 frequently criticized the use of sanctions in Iraq and elsewhere, = arguing that=20 the weakest - who are already suffering - pay the highest = price.=20

On Monday, Pope John Paul visited a monastery on = Mount Nebo=20 from where Moses glimpsed the Promised Land before his death, and a = visit to=20 Wadi Al-Kaharrar where, according to some archeological evidence, Jesus = was=20 baptized.  At the Amman Stadium on Tuesday the Pope baptized 2,000=20 children.=20

Jordan is a predominantly a Muslim country. Out of a = total of=20 6.3 million inhabitants, there are only 71,000 Catholics -- 1.13%.  = However, interest in the Pope's visit was very great. 77,000 tickets = were=20 printed for the Mass on Tuesday, and all had been distributed. For days = the=20 local newspapers have been referring to this "historic" trip.  An = intense=20 publicity campaign has been carried out in the 64 Catholic parishes in = Jordan to=20 make people aware of the visit, distributing shirts, visors and = information=20 pamphlets.
=20

NEWS DIGEST=20

"ASSYRIAN-SYRIAN-CHALDEAN" = DELEGATION IN=20 STRASBOURG

(ZNDA:  Amsterdam)  On March 14 and 15, = four persons=20 representing the "Assyrian-Syrian-Chaldean" people met EU's = Parliamentarians in=20 Strasbourg, = France. The=20 group consisted of Fikri Aho, Ozcan Kaldoyo, Yasemin Sekire, and a = Swede, Olle=20 Wiberg.=20

The main subjects of these meetings were the Turkish=20 application for entry in the European Union and = the past,=20 present and future situation of the "Assyrian-Syrian-Chaldean" in = Turkey. The=20 delegation had prepared for these meetings a dossier, containing ­ = among=20 other issues ­ the urgent need of preserving their cultural = heritage. The=20 delegation met with the representatives of different political groups in = the Parliament= . At=20 these meetings a discussion concerning the "Assyrian-Syrian-Chaldean" = cause was=20 held.=20

Here are some of the important developments = noted:=20

According=20 to one of the four representative: "Every representative was willing to = take our=20 issues on the agenda, and showed a sincere interest in our = cause."=20
Z-Crew:  Matay Arsan=20 (Holland)
THANK YOU LETTER TO EDWARD = S.=20 WALKER

(ZNDA:  Michigan)  Earlier this year, = Edward S.=20 Walker, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Near = Eastern=20 Affairs, invited a group of 13 Iraqi Americans (including two Assyrians: = Senator=20 John Nimrod and Professor Emanuel Kamber) and 4 representatives of Arab=20 organizations in the U.S. to participate in a round table discussion on = March 7=20 in Washington DC, regarding US policy towards Iraq. Attached is a letter = sent to=20 Ambassador Walker by the Iraqi Americans thanking him for the meeting = and=20 confirming points raised by them:=20

March 13, 2000
Ambassador Edward S. Walker, Jr.
Assistant=20 Secretary of State for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs =
U.S. Department of State
2201 C = Street,=20 N.W.
Washington, DC 20520=20

Copy to: Secretary Madeleine Korbel Albright, US = Secretary of=20 State
Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone, = Special=20 Coordinator for Transition in Iraq=20

Dear Assistant Secretary Walker,=20

We, the undersigned, thank you for inviting us on = Tuesday,=20 March 7th, 2000 to participate in a round table discussion with you on = US policy=20 towards Iraq. The challenges ahead of you as the assistant secretary for = the=20 Near East will not be easy to overcome. We certainly believe that = reaching out=20 to the Iraqi-American community is conducive to mutual understanding. We = would=20 like to take this opportunity to synthesize the consensus of the = Iraqi-American=20 attendees with respect to the issues discussed and the policy that we = believe=20 the US administration should adopt to alleviate the suffering of the = Iraqi=20 people:=20

1. The United States missed several opportunities in = the=20 nineties to help the Iraqi people get rid of the shackles of the current = regime=20 in Iraq. This has contributed to the wide held perception that the = United States=20 is not serious about removing Saddam. Pronouncements of support for the = Iraqi=20 opposition are not a substitute for strong action.=20

2. Economic sanctions are an immoral foreign policy = tool if not=20 accompanied by a serious commitment on the part of the US government to = help the=20 people of Iraq in the removal of Saddam. Lifting them with Saddam = remaining in=20 power is equally immoral. Containment through sanctions does not serve = the=20 long-term interests of the United States in the region.=20

3. In order for the US to win the propaganda war, as = well as=20 regain the moral high ground, the US government should press for direct=20 procurement and distribution of food and medicine by UN agencies, NGO's = and the=20 Iraqi democratic opposition, the Iraqi National Congress to the central = and=20 southern regions, bypassing Saddam's government. This will go a long way = to lift=20 the burden of sanctions from the Iraqi people, and allow the Iraqi = opposition to=20 build the administrative infrastructure of Iraq after Saddam.=20

4. We urge the US administration to call for the = establishment=20 of an international tribunal to try Saddam and other Iraqi leaders for = crimes=20 against humanity and genocide. Ethnic cleansing of Kurds, Assyrians, = Turkoman=20 and marsh Arabs and displacing them internally is ample proof that = nothing is=20 stopping Saddam from continuing his 'business as usual' policy of = dislocating=20 the Iraqi people. The notion of giving Palestinians refuge in the = ethnically=20 cleansed regions is further proof of his ill intentions for all Iraqis=20 regardless of their ethnicity. Any policy short of overtly supporting = the Iraqi=20 people in their fight to topple Saddam will cause further suffering for = the=20 Iraqi people. Conversely, the only policy that can truly offer Iraqis 'a = better=20 deal', as you aptly put it, is a policy that hastens the removal of = Saddam's=20 regime. We therefore urge the US administration to affirm its commitment = to=20 democratic change in Iraq through active support of the Iraqi = opposition's=20 struggle against the regime.=20

We thank you again for a timely and candid discussion = and look=20 forward to a rapid revision in US policy towards Iraq based on removing = the=20 suffering through the removal of the regime. This turn in US policy will = be=20 perceived as starving Saddam of his weapons of mass destruction, rather = than=20 starving the Iraqi people of food and medicine. Finally, we would like = to take=20 this opportunity to thank Ambassador Frank Ricciardone, the State = Department's=20 special coordinator for transition in Iraq, for his work and efforts to = help=20 Iraqi people towards a free and democratic Iraq.=20

Yours truly,
(alphabetically)=20

Mahdi Al-Bassam, M.D.
Chairman, Iraq=20 Liberation Action Committee=20

Azzam Alwash, Ph.D.
President, Iraqi=20 Forum for Democracy=20

Rend Rahim Francke,
Executive=20 Director, Iraq Foundation=20

Emanuel Kamber, Ph.D.
Assyrian=20 Adviser=20

Pary Karadaghi, M.D.
Executive=20 Director, Kurdish Human Rights Watch=20

Hatem Mukhlis, M.D.
Independent=20

Senator John Nimrod,
Secretary=20 General, Assyrian Universal Alliance=20

Entifadh Qanbar, P.E.
Vice = president,=20 Iraq Liberation Action Committee=20

Qaisar Wutwut,
Independent=20

Maha Yousif, D.D.S.
Vice = president,=20 Iraq Liberation Action Committee=20

Mazin Yousif,
President, = Iraq=20 Liberation Action Committee=20


HANNIBAL ALKHAS EXHIBITION = OPENS IN=20 HOLLAND

(ZNDA:  Enschede)  Last Friday, March 17, = the Syrian=20 Orthodox Archbishop Mor J. Jeshu Cicek together with the highest = officials of=20 the city of Enschede, the Deputy Mr. J. Kristen and the alderman Mr. = Swart,=20 opened the exhibition of the Assyrian painter Hannibal Alkhas at the = "Jannink=20 Museum" in Holland.  Mr. Alkhas' works will be on display until = April=20 23.=20

Around the same=20 hall where Mr. Alkhas' paintings were displayed, a special section was = also=20 dedicated to the Christian Assyrian-Suryoyo culture of Tur-Abdin. For = this=20 occasion the Syrian Orthodox Monastery of "Mor Ephrem Suryoyo" has = offered three=20 ancient Syriac books, both over 800 years old, the different Syrian = Orthodox=20 priestly attires, among them one of Archbishop Mor J. Yeshu Cicek and = crosses=20 and church decorations. These and other traditional "Tanouro" and = "Gorouzto"=20 customs nicely characterized the life of a Tur Abdin village.  The = huge=20 crowds of Dutch enthusiasts have been admiring the displays since the = opening=20 day, as were the representatives of the different Assyrian-Suryoyo = federations,=20 priests and church committees in Holland.=20

To mark the occasion the Assyrian singer, Mrs. Violet = Khosro-Abadi had arrived from Urmia, Iran to entertain the audience with = her=20 vocal talents with two songs in the Eastern-Assyrian dialect.  She = is also=20 scheduled to appear at the Kha b'Neesan celebrations to be held on April = 1 in=20 Brussels.  The Folklore Dance group of the Culture Section of the = Patriotic=20 Revolutionary Organization of BethNahrin (P.R.O.B.), performed in the=20 traditional customs and holding the Assyrian flags in hand.  The = music for=20 this dance was the Assyrian-Suryoyo vocalist Simon Kaplo's hit song = "Babel ou=20 Nineveh".  Assyrian-Suryoyo food and drinks were served during the=20 breaks.=20

Few journalists from different Dutch newspapers, the=20 Assyrian-Suryoyo "Bahro Production" on the Medya TV, and the local=20 Assyrian-Suryoyo TV in Amsterdam, "Beth-Nahrin TV" were at hand to = record this=20 cultural event for their newspaper and television audiences.  The = success=20 of this program was made possible by the "Beth Nahrin Informatie Bureau" = (Beth=20 Nahrin Information Agency) and the P.R.O.B.=20

Z-Crew:  Matay Arsan=20 (Holland)


The city of Enschede in the Netherlands has = a=20 population of approximately 100.000.  7000 of these are Assyrians. = There=20 are two Syrian Orthodox churches, the Mor Yahqoub d=92Sroug Church and = the Mor=20 Qouryaqous d=91Arnas. The largest number of Assyrians in Holland are to = be found=20 in Enschede of whom 95% are members of the Syrian Orthodox church and = the=20 remaining 5% are Eastern Assyrians (Church of the=20 East/Chaldeans).  =20

STATE OF ILLINOIS = PROCLAIMS APRIL 1=20 ASSYRAN NEW YEAR DAY=20

State of Illinois Executive = Department=20 Proclamation
March 15,=20 2000

WHEREAS, the Assyrian New year = is one of=20 the most important religious and celebrated holidays of the Assyrian = community;=20 and=20

WHEREAS, the color green will = dominate the=20 New Year festivities, as it stands for "New Life"; and=20

WHEREAS, the Assyrian American = community=20 has made significant contributions in all areas of life including = education,=20 medicine, science, business, arts, government, and public service in = Illinois;=20 and=20

WHEREAS, Raymond Oshana, the = Midwest=20 Regional Director for the Assyrian American National Federation, = announced that=20 the Federation plans many cultural activities to mark this New Year;=20 and=20

WHEREAS, the Assyrian American = National=20 Federation Midwest Region will sponsor the First Annual Basketball = Tournaments,=20 Student Night Festival at the Assyrian American Association, Ishtar Day = -=20 educational and cultural events at the Assyrian Social Club, New Year = Party at=20 the Hanging Gardens Banquet Hall and the closing ceremony commemoration = at the=20 Assyrian American Association; and=20

WHEREAS, the Assyrian New Year = Parade will=20 be held Sunday, April 2, 2000, on King Sargon Boulevard, between = Peterson and=20 Pratt Roads, in Chicago, Illinois; and=20

WHEREAS, on April 1, 2000, the = Assyrian=20 American community will celebrate their New Year 6750;=20

THEREFORE, I, George H Ryan, = Governor of=20 the State of Illinois, proclaim April 1, 2000, as ASSYRIAN NEW YEAR DAT = in=20 Illinois.=20

Governor George H. = Ryan=20
State of = Illinois
U.S.=20

SURF'S UP! =

The Conspiracy = Continues=20

=93History neither forgives nor forgets; = its judgment=20 will be embedded in its books and the minds of the future Assyrians who = will=20 tell the tale of Census 2000 to generations and generations to come. The = issue=20 will soon be exposed for what it is .... a conspiracy .... a mere = duplicate of=20 the 1972 Baghdad's Ba=92ath regime's Decree # 251 which referred to the = Assyrian=20 nation as "the Syriac speaking people comprising = Athouriyoon/Kildan/Siryan". In=20 a closer inspection of the text of the Decree one notices that it does = not refer=20 to the Assyrian people as a unique and separate ethnic group, different = from the=20 Arabs; rather as the Iraqi citizens who speak the Syriac language. The = Assyrian=20 national movement reached its climax during and after the visit of the = Late Mar=20 Eshai Shimun, bless be his soul, to Iraq in April 24, 1970. That visit = and the=20 eruption of half a million Assyrians in the streets of Baghdad was an = eye opener=20 for the Ba=92ath government.=20

Many promises were made by the = Iraqi=20 government at the conclusion of that visit; promises which did not see = the light=20 or were initiated but abandoned later. The Assyrians lived the drama of = the=20 phony Decree 251 of 1972, orchestrated by that regime and with the = assistance of=20 Mr. Sheet Nu=92aman. He is among those who refer to themselves as = Christian Arabs=20 and a member of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq. The Decree brought = the=20 Assyrian national identity down to the level of a religious = denomination. Indeed=20 it leveled them together in an effort to paint the Assyrian national = movement=20 with a religious look. But reality is that the visit of the Late Mar = Eshai=20 Shimun, bless His soul, to Iraq, created a situation which shook the = Iraqi=20 government to its foundation.=20

The Baghdad regime realized = that it cannot=20 put out the fire that had enlightened the hearts and minds of all = Assyrians. One=20 of the tools the regime used to counter that movement or its attempt to = contain=20 it was the establishment of the =91Assyrian Ba=92ath Party=92. In time, = this=20 organization became the laughing stock of the Assyrian people and = exposed for it=20 it was. Unfortunately, it continued to exist with the support of the = Iraqi=20 government. The president of the 'Assyrian Ba'ath Party' tried = desperately to=20 improve his image among the Assyrians with a silly claim stating that it = was his=20 life which was intended when his empty car exploded pointing fingers at = the=20 Secret Police, or "al-aa-min". What a play that was! The Iraqi Secret = Police=20 tried to assassinate an Iraqi citizen but he escaped the attempt and = lived in=20 Baghdad to tell about it for years and years to come not fearing the=20 establishment !! What a joke! That man only recently moved to the USA=20 permanently and is living in Los Angeles these days!=20

In April 12, 1979, the Assyrian = Democratic=20 Movement (Zowaa) saw the light, a unique phenomenon in Assyrians=92 = modern=20 political history. Drastic measures were needed to be taken by the = regime in=20 Baghdad to counterattack this young and powerful Movement. Zowaa=92s = members=20 experienced many reprisals by the regime, including imprisonments,=20 assassinations and executions, a move solely taken to implant fear in = the hearts=20 of the Assyrians at large from supporting this newly born Movement. Here = a need=20 to revive the old Assyrian Ba=92ath Party was due, hence, it was dressed = up with a=20 different look and renamed the APP (Assyrian Patriotic = Party).=20

We wait 25 years to live = another=20 controversy created by few clergymen, based on that same Iraqi Decree = #251 of=20 1972, but this time in a totally new environment. Today we live many new = experiences. Assyrians have finally begun to get the recognition they = deserve on=20 various fronts, regional and international. In northern Bet Nahrain, = Assyrians=20 and the young Assyrian political movement, Zowaa, have just begun to = enjoy a=20 well deserved harvest which they planted with sweat, fed with their = blood and=20 protected with their lives. What has been happening in north of Iraq is = an=20 experience Assyrians only dreamed of. We notice Assyrians from all = Assyrian=20 church denominations working together under one national name respecting = each=20 other=92s religious affiliation and in reality becoming a non-issue in = their daily=20 lives. This new phenomenon in the Assyrians=92 lives in Iraq is not to = the best=20 interest of the Arabs or the Kurds. The regime in Baghdad figured, well, = it is=20 time for another conspiracy to sabotage this movement which began to = mature at=20 an alarming rate and what is more convenient than rekindling those old = religious=20 disputes ... Nestorians against Chaldeans! I only have one question to = ask; Who=20 benefits from the introduction of the chaldeans as a separate ethnic = group=20 title?=20

Fact is that this introduction = is the first=20 step towards a disaster for all Assyrians in the coming future. The = Assyrians of=20 the Catholic Church (erroneously known as Chaldeans) represent the = majority of=20 our community in north of Iraq and within Zowaa=92s leadership are many = of these=20 Catholics who never looked at themselves as Chaldeans ethnically. These=20 clergymen figured if they played their cards right, they cannot lose due = to the=20 sensitivity of this issue and the ripple effect any decision here would = have on=20 the Assyrians of north of Iraq. They sculptured the whole matter in a = mold seen=20 as a call for unity which Assyrians cannot refuse or a havoc was to be=20 introduced. This does not mean, in my opinion, that they, in north of = Iraq,=20 believe in the legitimacy of what had happened here, but they are forced = to=20 accept it now while the future hides the unknown.=20

All consequences resulting = directly and,=20 or, indirectly from the census 2000 mess is the sole responsibility of = the=20 Chaldean Church diocese in Detroit. Facts are that Mar Ibrahim Ibrahim = and Fr.=20 Sarhad Jammo of the Chaldean Catholic Church and other members of that = church,=20 like Robert Haisha, an employee in the Census office as a Community = Specialist=20 for Detroit; John MacKay, Co-Chair of the Chaldean for Census 2000, = Joseph=20 Kassabs, and few more behind the scenes, have instigated this matter and = worked=20 on it with the Census Bureau for almost ten years. This group, somehow,=20 succeeded in convincing the Bureau to grant the members of the Chaldean = Catholic=20 Church with what the Bureau called =91a unique ethnic group,=92 and = hence unique=20 people called Chaldeans. All they needed was a re-written history = article by Fr.=20 Sarhad Jammo and a simple study by a sociologist, Mary Sengstock, a = study which=20 any one group of people living as a community can obtain. That is the = only=20 TRUTH. With the invention of the new language, called the Chaldean = language,=20 with the creation of the new flag, new political organization BNNO (Bet = Nahrain=20 National Organization), and the new Chaldean Aid Society, they have = illustrated,=20 clearly, where they are heading.=20

The two mentioned clergymen and = the other=20 few individuals needed this =91unique ethnic group=92 status for one = reason only: to=20 be used as a bargain card to get the =91Assyrian / Chaldean=92 category = (Syriac was=20 added later as a tactical move to gain support of the Assyrian/Soryoyo = community=20 so I will not discuss matters related to our community of the Syrian = Orthodox=20 Church here). It is with this compound classification where Detroit can=20 seriously have an impact on all other future decisions in these so = crucial times=20 of the Assyrian national movement. Let=92s be honest, members of the = Assyrian=20 Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church have been living as = separate=20 communities in the USA, a practice they brought with them from their = home=20 country, a practice dated back to 1681 when the Chaldean title was = introduced=20 first by Rome to the Assyrian people in Bet Nahrain. If they went their = own way,=20 our separation and division will only have been =91official=92! You see = it is a=20 tricky game they played and they played it perfectly. You might say that = this=20 does not make sense because they asked for a separate ethnic status for = the=20 Chaldeans and it was few individuals of the Assyrian community in = Chicago, like=20 John Michael, who made them change their mind.=20

True, but that was the plan = precisely, in=20 my opinion. We need to look at the bigger picture and to understand the = reality=20 of the matter. The most devastating point in this mess is that the = Chaldean=20 clergymen have succeeded to get the "unique ethnic group," this means = that they=20 are different from the Assyrians, but they do not want to be on their = own at=20 this time because they are not ready politically yet. But the first step = has=20 been taken. Lets read these FACTS together and see if what was discussed = will=20 make more sense:=20

1. The Chaldean Church Heads = realize that=20 if they adopt the separate category, they will definitely lose the = Assyrian=20 Catholics living today in Iran and all the Assyrians who came from Iran = and are=20 living in the USA because those Catholics predominantly believe that = they are=20 Assyrians ethnically and not the so called Chaldeans. Therefore,=20 =91Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac=92 fits their plan, they make everybody = believe as if=20 they are seeking unity, and at the same time avoid the break away of the = Assyrian Catholics from the Chaldean Church.
 =20

2. The so called Chaldeans are = not the=20 indigenous people of the land of Ashur. On the other hand, the Assyrians = are and=20 have legitimate claims to it. The Assyrian file in the United Nation = (previously=20 the League of Nation) is still an unresolved matter (read the Mosul = Vilayat=20 file). That claim cannot be won based on some religious title invented = by Rome=20 officially in 1681 and 1830. The Arabs can easily prove that they have = inhabited=20 that region since the 7th century AD. But Arabs cannot win against the=20 Assyrians=92 rights as Nineveh=92s (today=92s Mosul) indigenous people = at least 4000=20 years before Arabs even knew of its existence. Imagine how silly would = we look=20 to the world when some Iraqi official arguing the issue in an = international=20 forum would stand, turn and point his finger to the compound title and = say: =93Can=20 you really support a case where the people claiming it argue among = themselves=20 about what their ethnic name is?=94=20

We do not need a fake unity. = The Chaldeans,=20 as known today by the Census Bureau, succeeded to do all this damage, = i.e.=20 established a unique ethnic group status for themselves, within the last = few=20 years and the issue was only publicized the last two years by the Census = Bureau=20 as their legal obligation to the other communities involved in =91code = 482=20 Assyrian=92. Few argue that the Chaldean side tried to alert the = Assyrian=20 community by talking to Sargon Lewie, the president of the Assyrian = American=20 National Federation earlier. Let=92s put the issue of what Sargon Lewie = did or did=20 not do regarding the Census issue aside and look at it in a more = realistic way.=20 Everyone knows for a fact that our communities are unorganized; we do = not have=20 one specific organization, leadership or council that speaks on behalf = of the=20 majority of the Assyrians. If the so-called Chaldean side had such a = serious=20 action being pursued, and told one individual, heading one organization, = it is=20 silly then to say that those members of the Chaldean Church, pursuing = such a=20 crucial issue, did inform the Assyrians about their intentions! In the = USA, and=20 in a simple personal name change case, or in the case of the = establishment of a=20 very small club, a person is required to advertise such change in the = local=20 Newspaper! The point is that it has to be made public. If that group was = sincere=20 in its actions, it should have sent a letter to every major Assyrian=20 organization, Church Parish, Assyrian TV station informing them about = their=20 intentions, a process which would have involved simply the mailing of = some 20 or=20 30 copies of one letter costing less that $10 !=20

Looking back at the sequence of = events, one=20 cannot avoid asking the question: =93If they have done all this in = secret while on=20 their own, what will happen if they have this proposed legal compound=20 classification in their position?=94 This proposed compound = classification says=20 that Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac are =91Interchangeable=92 terms, = meaning that we=20 can be called Assyrians OR Chaldeans OR Syriacs by anyone and by all=20 governmental institutions with no restrictions at all.! I do not know = about you,=20 but I cannot entrust any longer my affairs to that group of people. = Entrusting=20 Assyrian affairs in those same hands is simply suicide, because they = have proven=20 to us with their acts how they do business.=20

The revolting part in this is = now being=20 witnessed as a few ill-hearted people who support the compound title are = twisting facts and claiming falsely that those who are against the = proposed=20 compound title are expressing some sort of a hate feelings against the = members=20 of the Chaldean Catholic Church. This absolutely is not true and is a = desperate=20 act on their part to win some sympathy from the members of that church = at large.=20 Those who oppose the proposed compound title are simply saying that they = opposed=20 to the PROCESS followed to reach this decision and that there are no = historical=20 facts whatsoever to support the existence of any ethnic group called = Chaldeans=20 during the Christian era until Rome introduced it. I challenge anybody = to proof=20 otherwise. When some of us say that Mar Ibrahim Ibrahim and Fr. Sarhad = Jammo did=20 this and that, when we say that we do not approve with the manner they = did it,=20 we are not attacking the entire Chaldean Catholic Church. Lets put = things where=20 they belong.=20

Assyrian is our National and = Ethnic name;=20 Christianity is our religion, and Syriac (Aramaic) is our language. This = is how=20 we want to be recognized because we believe in it first, because our = forefathers=20 told us so, and because tons of manuscripts, studies, publications and = books in=20 the past and present attested to. If a segment of our nation did not = approve of=20 such for whatever reason, but were sincerely concerned about the unity = of this=20 ONE NATION, then, open dialogue was the answer. A conference attended by = representatives from all our organizations, in addition to notable = people,=20 scholars and intellectuals, to address the matter, should have been = called.=20 Whereas with the present situation, even if the compound title was to be = approved by the Justice Department while looking in the Lawsuit filed = against=20 the Census Bureau, this nation will live the exact same circumstances = few years=20 from now. Because in preparation for the Census 2010, I assure you that = many=20 Assyrians, who feel that they were simply cheated in the Census 2000, = will file=20 for the Assyrian category.=20

Despite the numerous massacres = and=20 persecutions and despite all plans of Turkization and Arabization, = Assyrians are=20 still around, simply because of the resilience we possess. We are still = alive=20 because of what is most unique and special within us- the pride we hold = so=20 dearly in our hearts for our Assyrian national and ethnic=20 name.=94=20

Fred Aprim =
California=20

=20

SURFERS CORNER=20

RAABI NEMROD SIMONO=20 SCHOLARSHIP

Dear  Fellow Assyrians,=20

It's time for new recipients to be selected for the = Raabie=20 Nemrod Simono Scholarship. The committee will be selecting Assyrian = Students who=20 have achieved the highest results in the 1999 Higher School = Certificate.=20

We would like you to encourage students you know to = apply for=20 the scholarship even if your results were not as high as you may = anticipated=20 them to be. You may be surprised,   this year, you could = perhaps be a=20 winner.=20

The Raabi Nemrod Simono Scholarship application forms = can be=20 collected at The Nineveh Club front reception desk any time from now = till the=20 closing date. All application forms for the scholarship will be not be = accepted=20 after 6.pm on the 22nd April 2000.  So we urge you to act now for = this=20 highly respected scholarship award.=20

The winners of the scholarship will be officially = announced=20 around 3.30pm on the 21st May 2000 at the Sports auditorium behind The = Nineveh=20 club. If there are any questions pertaining to the scholarship please = contact=20 either myself, the chairperson, Johnny Chamaki on 0418 11 44 34 or the = secretary=20 Majidi Ann on 0404 12 49 30.=20

We look forward to receiving your completed = application=20 form.=20

Yours sincerely,=20

Johnny Chamaki =
Chairperson=20

=20

ASSYRIAN SURFING = POSTS=20
Links to Other Assyrian=20 Websites

  • The=20 Ancient Middle Eastern Capital City
  • New=20 Year Celebration (Kha b'Neesan)
=20

LITERATUS=20

SEVEN

=93They died in silence for humanity had closed = its ears to=20 their cry=94.=20

Khalil Gibran

On Tuesday 15th February Iraq = commemorated=20 its 9th consecutive year living under the United Nations sanctions. The = 9 year=20 anniversary of the sanctions came fittingly during the middle of the = Assyrian=20 holiday known as =91The Fast of the Ninevites=92. In the West many = Assyrians who=20 voluntarily abstained from food will have some idea of what the = population of=20 Iraq, which includes Assyrians, involuntarily endures on a constant = basis.=20 Coming after the 1991 Gulf War destruction of much of Iraq's = infrastructure, the=20 U.N. sanctions have helped to create a public health crisis forcing the = Iraqi=20 people to cope with the cumulative effects of this reality on a daily=20 basis.=20

The rate of death for children = under the=20 age of five in Iraq has doubled as the U.N. sanctions have brought the = country=20 to its knees. A variety of international humanitarian organisations, = concur with=20 the United Nations, the very same people who are responsible for = enforcing the=20 sanctions, with estimates that over 5,000 children die each month of = preventable=20 diseases such as diarrhea, malnutrition and dehydration, which were = unheard of=20 prior to the Gulf War. Meanwhile, another third of children, that manage = to=20 survive, are so malnourished that they face severe physical and mental=20 challenges should they reach adulthood.=20

One recalls the infamous = Auschwitz=20 concentration camp, in which an estimated 900,000 Jews were killed, and = the=20 German words wrought in iron across its main gate, =93Arbeit Macht = Frei=94, which=20 translates to =93Work Brings Freedom=94. This same double-speak, made = famous in=20 George Orwell=92s famous novel 1984, is today used by the U.N. to = isolate the=20 Iraqi people. The slogan used by the U.N. to justify the sanctions today = is=20 =93Sanctions Bring Freedom=94. Sanctions they argue are only being used = to free the=20 people of Iraq from the oppressive regime. Meanwhile, Iraq endures = living=20 conditions comparable to a concentration camp in which innocent children = continue to suffer. Mairead Maguire, the famous Nobel Peace Prize = Laureate had=20 this to say after his visit to Iraq, last year. "When I visited = Auschwitz I was=20 horrified. And when I visited Iraq, I thought to myself, 'What will we = tell the=20 children in fifty years when they ask what we did when the people in = Iraq were=20 dying?=94.=20

Just last month, two United = Nations=20 officials responsible for getting food to Iraqi citizens quit in = frustration=20 over U.N. policy in Iraq. Their resignations resemble the actions of the = previous director of the U.N. oil-for-food program, Denis Halliday. The = former=20 UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq bluntly stated, "We are in the = process of=20 destroying an entire society. It is as simple and terrifying as that. It = is=20 illegal and immoral". All three state that they have quit due to a = humanitarian=20 disaster initiated by a failed policy of economic sanctions, as well as = the=20 unwillingness of U.S. leadership to do anything to change = it.=20

The current situation in the = demonised=20 country of Iraq is very bleak indeed. This very same demonisation policy = has=20 specifically emphasised Iraq as a non-Christian Islamic population, to = the=20 detriment of the indigenous Assyrian Christian inhabitants. This could = help to=20 explain why the Assyrians have been ignored by Western media reports = over the=20 last 9 years.=20

Prior to the Gulf War there = were=20 approximately one and a half million Assyrians in Iraq. In Iraq today = estimates=20 put the estimated Assyrian people at roughly 1 million out of a total = Iraqi=20 population of 22 million. Many have fled their ancestral and ancient = war-ravaged=20 lands in the hope of finding refuge in the West.=20

Of those that remain, some = basic=20 mathematics will truly show what the U.N. sanctions are costing the = Assyrian=20 population of Iraq.=20

(1 million divided by 22 = million)=20 multiplied by 5,000 dead children per month  =3D 227 dead Assyrian = children=20 per month=20

After dividing that figure by = 31, the=20 number of days per month, (227 divided by 31) =3D 7 Assyrian children = per=20 day.=20

Today as you read this article = around 7=20 Assyrian children will die because of the U.N. sanctions against Iraq, = hence the=20 title of this article.=20

Disregarding the human cost in = pain and=20 suffering, after 9 years of crippling sanctions the death toll is = staggering. Of=20 the estimated 500,000 Iraqi children that have died during the 9 years = of=20 sanctions, buried in the cold dark earth of Mesopotamia, never to see = the light=20 of day, lie an estimated 27,000 Assyrian children.=20

David Chibo =
Australia=20

References=20

The Independent, October 15, 1998 =
Auschwitz=20 Alphabet
Campaign Against Sanctions = On=20 Iraq
Unicef : Results of the = 1999 Iraq=20 Child and Maternal Mortality Surveys
=20

BRAVO=20

FIU TO EXAMINE MIDDLE EAST=20 CHRISTIAN

Courtesy of the Miami Herald:   8 = March=20 2000=20

The Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity, = but in=20 recent years there has been a sharp decline in the Christian presence in = the=20 region.  Whether in Iran, Lebanon, Sudan or areas controlled by the = Palestinian Authority, Christians are an embattled community.=20

A public symposium at Florida International = University will=20 explore the reasons for the erosion of Christianity in the Middle = East.  It=20 will be held March 26 from 2 to 6 p.m., at the Roz and Cal Kovens = Conference=20 Center on the Biscayne Bay Campus, 151st Street and Biscayne Blvd. The = public is=20 welcome and there is no charge.=20

Speakers will discuss specific Middle Eastern = Christian=20 communities.=20

Yousef Asad of Freedom House in Washington will speak = on the=20 Copts of Egypt.=20

Dr. Jok Madut Jok, a professor at Loyola Marymount = University,=20 will discuss the situation in the southern Sudan.=20

Robert DeKalaita of the Assyrian Academic Association = will talk=20 about the Assyrian Christians, who are found in Syria, Iraq and = Iran.=20

Tom Merhab of the World Lebanese Organization will = speak on the=20 Christians of Lebanon.=20

Walid Phares, a professor of political science at = Florida=20 Atlantic University, will speak on the region in general.=20

Local spiritual leaders from the Maronite, Orthodox, = Melkite,=20 Chaldean and Palestinian communities will be part of the program, which = will be=20 moderated by Nathan Katz, professor and chair of religious studies at=20 FIU.=20

The event is sponsored by FIUs Department of = Religious Studies,=20 FIUsCenter for Transnational and Comparative Studies, FAUs Department of = Political Science and the Miami Committee for Middle East = Studies.=20
=20

PUMP UP THE = VOLUME=20
ENGLISH
MODERN=20 ASSYRIAN
GENDER
 Endurance
m'aaz/ya/noo/ta
Feminine 
 Weakness
mkhee/loo/ta
Feminine


BACK TO THE = FUTURE=20

BC (228)=20

Certain documents from this period indicate that = Bet-Nahrain=20 (Mesopotamia) may have enjoyed a few years of independence under the = Parthian=20 (Arsacid) kings of Persia- Vologases V and Artavasces in = particular.=20

Mesopotamian Chronology of the Historical = Period,=20 Brinkman


AD (1000)=20

The Mongol tribe of Keriats, with a population of = 200,000 men,=20 became Christian.  The leader of the Keriats is lost in the = wilderness=20 during a hunt and despairs for his life.  According to early = historians,=20 Mar Sargius (Sargis) appears to him and shows him the way.  After = finding=20 his way home, the Keriat leader sends for Assyrian merchants that he = knew and=20 submits to Christ and hence his people.=20

"The Assyrian Church in the Mongolian = Empire...",=20 Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, Vol XIII, No 2, 1999.=20

=20


THIS WEEK IN=20 HISTORY

March 1838:   American Presbyterian missionaries opened = the first=20 girls=92 school in Urmia, Iran. Other religious minorities, mainly = Armenians,=20 attended the school.  Similar schools later opened in Tehran, = Tabriz,=20 Mashhad, Rasht, Hamden and other cities in Iran.  However Muslim = girls were=20 barred to attend the Missionary schools by the religious authorities and = public=20 pressure.  In the 1870s the first Muslim girls joined the American = school=20 in Tehran. The failure of Iran's Parliament (Majlis) to meet their = demands=20 forced women to take action.=20

CALENDAR OF = EVENTS
   = until
Apr 23
ENSCHDE,=20 HOLLAND
HANNIBAL ALKHAS = PAINTINGS=20 EXHIBITION

Sponsored by the Patriotic Revolutionaries of = BethNahrin=20 & Museium Jannink=20

Museum Jannink
Haaksbergerstr=20 147 =20

The gallery opens officially on March 17 by the = Syrian=20 Orthodox Church's Bishop Yulius Cicek who lives in the Mor Afrem = Monastery=20 in Holland.  Gedeputeerde Overijssel dhr. Jan Kristen and = Wethouder=20 dhr. M. Swart from Enschede will also be present.  The = opening=20 ceremony will also feature Beth Nahrin folk music.=20

Phone: 053-431 9093 
Fax:=20 053-430 5492 

Mar = 25
SAN JOSE / SANTA=20 CLARA
KHA B'NEESAN=20 PARTY

Sponsored by the Assyrian American Association = of San=20 Jose=20

Entertainment:  Ramsin Sheeno and Robert = Bet=20 Sayad
Complimentary buffet of delicious = appetizers and finger food
Westin=20 Hotel=20

5101 Great America Parkway
8:00=20 p.m.
Ticket price:  $35  in=20 advance    $40  at the door
For ticket purchase please visit or call:=20

AAA of San=20 = Jose           &nb= sp;=20 408-927-8100
      Every=20 Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m.
Etminan=20 = Market           &= nbsp; =20 408-226-5992
Roomil=20 = Baba           &nb= sp;      =20 408-226-5008
Linda=20 = Kaldani           =       =20 408-356-3953
Homer=20 = Younan           &= nbsp;   =20 408-266-7676

Mar = 28
LONDON=20
LONDON CENTRE FOR THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST=20 LECTURE

"Reading and writing cuneiform past and = present"=20
Christopher Walker
6:30=20 PM
British Museum, Great Russell St. = WC1. Lecture=20 theatre.
Tickets 7.50 pounds =
Contact 020 7323 8566

Apr = 12
LONDON=20
LONDON CENTRE FOR THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST=20 LECTURE

"Egypt through the Assyrian annals" =
Paul Collins
6:00 PM =
British Museum, Great Russell St. WC1. Lecture = Theatre=20
EES and BM Dept. of Egyptian = antiquities.=20
Non-EES members contact the EES 020 7242=20 1880

Apr = 28
SAN=20 FRANCISCO
INTERNATIONAL = CULINARY=20 EVENT

Sponsored by the Assyrian = Aid Society=20 of America
To raise=20 $100,000 for projects in north Iraq=20

Dinner prepared by famous = Middle=20 Eastern chefts
Served=20 with finest California wines=20

Garden Court of the = Palace=20 Hotel
$200 = per=20 person=20

For more information=20 contact:=20

Assyrian Aid Society = of=20 America
350 Berkeley=20 Park Boulevard
Kensington, CA 94707
May = 22-26
COPENHAGEN=20
2ND INTERN. CONGRESS = ON THE=20 ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST

"Near Eastern Archaeology = at the=20 Beginning of the 3d Millen. AD" 
Hosted by Carsten Niebuhr = Institute and the=20 University of Copenhagen. =20

Contact:  Secretary = of the=20 2ICAANE
Carsten=20 Niebuhr Institute
Snorresgade 17 - 19
DK-2300 Copenhagen. 
Tel. +45 35 32 89 00; Fax. +45 35 = 32 89=20 26
e-mail: = 2icaane@coco.ihi.ku.dk.

May = 27
MODESTO=20
FIRST ASSYRIAN MIDI = COMPOSERS=20 CONFERENCE

Double Tree = Hotel=20
2:00 PM-10:00 PM = PST=20
Organized by: Nineveh On = Line
Click Here for more=20 information
What is=20 MIDI?  Click=20 Here

Jun = 10-11
FRANCE=20
FOOTBALL (SOCCER) = TOURNAMENT=20 & PARTY

Sponsored by the = Association of the=20 Assyro-Chaldeans of France
Champions & players will be honored at the party = following the=20 games=20

Participation Fee:  = 300 Franks=20 per Team
For farther=20 information:
Association des Assyro-Chald=E9ens de France = :=20
T=E9l : + 33 1 39 90 87=20 11
Fax : + = 33 1 34 19=20 84 72
E-mail :=20 acc_f@club-internet.fr=20

Centre Socioculturel des=20 Assyro-Chald=E9ens de France
T=E9l & Fax : + 33 1 34 04 26 47=20

Nuri = Yaramis
T=E9l : + 33 1 39 33 48 = 74=20
Fax : + 33 1 39 33 41=20 40
Mobil : = + 33 6 89=20 88 85 83=20

Suphi = Oguz =20
Mobil : + 33 6 81 90 92=20 47 

Jun = 26-30
SYDNEY=20
EIGHT ANNUAL CONGRESS = FOR SYRIAC=20 STUDIES

Department of Semitic=20 Studies
University of=20 Sydney

Jun = 30
SYDNEY=20
CONFERENCE:  = ASSYRIANS AFTER=20 ASSYRIA

An international = conference on the=20 subject of the fate of the Assyrian people after the collapse of = the=20 Assyrian Empire (612 B.C. - 2000 A.D.).=20

Sponsors: =
The Centre for Comparative = Genocide Studies at=20 Macquarie University & the Department of Semitic Studies at = the=20 University of Sydney=20

9:00 am - 9:05=20 am:      Official = Welcome =20
9:05 am - 10:30=20 am:    Presentation of papers  =
10:30 am - 11:00 am:  Morning = tea 
11:00 am -=20 12:30 pm:  Presentation of papers  =
12:30 pm -  2:00 pm:=20 Luncheon 
2:00 pm=20 -  3:30 pm:    Presentation of=20 papers 
3:30 pm=20 -  4:00 pm:    Afternoon = tea =20
4:00 pm -  5:00=20 pm:    Conference Review and = Resolutions=20

For more information = &=20 Registration Fee Detail click=20 here

Jul = 10-13
PARIS=20
46th RENCONTRE = ASSYRIOLOGIQUE=20 INTERNATIONALE

"Nomadism and Sedentarism = in the=20 Ancient Near East"=20

College de = France=20
52 rue Cardinal=20 Lemoine
75005=20

Contact: = chrinico@club-internet.fr or=20 fax 33-1-48-87-82-58=20

XLVIe RAI =
Christophe NICOLLE =
Chaire = d'Assyriologie
College de France =
52 rue Cardinal = Lemoine=20
75005, Paris -=20 France

Jul = 26-30
PORTLAND,=20 OREGAN
38TH=20 ANNUAL SYRIAN ORTH ARCHDIOCESES = CONVENTION

The Syrian Orthodox Archdioceses in Canada and = United=20 States
Led by His Holliness Patriarch = Ignatius=20 Zakka I
Hosted by St. Ignatius Church,=20 Portland
Marriot in Portland=20

Agenda:  Review of the past 50 years of = history of=20 the church in North America to identify and cement the strengths = and work=20 on improving
weaknesses. =20

In addition to a spiritual and cultural = festival, a=20 cruise on the Columbia River, a bus trip to Cascade Range, etc. = are=20 planned. Click=20 Here


 =20

THANK=20 YOU!
Professor=20 Emanuel Kamber.............Michigan...............................News=20 Digest


SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH READERS IN 50 = COUNTRIES=20 BY INCLUDING ZINDA MAGAZINE IN YOUR COMMUNITY OR ORGANIZATION'S MAILING=20 LIST.  SEE OUR MAILING ADDRESS BELOW.

ZINDA Magazine is published = every=20 Tuesday.  Views expressed in ZINDA do not necessarily represent = those of=20 the ZINDA editors, or any of our associated staff.  This = publication=20 reserves the right, at its sole discretion, not to publish comments or = articles=20 previously printed in or submitted to other journals. ZINDA reserves the = right=20 to publish and republish your submission in any form or medium. All = letters and=20 messages  require the name(s) of sender and/or author. All messages = published in the SURFS UP! section must be in 500 words or less and bear = the=20 name of the author(s). Distribution of material featured in ZINDA is not = restricted, but permission from ZINDA is required.  This service is = meant=20 for the exchange of information, analyses and news. To subscribe, send = e-mail=20 to: zenda@ix.netcom.com.=20

Zinda Magazine
P.O. Box 20278   San Jose, = California  =20 95160   U.S.A.
Voice:      (408) = 918-9200=20
   = Fax:      (408)=20 918-9201

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