ZENDA - Sept. 27, 1999

From: Subject: ZENDA - Sept. 27, 1999 Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 11:16:52 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0031_01C31553.53DA7340"; type="text/html" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0031_01C31553.53DA7340 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2000/zn030700copy.htm ZENDA - Sept. 27, 1999 =20 Z I N D = A M A G A Z=20 I N E=20

Volume=20 VI = ; =20 Issue 3
Adaar 7,=20 6749 &nb= sp; &nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; =20 March 7, 2000=20

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	Mor Habib
Good=20 Morning Bet-Nahrain	The Controversial Ilisu Dam = Project
News=20 Digest	Syrian Orthodox Church on Census 2000 = Ancient Castle Found in Southern = Bet-Nahrain
Surfs=20 Up	"misconception actively = spread by=20 the Roman Cath. Church"
Surfers=20 Corner	The Assyrian Genocide Seminar in Chicago=20 1999 Mid Eastern Country Reports on Human = Rights=20 Practices
Assyrian=20 Surfing Posts	The Ilisu Dam Project in Yurquie = Talking Assyrian Alphabet A = History of=20 the British in Iraq
Literatus	Ancient Mesopotamian Pregnancy = Test
Bravo	Stargate SG-1
Milestones	No Entry
Pump=20 Up the Volume	Exchange & Convert
Back=20 to the Future	Dog's Tongue & Paul =C9mile = Botta
This=20 Week in History	First Assyrian School for Girls
Calendar=20 of Events	Hannibal Alkhas Exhibition in=20 Holland

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

THE LIGHTHOUSE=20

MOR HABIB =
Egyptian Missionary in = Mesopotamia=20

Introduction

Mt Izlla is located in present day Turkey near the = Syrian=20 border. It is a few kilometers north of Nisibis, the town famous at the = end of=20 the fourth century for its Christian University. Persian and Roman = armies=20 moved back and forth within view of Mt. Izlo for several centuries. The = Roman=20 general, Julian the Apostate, lost to an inferior Persian army on = the=20 Syrian plains below Mt. lzla. In the next millennium, Marco Polo, = the=20 Italian explorer, passed by the base of the mountain on his way to = China,=20 traveling on the famed Silk Road.=20

When monasticism emerged in the fourth century in = Mesopotamia,=20 Mt. Izlo was a natural location for monasteries.¹ It was near = a=20 strategic military and cultural nexus, yet remote enough to satisfy the = needs of=20 solitude. It was close enough to Nisibis, an important Christian = population to=20 provide financial support, yet far enough away to allow monks to conduct = prayer=20 in relative peace. Mt. Izla was on the Persian/Roman military border = which made=20 it an important region for Emperors to court the loyalty of the = monks. =20 Monasteries often financially benefited from generous gifts and building = programs.=20

=20

Location of the Literary Source = of the=20 Story

Traditions of the region suggest that monasticism was = founded=20 by St. Awgin and his seventy two disciples from Egypt who came to the = region in=20 the first half of the fourth century. Although a native monastic = tradition=20 existed in the region, St. Awgin is credited with initiating the birth = of many=20 monasteries and churches in the region. The spiritual center of this = religious=20 phenomenon was on Mt. Izla.²=20

We know of at least seven main monasteries that were = built on=20 Mt. Izla. The chief of the monasteries was St. Awgin where the Saint was = buried.=20 The other six monasteries were Deir Mor Abraham of Kashkar, Deir Mor = Yohanon=20 Tayoyo, Deir Mor Melke, Dier Mor Khudahwi, Deir Mor Yareth, and = Deir Mor=20 Sallara.=20

Four major Christian villages grew up in support of = the=20 monasteries. Beth Arabaye: a village where Eulogius lived in this = village=20 for two years, Beth Mar Fafa: a village near Mt. Izlo below Deir = Yohanon, Kfar=20 Zamara: a village near Mt. Izlo, and the main village M'arre which was = the main=20 support for the monasteries for fifteen hundred years and bears = archeological=20 evidence of its rich Christian past.³=20

We are told in the story of St. Habib that he came = with the=20 original Egyptian troop of monks led by St. Awgin. He helped in the = construction=20 of what became the monastery of St. Awgin. Eventually the monks = spread out=20 across the region evangelizing the pagan populations who practiced a=20 syncretistic but essentially Mithrian religion. St. Habib is = credited in the story with evangelizing a region in what is today = northern Iraq=20 in the vicinity of the Kardu mountains.=20

We learn from the story that he returned to Mt. Izla = after his=20 first journey instigated by the prompting of St. Awgin. The return = to Mt.=20 Izla seems to indicate that the mountain was the spiritual heart of the=20 missionary enterprise. Local Christian residents today believe = that St.=20 Habib is buried at the site of the monastery of St. Awgin. Our = story=20 suggests that he is buried at a monastery that bore his name near the = Tigris=20 river, perhaps in the vicinity of the town of Shigar in northern = Iraq.=20

=20

Date of the Literary Origin of = the=20 Story

We have an excellent linguistic marker in the text to = suggest=20 the time of the writing of the story of St. Habib. The story uses = several Greek=20 loan words. The word 'theoria' first appears in the Greek writings of=20 Evagrius. His writings became popular among Syrian monastic = writers,=20 especially in Isaac of Nineveh , Babai, and Gregory of Cyprus, all of = whom write=20 in the seventh century. The term became especially popular among = contemporaries=20 of Isaac of Nineveh such as Shem'on d-Taybuteh and Dadisho.=20

Gregory of Cyprus defined the word as meaning 'divine = vision'=20 and Dadisho defined it as 'purity of intellect', and Isaac of Nineveh = describes=20 it as 'spiritual vision' or 'vision of the soul'. Not only do we = have this=20 single word, but we have it in a specific configuration. Professor = Sebastian=20 Brock, the noted Syriac orientalist, lists adjectives associated with = this Greek=20 loan-word throughout Syriac literature. In our story a variant of the = adjective=20 'alahayta' modifies the Greek load word. Brock says that this = phrase is of=20 Dionysian origin. Dionysius the Areopagite was translated from Greek to = Syriac=20 by Sergius of Resh'aina. It occurs in Syriac writers such as Philoxenus, = Babai,=20 Gregory of Cyprus and Shemoun d-Taybuteh.⁴=20

We can conclude that the source of this story maybe = as early as=20 the seventh century, three hundred years after the arrival of St. Habib = on Mt.=20 Izla. But more than likely the source of the story was written no = earlier=20 than the ninth century as there is no manuscript referring to St. Awgin = before=20 this time according to Brock. We must have some humility about = this=20 observation as it is evidence of having not yet found early manuscripts = more=20 than lack of evidence. We may have indirect evidence in our story = that=20 this disciple of St. Awgin may have been recorded as early as the = seventh=20 century.=20

The dating of the source of the story could be = assisted by=20 identifying two towns mentioned in the story. First, there is Domaane = which is=20 north and west of Mt. Izlo. It seems to be in the region of Turabdin. = Also the=20 town of Romanus near Anhel. These villages are not present today. If one = could=20 find when these villages began and ended under these names it could = provide a=20 range of time for narrowing down the period for the source of this story = along=20 with other factors.=20

=20

Religious=20 Environment

Also we learn some things about the religions of the = region=20 during the time of the writing of the story or perhaps even during the = time of=20 St. Habib. We are told that there was a large idol and image-making = industry.=20 Some of these idols were made of wood. We deduce that figurines were = hung on the=20 idols and items such as gold and silver beads and pearls were hung = around the=20 necks of the worshippers.=20

The names of the people also give us hints into the = religious=20 world St. Habib was encountering, or at least it is knowledge of the = pagan world=20 at the time of the writing of the story of St. Habib. In the story we = encounter=20 a chief magi who was named Adarmalek and his son Pargoshansaf all = indicate a=20 Persian/Mithrian religion.=20

=20

Summary of the Story of St.=20 Habib

St. Habib entered a monastery near Alexandria when he = was about=20 fifteen years old feigning ignorance, although he was quite = knowledgeable in the=20 scriptures and philosophers. After a few years he secluded himself = a cell=20 and wrestled with demons. He left the solitary life in order to go to=20 Jerusalem. He went to Alexandria to receive a blessing from the = Patriarch=20 who saw his holiness and made St. Habib Bishop for Athens. Having to = chase down=20 the saint, the Patriarch succeeded in making St. Habib a Bishop and sent = him to=20 the city. He was received in Athens with great adulation and miracles of = walking=20 on water. In Athens he battled over money with a fellow by the name of=20 Dionysious who had confiscated the money of the church and also from the = poor. St. Habib through a dream discovered where the money was = hidden and=20 had it brought to him. Habib prayed and made the money magically = fly to=20 him. Afterwards, Dioynisious committed suicide and St. Habib fled back = to Egypt=20 to the Nitrian desert and joined the holy band of St. Awgin. They = left=20 Egypt and traveled to Syria, crossing over to Beth Nahrain to Mt. Izla = near=20 Nisibis. There they built a monastery and church and it became a staging = area=20 for a large missionary enterprise in the region. St. Habib = traveled with=20 the troop to the Kardu mountains where he miraculously healed a man who = had been=20 mauled by a lion. He was taken to the village of the man and there St. = Habib=20 destroyed their house of idols and converted the village to = Christianity. =20 He baptised 6,006 people and stayed there and taught them for one = month. =20 He returned to Mt. Izla with the man he healed and had become his = disciple,=20 Barboze. Later he traveled to the village of Domaane which was = north west=20 of Mt. Izla. He and Barboze built a monastery and gathered sixty monks=20 there. Later they traveled to Beth Lafat where they worked for = seven years=20 among idol worshippers. When it was discovered that they were = Christians, the=20 people of the city threw them in prison. The chief of the Magis beat St. = Awgin=20 but the son of the chief of the Magis died as a divine consequence. = Through a=20 dream of the Christian servant, the chief of the Magis had St. Awgin = released=20 and come and raise his son from the dead. St. Awgin mocks the = pagan priest=20 whom he asks first to try to revive the dead son. When they fail St. = Awgin=20 revives the son and converts the city and many nearby villages to=20 Christianity. He baptises 10,635 people. He stays with them for = three=20 years. St. Habib then goes to the city of Shigir and pays a carpenter to = make a=20 living idol. He mocks the man and the idol and for this he is cast into = prison=20 again. But St. Habib prays and casts down their house of idols. The = people ask=20 St. Habib to show them the power of his God. St. Habib has them = bring two=20 dead children to him, a Persian and a Jew. He revives them and = converts=20 the city to Christianity. He baptises 1,027 souls. He conducts = ministry of=20 healing and teaching and stays with them for six months. Finally he = leaves the=20 city and goes and builds a small cell near the Tigris River across from = a small=20 village. He is told that he will soon die, and after a brief illness he = dies and=20 is taken to heaven.=20

=20

Signs of=20 Authenticity

Although the story in its present form in the two = manuscripts=20 consulted in this story at Mor Gabriel monastery, shows signs of = redaction,=20 there are clear evidences of authenticity. In three place we have exact = numbers=20 given when counting the number of people baptised. We have 6,006 people = baptised=20 in the region of Kardu, 10,635 in the region of Beth Lafat, and 1,027 = souls in=20 Shigir. Also we have what sounds like a very authentic prayer from the = mouth of=20 the saint that he prays over the people of Kardu. This is followed by a = poem in=20 praise of the saint.=20

Notes=20

1. see J-M Fiey, Nisibe = metropole=20 syrienne orientale et ses suffragants, des origines a nos jours, History = of Mt=20 Izla Superiors of Mor Augin: Augin 327-363 AD, Andreas = 363-444 AD,=20 Yoanon of Hira 444-485 AD, Daniel 485-505 AD, Yohanon Araboyo 505-540 = AD,=20 Estephanon the Persian 540-590 AD, Isho the Palestinian 590-592 AD, = Abraham the=20 Egyptian 592 - 612 ADAbraham of Jerusalem 612-643 AD, Sallara = 643-664=20 AD=20

2. Brock, S., Notes on = Some=20 Monasteries on Mt. Izla, Abr-Nahrain XIX, Leiden, 1980/1 =
912 The life of John the Egyptian is copied at Mor Awgin by = monk Moshe=20 (Mingana 496)
1271: restoration of Mor Awgin = by Mar=20 Abdisho
1501: A manuscript is copies at Mor = Awgin=20 (Berlin syr 59)
1620; A manuscript is copied = at Mor=20 Awgin (Berlin syr. 31)
1739: Maryam of Mor = Awgin=20 commissioned the writing of the manuscript of the life of Mor = Awgin.=20
= Coped by the=20 priest Shemoun of Alqosh (Mingana syr 166)
1808: Order=20 of St. Anthony and St. Awgin founded as part of a monastic revival = by Gabriel Danbo
1842: Monastery = changed hands=20 from Nestorian to West Syrian ownership. Perhaps initiated by = Mafrian=20
= Basilios=20 Abulhad.
1973: Monastery restored again and = one monk=20 and two nuns live there.=20

3. M'arre: a village in = the vicinity=20 of Mt. Izlo. Known to have inscriptions of a unique relief similar = to=20
those = found at Mor=20 Gabriel and Mor Yohanon.=20

4. see Brock, S, Parole = de l'Orient=20 XX. Kaslik, 1995
=20

Fr. Dale A. Johnson (Bar=20 Yohanon)
Tur-Abdin,=20 Turkey
January 2000=20

Fr. Johnson (Bar Yohanon) works at the Mor = Gabriel=20 monastery in southeast Turkey where he is involved in the translation of = the=20 local hagiography. The story of Mar Habib has not been published = in the=20 west and Bar Yohanon has kindly submitted this article for exclusive = publication=20 in the Zinda Magazine.
=20

=20

GOOD MORNING = BET-NAHRAIN=20

THE CONTROVERSIAL ILISU DAM=20 PROJECT

(ZNRU: Istanbul) The = governments of=20 Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, = and the=20 U.S. are currently considering extending official export credits or = guarantees=20 of about $ 850 million to finance the Ilisu hydropower project in = Turkey. Ilisu=20 is at present the largest dam project in Turkey's pipeline. It is = located on the=20 Tigris river in South-East Anatolia, 65 km upstream of the Syrian and = Iraqi=20 border. The project is extremely controversial for a variety of = political,=20 social, environmental, economic, and archeological reasons. It appears = to=20 violate five policy guidelines of the World Bank on 18 accounts, and = core=20 provisions of the UN Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of = Transboundary=20 Watercourses.=20

The Ilisu reservoir will flood = 52 villages=20 and 15 small towns, including the city of Hasankeyf, and will affect=20 15,000-20,000 people. The exact number of affected people has so far not = been=20 established, since the surveys of the reservoir area were in part = conducted by=20 helicopter rides. Affected people are not being consulted. =

The Ilisu reservoir will flood = Hasankeyf, a=20 Kurdish town with a population of 5,500. Hasankeyf is the only town in = Anatolia=20 which has survived since the middle ages without destruction. Being a = rich=20 treasure of Assyrian, Christian, Abassidian-Islamic and Ottoman history = in=20 Turkey, Hasankeyf was awarded complete archeological protection by the = Turkish=20 department of culture on April 14, 1978 (decision A-1105). The = decision by=20 the department of energy to flood Hasankeyf violates this protection. = Numerous=20 cultural experts and activists in Turkey have appealed to the national=20 authorities and the foreign companies to save Hasankeyf by changing the = design=20 of Ilisu. According to Olus Arik, a professor of Ankara University = who=20 supervises the archeological excavations at Hasankeyf, many cultural = treasures=20 cannot be transported, and that only 15 percent of all relics could be = saved by=20 evacuation.=20

For more information see this week's ASSYRIAN=20 SURFING POSTS.
=20

=20

NEWS DIGEST=20

SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ON = CENSUS 2000,=20 PRESS RELEASE

SOCNews: &n= bsp; The=20 Patriarchal Vicars of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the United States = have=20 issued a joint encyclical requesting members of the Church residing in = the U.S.=20 to submit the US Census-2000 forms registering themselves under the = category=20 "Syriac", rather than the name of country of origin. Registering under = this=20 category will help ensure that the community meets the minimum numbers = required=20 to ensure appropriate federal assistance that is available to such = communities=20 in the US. The Archbishops point out that the category should be spelled = correctly as "Syriac" and not "Syrian" since the latter would indicate a = national of Syrian Arab Republic.=20

February 20, 2000

From: The Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in the = United=20 States
To: All = the=20 members of our Syrian Orthodox Church in the United States=20

May the blessings, peace and grace of our Lord be = with=20 you.=20

As you may know, the U.S. Government is conducting = census this=20 year. As of next March, the Census Bureau will start sending out the = Census-2000=20 forms to every household in the USA. This process takes place once every = ten=20 years, and based on its results, the Census bureau studies the = demographics of=20 the population shift in the USA, and accordingly it assigns certain = federal=20 financial help to each community based on its size. This federal help = could=20 contribute towards education programs such as teaching of our language = and=20 culture, as well as other community related services. There are two = forms=20 involved-- form D-61B (the long form) and D-61A (the short form). A = sample of=20 the sections related to ethnic origin and race is attached for = reference. It=20 shows the location where the SYRIAC name is to be entered.=20

We urge each and every member of our community to = register as=20 "SYRIAC", the specific category that has been assigned for our people. = Please,=20 do not register under the name of any country of origin (i.e. the = country from=20 which you originally immigrated from, such as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, = Iraq,=20 Turkey, etc.), because if you register under the name of any country of = origin,=20 the federal help would go to the nationals of that country. It is very = important=20 to register as "SYRIAC" with a "C" and NOT with an "N", because to the = U.S.=20 Government the word "Syrian" means Syrian Arab and not Syriac = (Suryoyo).=20

Our Syriac speaking community owns one of the oldest = cultures=20 in the world, and it always strove to preserve its language and culture=20 throughout its long history. It is vital, therefore, for us to continue = to work=20 towards preserving our language, the language of our Lord, and our=20 culture.=20

The "Syriac for Census-2000 Committee" was formed to = encourage=20 and request all Syriac speaking communities in the US to register as = "SYRIAC"=20 under the combined category of "Syriac Speaking People"=20 (Syriac/Chaldean/Assyrian), so that we can meet the minimum required = size of an=20 ethnic minority to be qualified for federal assistance.=20

Assuring you of our fatherly love and benediction, we = remain,=20

Clemis E. Kaplan, Archbishop
Patriarchal Vicar of the Western US.=20

Cyril Aphrem Karim, Archbishop
Patriarchal Vicar of the Eastern US.=20

P.S. If you need any further information or help in = filling the=20 Census forms, contact your Archdiocese office or the Syriacs for Census = 2000=20 Committee (SCC) at: (818) 888-4768.
=20

For Syriac version click=20 here.=20

ANCIENT CASTLE FOUND IN = SOUTHERN=20 BET-NAHRAIN

(ZNRU: Baghdad) Iraqi archeologists have = discovered=20 an ancient castle dating back to the pre-Islamic era in southern = Bet-Nahrain's=20 Babil Province- 60 miles south of Baghdad. According to the = al-Zawra=20 Weekly the castle contained many artifacts, statues, coins and = earthenware pots=20 of different sizes. Abdul-Hameed Aggar, the head of the excavation = team,=20 said that bricks gilded by engraved gypsum were used in the castle, = indicating=20 ``technical innovation'' in the building. The excavation began last year = in=20 Babil province, which is also the site of the historic city of Babylon. = Aggar=20 said other houses and castles discovered in the excavation had designs = showing=20 they were built under Parthians and Sassanids -- Persian dynasties that = reigned=20 between the third century BC and seventh century AD. Last = December, Iraq=20 said its archeologists discovered 397 artifacts that dated back to about = 2500 BC=20 at an ancient site in southern Iraq.=20

Also last week, Turkey took possession Wednesday of = 133=20 artifacts, some of which are 2,500 years old, that were looted from=20 archaeological sites in Turkey and smuggled into the United = States. Items=20 on display at the State Department ceremony included bronze bracelets = and lamps,=20 a terra cotta bird image, a Byzantine cross and a small green glass = flask. The=20 collection also contained Assyrian antiquities.=20

As Alfay Pasinli, Turkey's director general of = monuments and=20 museums, signed a receipt and officially received the pieces, Istemihan = Talay,=20 Turkey's culture minister, said he hoped the treasures' return would set = a=20 precedent.=20

Last week, Joel Malter, 68, of Malter Galleries in = Encino,=20 Calif., pleaded guilty in federal court in Oklahoma City to a conspiracy = charge=20 in connection with the smuggling. Investigators said Malter had = agreed to=20 buy $8,000 worth of the stolen antiquities.=20

The investigation began in October 1997 after a U.S. = Customs=20 agent learned of the smuggling from an Oklahoma City buyer. Working with = the=20 Turkish national police, the agent met with Sezai Portakalci, who worked = on the=20 U.S. Air Force Base in Incirlik, Turkey. Portakalci, whom = investigators=20 called the operation's mastermind, was arrested in 1998. Searches in the = Turkish=20 towns of Adana and Kozan resulted in four more arrests, including a = reserve U.S.=20 Air Force major at Incirlik. Investigators also recovered additional = coins and=20 artifacts.

SURF'S UP!

=93As a Deacon for the Holy Apostolic = Catholic Assyrian=20 Church of the East, I am surprised constantly by the ignorance and the = lack of=20 research of so-called theologians and the inappropriate presentation of = the=20 facts when publishing material regarding the Assyrian Church of the East = and St.=20 Nestorius. While it is true that he was condemned for believing that the = Virgin=20 Mother of Christ should not be called "Theotokos" or God-bearer, you = fail to=20 mention that he was unfairly tried and judged in a hostile and prejudice = court=20 during the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. Also, it may be true that his=20 followers fled to Persian territories after his ex-communication and = exile, it=20 is utterly false that they founded the Nestorian Persian church. While = the=20 Persian Church, also known as the Assyrian Church of the East, similarly = rejects=20 the designation of Mary as God-bearer, they do accept that she should be = called=20 "Christotokos" or Christ-bearer. However, this belief in Christ's = natures and=20 his relationship to the Virgin Mary was part of the Church's theology = long=20 before the birth of Nestorius, let alone his ascension to the = Patriarchal See of=20 Constantinople. Neither Nestorius nor his followers founded the Assyrian = Church=20 of the East in Persia. This is a misconception actively spread by the = Roman=20 Catholic Church and believed by many Assyrians. Rather, the Orthodox = theology=20 Nestorius preached was that of the Assyrian Church, founded centuries = before his=20 birth. Additionally, he did not claim the existence of 2 persons in = Jesus=20 Christ, as the Roman Catholics and Chaldeans falsely maintain. In = contrast, he=20 believed in the dual natures of Christ, one divine and one human, each=20 performing their own purpose in the one man Jesus.=20

The Assyrian Church of the = East, with its=20 capital being located at Seleucia-Ctesiphon during the 5th century A.D., = was=20 founded by the apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Mari during the first = century. It=20 had developed an organized and structured religious institution with the = Catholicos-Patriarch as its head. Furthermore, while the western church = was=20 embroiled in persecutions and religious controversies regarding = Christology, the=20 Church of the East had developed a superior theology and belief in = Christ that=20 was based on the prophets and Gospel, as opposed to the Western Church's = theology that was based on Greek philosophy.=20

Because the Assyrian church was = confined to=20 the borders of the Persian Empire, free and open communication with the = Roman=20 West was difficult and mostly prohibited. As many of our church's = ancient=20 theologians state, by the time the Persian Church had heard of the = Nestorian=20 controversy, many decades had passed and Nestorius was dead. However, = our church=20 did not excommunicate Nestorius as the Western church requested, since = we found=20 no fault with his religious doctrine and theology. To excommunicate St.=20 Nestorius would be tantamount to excommunicating our own faith and = theology,=20 which was handed down to us via the Apostles, and has allowed us to = survive two=20 thousand years of persecution, rape, torture, and injustice perpetrated = against=20 us because of our belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of God = Almighty.=20

Since the Assyrian Church of = the East had a=20 structured hierarchy and institution with the Catholicos-Patriarch as = its head=20 and various metropolitans, bishops, and clergy to oversee its rural and = urban=20 districts, and as mentioned above due to geographical borders, it was=20 independent of the West and had no dependence on Rome as did the Sees of = the=20 Western church. Additionally, the Assyrian Church had prominent learning = centers, such as the schools of Nisibin and Edessa (Orhai), where = instructors of=20 Christian theology, inspired by divine thinking rather than earthly = philosophy,=20 taught students that would carry on the traditions of the church. These = learning=20 centers were the envy of the Western world. Not only was theology taught = at=20 these institutions, but secular subjects as well, such as medicine, = astronomy,=20 and science.=20

In all actuality, the Assyrian = Church was=20 an organization centuries ahead of its time that was open and tolerant = to many=20 beliefs and promoted novel ideas to educate its members. Its success can = be=20 witnessed by its flourishing during the Abbassid Caliphates, when many = Assyrians=20 were promoted to high level government positions during Arab rule. = Furthermore,=20 as quoted by A. Mingana, a prominent Assyrian theologian, the Assyrian = Church=20 had realized that the atom was the smallest physical particle and that = the earth=20 revolved around the sun centuries before these discoveries were made by = Bohr,=20 Copernicus and Galileo. And while the Roman church considered such ideas = as=20 heresies, the so-called Nestorian church promoted these ideas centuries = before=20 they were scientifically proven in the West.=20

When the Roman church was still = in its=20 infancy, the Assyrian Church of the East, with its strict monasticism, = had=20 developed an active missionary prowess that would allow the penetration = of the=20 good news of the Gospel into areas such as Malabar and Trichur, India, = Armenia,=20 Turkestan (southern USSR today), Tibet, central China, Mongolia, = Siberia, and=20 Japan. Even today, there is a bustling community of "Nestorian" = Christians in=20 India that claim their Christian heritage from St. Thomas and recognize = the=20 Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East as their head. Therefore, = it is=20 erroneous and intellectually ignorant to make such a statement regarding = Nestorius and his followers.=20

During the 16th and 17th = centuries, Roman=20 Catholicism began to penetrate into the Middle East, specifically Iraq, = causing=20 divisions within the Assyrian Church of the East as well as the Assyrian = nation.=20 Many believers, due to church controversies and matters beyond their = control,=20 were compelled to leave their mother church and join their Assyrian = brethren=20 that had subscribed to the Roman Catholic faith. During the 16th = century, in=20 order to distinguish between the Assyrians who had steadfastly remained = in the=20 faith of their ancient church, and the newly converted Roman Catholic = Assyrians,=20 Pope Eugene IV, quite belligerently subscribed the connotation of = "Nestorian" to=20 the ancient and true Assyrians, while calling his Roman followers = "Chaldean".=20 The head of this newly formed "Chaldean Church" was the Patriarch of = Babylon of=20 the Chaldeans who was ordained amidst controversy.=20

Although members of both = churches are=20 Assyrian and of Assyrian ancestry, until today these false and = inappropriate=20 titles have only deepened the divide between our churches, possibly = eliminating=20 all hope of unifying our Assyrian nation.=20

Additionally, we must realize = the workings=20 of the Roman Catholic Church. This is the same institution that in the = name of=20 Christianity began the Inquisition throughout regions of the world where = Roman=20 Catholicism was dominant. Furthermore, with the use of the militaries of = Portugal and Spain, the Inquisition was spread to other areas of the = world, such=20 as Goa in India, in order to reconcile to the Roman church those = "heretical"=20 Christians who claimed their heritage from the Apostles and only = recognized and=20 followed the Persian Church and its Patriarch. One must wonder how such = brutal=20 and ungodly actions were taken by Rome and condoned by the Bishop of = Rome (Pope)=20 all in the name of Christ! As I have stated quite succinctly, it is = erroneous to=20 call members of the Assyrian Church of the East as "Nestorian". This = term has=20 been applied to us by the Roman Catholics as a way of demeaning our = faith and=20 denomination, and it is still used today. St. Nestorius is considered by = the=20 Assyrian Church of the East as a martyr that suffered for Christ and the = true=20 Orthodox faith without shedding blood. Many ancient theologians of the = Holy=20 Apostolic Catholicos Assyrian Church of the East have commented on this = matter,=20 stating that St. Nestorius was not of our race, his features were not = like ours,=20 he did not speak our ancient Aramaic language, and by the time he was = born, our=20 church had a developed faith and theology that was spreading like = wildfire=20 throughout Persia, the Middle East, and Asia due to its missionary zeal. = In=20 other words, Nestorius nor his followers founded the Persian Church. = Rather,=20 Nestorius through his preaching only affirmed the orthodox faith of the = Persian=20 Church. Thus, Nestorius' theology supported what the Church had been = preaching=20 centuries before and not the other way around as claimed by = Rome.=20

If one was to seriously study = the events of=20 that period, they would see how the political and economic atmospheres = during=20 that time influenced the decisions of the so-called "Robber Synod". = Furthermore,=20 contemporary theologians as well as theologians and historians of the = past=20 century, many of whom have strong Protestant roots, have supported St.=20 Nestorious, stating definitely that the Christology he subscribed to and = the=20 faith he preached is the true Orthodox faith, and that he was unfairly = judged=20 and tried by hypocrites rather than true Christian believers. Therefore, = the=20 idea that his followers founded the Nestorian Church following his exile = is=20 absolutely and unequivocally incorrect.=20

As mentioned previously, I am a = Deacon for=20 the Assyrian Church of the East, and such matters of theology and = history are of=20 vital importance to me as well as many other people of my church and = Assyrian=20 nation. For nearly two thousand years my people have suffered in the = name of=20 Christianity, albeit much of it due to pagans and Muslim conquerors, but = also to=20 the Roman Catholic institution. Even to this day, this misnomer of = "Nestorian"=20 and "Nestorian Church" perpetuated by the political and egotistical = whims of a=20 Roman pontiff stings like a venom. We should never allow these so-called = historians to inaccurately portray our most glorious and sacred church = with=20 their misguided claims. The Assyrian Church of the East has been a = beacon of=20 hope and spirituality for the Assyrian nation, and for it to survive in = this new=20 millennium, we must be vigilant in making sure not only Assyrians, but = other=20 nationalities and religious denominations, know and understand our = history and=20 what our ancestors have suffered to keep our Christian faith and ancient = and=20 beautiful Assyrian race alive. I apologize for the length of this = manuscript,=20 but throughout it, I hope I have shed some light on this=20 matter.=94=20

Deacon John Badal Piro, B.S.,=20 M.S.
California
=20

SURFERS CORNER =
THE ASSYRIAN GENOCIDE SEMINAR IN=20 CHICAGO

March 3, 2000=20

The Assyrian Academic Society, = along with=20 the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at North Park University, proudly = sponsor=20 a Seminar entitled "The Assyrian Genocide: Living With Hope For the = Future."=20 Featured speakers are: Abdul Massih Saadi, Ph.D. Lutheran School of = Theology at=20 Chicago, Raman Michael, BS., Chair, Public Programs Committee, Assyrian = Academic=20 Society (AAS) and Robert DeKelaita, JD., Chair, Publications Committee, = Assyrian=20 Academic Society (AAS).=20

Both, the AAS and CMES view = this seminar as=20 a unique opportunity to showcase some of the complex issues facing = Assyrians=20 today with a focus on the last century's upheavals and future prospects. = The=20 seminar will be enlivened by a panel discussion formed by = representatives of the=20 Coalition of Assyrian Political Organizations, namely: Assyrian = Democratic=20 Movement, Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party, Assyrian Universal Alliance, and = the=20 Assyrian Democratic Organization. The panel participants will discuss a = brief=20 history of each respective organization and the political objectives the = representatives are pursuing on behalf of Assyrians in the Middle=20 East/Bet-Nahrain. The seminar, "The Assyrian Genocide: Living With Hope = for the=20 Future", will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2000 in the Anderson = Chapel=20 (corner of Spaulding and Foster in Chicago) from 5:30 p.m.-8:30=20 p.m.=20

A $5 admission fee will be = collected at the=20 door. For more information, please contact the Assyrian Academic Society = at: (773) 461-6633; or the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at = (773)=20 244-5786.
All = are=20 welcome.=20

Assyrian=20 Academic Society, P. O. Box 3541, Skokie, IL 60076 =
(773) 461-6633: E-mail:=20 webmaster@aas.net
E-mail:=20 NadiaEJoseph@hotmail.com=20

Center for Middle = Eastern=20 Studies, 3225 W. Foster, Box 52 Chicago, IL 60625: =
(773) 244-5786: E-mail: =20 sklavins-barshney@Northpark.edu=20

1999 COUNTRY REPORTS ON = HUMAN RIGHTS=20 PRACTICES

Released by the Bureau of = Democracy, Human=20 Rights, and Labor
U.S.=20 Department of State, February 25, 2000=20

Excerpts on the "Christian" = &=20 "Assyrian" populations:=20

I R A N

Religious activity is monitored = closely by=20 the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). Adherents of = recognized=20 religious minorities are not required to register individually with the=20 Government, although their community, religious, and cultural = organizations, as=20 well as schools and public events are monitored closely...Evangelical = Christian=20 groups are pressured by government authorities to compile and hand over=20 membership lists for their congregations. Evangelicals have resisted = this=20 demand. Non-Muslim owners of grocery shops are required to indicate = their=20 religious affiliation on the front of their shops.=20

The Christian community is = estimated at=20 approximately 117,000 according to government figures. Of these the = majority are=20 ethnic Armenians and Assyro-Chaldeans. Protestant denominations and = evangelical=20 churches also are active, although nonethnically based groups report a = greater=20 degree of restrictions on their activities.=20

Authorities have become = particularly=20 vigilant in recent years in curbing what is perceived as increasing=20 proselytizing activities by evangelical Christians, whose services are = conducted=20 in Persian. Conversion of a Muslim to a non-Muslim religion can be = considered=20 apostasy. Government officials have reacted to this perceived activity = by=20 closing evangelical churches and arresting converts. Members of = evangelical=20 congregations are required to carry membership cards, photocopies of = which must=20 be provided to the authorities. Worshipers are subject to identity = checks by=20 authorities posted outside congregation centers. Meetings for = evangelical=20 services have been restricted by the authorities to Sundays, and church=20 officials have been ordered to inform the Ministry of Information and = Islamic=20 Guidance before admitting new members to their = congregations.=20

Evangelical church leaders are = subject to=20 pressure from authorities to sign pledges committing them not to = evangelize=20 Muslims or to allow Muslims to attend church services. Evangelical = communities=20 in Iran report a heightened sense of fear from authorities in the period = since=20 the murders of three prominent Iranian evangelical ministers in 1994, = Reverends=20 Tatavous Michaelian, Mehdi Dibaj, and Haik Hovsepian Mehr. Three female = members=20 of the Mujahedin-e Khalq organization were convicted for the murders of = the=20 three ministers; however, many observers believe that authorities played = a role=20 in the killings. Late in the year, a prominent investigative journalist = raised=20 new questions about the guilt of the three women convicted of the 1994 = murders,=20 alleging that the real murderers may have been officials within the = Intelligence=20 Ministry linked to the deaths of several prominent dissidents in late = 1998 (see=20 Section 1.a.).=20

One organization reported 8 = deaths of=20 evangelical Christians at the hands of authorities in the past 10 years, = and=20 between 15 and 23 disappearances in the year between November 1997 and = November=20 1998.=20

Oppression of evangelical = Christians=20 continued during the year. Christian groups reported instances of = government=20 harassment of churchgoers in Tehran, in particular against worshipers at = the=20 Assembly of God congregation in the capital. Instances of harassment = cited=20 included conspicuous monitoring outside Christian premises by = Revolutionary=20 Guards to discourage Muslims or converts from entering church premises = and=20 demands for presentation of identity papers of worshipers inside. = Iranian=20 Christians International (ICI) detailed the cases of Alireza and = Mahboobeh=20 Mahmoudian, converts to Christianity and lay leaders of the Saint Simon = the=20 Zealot Osgofi Church in Shiraz, who were forced to leave the country = permanently=20 in June 1998 after continued harassment by the authorities. The ICI = reported=20 that Alireza Mahmoudian had lost his job because of his conversion and = had been=20 beaten repeatedly by Basiji and Ansar-e Hezbollah thugs on the orders of = government officials from the Ministry of Islamic Guidance. His wife, = Mahboobeh,=20 also had been the subject of intimidation, principally through frequent = and=20 aggressive interrogation by government officials.=20

I R A Q

The Government does not = recognize the=20 various political groupings and parties that have been formed by Shi'a = Muslims,=20 as well as Kurdish, Assyrian, Turkomen, and other Iraqi communities. = These=20 political groups continued to attract support despite their illegal=20 status.=20

Assyrians and Chaldeans are = considered by=20 many to be a distinct ethnic group as well as the descendants of some of = the=20 earliest Christian communities. These communities speak a distinct = language=20 (Syriac), preserve important traditions of Christianity in the east, and = have a=20 rich cultural and historical heritage that they trace back over 2,000 = years.=20 Although these groups do not define themselves as Arabs, the Government, = without=20 any historical basis, defines Assyrians and Chaldeans as such, evidently = to=20 encourage them to identify with the Sunni-Arab dominated = regime.=20

The Government does not permit = education in=20 languages other than Arabic and Kurdish. Public instruction in Syriac, = which was=20 announced under a 1972 decree, has never been implemented. Thus, in = areas under=20 government control, Assyrian and Chaldean children are not permitted to = attend=20 classes in Syriac. In areas of northern Iraq under Iraqi Kurdish = control,=20 classes in Syriac have been permitted since the 1991 uprising against = the=20 Government. By October 1998, the first groups of students were ready to = begin=20 secondary school in Syriac in the north; however, some Assyrian sources = reported=20 that regional Iraqi Kurdish authorities refused to allow the classes to = begin.=20 Details of this practice (for example, the number of students prepared = to start=20 secondary courses in Syriac and the towns where they were located) were = not=20 available, and Kurdish regional authorities denied that they engaged in = such a=20 practice. There were no reports of elementary school instruction in = Syriac being=20 hindered in northern Iraq. In November the Kurdistan Observer reported = that the=20 central Government had warned the administration in the Kurdish region = against=20 allowing Turkmen, Assyrian, or Yazidi minority schools.=20

Assyrian groups reported = several instances=20 of mob violence by Muslims against Christians in the north in recent = years.=20 Assyrians continue to fear attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party, a=20 Turkish-based terrorist organization that operates against indigenous = Kurds in=20 northern Iraq. The Christians often feel caught in the middle of = intra-Kurdish=20 fighting. In December 1997, six Assyrians died in an attack near Dohuk = by the=20 PKK. Some Assyrian villagers have reported being pressured to leave the=20 countryside for the cities as part of a campaign by indigenous Kurdish = forces to=20 deny the PKK access to possible food supplies.=20

Many Assyrian groups reported a = series of=20 bombings in Irbil in late 1998 and early and late 1999. On December 9, = 1998,=20 Nasreen Shaba and her 3-year-old daughter Larsa Toma were killed when a = bomb=20 exploded on the doorstep of their home in the Terawa section of the = city. Later=20 the same month, bombs exploded at the front door of Salman Toma Khoshaba = in the=20 Al-Iskan area and in front of a convent in the Al-Mal'ab area. On = January 6, a=20 bomb exploded at the door of Father Zomaya Yusip in the 7th-of-Nisan = area. No=20 one was killed in these three subsequent incidents. On December 15, a = bomb=20 killed 60-year-old Habib Yousif Dekhoka in front of his store in Irbil = after=20 several months of threats and one prior attempt. Although the bombings = have not=20 been linked to any particular faction or group, Assyrians believe that = they are=20 part of a terror campaign designed to intimidate them into leaving = northern=20 Iraq. The Assyrian Democratic Movement, the Assyrian Patriotic Party, = and other=20 groups have criticized the investigation into these incidents conducted = by the=20 Kurdistan Regional Government. There were no reported arrests by year's=20 end.=20

In June the Assyrian National = News Agency=20 reported a " well-established pattern" of complicity by Kurdish = authorities in=20 attacks against Assyrian Christians in northern Iraq.=20

Many Assyrian groups reported a = series of=20 bombings in Irbil in December 1998, and in January and December. On = December 15,=20 a bomb killed 60-year-old Habib Yousif Dekhoka in front of his=20 store.=20

On June 19, the Assyrian = International News=20 Agency (AINA) reported that the partially decomposed body of Helena = Aloun Sawa,=20 a 21-year-old Assyrian woman missing since early May, was discovered by = a=20 shepherd in a shallow grave near Dohuk dam. Her family reportedly = suspected that=20 she was raped. Sawa was a housekeeper for Kurdistan Democratic Party = (KDP)=20 Political Bureau member Izzeddin Al-Barwari. Reporting that the KDP = offered no=20 assistance in searching for Sawa and that Al-Barwari had intimidated the = family=20 into not pursuing an investigation, AINA concluded that the murder " = resembles a=20 well-established pattern" of complicity by Kurdish authorities in = attacks=20 against Assyrian Christians in northern Iraq. It reported that Sawa had = been=20 coerced into working for Al-Barwari to restore to her family a KDP = pension that=20 had been suspended arbitrarily. The pension had been awarded because of = the=20 recognition of Sawa's father as a KDP martyr after he was killed in the = uprising=20 against the Iraqi regime in 1991.=20

However, on June 21, a = spokesperson for the=20 Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced that the Dohuk police = Homicide=20 Division and the Dohuk General Security Department were investigating = the Sawa=20 murder. A subsequent KRG statement indicated that there did not appear = to be a "=20 political or racial" motive. The KRG noted that the Al-Barwari family = had=20 reported last seeing Sawa when she left Dohuk on her way to a vacation = at her=20 family village in the Nerwa O Rakan area, and that Al-Barwari had been = in=20 Damascus, Syria at the time. Nevertheless, Al-Barwari was suspended from = official KDP duties pending the conclusion of the investigation. At the = end of=20 June, KDP President Massoud Barzani decided to appoint a three-member = commission=20 to further investigate the killing. No results of that investigation = were=20 reported by year's end.=20

No hostilities were reported = between the=20 two major Iraqi Kurdish parties in de facto control of northern Iraq. = During the=20 year, the KDP reportedly imposed a blockade on Assyrian villages, and = later=20 entered the villages and beat villagers. The Kurdistan Democratic Party = and the=20 Patriotic Union of Kurdistan agreed in September 1998 to unify their=20 administrations. Little progress was made toward implementing the 1998=20 agreement.=20

Many Assyrian groups reported a = series of=20 bombings in December 1998, and January and December 1999. Assyrian = groups=20 criticized the investigation into these crimes by the Kurdish=20 authorities.=20

The Special Rapporteur and = others reported=20 that the Government has engaged in various abuses against the country's = 350,000=20 Assyrian and Chaldean Christians, especially in terms of forced = movements from=20 northern areas and repression of political rights. Most Assyrians live = in the=20 northern governates, and the Government often has suspected them of "=20 collaborating" with Iraqi Kurds. In the north, Kurdish groups often = refer to=20 Assyrians as Kurdish Christians. Military forces destroyed numerous = Assyrian=20 churches during the 1988 Anfal Campaign and reportedly tortured and = executed=20 many Assyrians. Both major Kurdish political parties have indicated that = the=20 Government occasionally targets Assyrians, as well as ethnic Kurds and = Turkmen,=20 in expulsions from Kirkuk, where it is attempting to Arabize the=20 city.=20

According to AINA reports, on = August 25,=20 the KDP imposed a blockade on eight Assyrian villages in the Nahla area = east of=20 Aqra. ICRC monitors in northern Iraq reportedly intervened on the = villages'=20 behalf, and the blockade was lifted. During the night of August 27, KDP = forces=20 reportedly reentered the village of Kash Kawa, rounded up the villagers, = and=20 publicly beat two of them. The KDP allegedly suspected a connection = between the=20 village and the Kurdistan Workers Party, with whom the KDP often has = fought.=20 AINA reported a similar night raid by a dozen members of the KDP forces = on the=20 village of Belmat on September 10. The KDP media quoted village leaders = and the=20 mayor of Aqra, denying that any such blockade or village raids occurred. = The=20 ICRC confirmed that it intervened with the KDP after receiving an = Assyrian=20 request and that the KDP withdrew from the villages thereafter. AINA = reported=20 that armed KDP members entered Assyrian Patriotic Party (APP) = headquarters in=20 Dohuk on October 21 and forced its closure. APP offices were allowed to = reopen 4=20 days later.=20

J O R D A = N

In general Christians do not = suffer=20 discrimination. Christians hold government positions and are represented = in the=20 media and academia approximately in proportion to their presence in the = general=20 population, which is estimated at 6 percent. Christian = children in=20 public schools are not required to participate in Islamic religious=20 instruction=20

Over 90 percent of the = population are Sunni=20 Muslim, and approximately 6 percent are Christian. The Government does = not=20 recognize religious faiths other than the three main monotheistic = religions:=20 Islam; Christianity; and Judaism. In addition not all Christian = denominations=20 have been accorded official government recognition. Officially = recognized=20 denominations include the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic = (Melkite), Armenian Orthodox, Maronite Catholic, and the Assyrian, = Anglican,=20 Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist, United Pentecostal, and Presbyterian = Churches.=20 Other churches, including the Baptist Church, the Free Evangelical = Church, the=20 Church of the Nazarene, the Assembly of God, and the Christian = Missionary=20 Alliance, are registered with the Ministry of Justice as " societies" = but not as=20 churches.=20

The Government does not = interfere with=20 public worship by the country's Christian minority. However, although = the=20 majority of Christians are allowed to practice freely, some activities, = such as=20 proselytizing or encouraging conversion to the Christian faith--both = considered=20 legally incompatible with Islam--are prohibited. Christians are subject = to=20 aspects of Shari'a (Islamic law) that designate how inheritances are=20 distributed.=20

Non-Jordanian Christian = missionaries=20 operate in the country but are subject to restrictions. Christian = missionaries=20 may not proselytize Muslims. In late 1998 and early 1999, foreign = Christian=20 mission groups in the country complained of increased bureaucratic = difficulties,=20 including refusal by the Government to renew residence permits. One = couple=20 affiliated with the Anglican Church was accused of converting a Muslim = minor to=20 Christianity and ordered to leave the country. The couple stated that = the minor=20 in question had been attending their church for several months before = they met=20 him.=20

Of the 80 seats in the lower = house, 9 are=20 reserved for Christians, 6 for Bedouins, and 3 for the Circassian or = Chechen=20 ethnic minorities.=20

J O R D A = N

Officially all schools are = government-run=20 and nonsectarian, although some schools are run in practice by Christian = and=20 Jewish minorities. There is mandatory religious instruction in schools, = with=20 government-approved teachers and curriculums. Religion courses are = divided into=20 separate classes for Muslim and Christian students... Although Arabic is = the=20 official language in public schools, the Government permits the teaching = of=20 Armenian, Hebrew, Syriac (Aramaic), and Chaldean in some schools on the = basis=20 that these are "liturgical languages."=20

T U R K E = Y

Although the country is = secular, religious=20 and moral instruction in state primary and secondary schools is = compulsory for=20 Muslims. Upon written verification of their non-Muslim background, = minorities=20 considered by the Government to be covered by the 1923 Lausanne Treaty = (Greek,=20 Armenian, and Jewish) are exempted by law from Muslim religious = instruction;=20 they may hold their own classes. Syriac and other Christians whom the = Government=20 does not consider to be an official Lausanne Treaty minority are not = exempted.=20 Non-Muslim students who wish to attend such courses may do so with = parental=20 consent.=20

By law religious services may = take place=20 only in designated places of worship. Non-Muslim religious services = often take=20 place in nondesignated places of worship. The Roman Catholic Church in = Ankara,=20 for example, is confined to diplomatic property but has not sought = property to=20 construct a church recently.=20

Minority religions considered = by the=20 Government not to be recognized under the Lausanne Treaty may not = acquire=20 additional property for churches (beyond those predating the = establishment of=20 modern Turkey). Religions recognized by the Government under the = Lausanne Treaty=20 (Greek Orthodox, Armenian Christian, and Jewish) can regain lost = property if=20 there is a community need, but if they cannot maintain existing = property, it may=20 revert to the Vakiflar. Government authorities do not interfere in = matters of=20 doctrine pertaining to minority religions, nor do they restrict the = publication=20 or use of religious literature. While the Government does not recognize = the=20 ecumenical nature of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, it acknowledges him = as head=20 of the Turkish Greek Orthodox community and does not interfere with his = travels=20 or other ecumenical activities.=20

In February 1998, the Syriac = Christian=20 community and government officials reached an understanding that the = Syriacs=20 could resume renovation of the Dayrul Umur monastery in Midyat in = compliance=20 with government standards for preservation of historical sites. = Authorities had=20 halted the renovation in 1997. In April the Syriac Christians received = written=20 government approval of their technical plans for the renovation, which = was well=20 under way at year's end.=20

Under the law, religious = buildings that=20 become "extinct" (because of prolonged absence of clergy or lay persons = to staff=20 local religious councils or for lack of adherents) revert to government=20 possession. Some non-Muslim minorities, particularly the Greek Orthodox=20 community and, to a lesser extent, the Jewish community, the Armenian = Orthodox=20 community, and the shrinking Syriac Christian community have lost the = use of=20 houses of worship and other facilities. During the year an Armenian = Church in=20 Hatay province was deemed by authorities to be no longer in community = use and is=20 to revert to the Vakiflar. If such minorities can demonstrate a renewed=20 community need, they may apply legally to recover such properties. The=20 authorities monitor the activities of Eastern Orthodox Churches and = their=20 affiliated operations. The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul = consistently=20 expressed interest in reopening the seminary on the Island on Halki in = the Sea=20 of Marmara. The seminary has been closed since 1971 when the state = nationalized=20 most private institutions of higher learning. Under current = restrictions,=20 including a citizenship requirement, religious communities remain unable = to=20 train new clergy. However, coreligionists from outside the country have = been=20 permitted to assume leadership positions.=20

For complete reports click=20 here.

MILESTONES =

No Entry =

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

The=20 Ilisu Dam Project in Yurquie

Talking=20 Assyrian Alphabet

A=20 History of the British in Iraq

=20

LITERATUS=20

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAN PREGNANCY=20 TEST

A rare pregnancy testing text = from Babylon=20 has come to light. It was used to test whether a woman is able to=20 conceive. The test consists of inserting a pessary made from = medications=20 wrapped in a wad of wool, or of giving the woman a potion to = drink. If the=20 potion causes her to vomit, she is pregnant; if the wad of wool has = turned=20 green, she is pregnant.=20

Babylonian Birth Prognosis, Erica Reiner = (Zeitschrift=20 fur Assyriologie und vermandte Gebiete 72, 1982)
=20

=20

BRAVO=20

STARGATE = SG-1=20

Where can a TV viewer see samples of the ancient = Assyrian=20 clothing designs? How about Showtime's most popular Sci-Friday = series,=20 Stargate SG-1? According to wardrobe designer Christine McQuarrie, = some of=20 her exotic designs were inspired by the ancient designers of=20 Beth-Nahrain.=20

Stargate SG-1 follows a unique team of a Special = Operations=20 Colonel, an Archaeologist, an Astrophysicist and an Alien Warrior on = their=20 missions through an ancient "gate" to new worlds where they encounter=20 fascinating, but sometimes dangerous cultures. This team, known as SG-1, = works=20 under the auspices of a covert agency known as the SGC, a division of = Air Force=20 Intelligence that is highly classified; only the President and the Joint = Chiefs=20 know of its existence.=20

Stargate SG-1 began filming on February 18, 1997 in = Vancouver,=20 British Columbia. Dozens of extras were utilized throughout = filming,=20 meaning that hundreds of costumes had to be designed. That task fell to = wardrobe=20 designer Christine McQuarrie, who made about two hundred costumes, = borrowing=20 liberally from different historical periods.=20

"I used the film as a starting point and then was = inspired=20 solely by visual interest," says McQuarrie. "By mixing modern fabrics = with=20 classic designs -- from such cultures as the Roman, Egyptian, Assyrians = -- I was=20 able to create costumes that convey the right feeling and avoid being=20 historically accurate. We didn't want the clothes to be identified too = closely=20 with any actual Earth culture because the societies of these different = peoples=20 seen in the show were developed on different planets. It would be too=20 coincidental if they dressed exactly like the ancient Egyptians or=20 Greeks."=20

Working with a staff of ten, McQuarrie sourced her = clothes from=20 Vancouver and also New York and Los Angeles. She worked closely with a = U.S. Air=20 Force representative in designing the garb of the SG-1 team. In fact, = the=20 group's fully-dressed field uniforms are authentic military = issue.=20

Courtesy of MGM Global Television Inc. and = Showtime=20 Networks Inc.
=20

PUMP UP THE = VOLUME=20

ENGLISH	MODERN=20 ASSYRIAN	GENDER
Exchange	mkhal/pa/noo/ta	Feminine
Convert	makh/lap/ta	Feminine

BACK TO THE = FUTURE

BC (1000)=20

A pharmaceutical handbook is found from this period = indicating=20 different herbs' medicinal effects. For example: Yellow = Saffron for=20 constricted bladder and Dog's Tongue for cough.=20

Astral Magic in Babylonia, Erica = Reiner=20

AD (1870)=20

dies, Paul =C9mile Botta (b. 1802), French = archaeologist and=20 diplomat, born in Turin, Italy, the son of the Italian historian and = physician=20 Carlo Giuseppe Guglielmo Botta, who became a French citizen in 1814. = Botta=20 studied medicine but later entered the French diplomatic service; his = first post=20 was in Alexandria, Egypt. In 1842 he was assigned to Mosul in northern = Iraq,=20 then a Turkish province. While there he directed a search for Assyrian=20 antiquities at the nearby village of Khorsabad. Excavation uncovered = ruins of=20 the city Dur Sharrukin, founded by Sargon II, king of Assyria (reigned=20 722-705BC). Statues of Sargon and winged bulls that guarded his palace = were=20 moved to the Louvre in Paris. Botta wrote accounts of his discoveries = and a work=20 on the cuneiform writings of the Assyrians.
=20

THIS WEEK IN=20 HISTORY

March 12, 1838: The first Assyrian Girls School in Urmia is = founded. The first enrollment sheet consisted of 4 registered=20 students.=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 = 12	CHICAGO=20 SEMINAR: THE ASSYRIAN=20 GENOCIDE "The Assyrian Genocide: = Living With=20 Hope for the Future" Sponsored by the Assyrian Academic Society & the = Center for=20 Middle Eastern Studies at North Park University=20 North Park = University=20 Anderson Chapel (corner = of Spaulding=20 and Foster in Chicago) 5:30-8:30 PM=20 For more info click=20 here
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 = 26-30	SYDNEY=20 EIGHT ANNUAL CONGRESS = FOR SYRIAC=20 STUDIES Department of Semitic=20 Studies University of=20 Sydney
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

=20

THANK=20 YOU!
Rachelle=20 Badal..........California...........News Digest
Nadia=20 Joseph....................Chicago..........Calendar of = Events

SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH ASSYRIAN = READERS IN 50=20 COUNTRIES BY INCLUDING ZINDA IN YOUR COMMUNITY OR ORGANIZATION'S MAILING = 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

------=_NextPart_000_0031_01C31553.53DA7340 Content-Type: image/jpeg Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 Content-Location: http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/1997/home.jpg /9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDABIMDRANCxIQDhAUExIVGywdGxgYGzYnKSAsQDlEQz85 Pj1HUGZXR0thTT0+WXlaYWltcnNyRVV9hnxvhWZwcm7/2wBDARMUFBsXGzQdHTRuST5Jbm5ubm5u bm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm5ubm7/wAARCAA5AIADASIA AhEBAxEB/8QAHwAAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFBgcICQoL/8QAtRAAAgEDAwIEAwUFBAQA AAF9AQIDAAQRBRIhMUEGE1FhByJxFDKBkaEII0KxwRVS0fAkM2JyggkKFhcYGRolJicoKSo0NTY3 ODk6Q0RFRkdISUpTVFVWV1hZWmNkZWZnaGlqc3R1dnd4eXqDhIWGh4iJipKTlJWWl5iZmqKjpKWm p6ipqrKztLW2t7i5usLDxMXGx8jJytLT1NXW19jZ2uHi4+Tl5ufo6erx8vP09fb3+Pn6/8QAHwEA AwEBAQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAECAwQFBgcICQoL/8QAtREAAgECBAQDBAcFBAQAAQJ3AAECAxEEBSEx BhJBUQdhcRMiMoEIFEKRobHBCSMzUvAVYnLRChYkNOEl8RcYGRomJygpKjU2Nzg5OkNERUZHSElK U1RVVldYWVpjZGVmZ2hpanN0dXZ3eHl6goOEhYaHiImKkpOUlZaXmJmaoqOkpaanqKmqsrO0tba3 uLm6wsPExcbHyMnK0tPU1dbX2Nna4uPk5ebn6Onq8vP09fb3+Pn6/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwCSK3WS NWK84/On/ZU9Kktv9SvNOkfYhwR6VwXZ1EJgQD7uaY6QxnDBVPvWfFqEv9vfZCf3eCD+WabrRY6b K+eVYYNXyu9mLmVjS8pTgqFINKIV7oKh8PO02lRM7ZIyM1pY96l6Ow000U/JT+4KQwp/zz/WruB6 0jKD0FK49DPaJf8Ann+tJ5I/55/rV0jDbdoz6ZpNrf3APxouGhSMA7R0nkf7Aq0XRZxCdvmEZC56 1J0/g/WndhoUfI9UFKLdf7oq4yjGSgA+tMO3nCg49DRcNCuLdD2FUdaQRac7IcHIHH1rW2j+7+tZ viBcaVIcY5Hf3pwfvIUtma9tJ+5GQKjvW+VeMc0+2jPkrwfypHRJmCdNvJYmp6hpY52Jgniwlu5P 6rV+/RnsLxXXgLkCo9T+wWupLczSESgDCKMn61ct7211Cxn8lHztIy468Vq3szNdUV/Cci/2bIG5 2ydPbFX7i4Dxs64RF6ljisPwtJsF2O/Bx+dTeJH26bEE/jf5qcledgTtG48akXctbSCUL1Aq/Zan Hco2xtsyclaybGwFrb21yhJaRdzVFeqbDW4ZIwRHKR8o9+oosnogu1qSarfTRzQXSM2A2G5710CP vt1mWXgjNZt9p/2ixmQDBB3Lx3pnh9mlsFjk42ORnHapdnEaumVL2Z4/EVt82GAAJPvV65uT9pMU rMCOQRWf4nXZf28wwVI6j2Na0sayNG6gEuvceopu1kwW7Ml9dt0QhBLIffAFR6HeyzX8m5mw4zjs Km07S/s0cjXUKsQc5bsKs6TLDdGUwxKjKcEqOtU+VJ2QK7auaAZv7xrO19mOlyAnuP51oiMjv+lZ +vrjS5PqO3vWUPiRctmbdrJiBeDWddWTtqKztIxX+FcdKv20Q8haq3t3Fp86yTPhfTrSTd9BO1jC 8RxKuqw5Gd4G4fjW3DbxxXG2Fdo24xWBrV/FqWp272+SFwOmO9blxqMGnXg88tz7ZrWSfKkQmrtm PojeTql5EwwzKQPzzVrVgLrRiVJZomB/CqllPG/igyRkMkrEAj3q5qaT6ZO0oTzIH6rjiqfxIS2L WkP9o0GEcFoyVPr7VR1mVf7csI+pjZC3/fVRW+vW9nD+4tyX6hXPyg0uj2k1xdPqd7nC5YEj7xot ZuTC91ZFvV76S1gh8tyFMmDj0qO/v1tdMK2wCyXLcnuPXFUdbv4LqFEjPzI5J96I7WS9vbZhGwgw GJPQDqaFHRNg3roTazDs0a3zndG+DznqP/rVpW0hfTraTOSE/WqurywNpUqeYu/cCoPU81BZXy2+ iROFZmjcrj1PWlZuIaJlS1tLvUfMdrjy1zj5yea3tIsYLCBgJlkZz8zYxWdDr1pjEtuyeu2otT1K 3a0xYuQzHBz1xRJSlpsCstTp/LDDI2keoJrL8SIRpMh4xkfzq5ooKaTbhyGYrnJPNQeJedFlOMcj v71lHSdi2/dLcOpWUUQR7mNWHUFqhvJdGvwBczxPt6fNiuGm/wBa31NMrdUlvcy5ztYIPD9vKskc kO5ehLk1NeyaNfAfaJ4WI6HdzXCUU/Zdbhz+R1tnY6PaXq3CXyNtOVUt0Na7arp7jDXMJHoTXndF DpX3YKduh3fm6Ju3f6Jn6CrX9raeF2/aIcdMbq86opeyXcOc7C5tdAuX3mWNGzk7HwDWhFqGmxQL DHcxLGo2gZ7V5/RTdK+7Dn8jp59O0q4umlfUlCnnaDWnZzaTZW4ghuIdnU5OSTXC0UOnfRsObyO2 n/sOfPmNbHPccH9KpNp2hNJuFyqgfwiTiuWooVO3UObyO9W+01UCrPCAowMGs7X7uzm0uRIJlZ8j ADe9cnRSVJJ3uDm2rH//2Q== ------=_NextPart_000_0031_01C31553.53DA7340 Content-Type: image/gif Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 Content-Location: http://www.zindamagazine.com/images/cy_u_arr_thm.gif R0lGODlhHwAfAPcAAL+/vwQEBASEhARMTATMzAQkJASsrAQUFAR8fATs7AScnARcXAQ0NAQMDASM jATc3AQsLAS8vAQcHAT8/AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAJg9UAAA AAAAAAAAACw5Y4EMAE0AoBZlwRjvbwD+oPe/WKX3vwAATQAAAAAABAtNACQAAADgCk0ADABNACzv bwCbjfi/AABNACgAAAAAAAAABAAAANQSvX8AAE0AAAAAACQAAAC2ufe//DpjgQAAAADXF71/MJDB fyIbvX8EC00A4ApNALa597+QhGWBqO9vABAAAAAQAAAALKNOAJGj978AAE0APKNOABAAAAAAAAAA DABNAAAATQAso04AAAAAAAAAAAAsOWOBDABNAKAWZcHQ728A/qD3v1il978AAE0AAAAAADAOggAA AAAAIEfBfxQLtILk728Am434vwAATQDQXkQAMA6CAAbJRACwD4IAIPBvADCjTgAwDoIA6+LAfzTS /X8gR8F/h+PAfzDS/X8wDoIAFAu0giBHwX+AhvN/n7n3v0jwbwC08G8AyDlQAOMT+L+EP2OBr8Hz f7TwbwDIOVAAeABNAMg5UACtIvN/EDpQAMQ5UACWIvN/CDpQAKMg8380OlAA6A1NAG7C83/IOVAA 6A1NACcx83/oDU0AAAAAAMg5UAAE8W8AyDlQAPzwbwC48G8AazHzfxTxbwAFAAAAAAAAAOgNTQAA AAAAyDlQAHgATQCh/PN/EPJvAD0v838AAAAAuvVvAAAAAACw9W8AAAAAACz1bwDUwve/svVvAAAA AAAIxPe/KPFvAOwAAAAcAQAAuDdQAJGj978AAE0A1DhQAOwAAAAAAAAADABNAAAATQC4N1AAQAAA AAAAAAADBQAABAUAAFDxbwBBpfe/AABNAFil978AAE0AQQAAAEEAAAAAAAAA2jdQAAAAAAAAAAAA BI9DANo3UAAMpE4AvDdQAN43UADW8W8A/////wAAAACAj0MA2jdQACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAfAB8A QAj/AAEIHEiwoMGDCAU2kOCAwASHEyJOiPDQQYEDCQ02UBAhgcSPCSIowJixYACOHj9GDKkgQEmE ARg6JGCR5MuFClJOSKBAZUQDDyTyvFjyJIGgPlm6fDkwZgQDCqJKjUpAwlKmGiU8IIr14MKGD8PS 5PoyJliIPidWJDtQwICHBqA6WGBAJ0gDCxwoiOtwgICEJzumVdoVgFGkKgl3NbozwQPHCTwSaFm4 smWBCAQguOyV4YSanAXGVOBQMujKXx1S3Dnz9E2Zan22ZmtwtEPEaXeutTmwAQSKCQgQMIAA7UcC CAwI9xiBgU0BAaJL3xgBt0ThDg40kB7gwF+YHK1HM3wg8irTwOInkKe8eK9dievNlw2fNn7hwO9X lr9PkUCECMMFqJp8L2mGQGYICmDgdwcFBAA7 ------=_NextPart_000_0031_01C31553.53DA7340--