April 21, 2003

GOOD MORNING=20 BET-NAHRAIN

FINAL STATEMENT OF IRAQI OPPOSITION = MEETING IN=20 NASIRIYAH

(ZNDA: Ur) Iraqi leaders opposed to former Iraqi President = Saddam=20 Hussein convened last Tuesday in the ancient southern Mesopotamian = city of=20 Ur - the first of several U.S.- sponsored meetings on the nation's = future.=20 Following is a 13-point statement released by the U.S. Central = Command=20 about the proposed new Iraqi government and future meetings:

1. Iraq must be democratic.
2. The future government of Iraq = should=20 not be based on communal identity.
3. The future government of = Iraq=20 should be organized as a democratic federal system, but on the = basis of=20 countrywide consultation.
4. The rule of law must be = paramount.
5.=20 Iraq must be built on respect for diversity including respect for = the role=20 of women.
6. The meeting discusses the role of religion in = state and=20 society.
7. The meeting discussed the principle that Iraqis = must choose=20 their leaders, not have them imposed from outside.
8. Political = violence must be rejected, and that Iraqis must immediately = organize=20 themselves for the task of reconstruction at both the local and = national=20 levels.
9. Iraqis and the coalition must work together to = tackle the=20 immediate issues of restoring security and basic services.
10. = The=20 Baath party must be dissolved and its effects on society must be=20 eliminated.
11. There should be an open dialogue with all = national=20 political groups to bring them into the process.
12. The = meeting=20 condemns the looting that has taken place and the destruction of=20 documents.
13. The Iraqi participation in the [Ur] meeting = voted that=20 there should be another meeting in 10 days in a location to be = determined=20 with additional Iraqi participants and to discuss procedures for=20 developing an Iraqi interim authority.

ZOWAA OPENS OFFICES IN = BAGHDAD

(ZNDA: Baghdad) The Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa) has = opened two=20 offices in Baghdad in the quarters of Zayoona and Dora, according = to a=20 report from the ADM Information Office in North Iraq.

Reports from Baghdad and Northern Iraq indicate that the = Assyrian=20 people have been visiting at the ADM offices in Kirkuk, Mosul and = Baghdad.=20

SIX ASSYRIANS APPOINTED TO KIRKUK CITY = COUNCIL

(ZNDA: Kirkuk) On 17 April the Kirkuk City Council comprised of = 24=20 members was appointed to oversee the local civic authority during = the=20 post-Saddam transition period.

The 24 individuals represent four main ethnic populations of = the=20 oil-city of Kirkuk: Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians and Turkomen.

The Six Assyrian representatives are:

1. Dr. Emil Nasir Azo
2. Mr. Sabah Nasir Hindi = (Raabie)
3. Mr.=20 Edward Oraham Odisho (Raabie)
4. Mr. Sargon Lazar Sliwa=20 (Engineer)
5. Mr. Ashour Yalda (Attorney)
6. Mr. Issac = Poulus=20 Mansour (Raabie)

The council has since established many sub-committees to = oversee=20 Kirkuk's various service groups. The first of such is the Security = Sub-committee, in which two members from each ethnic group are=20 reperesented. The Assyrian representation is headed by Colonel = Wa'el, an=20 engineer; and Captain Ezaria, an attorney.

BODY OF ASSYRIAN BOY FOUND IN NORTH = IRAQ

(ZNDA: Arbil) On 18 April, the body of Julian Afram Yacoub, 13, = a=20 7th-grade-student, was found in Ba'sheeqa in North Iraq. Shortly=20 afterwards a suspect was found with bloodied clothes, and arrested = on=20 charges of murder. The body was found in a location where a year = ago a=20 Yezidi man was also found dead.

IRAQI CHRISTIANS WORRY ABOUT SHIITE=20 SURGE

Courtesy of the Associated Press; by = Charles J.=20 Hanley

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Christians crowded into churches across Iraq on = Sunday=20 to celebrate Easter, the feast of new beginnings, nervous over = what the=20 new Iraq has in store for their resilient but dwindling minority = in an=20 overwhelmingly Muslim land.

An=20 Iraqi man takes communion from a bishop during the Easter = mass at=20 the Lady of Salvation Church for Assyrian Catholics, in = Baghdad,=20 Iraq, on Sunday. Some of Iraq's minority Christians say they = may=20 face uncertain times if Islamic fundamentalist gain = political power=20 in the wake of the fall of Saddam Hussein.(AP Photo/Hussein=20 Malla)

A longtime bishop of Baghdad used the occasion to ask that = President=20 Bush help introduce an Iraqi constitution that treats Christians = the same=20 as Muslims.

At Baghdad's Sacred Heart Church, meanwhile, the Chaldean = Catholic=20 pastor told a congregation overflowing out the doors that = re-establishing=20 law and order was everyone's first concern.

=93Jesus rose from the dead saying, `I give you peace=92,=94 = the Rev. Basic=20 Shamoun said. =93We're in a time when we need peace.=94

But in the courtyard outside, parishioners spoke frankly of a = deeper=20 worry, that the U.S. promise of democracy to replace Saddam = Hussein's=20 dictatorship might lead to rule by Iraq's poor, downtrodden Shiite = Muslims, a majority whose fundamentalists are prone to religious=20 intolerance. Saddam's regime was dominated by Sunni Muslims.

=93If they come to power, we'll leave the country,=94 = electrician Jacob=20 Koda, 51, said of the Shiites.

=93They're brainwashed with religious ideas. To them, = Christians are bad=20 people,=94 said pharmacist Noel Kadu, 51.

Christians, most of them Chaldean Catholics, total 700,000 in = Iraq,=20 about 5 percent of the population. Although they have generally = coexisted=20 peacefully with their Muslim neighbors over the centuries, they = also have=20 been persecuted at times, and many have emigrated to the United = States and=20 Europe.

As recently as the 1960s, before Saddam's Baath Party came to = power,=20 many prominent Christians were imprisoned. Under the Baath, = Christian=20 schools were nationalized, official discrimination was perpetuated = in=20 marriage rules, requiring Christians to convert to Islam in order = to marry=20 Muslims, and unofficial discrimination persisted in hiring, job = promotion=20 and other areas.

In northern Iraq, Muslim mobs are reported to have attacked = Assyrian=20 Catholics several times in recent years, according to U.S. State=20 Department human rights reports.

In the southern city of Basra on Sunday, sunlight filtered = through the=20 stained glass panels of St. Therese Catholic Church as Archbishop = Gabriel=20 Kassab led parishioners in a prayer to remember war victims. =93We = must not=20 forget those who have died,=94 he said, waving a gold cross in one = hand.

About 500 people crowded into well-worn wooden pews, voices = raised in=20 prayer and song during a three-hour service. Though Basra is a = Shiite=20 Muslim stronghold, it also has a sizable Christian community.

=93There's nothing nicer than peace,=94 said Boushra Thomas, = 46, as she=20 waved a lace fan to cut through the morning's heat. =93We could = not come to=20 church during the war because there was so much shelling and = bombing.=20 Danger was everywhere. Now we can come anytime we like.=94

=93As Iraqis we have to be united more than ever during this = Easter,=94=20 said the Rev. Emmanuel Delly, freshly retired after 40 years as = Baghdad's=20 Chaldean bishop.

But Delly, in an interview, said a top priority now must be to = recover=20 confiscated Christian schools and associated property - some 30 = schools in=20 Baghdad alone - and establish equal rights for Christians in a new = constitution.

=93We can't meet Mr. Bush. But please tell Mr. Bush, `I am = asking you in=20 the name of all bishops to give us a good constitution,=94 Delly = said.

An Iraqi constituent assembly, chosen through a = still-unannounced=20 process, is expected to adopt a new constitution by next year.

Arriving for mass at Sacred Heart Church, black-clad Nahida = Issa, 54,=20 talked nervously of recent protests by young Shiites in Baghdad's = streets=20 demanding that U.S. troops pull out. =93They've done a lot of the = looting,=20 you know,=94 she said. =93They might grow frenzied.=94

Another woman, with her husband and four children, said she = heard about=20 the new Shiite activism, now that the repressive, Sunni = Muslim-dominated=20 regime has fallen. =93I'm worried,=94 said Ahlam Abed, 47. =93The=20 fundamentalists are forming political parties.=94

At a nearby convent, Sister Philip Kirma, general superior of a = tiny=20 international order of Chaldean nuns, the Daughters of Mary = Immaculate,=20 threw up her hands when asked about the Christians' future: =93We = don't know=20 what our destiny will be.=94

The 53-year-old nun learned just two days earlier that a = beloved Muslim=20 guard at another of her convents, a young father, was killed when = someone=20 picked up a U.S. =93bomblet=94- a canister-size piece of a cluster = bomb.

As with many others, for her it wasn't a joyful Easter.

=93In Mass today, I cried the whole time,=94 she said. =93All = the miseries of=20 the Iraqi people came to me ... all the thousands and thousands = lost,=20 fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters.=94

IRAQI CHRISTIANS PRAY FOR PEACE AS = GUNFIRE RINGS=20 OUT

Courtesy of the Daily Telegraph (19 = April); by=20 David Blair

(ZNDA: Baghdad) The sound of gunfire accompanied a sermon on = war and=20 hymns blended with the whirring of generators yesterday as = Baghdad's=20 Christians attended Good Friday services.

Father Adda, an Assyrian Orthodox Christian, = prepares for=20 Palm Sunday at his ancient monastery on Mount Maqloub, just = outside=20 the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The monastery was built in = 363=20 A.D. and its renovation was funded by ousted Iraqi leader = Saddam=20 Hussein, whose regime tolerated other religious groups. The = Orthodox=20 church will celebrate Easter one week after other strands of = Christianity. Reuters/Nikola Solic =

Iraq's Christian community, numbering about one million, has = survived=20 countless storms over the centuries. Yesterday they gave thanks = for=20 surviving the latest ordeal.

Inside the cool, whitewashed nave of the Syrian Catholic = Cathedral of=20 Our Lady of the Deliverance more than 600 people gathered in = prayer.=20 Veiled women held the hands of smartly dressed children. Elderly = men in=20 pinstriped suits, wreathed in clouds of incense, gazed into the = blue dome=20 above the Cathedral's altar, ringed by eight marble pillars. Every = one of=20 the heavy wooden pews was crowded and the congregation spilled = over into=20 the cathedral's entrance.

They listened as Matti Shaba Matoka, the Syrian Catholic = Archbishop of=20 Baghdad, called on God to "save the Iraqi people from all of this = war".=20 The congregation sang every hymn and recited the Creed in Aramaic, = the=20 language of Christ. The Lord's Prayer was said in Arabic. Yet the = entire=20 service was conducted against the cacophonous background noise = provided by=20 the cathedral's generator, switched on to power the fans and ward = off the=20 day's heat. Nine days after the American troops captured Baghdad, = most of=20 the capital is still without electricity.

Looting continues, although at a much reduced level, and = gunfire was=20 faintly audible during the service. Afterwards, Archbishop Matoka=20 described the Good Friday of 2003 as " special for us, because of = the=20 war". "During one month, not yet finished, we didn't know what the = future=20 would bring," he said. "We pray that our country will see a future = better=20 than the past. We want peace. Peace, that is all we ask for." = Among the=20 congregation were people who lost friends and relatives during the = war.=20 Noor Henry, 17, narrowly escaped death when a bomb killed her = neighbour=20 and destroyed his home in the Baghdad suburb of al-Daura. Her = school has=20 been closed for a month and there is no sign of it re-opening.

"Things will not be the same again, she said. "I want to go = abroad.=20 Iraq is finished for me."

FOR IRAQ'S CHRISTIANS, EASTER IS = MARKED BY=20 SORROW, DREAD

Courtesy of the Washington Post (21 = April); by=20 Carol Morello

(ZNDA: Baghdad) In all his 57 years, Samir Ahad had never = experienced=20 an Easter Sunday so filled with sorrow, hopelessness and dread as = this=20 one.

Chaldean Catholics exited the Virgin Mary Church in = Baghdad=20 Saturday after celebrating Mass. It was held in the = afternoon=20 instead of at midnight due to security concerns.
ANDY = NELSON =96=20 STAFF

At every turn was a reminder of the war that left lives in = shambles and=20 usurped a government that had cosseted Iraq's small Christian = minority.=20 Parishioners arrived today at the Evangelical Protestant Church, = where=20 Ahad is the secretary, in cars pockmarked by shrapnel. The absence = of the=20 chocolates, colored eggs and new clothes that usually mark Easter = services=20 at the Presbyterian church underscored the poverty of the = parishioners.=20 The Italian organ donated by ousted president Saddam Hussein sat = silent,=20 for lack of $2,000 to repair it.

Under a gloomy sky, nobody could muster even a perfunctory = "Happy=20 Easter" greeting. Instead, many wept through the sermon on a day = meant to=20 celebrate resurrection.

"This is a sad Easter," said Ahad, sipping tea in the church = office=20 where ceiling fans rotated lazily under a generator's power. "We = have=20 suffered, not only from Saddam but from pollution of the air and = the=20 water, from having no jobs and no income. And in my mind I keep = seeing my=20 son carrying a Kalashnikov to protect the church from looters. I = didn't=20 want this for him. We are all afraid, for today and for the = future."

A smothering blanket of loss and worry stripped joy from Easter = services at churches in this city, where the promise of rebirth = seems a=20 distant dream. Even those who managed a show of cheer upon seeing = old=20 friends acknowledged they didn't feel like smiling -- inside, they = said,=20 they were crying.

Like most Iraqis, Christians are reeling from the double blow = of the=20 war and the massive looting that ensued. But many Christians are = also=20 concerned that the new, free Iraq will be dominated by Islamic = parties.=20 Some already predict they will feel less welcome here and are = considering=20 leaving the country. At the same time, many of the nation's = Christian=20 leaders say they are relieved to be rid of the despotic leadership = of=20 Hussein and his Baath Party followers.

During his 24-year reign, a symbiotic relationship existed = between the=20 government, which was dominated by Sunni Muslims, and the = Christian=20 minority of less than 1 million out of 24 million Iraqis. One of = the=20 founders of the Iraqi Baath Party was a Syrian Christian, Michel = Aflaq,=20 who later converted to Islam. Christians held prominent positions = in the=20 government, including that of the deputy prime minister, Tariq = Aziz.=20 Hussein hired a Christian nanny when his two sons, Uday and Qusay, = were=20 young, and retained several Christian bodyguards and aides.

Many Iraqi churches had a benefactor in the government. It gave = land on=20 which to build churches and sometimes paid for their construction. = Their=20 water and electricity were free. About a decade ago, Hussein gave = every=20 major church in the country a new organ.

The largesse went beyond material goods. According to religious = leaders, government-controlled newspapers were prohibited from = publishing=20 anything derogatory about Christians. In return, Hussein counted = on their=20 acquiescence, if not outright support. Iraqi television frequently = showed=20 Christian leaders warmly greeting him, shaking his hand and = praising his=20 leadership.

"Saddam loved Christians," said Ikram Mehanni, the minister of = the=20 Evangelical Protestant Church. "He didn't abuse our religion. To = the=20 contrary, he gave us money."

Asked why Hussein was so generous, Mehanni replied, "Christians = didn't=20 give problems to the government."
Now that is all over, and = many=20 Christians worry about what comes next.

"Christians are afraid of the new government, and what it will = do with=20 us," said Wisal Kotta, as she left Easter services at Our Lady of = Rescue,=20 a Syrian Catholic church. "There may be many political parties, = religious=20 parties."
The concern is not limited to Christians. A tiny = number of=20 Iraqi Jews still live in Baghdad, which before the creation of = Israel in=20 1948 had about 60,000 Jews.

A knock at the heavy metal door in a wall about 15 feet high = around the=20 city's only functioning synagogue was answered by a Muslim = watchman. He=20 said it was forbidden for anyone to enter. Services were held = every=20 Saturday until about two months ago, he said. But the Jews who = live in the=20 area either fled to other parts of the city before the war or went = abroad,=20 he said. He did not know how to contact them.

To a degree, the concern is as much about the perils and = sorrows of the=20 present, as about dread of the future.
"Of course we are sad," = said=20 Jusef Waad, an agricultural engineer attending Easter services at = the=20 Syrian Catholic church with his wife and two teenage daughters. = "We have=20 no security. We have no electricity or water. We have no jobs. = Everything=20 is gone. There is no Easter this year. This smile on my face is = false. It=20 is only there so I can carry on with life and do my religious = duty. But=20 inside ourselves, we are still afraid."

At the nearby Armenian Catholic church, Vicar Antoine Atamian = kissed=20 the cheeks of hundreds of parishioners after Easter services. Many = people=20 in the church knew someone who had died, he said. Among the dead = was one=20 of his two drivers, who apparently was killed in crossfire during = the war.=20 During the worst of the bombardment, he said, hundreds of Iraqis, = among=20 them Kurds and Muslims, sought shelter in the church's underground = meeting=20 hall.

Atamian said he feels "betrayed" by Hussein, who he believes = fled the=20 city rather than stay to the death as he had vowed. But before the = war,=20 Atamian felt gratitude and even affection for the president.

"He was a dictator," said Atamian, pulling out a letter of = appointment=20 as vicar signed by Hussein. "The Shia were afraid. They couldn't = move. But=20 he respected us as religious men."

Atamian said the Iraqi president never failed to dispatch = greetings and=20 gifts on religious holidays. "For Christmas and Easter, he sent = greeting=20 cards and a big box of dates and gifts," said Atamian, sitting = behind a=20 large desk in his office, which was furnished with red velvet = sofas. "Very=20 high officials, directly from the presidential palace, would come = and ask=20 us if we needed anything. I believed Saddam Hussein was a = nationalist. We=20 used to be beside him. I had many meetings with him. We used to = express=20 our feelings and love to him. Now, we are changed. He talked about = staying=20 with us, to the last bullet. He was on TV. 'Live or die with = pride,' he=20 said. But we heard he left the city."

Atamian said he does not fear Christians will be ostracized or = made to=20 feel uncomfortable by the Muslim majority.
"We don't have any = problems=20 between Christians and Muslims," he said. "Everyone knows that in = every=20 country, Christians are loyal citizens."

Not everyone shares his feelings.

At Evangelical Protestant Church, a widowed parishioner said he = was=20 preparing to leave Iraq, hoping to provide his grown son with a = better=20 future.

"It's going to be like Iran," warned the parishioner. "Even = Christians=20 will have to wear head scarves. There will be no alcohol. No = dancing. All=20 Christians are afraid now."

IRAQI CHRISTIANS WARY OF ISLAMISTS=20

Courtesy of the Christian Science Monitor = (22=20 April); by Peter Ford

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Iraqi = Christians, feeling=20 vulnerable in the wave of lawlessness that has swept this city, = celebrated=20 Easter Sunday with a special sense of joy and gratitude that the = war, and=20 the looting that followed the fighting, are over.
But their = happiness=20 was tinged with foreboding for their future, with some voicing = fears that=20 Islamic fundamentalists could win power in the new Iraq and stifle = their=20 religious freedom.

"This Easter has a special taste," said Vaghinak Vahanian, a = leader of=20 the Armenian orthodox church. "People are coming out, breathing, = laughing,=20 and seeing each other. It's a good sign."

But other Christians were less sanguine. "We are afraid that = the=20 fanatics could do something bad, especially among our Muslim = brothers,"=20 says Bishop Ishlemon Wardouni, head of the Chaldean Catholic = church. "We=20 have a long history of persecutions here," dating back to Genghis = Khan and=20 earlier.

Keeping a low profile

The power vacuum that has left Iraq without any authority since = Saddam=20 Hussein's regime fell 10 days ago is unnerving local Christians, = who make=20 up about 3 percent of the population and tend to be better = educated and=20 more prosperous than their Muslim neighbors. The prospect of = sectarian=20 religious violence is especially frightening to them.

So they are keeping a low profile. The Chaldeans, members of a = church=20 founded by St. Thomas in the first century, celebrated their = traditional=20 midnight mass on Saturday afternoon, so as to be home by = nightfall.

The Armenian Orthodox archbishop chose to hold his service not = in the=20 main Armenian church downtown, an area still infested with = thieves, but in=20 a quieter outlying district of Baghdad.

The soaring voices of the Armenian choir filled the ochre brick = church=20 Sunday morning as the congregation, dressed in Sunday best, = overflowed=20 onto the parched lawn outside. Worshippers who had not seen each = other=20 since the war began hugged and kissed one another, relieved to = know they=20 were safe.

The evening before, Chaldean Bishop Shlimon Wardouni had = preached a=20 sermon of caution. "I told people to be especially reasonable and = wise,=20 because this time is very difficult," he said after the Mass. "I = asked=20 them not to spread rumors, but to speak constructive words."

Muslims and Christians have lived peacefully side by side in = Iraq for=20 many years, Bishop Wardouni points out. "We must cooperate in love = and=20 unity for the good of our people," he says.

But he is alarmed. Shiite Muslims in his neighborhood, who he = says are=20 followers of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, have said they want to = convert a=20 building next to his church - formerly belonging to the ruling = Baath Party=20 - into a mosque.

"If this sort of thing happens, maybe later there could be = problems,"=20 Wardouni worries. "We have heard their slogans, 'No Saddam, No = Bush, Yes=20 to an Islamic State.' "

Christians here say they enjoyed as many rights and freedoms as = any=20 other Iraqi under Saddam Hussein, who made one of their number, = Tariq=20 Aziz, an influential deputy prime minister.

"We enjoyed total religious freedom and there was no religious=20 discrimination" against Christians, said Armenian Archbishop Avak=20 Asadourian.

The current sense of uncertainty about their future that most = Iraqis=20 feel today, however, means that "anything could happen now," says = Sarmed=20 Hazem, a pharmacist who teaches Sunday school at the Chaldean = church.

"We want to stay, we don't want to emigrate, we just want to be = free=20 and safe," he adds.

There are 650,000 Christians in Iraq, most Chaldeans but also = Syrian,=20 Latin, and Armenian Catholics, and members of a variety of = Orthodox sects.=20 Their numbers have fallen from more than a million during the past = 20=20 years, as emigration has taken its toll.

"We are few, and they [Muslims] are more than us," says Raad = Rassam, a=20 commercial translator who wears a pearl crucifix on a gold = necklace. "I=20 don't know what to expect, but in these days we fear many people = from the=20 outside."

American marines and soldiers, to whom most Iraqis had looked = for=20 security, are present in only a few neighborhoods of Baghdad. In = other=20 parts of the city, armed Shiite Muslim militiamen have taken upon=20 themselves the duty of preserving public order.

"We are very afraid that the Americans will withdraw from the = cities=20 and leave them in the hands of those people," says Kevorg = Zeretzian, an=20 Armenian tire merchant in Baghdad's souk. "That would be very = dangerous."=20

Anxious for dialogue

Christian leaders say they are anxious to talk to their Muslim=20 counterparts, to establish a dialogue that could help ensure their = future.=20 "In this time we have no contacts, but I will try to do something = because=20 we cannot stay like this," says Wardouni.

In the back of his mind, he explains, is the fate of Chaldean=20 Christians in Turkey. There, a once-vibrant community has been = reduced by=20 governmental pressure over the past 80 years to 150 families led = by a=20 bishop who is forbidden to wear a cassock or crucifix in public. =

But Wardouni says he has grounds for hope of peaceful = coexistence=20 between Iraq's various religious groups.

In the corner of his church courtyard, for example, a shrine to = the=20 Virgin Mary attracts a handful of Muslim supplicants every day, = seeking=20 divine intercession.

"I think Iraqi people are smart and studious enough" to avoid = sectarian=20 conflict, says Archbishop Asadourian. "There will be some = difficult times,=20 but I have belief in the Iraqi people and their ability to = overcome=20 them."

IRAQI CHRISTIANS FEAR = FOR=20 FUTURE

Courtesy of Zenit News Agency (20 = April)

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Iraqi Christians are worried about the state of = their=20 country, given the general disorder and the fear of a rising = Muslim=20 fundamentalism.

"The concept of freedom as a right does not exist here," = explained=20 Catholic Latin-rite Archbishop Jean Benjamin Sleiman of Baghdad. = "Also the=20 concept of laicism, often applied to this country, must be = understood with=20 caution."

"If the influence and pressure of extremist groups, which are = regaining=20 their vigor, increases in the future, I don't know what kind of = future can=20 be envisioned," he said.

According to Archbishop Sleiman, in the Arab world the concept = of=20 laicism is different from that of the West, as Arabs are used to a = close=20 relation between religion, society and the state.

"I certainly don't see a democratic prospect being close," he = added,=20 expressing the general feeling of 800,000 Christians in the = country, who=20 nevertheless express satisfaction over the fall of Saddam = Hussein's=20 regime.

Among the Church agencies coping in the postwar era is the = House of=20 Love. The small orphanage at 52 Al Wada Street, run by four nuns = of the=20 Missionaries of Charity, looks after 22 children with mental = disabilities=20 and physical malformations.

Sister Carol explained: "During the war, the children = understood that=20 things were not going well. During the bombings we told them that = it was a=20 bad storm. Some of them asked us to let them see the rain."

Over the three weeks of the war, churches were open to shelter = all=20 those in need, regardless of religion. Once the bombings were = over, they=20 all went home.

There is only one hospital in Baghdad, St. Raphael's, which has = not=20 been the object of lootings, perhaps because it had two armed = guards -- or=20 because of the Franciscan nuns there who inspire respect.

When the bombings were over, they asked the Americans to guard = the=20 clinic.

"We lack nothing," said Sister Maryanne Pierre, who is in = charge of the=20 hospital's administration. "We have medicines, food, water. We are = only=20 worried about the generator of electric energy. We have only one = and it is=20 working a lot."

"During the war, we were especially worried about the maternity = department," she said. "The fear caused many women to have = premature=20 births; 350 babies were born in two weeks."

The women arrived, gave birth, and returned home after two = hours, as=20 they refused to be away from the rest of their families, the nun=20 explained.

Archbishop Sleiman said: "On one hand, Christians did not want = the=20 bombs to fall on them, but on the other, they wanted a change." =

Warned Sister Maryanne: "For a Muslim, the American soldiers = are=20 Christians and the conflict is seen as a war against = Islam."

BAGHDAD CHRISTIANS PRAY FOR PEACE ON = GOOD=20 FRIDAY

Courtesy of Reuters (17 April); Edmund=20 Blair

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Iraqi Christians marked Good Friday with = prayers for a=20 resurrection of peace and normality in the war-torn country where = they=20 enjoyed relative religious freedom under Saddam Hussein's secular=20 rule.

"We are praying that the Lord helps us. We need peace and = security for=20 Iraq. We pray everyday that the Lord protects our homes, our = people and=20 our country," said 53-year-old Edward Fransu Abu Ramir after a = protestant=20 church
service in Baghdad.

"We don't have electricity and water. We don't have the basics = for=20 living. We still don't have stability," he said, standing near a = small=20 church garden where roses were in bloom -- - a rare area of = tranquility in=20 the war-torn
country.

Baghdad's streets were busy on Friday as Christians marked the=20 suffering and death of Jesus. But many shops remain closed for = lack of=20 power, many buildings have been ransacked by looters or are = blackened by=20 fire and water
supplies are still disrupted.

So far, churches -- like mosques -- appear to be off limits to = looters=20 and there are no signs that Christians were deliberately targeted = in the=20 chaos that engulfed Baghdad after U.S. troops arrived.

But many Christians worry that the collapse of Saddam's = government and=20 the advent of democracy in a Muslim majority nation could spell an = end to=20 the relative religious freedom they enjoyed under the secular = Baath=20 Party.

Some fear a backlash from those who considered them allies of=20 Saddam.

"We hope that the Lord will answer our prayers and return the = situation=20 to normal," said 34-year-old Saad Behnam, holding his 10-month-old = daughter.

Roots in Mesopotamia

Iraq's Christians say their roots go back to the first century = when the=20 apostle Thomas evangelized Iraq, then Mesopotamia.

But today, there are only an estimated 700,000 Christians in a = country=20 of some 26 million people, most of whom are Muslim.

Ishlemon Warduni, Chaldean auxiliary bishop, said Christians = accounted=20 for roughly 400,000 of the five million people in Baghdad, most of = them=20 Chaldeans -- an old Catholic sect that originated in Iraq.

But there are many other denominations, including = protestants.

Some denominations celebrate Good Friday, followed on Sunday by = what=20 Christians believe was the resurrection of Jesus, on different = days of the=20 year.

Warduni said many thousands of Christians left the country in = recent=20 decades as war and sanctions battered the economy.

"Today, especially, our prayer is to pray for peace... because = I think=20 our war is not finished yet," he said, adding that Pope John Paul = II had=20 called for such prayers on Good Friday.

Prayers For the Dead

Warduni, who was due to minister at a church service later in = the day,=20 said he would also be praying for all those killed, including = Iraqi, U.S.=20 and British soldiers.

"They (the people) are happy at the change of regime, the bad = regime,=20 but they are sad because until now nothing has been done -- only=20 destruction, killing and trouble until now."

He was voicing the sentiments of many Iraqis, who have welcomed = the end=20 of Saddam's harsh rule, but are baffled that the U.S.-led invaders = have=20 still not put any form of government in place to restore full = order and=20 services.

In the protestant church, 32-year-old Bashar Francis Josef was = praying=20 to see his wife and two children, now in the Netherlands. They = fled five=20 years ago as conditions deteriorated in Iraq. He has not seen them = since.

Like many others, he has not even been able to speak to them by = telephone recently because the national network has broken = down.

"God willing, I will see them. Maybe the situation will get = better and=20 I can go to see them. It would be even better if they could come = back," he=20 said.

News = Digest

BNA PRESS RELEASE: BNDP = IS NOW=20 BNA

Press Release
Bet-Nahrain National Alliance
(Formerly = Bet-Nahrain=20 Democratic Party)

Subject: Name Change

April 16, 2003

Formerly known as the Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party, the = vigilant and=20 dynamic Assyrian political party announced today that it has = changed its=20 name to Bet-Nahrain National Alliance (BNA) or Khoyada Omtanaya=20 d'Bet-Nahrain. The new name reflects BNA's commitment to the unity = of the=20 Assyrian people and their eternal bond to the land of Bet-Nahrain=20 (Mesopotamia).

The decision to revise the name came as the result of a long = legal=20 encounter with another Assyrian political party. As the judicial=20 proceedings continued, greater erosion of respect between the two=20 political parties became inevitable. To curtail further financial = burden=20 on both parties and in the spirit of unity among all Assyrian = political=20 groups, Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party - under the leadership of Mr. = Shimon=20 Khamo, BNA Secretary General- amicably ended the legal skirmish = with the=20 decision to adopt the new name.

The Bet-Nahrain National Alliance hopes that with the decision = to=20 assume a new name, a new era of improved relations among all = Assyrian=20 political parties and the two fighting parties in particular, = shall=20 commence.

God bless the Assyrian nation.

Bet-Nahrain National = Alliance
Political=20 Bureau

ASSYRIANS MEET ARIZONA SENATOR ON=20 IRAQ

(ZNDA: Phoenix) Representatives of the Assyrian Democratic = Movement and=20 the Assyrian Aid Society met with Senator Jon Kyl (Arizona-R) on = Friday,=20 18 April. The discussion entailed the current Iraqi situation and = future=20 Iraq. Senator Kyl also recorded a message for the Assyrian = Christian=20 Community worldwide. The message will be broadcast on the Assyrian = Star=20 radio program from Arizona on Saturday April 19, 2003. (http://www.kxeg1280.com/) at = 4 pm AZ=20 time.

'LET THEM ARREST HIM,' TARIQ AZIZ'S = AUNT=20 SAYS

Courtesy of the Washington Post (20 = April); by=20 Davie Rohde

(ZNDA: Araqosh) She has a = picture of Tariq=20 Aziz meeting Pope John Paul II on her living room wall, but on = this Easter=20 Sunday she had few kind words for her nephew.

"Let them arrest him," Selma Dawood said dismissively. "It's = not=20 important to me. What can I do with Tariq Aziz?"

The blunt, baritone-voiced 75-year-old widow was speaking of = the man=20 identified here as her sister's son. He was deputy prime minister = in=20 Saddam Hussein's government and to Americans, Iraq's voice to the = outside=20 world through two gulf wars.

Mr. Aziz, the portly, gray-haired, senior aide who wore = trademark=20 thick, black-rimmed glasses, offered up blistering critiques of = the United=20 States through both conflicts. Today, both he and his boss are=20 missing.

Mr. Aziz was the top Christian on Iraq's Revolutionary Command = Council.=20 Today, his relatives and hundreds of thousands of other = Christians, who=20 make up nearly 4 percent of Iraq's population, celebrated Easter. =

But Ms. Dawood, a striking woman with broad shoulders, a thick = gray=20 braid and a wizened face, offered few words of charity toward her = nephew.=20 It was unclear whether it was bad blood, crotchetiness or fear of = arousing=20 suspicion that fueled her attitude.

Asked if her nephew had done anything to aid Christians, she = tartly=20 replied: "Zero. Zero. He's very, very bad." She added that he was = part of=20 a "criminal regime."

Mr. Aziz, who is about 66, played a pivotal role in thwarting = efforts=20 by United Nations weapons inspectors in the mid-1990's and lived = in a=20 villa on the Tigris River in Baghdad.

"Saddam is finished, and we are O.K.," his aunt proclaimed. "We = are=20 very happy and merciful to God and the Americans, our uncles." =

"God bless America," she added. "God protect America."

American Special Operations soldiers are patrolling this area, = but they=20 do not appear to be hunting for Mr. Aziz. American commanders said = they=20 recently sent troops to the area to discourage looting and clashes = between=20 Kurds and Christians. Today, the soldiers appeared relaxed. "So = far, it's=20 quiet," one of them said this afternoon.

Surrounded by some of her 18 grandchildren and 7 = great-grandchildren,=20 Ms. Dawood said she had lost contact with her relatives in Baghdad = and had=20 not seen her famous nephew since 1995. She was in Baghdad then, = she said,=20 and his driver picked her up for a family gathering.

"Just greetings," she said, dryly describing their = conversation. "`How=20 are you?' `Everything is O.K.' He never asked if we needed = anything."

She said Mr. Aziz was the son of a doctor who emigrated from = Turkey=20 though some biographies say his father had a humbler profession = and of Ms.=20 Dawood's sister, who grew up here.

As a child, Mr. Aziz and his brother and sister moved every two = years=20 as his father held different health posts, she said, but they = spent some=20 time in the Mosul area before moving to Baghdad.

Mr. Aziz has two sons, Ziad and Saddam, and two daughters, = Zaina and=20 Mayisa, she said. All are adults who had been living in Baghdad = with their=20 families.

Both she and local residents said Mr. Aziz's wife stayed in = this town=20 during the first Persian Gulf war in 1991. But she said Mr. Aziz = had not=20 been in Qaraqosh for years.

This quiet, farming town of 25,000 people is 99 percent = Assyrian=20 Christian, residents said. Local priests do not know its exact = age, but=20 say it dates back thousands of years. It is part of a belt of = Assyrian=20 settlements in northern Iraq that date in some cases to the = Assyrian=20 Empire, which flourished from roughly 900 to 600 B.C. and had its = capital=20 near Mosul.

Today, two large churches dominate the town's skyline. One is a = Chaldean, or Catholic, Assyrian Christian church, which celebrated = Easter=20 today. Women carrying girls in White and yellow Easter dresses = streamed=20 into the church this afternoon for services. The other church, = which is=20 Assyrian Orthodox, will celebrate Easter next Sunday.

Most portraits of Mr. Hussein have been removed from the town, = but one=20 remains. On the outskirts, a mural depicts him on horseback = slaying a=20 dragon with a spear flying.

Ms. Dawood's enthusiastic welcome of Americans is not universal = here.=20 Residents said they were relieved that Mr. Hussein had been = toppled, but=20 were apprehensive about lawlessness. "We are uncertain about our = future=20 this Easter," said Mathi Habib, a 36-year-old worker. "Our only = worry is=20 the instability and power vacuum."

Near the end of the conversation, Ms. Dawood grew more = charitable about=20 her nephew. "He is afraid of Saddam Hussein," she said. "They = forced him=20 to do things."

But she repeated that she had no ties to him. "We have no = link," she=20 said, "neither good nor evil.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE'S INTERVIEW WITH NADIA = MIRZA

Courtesy of Chicago Tribune (16 April); = by Barbara=20 Brotman

(ZNDA: Chicago) Nadia Mirza follows the news closely. War in = Iraq has=20 preoccupied the world, but Iraq was once Mirza's world.

She was 9 years old when her family fled in 1980. She grew up = in the=20 Baghdad neighborhood of Dora, watching American TV. "I remember = watching=20 `The Brady Bunch' and `Star Trek.' Those were my favorite shows," = she=20 said. She learned English from her father, who taught it in high=20 school.

But her parents, Assyrian Christians who were both teachers, = had a=20 growing sense of dread. Mirza's grandfather had been arrested in = the late=20 `60s after he had allowed two relatives who had opposed the Baath = regime=20 to stay overnight. When he was released after six months in = solitary=20 confinement, Mirza said, he would only say that he had been = through=20 something terrible.

One of Mirza's aunts, who was 17, had a friend whose brother = was=20 working against Saddam Hussein. "He was executed, along with his = entire=20 family and his friends," Mirza said. The aunt was questioned, = suffered a=20 mental breakdown and has never entirely recovered, Mirza said.

"I remember my parents coming home and saying, `What are we = going to do=20 next? Do we wait for something to happen?' If my father was = arrested, what=20 would we do then? People disappeared. My mom and dad were very=20 afraid."

"They said, `We have to leave. Now.'"

They fled to Damascus, Syria, and from there to Italy and then = to the=20 U.S. They settled in the North Side of Chicago. Her father taught=20 Aramaic/English bilingual education in a North Side Chicago public = school;=20 her mother operated the family's businesses, a video store and a = dollar=20 discount store.

In the years after they left, stories surfaced about the fate = of family=20 members left behind. Mirza heard that about 20 years ago, her = 17-year-old=20 cousin had failed to come home after school after expressing = anti-Baath=20 Party sentiment.

No one knew what had become of her. But now, with Hussein's = government=20 toppled, Mirza wanted to find out. She called her aunt, the = cousin's=20 mother, who had fled to Australia. Her aunt told her a ghastly = story.

After her daughter's disappearance, Mirza's aunt told her, she = had been=20 contacted by a man who had helped kidnap her. He felt remorse, he = told=20 Mirza's aunt, and offered to help.

"He said, `I can help you bring her back, but you have to put = her in=20 hiding,"' Mirza said. The man brought her to a rented room in = Baghdad, and=20 told her mother where to find her. "My aunt saw her," Mirza said. = "She was=20 completely drugged. She could not communicate anything at all. She = couldn't say where she had been or what had happened to her."

Her mother kept her in the room, away from the family, lest = contact=20 place them all in danger. But danger came anyway, she told = Mirza.

"The police found out about the person who helped my aunt," = Mirza said.=20 "They beat him to death. Then they came to my aunt. They requested = that my=20 cousin be returned; otherwise, they would take her two other=20 daughters."

The other teenage daughters were hiding under the bed. But the = police=20 told their mother that they would be back for them unless she gave = up her=20 other daughter. She would have to make a choice, the worst a = parent can=20 imagine.

She chose. She told them where to find her daughter. She and = her=20 husband took her other two daughters and her three sons and left = the=20 country. She never saw or heard from her captured daughter = again.

"I said to her, `How could you not ever say anything (about = it)?"'=20 Mirza said. "She said, `What is there to say? That I handed back = my=20 daughter?' But my aunt had no choice. You sacrifice one (daughter) = to keep=20 the other two safe."

Mirza, 31, lives in Skokie, Ill., and works as a paralegal at a = downtown law firm. She was among a group of Iraqi exiles who met = recently=20 with President Bush in Washington, D.C., to express their = gratitude and=20 urge that the U.S. remain active in the country's = reconstruction.

She hopes she and her parents can return someday to help = rebuild Iraq.=20 She thinks her aunt will go back eventually to find out what = happened to=20 her daughter.

War and tyranny are massive events that play out in countless=20 individual lives. Attention is turning to the rebuilding of Iraq. = But the=20 stories emerging from there tell us that countless mothers' hearts = will=20 stay broken.

SNAPSHOTS OF AMERICAN LIFE: THE = ASSYRIAN=20 PRIDE

Courtesy of the Harford Courant (17 = April); story=20 by Oshrat Carmiel

(ZNDA: Hartford) Agnes Y. Pireh was in tears this weekend as = she=20 watched looters destroy or steal hundreds of priceless artifacts = at the=20 National Museum in Baghdad.

For Pireh, 39, the sadness was personal. Her history was being=20 destroyed.

Pireh is of Assyrian heritage, one of 4.5 million Christians = worldwide=20 who trace their cultural roots to an ancient homeland in an area = that=20 today includes northern Iraq and parts of Turkey, Iran and Syria. = She also=20 is a regional director of the Assyrian American National = Federation.

=93We are all so upset over it,=94 said Pireh, a Wethersfield = resident who=20 also is of Iranian descent. =93Those [artifacts] are part of our = culture;=20 they are telling stories from our past.=94

Hundreds of irreplaceable objects were stolen or destroyed, = including=20 Sumerian clay pots, Assyrian marble carvings, Babylonian statues = and a=20 stone tablet etched with cuneiform writing.

But that does not mean that local Assyrian Americans are = wavering in=20 their the support for the war, Pireh said. The Assyrian community = in=20 Connecticut
-- about 250 families -- officially endorsed the = war in a=20 letter to President Bush earlier this month.

=93We the undersigned members of the Assyrian community in = Connecticut=20 support our American troops and our joint leadership to liberate = the=20 people of Iraq,=94 the letter begins.

Then it explains why:

=93Due to the barbaric policy of Saddam [Hussein's] regime, = over one=20 million Assyrians, 25 percent of our total number worldwide, have = fled=20 Iraq over the last 30 years. The Iraqi census in 1977 forced = Assyrians to=20 register either as Arabs or Kurds, an unjust act of forced = Arabization=20 attempting to eliminate the identity of Assyrians.=94

The Connecticut group urged that the American government = encourage=20 democracy in Iraq, creating a place =93where all ethnic groups are = treated=20 and looked upon equally.=94

The letter estimates that 2 million Assyrians still live in = northern=20 Iraq.

=93As American citizens of Assyrian descent, we stand by the = United=20 States in its effort to bring about a lasting peace to the = world,=94 it=20 says. =93Our thoughts and prayers are with the American troops and = the=20 innocent people of Iraq.=94

MODESTO=20 ASSYRIANS PONDER THE FUTURE

Courtesy of the Modesto Bee (21 April); = by Julissa=20 McKinnon

(ZNDA: Modesto) Bill Dadesho prays every day for a democracy to = emerge=20 in his native Iraq. But he's not betting on it. Dadesho, a = 67-year-old=20 Modesto insurance agent, fled Iraq in 1963 as a religious refugee. = He said=20 he was tired of the discrimination he experienced as a Christian = living in=20 a Muslim state.

"The people in power called us infidels, and didn't let us live = our=20 lives," he said. "We couldn't follow the dreams every person has, = to go to=20 college and raise a family in peace."

Watching the unraveling of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship, = Dadesho, like=20 many local Assyrians, rejoiced. But now, as Iraq's myriad = religious and=20 ethnic leaders start jockeying for power, Dadesho's joy is turning = to=20 dread.

"There's no way to force democracy on people who've lived for = centuries=20 where the strong rule the weak," he said. "This mentality isn't = going to=20 change overnight.

"They're going to fight among themselves," he said = matter-of-factly as=20 he served up hot dogs and burritos at the snack bar window of the = Assyrian=20 Cultural Center of Bet-Nahrain in Ceres last week. "The suicide = bombings=20 will start and then our American soldiers will come home and they = will=20 kill each other."

Meanwhile, in the next room, most of his fellow volunteers at = KBSV=20 Assyria-Vision TV station in Ceres said they believe a = long-lasting=20 democracy in Iraq is possible if coalition forces stay to quell = the=20 postwar chaos.

William Mikhail, 54, co-host of an Assyrian political show, = believes=20 coalition forces need to stay at least 10 years for peace to = prosper.

"I hope they stay there 100 years to teach people how to live = free.=20 Right now, they don't know how," said Mikhail, who was born and = raised in=20 the Iraqi city of Basra. "It's like letting a bird out of a cage. = When the=20 bird goes free, it starts flying everywhere and hitting the walls. = It's=20 not used to freedom."

Sargon Dadesho, the president of the Assyrian National Congress = and=20 head of the TV station, said looters who ransacked Iraq's National = Museum=20 stole more than million-dollar treasures. He said the thieves made = away=20 with some of Assyrians' last links to their ancestry.

Modern-day Assyrian culture was squashed under Saddam, who = outlawed=20 their Christian religion and Aramaic language, and erased their = ethnic=20 category from census records.

"Somehow these statues and artifacts tied us to our history, to = our=20 glorious past," Sargon Dadesho said quietly.

With their history in shambles, he said, there's nothing to = focus on=20 but the future.

In the coming weeks, he plans to return to Iraq to help fellow=20 Assyrians vie for political power in the emerging government.

Sargon Dadesho said he's not sure how he plans to help. He's = going, he=20 said, to see what is needed by people in Assyrian villages in = Northern=20 Iraq.

Though infighting is raging among minority groups trying to = reclaim=20 their former homes from present-day Arab owners, Sargon Dadesho = said he=20 believes the fighting will die down soon.

Ramin Odisho, past president of the Assyrian American Civic = Club of=20 Turlock, said Assyrians from inside and outside Iraq stand a = chance to=20 play a role in the new Iraq if they stay united. In the past, = power=20 struggles have divided leaders from the various Assyrian=20 organizations.

"If we play our role right, we have a big opportunity to hold = different=20 positions in the new government," he said. "It's now time to talk, = not=20 divide."

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES MAKING = GAINS IN=20 MUSLIM COUNTRIES

Courtesy of the Associated Press (20 = April); by=20 Rachel Zoll

(ZNDA: Baghdad) In Iraq, and throughout the Islamic world - = using=20 satellite TV, radio, cassette tapes and videos - Christian groups = say they=20 are having more success than ever evangelizing Muslims, despite = the=20 obvious tensions created by war and the Sept. 11 terrorist = attacks.

Because Christian converts often worship clandestinely in the = Muslim=20 world, the progress of missionaries is difficult to confirm. = However, top=20 mission groups and the academics who study them say there are now=20 hundreds, if not thousands, of Muslim converts in places where = there used=20 to be none. And satellite TV networks are reaching millions more = Muslims=20 for the first time.

With allied troops in control of Iraq, many Muslims worry = another=20 invasion will soon follow, this time by U.S.-based Christian = evangelists=20 trying to spread their faith throughout the country.

But the truth is that the missionaries' work has already begun. =

In Iraq, and throughout the Islamic world - using satellite TV, = radio,=20 cassette tapes and videos - Christian groups say they are having = more=20 success than ever evangelizing Muslims, despite the obvious = tensions=20 created by war and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Missionaries have circumvented bans on proselytizing by beaming = Christian programs into the Mideast and North Africa. Even before = the=20 U.S.-led war to topple Saddam Hussein, they said their broadcasts = were=20 reaching Iraqis.

They also are making inroads among the millions of Muslim = immigrants in=20 Europe and the United States who often return to their native = countries=20 with Bibles and videos about Jesus. One of the top North = American-based=20 mission groups, Christar, trains field workers each summer by = sending them=20 to mingle with Muslims communities in New York and New Jersey. =

"It's not by coercion or trying to force anyone to do = anything," said=20 Roy Oksnevad, director of the Muslim ministry department at = evangelical=20 Wheaton College in Illinois. "We're looking for where God is = working in=20 people's lives."

These gains are especially remarkable considering conditions = for=20 missionaries in many Muslim nations. Some have been attacked and = even=20 murdered, including three Americans slain Dec. 30 at a Southern = Baptist=20 hospital in Yemen. In some Muslim countries, it is a crime for = Christians=20 to proselytize.

Leaders of the largest U.S.-based missionary organizations are = so=20 concerned about the safety of their missionaries overseas that = they either=20 declined to be interviewed for this article or spoke only on = condition of=20 anonymity.

Until the 1990s, it was common for missionaries to spend years = in a=20 country without reaching any Muslims. Islam has always regarded = abandoning=20 the faith as unthinkable, and some militants believe Muslims who = convert=20 to Christianity should be executed.

Dudley Woodberry, an Islam expert at the Fuller Theological = Seminary's=20 School of World Mission, said mistrust and cultural barriers were = often=20 too much for Christians to overcome.

"Islam is understood to be a total way of life, including the=20 political, so non-Muslims are generally considered to be second = class and=20 much of the history of the two communities has included conflict," = he=20 said.

Christians also partly blame themselves. At one time, it was = common to=20 try to win over Muslims by disparaging their beliefs and = proclaiming=20 Christianity superior - an approach that had little success.

But Oksnevad said events like the Iranian hostage crisis in = 1979 made=20 Christians more sensitive to the Muslim world. Missionaries = changed their=20 approach in Islamic nations, and started devoting more resources = to them.=20

Groups that translate Scripture began providing extra materials = in=20 Arabic. Seminaries offered additional courses in Muslim = evangelization,=20 and Christians more effectively communicated their message.

They seized on the Islamic belief that Jesus was a prophet to = begin a=20 dialogue with Muslims about Christianity. Many missionaries = incorporated=20 local worship customs into church services, calling God "Allah" = and=20 keeping women separate from men, just like in a mosque.

However, one of the biggest boosts has come from technology. =

The Christian satellite TV network SAT-7, in operation for = seven years,=20 is one example. It broadcasts religious drama and other = programming into=20 Muslim nations, including many that bar missionaries from entering = the=20 country.

Ron Ensminger, co-founder and president of the organization, = said more=20 than 90 percent of households in the Mideast and North Africa have = satellite dishes, even in countries like Saudi Arabia, which bans = the=20 dishes and imposes fines on violators.

"Morocco for a number of years banned satellite television," = Ensminger=20 said. "They found it impossible to enforce."

Bible courses over the Internet have also proven popular, but=20 illiteracy rates are high in the Mideast, making broadcasts like = SAT-7's=20 key for Christians.

Ensminger estimates that 11 million people in the region watch = programs=20 from SAT-7, which advertises phone numbers for counseling centers = where=20 viewers can learn more about Christianity.

He said viewer response from Iraq "has grown exponentially" = because of=20 the war. The broadcasts attract Muslims elsewhere, missionaries = say, who=20 are angry about repression by their own governments.

Still, the Muslim world is considered so challenging that = success for=20 missionaries is measured not by how many churches they build or = baptisms=20 they conduct, as in other regions, but whether they develop = relationships=20 with local people that could help spread Christianity.

And missionaries are further hampered by the political baggage = of being=20 American in the Muslim world as a U.S.-led coalition occupies Iraq = and=20 threatens other countries that support terrorism.

Yet a missionary who has worked for more than 25 years in the = Muslim=20 world, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said years of = spiritual and=20 financial investment are helping Christians overcome these = obstacles.

"In nearly every Muslim country, there is a community of Muslim = believers in Jesus who are sharing their faith in language their = people=20 understand. We didn't have that in the 1970s and '80s," he said. =

"Just like compound interest, the slow but steady growth of the = church=20 in Muslim countries in the 1970s and '80s has 'rolled over' into = the next=20 generation of local believers."

Surfs Up!
Letters From = Zinda=20 Magazine = Readers

DISREGARDING ALL THE = GREAT=20 ACHIEVEMENTS

I read with great interest your = editorial=20 titled: "America Protected Its Oil As Assyrian History Was = Looted". I=20 was almost shocked to see how you've lost your sense of = objectivity=20 and fairness! Sitting in San Jose, California, you were able = to=20 determine very clearly that: "The looting of the National = Museum of=20 Iraq on the 11th and 12th of April was utterly inexcusable and = completely preventable" and "Clearly the U.S. government = should be=20 held responsible for the preventable loss of the Assyrian and = Islamic=20 heritage of Iraq".

Unfortunately, your premature judgment doesn't finish there = and you=20 continue by depicting Coalition Forces as barbarians who did = more=20 damage to Assyrians than Mongolians!?? It's puzzling to see = that you=20 have been so quick in reviewing all evidence (in 2 days) and = reaching=20 such conclusions while the leading scholars and authorities = involved=20 are still investigating the matters. And also, your title is = falsely=20 claiming that oil belongs to Coalition Forces and not Iraqi = people!=20

As a fan of your magazine I am very disappointed to see how = you are=20 disregarding all the great achievements including the fall of = a=20 totalitarian dictatorship that has tried to destroy the = freedom and=20 ethnic identity of all those who don't belong to Baath party = including=20 the Assyrians. In the perfect world it would have been nice to = prevent=20 all the lootings that took place but having experienced the = situation=20 myself, it is quite natural to see this happen during the = initial=20 phases of any non-peaceful removal of government. I believe = it's fair=20 to say that you are missing the big picture because the = Assyrians are=20 going to benefit from the establishment of democracy in Iraq = and I can=20 assure you that their rights to learn and teach Assyrian = language and=20 also Christen their children with Assyrian names will be well=20 protected. That to me is far more important than protecting = artifacts=20 that nobody is certain about their authenticity!

I'm glad that at least one third of your polled readers = also=20 disagree with your premature conclusions and in my opinion we = should=20 congratulate and support the effort of the Assyrian-American = Society=20 of San Diego in requesting President Bush to pursue this issue = and=20 recover the valuable artifacts.

Ramsin Benyamin =
Illinois

[Z-info: Last week, Mr. Martin Sullivan, the = chairman, and two=20 other members of President George W. Bush's Cultural Advisory=20 Committee stepped down in protest over the United States = failure to=20 stop the looting of Baghdad's museum. Mr. Martin who had held = that=20 position until 1995 in a letter to President Bush explained = that the=20 looting =93was not prevented due to our nation's inaction.=94 = Unless our=20 reader has clearer insight on this issue than our crew in = Baghdad,=20 Zinda Magazine continues to assert its claim that the looting = of the=20 museums in Baghdad and Mosul were =93inexcusable and=20 preventable=94.

Interpol plans a conference May 5-6 in Lyons, France, = to=20 organize and coordinate international efforts to both recover = the=20 stolen pieces and arrest the perpetrators. The British Museum = and=20 UNESCO are organizing a conference of world experts on Iraqi=20 archaeology at the British Museum on April 29th. They are also = advising the Department of Culture on sending professionals to = the=20 American interim authority, OHRA, to ensure that their plans = for=20 rebuilding Iraq include recovering its culture.

Zinda Magazine takes this opportunity also to thank = the=20 students at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute, = who spent=20 hours last week transferring images of antiquities in old = Iraqi museum=20 catalogues to the web, to enable border guards, art dealers = and others=20 to identify them. Zinda Magazine readers can view these images = at http://www-oi.uchica= go.edu/OI/IRAQ/iraq.htm.]

THE LOOTING OF IRAQ HERITAGE, THE = SPOIL OF=20 WAR

Even the tyrant and dictator Saddam = protected=20 our ancien Assyrian heritage more so than the American = invasion forces=20 have. At least Saddam, in the 1991 Gulf War, used vaults in = Baghdad=92s=20 Central Bank for the safe storing of these artifacts.

But what did the Americans do to protect our country=92s = heritage, a=20 country, which they have invaded =96 liberated? When it came = to=20 shooting, the Americans were the winners but when it came to=20 peacekeeping they failed tragically.

On Saturday, 19 April the Assyrian American = Association of=20 Southern California held a demonstration in front of the = Federal=20 Building in Westwood. Similar photos from this event may be = viewed at=20 http://www.assyrianenterprise= .com/.=20

When you watch American soldiers with all of their armors = standing=20 still while looters ransack our heritage, this truly marks the = most=20 tragic event in the modern history of Assyrians and of Iraq. = It was an=20 event when we lost a large and priceless part of our heritage, = and=20 this tragic event will be remembered forever as the price we = paid for=20 this war of Liberation!

The saddest thing was that many archeologists worked = closely with=20 the Pentagon in informing them of the importance to provide = protection=20 to these ancient sites. They knew this will happen. That=92s = why they=20 tried to stop it, but sadly all of their hard work has gone = down the=20 drain. It=92s truly a crime against humanity as has the German = Archeologist Michael Petzet (the president of International = Council on=20 Monuments and Sites) accused the U.S. military.

Why was the oil ministry the only single building most = protected=20 and policed from day one? While ancient sites, galleries, = national=20 archives and hospitals of Iraq were left at the mercy of = looters? Who=20 else if not the invasion forces should have provided = protection to=20 these facilities? Iraq=92s national museums have been = completely looted=20 of even the large pieces, which were too heavy to be moved. = These were=20 badly damaged. While all of the oil fields scattered around = the=20 country stand unscratched, the whole country is being looted, = and when=20 the Americans were asked to protect the national museum in = Baghdad=20 their reply was =93we are soldiers not policemen=94.

A total of 170,000 items among them, Tablets of = Hammurabi=92s Code of=20 law, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Golden harp from Sumer, = Assyrian=20 statues, Golden jewelry, Ivory figurines, the Life Vase of = Uruk,=20 Mathematical tablets earlier then Pythagorean, all thanks to = General=20 Tommy Franks have disappeared and probably for ever.

Some items have already appeared in Iran and Paris, latest = news are=20 saying that the first phase of looting was committed by = professional=20 thieves and probably with the help of some insiders. It seemed = that=20 the looters had used keys to open storerooms and used glaze = cutters to=20 cut open the glass cases of the items they were looting so not = to=20 damage them.

The British established the Iraqi museum in the 20s, which = since=20 then 50% of any artifacts excavated were kept in Iraq. But = from the=20 1960s all the items excavated stayed in Iraq, and because of = that,=20 Iraqi museums housed a 500,000 years of continuous timeline of = history, one of best and most important five museums in the = world.

Moneer = Cherie
Australia

THE CATASTROPHE COULD HAVE BEEN=20 PREVENTED

I am very saddened after hearing the = recent=20 turn of events that took place with the looting of the = National Museum=20 of Iraq. These catastrophic events have led to the destruction = and=20 looting of our priceless history. This history should have = been=20 preserved and protected. In other words, I am with Zinda when = it says=20 that these events "could have been prevented". I am barely old = enough=20 to vote. I have been reading this publication for more than a = year,=20 and I believe that after reading your wonderful explanation to = the=20 tragic events it was time for me to voice my opinion! In = addition, the=20 Juxtaposed commodities (oil and artifacts) let us know that = America is=20 deeply concerned with oil rather than the history of one of = the=20 greatest civilizations. Mr. Wilfred Bet Alkhas, you have done = a superb=20 job analyzing the issue, and I would just like to say thank = you.

Peter = Ibrahim
California

ONE NATION MANY NAMES, YET WE = ALL SHARE=20 THE SAME DREAM

Call me an Assyrian. Call me a = Chaldean. Call=20 me Chaldo Assyrian, Soryoyo, Syriac, Aramaic, Aramoyo, Atoraya = or=20 Turyoyo, or anything else which I may have forgotten, as long = as you=20 do not call me an Arab, a Kurd, or a Turkeman.

Regardless of what name you call me, I am still the same = son of=20 Betnahrain, whom speaks and prays in SOURATH no matter where I = live.=20 If I was not born there, my father was. If not my father, then = my=20 grandfather or even my great grandfather. Regardless of place = of my=20 birth, I take pride in knowing that I am the decadent of = Ashour,=20 Sargon, Hammurabi and Nebukhednasser. My home is Nineveh and = Babylon=20 north to south of what is called Iraq. My land was taken, my = home=20 demolished, my parents murdered, my brother was slaughtered = and my=20 sister kidnaped. My heart and soul still bleeds everyday I = wake up=20 thinking of them. Today I ponder on what can I do to rebuild = the house=20 of my father and father's father and the house that Sargon, = Ashur and=20 Hammurabi left for me as my inheritance.

A house upon the ruins of the land which was plundered, = destroyed,=20 bombed and taken away from me by force of many invaders. The = house=20 upon a land which the name of the town and streets which I was = to=20 inherit, are even changed and occupied by some of the same = people that=20 committed the crimes against my family. I want to get all that = which=20 is rightfully mine so that I can build my house on the land = which I so=20 cherish. The land which was left for me and my family by my = ancestor=20 to keep. I want to live in peace with all my neighbors, as a = free man=20 raising my children, teaching them the language of my = forefathers.=20 Praying freely in any church of their choosing, yet = worshipping the=20 same God.

Oh, the beloved, sons of Ashour, Chaldo, Aram, Soryoyo, = Toryoyo,=20 Aramayo or whatever other names you choose to call yourselves- = isn't=20 this the same dream which we can all share and pass on to our = future=20 generations?

David Oraha
Canada

TELL BILL O'REILLY THAT ASSYRIANS=20 EXIST

On 20 February, = on the=20 O'Reilly Factor -- a FOX News program hosted by Bill O'Reilly = -- Bill=20 made the following comment: "I don't believe there are any = Assyrians=20 existing today." Several Assyrians sent emails in an attempt = to=20 enlighten Bill, and he actually read a portion of one email, = which=20 stated "...you know nothing about Assyrians". Bill replied to = the=20 effect that he knows that Assyrians went around conquering = people.

This kind of arrogant and offensive response should not be=20 tolerated. Please sign the petition below. Let us flood = O'Reilly with=20 emails from Assyrians, to show him that we are alive, well and = kicking.

http://aina.org/petitions/= oreilly.htm

Daniel Odisho
Chicago

IRAQ'S FORGOTTEN = PEOPLE

For the past month I have been = reading the=20 Toronto Star's coverage of the war on Iraq, but have read = nothing=20 about the indigenous people of Iraq, the Assyrians (the = largest=20 Christian minority with a population of more than 2 million in = Iraq).=20 The Assyrians have inhabited the current Iraq for more than = 6,000=20 years. The indigenous people are not the Kurds, Arabs, or the=20 Turkmen.

On April 11, the front page of the Star read, Kurds flock = home.=20 Kirkuk and Mosul are not the homes of the Kurds. They are not = the true=20 homes of the Arabs, either. These lands are the lands of the=20 Assyrians, the people of Mesopotamia, who have suffered for = years not=20 only under the Iraqi regime but also at the hands of the = Kurds. Sandro=20 Contenta has been reporting on the struggle of the Kurds for = the past=20 month. Why doesn't he interview Assyrians and hear their = struggle?=20 Hear the stories of their religious and ethnic persecutions = suffered=20 at the hands of the Kurds.

It will not be hard to find Assyrian families who have = stories of=20 brutal rapes and murders. There are stories of Christian = Assyrian=20 women being kidnapped by the Kurdish militia to be used as = slaves for=20 the Kurdish commanders. Then when they are finished with them, = they=20 are murdered and thrown into graves just like 21-year-old = Helena Sawa=20 was on June 19, 1999.

The Kurds will go into Mosul and Kirkuk and there will be = savage=20 revenge killings. Whole families will be massacred under the = commands=20 of the Kurdish militia and yet, all this will fall on deaf = ears. The=20 British and U.S. will do nothing to stop it. They will do = nothing to=20 protect the Assyrian Christians, the indigenous people of = Mosul and=20 Kirkuk.

Now the U.S. has placed the Kurdish militia as "guards" for = the=20 city. These guards will brutally rape and murder the Assyrians = of=20 Kirkuk and Mosul.

But then again, why should the U.S. care? It has the oil = fields=20 secured. If there is anything worse than being massacred and = forced to=20 flee your own homeland, to join the other 5 million displaced=20 Assyrians who have fled to Europe, North America, and = Australia, it is=20 not to even have your existence and struggle acknowledged.

Ninorta = Nissan
Toronto

SAME DAY CELEBRATION OF THE NEW=20 YEAR

Our New Year used to be unique, but = as you=20 mentioned below, not anymore. There are those like Zinda = Magazine who=20 decided to celebrate the new year on 21st of March and those = who=20 follow the "convenience" of celebrating on April 1st.

On this occasion, I am asking the Zinda Magazine that to = use its=20 power of public broadcasting, to give us - The Assyrians - our = same=20 day celebration of the New Year. This request is fair, because = you and=20 few others took that day from our nation, and it is = responsibility of=20 yours to give it back. The request is fair, because it is = going to=20 give you time untill next Kha b'Nissan to undo the damage. = And, it is=20 fair, because it is right. It is right because of 2 simple = facts that=20 cannot be interpreted in any way.

Fact one: Assyrians were celebrating the new year on 1st of = Nissan=20 (at least in Nineveh)
Fact Two: Assyrians were using lunar=20 calendar.

Read what you wrote below: "Today, March 20th, ...Sun will = cross=20 over the Earth's Equator". Assyrian calendar had nothing to do = with=20 the Sun. Occasionally, equinox was falling on 1st of Nissan in = Assyrian Calendar and occasionally 1st of Nissan in Lunar and = Solar=20 calendar is the same day. For this very reason, it is very=20 "convenient=94 for those who choose to celebrate the New Year = on 21st of=20 March in trying to correct something they were claiming was = wrong!=20

In the name of those majority who are celebrating the New = Year on=20 1st of Nissan, I am requesting from Zinda Magazine to do all = the=20 effort possible the make this day the unique day for = celebration even=20 if that day is wrong as is 21st of March wrong.

And, as you mentioned, as the war in our homeland made all=20 destruction that it could do and as our nation lost a major = part of=20 her heritage, there is no place to say Happy New Year.

Robert Baba
California

[Z-info: Ancient Mesopotamians, at times, used a = purely lunar=20 calendar and at others made use of 30-day months. At one point = a=20 single calendar year even consisted of as many as 19 months. = What=20 remained the same was their adherence to a solar year, = beginning with=20 the first day of spring (Neesanu).

The=20 worldwide acceptance of a standard Assyrian Calendar is but = one of the=20 many fascinating attributes of the rich Assyrian heritage that = behooves further examination and official endorsement. These = may=20 include such basic cultural elements as the use of a standard = grammar,=20 pronunciation, vocabulary, national anthem, and school = curricula; to=20 the more distressing issues as a national name replacing the=20 unconventional terms in use such as the = Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac?=20

With=20 the liberation of Iraq Assyrians now have a renewed prospect = to=20 investigate the origins, causes, and historical milieu of = these issues=20 and propose a unique and standard solution for worldwide = usage. Be=20 sure that at that time the power of Zinda Magazine=92s mass = appeal will=20 be employed to disseminate the final decisions.]

Surfer's=20 Corner

THE AMSTERDAM CONFERENCE = FOR A=20 NATION AT WAR

APRIL 25, 26 AND 27, 2003

=B7 Our Nation before the War - Unable to be one voice - A = Nation of=20 several voices
=B7 Our Nation during the War - Still a Nation = of several=20 voices
=B7 Our Nation after the War - Our last chance to be of = one voice=20 and be acknowledged and heard by the new Iraq government, USA, UN, = Kurds,=20 etc..

Remember we are ONE NATION of Assyrians, Chaldeans and Syriac=20 people=85=85

The PURPOSE of the conference is to agree on having one = representation=20 and be of one voice at this crucial time limited to the issues = concerning=20 our nation in Iraq.

The GOAL of the conference is to agree on a temporary = leadership for=20 our purpose and agree on the declaration on Assyrian demands for = our=20 nation (consider enclosed adopted 11 point Declaration).

Let us put any differences aside at this last opportunity to be = one=20 voice for the future of our nation.
We must agree or History = will be=20 repeating itself again. This time you will be the blame for not = helping=20 our nation.

All political parties, federations, associations and media = around the=20 world are invited to send delegates with authority to fully = represent=20 their organizations. Each independent party, all federations and=20 associations will be allowed one vote.

Several Assyrian activists, independents, academic scholars and = media=20 are being invited to participate in the conference to give advice = and=20 direction relevant to the purpose and goal of the conference.

Sen. John J. Nimrod
Secretary=20 General
Assyrian Universal Alliance

The following declaration by Assyrians was adopted unanimously = at a=20 conference held on November 1, 2 & 3, 2002 in London, England. = In=20 attendance at the Conference were the Assyrian political parties,=20 organizations, federations and observer activists.

The Assyrians of Iraq including Chaldean and Syriac are the = indigenous=20 people of Iraq and the remnants of the Assyrian Empire. They = number over=20 four (4) million scattered throughout the world with two (2) = million still=20 in the homeland of Iraq. They are the second largest minority = after the=20 Kurds and as Christians the second largest religion of Iraq.

The declaration adopted was as follows:

1. That we support the integrity of Iraq.
2. That we be = assured that=20 the Iraq Government will be democratic and secular.
3. That we = be=20 constitutionally recognized. (The present Iraq constitution = recognizes=20 Arabs and Kurds only. For Assyrians to be first class citizens = they must=20 me constitutionally recognized in any constitution which includes=20 recognition of people).
4. That Assyrian must receive all = ethnic and=20 religious rights (The terms ethnic minorities or religious = minorities must=20 be interpreted to have the same meaning in all languages).
5. = That=20 Assyrians be recognized and acknowledged as the indigenous people = of=20 Iraq.
6. That a fair Assyrian population percentage = representation be=20 recognized (Population figures of Assyrians in Iraq must include = all=20 Assyrians by whatever name they are known, be it Chaldean, Syriac, = etc=85and=20 include those that have been forced to flee the country these many = years)
7. That Assyrians in any Iraq Government where autonomy = is=20 declared for any group or should a Federal Government be = established in=20 Iraq then the Assyrians must be provided autonomy or given a State = accordingly. (See map).
8. That Assyrians under any new = government must=20 be able to retain their customs, traditions, language and = religion.
9.=20 That Assyrians must have a part in any coalition government that = is=20 established for Iraq.
10. That the homes and lands illegally = taken be=20 returned to all including those at home and abroad.
11. That = any=20 constitution for Iraq must include a bill of rights for all = citizens.

For more information Contact Carlo Ganjeh ganjeh@aol.com or Fax = 1-408-369-0186

Conference Information

Mr. Shlimon Haddad
AUA representative
Netherlands =
Phone: 31 6=20 53 566 409

Landgoed 'De Horst' te Driebergen.De Horst 13971 KR=20 DRIEBERGEN
Telephone 0343 55 6100

Reservation: Reserve at once, space limited.
April 25 & = 26 -=20 $80.00 per person (2 to a room, includes 3 meals)
Meeting will = adjourn=20 on April 27 noon.

Registration: $25.00 per person. Conference program to = follow.

Directions: For all who arrive at the Amsterdam Airport = (Schiphol).=20 From the airport, take the train and exit at Driebergen-Zeist = station.=20 Take a taxi to the hotel. The estate 'de Horst' is located at the = road=20 from Driebergen to Doorn, Directly after the built-up area from=20 Driebergen. Highway Utrecht-Arnhem (A12): junction = Driebergen-Zeist. At=20 the traffic lights right, straight on through the Hoofdstraat till = the=20 roundabout (approximately 10 minutes). Turn left at the roundabout = (three-quarter) into the Horstlaan. After 200 meter you will find = on your=20 right in the bend the entrance from the estate 'de Horst'. You can = park=20 your car at P1 or P2.

Public Traffic From NS-station Driebergen/Zeist: Or with the = bus 50 or=20 56 in the direction of Doorn (every fifteen minutes, in the = evening and in=20 the weekend every 30 minutes). Travel time approximately 10 = minutes plus =B1=20 5 minutes walking. Get off at the bus stop 'Akkerweg'. Cross the = road and=20 walk into the Horstlaan. The entrance of the estate is on your = right in=20 the bend straight after 'de Hogeschool de Horst" (a 200 meter = walk).

PROGRAMME DES COMMEMORATIONS DU 88=B0 = ANNIVERSAIRE=20 DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN ET ASSYRO-CHALDEEN DE 1915, PERPETRE PAR LA=20 TURQUIE

24 Avril 2003

18H15 : Ravivage de la Flamme du soldat inconnu =E2 l'Arc de = Triomphe -=20 Paris 8=E8me 19H00 : Rassemblement autour de la statue du = R=E9v=E9rand P=E8re=20 Komitas - Place du Canada - Paris 8=E8me Interventions de:

=B7 G=E9rard Chaliand, Ecrivain et Sp=E9cialiste des = Conflits
=B7 Nizan=20 Kendal, Pr=E9sident de l'Institut Kurde de Paris
=B7 Alain = Finkielkraut,=20 Philosophe

20H00 : D=E9part vers l'Ambassade de Turquie - Avenue Lamballe = - Paris=20 16=E8me VENEZ NOMBREUX

Association des Assyro-Chald=E9ens de=20 France
aa-cf@wanadoo.fr
http://www.aacf.asso.fr/

SEYFO COMMEMORATION AT UC,=20 BERKELEY

On Thursday April 24th, the Armenian Student Association and = the=20 Assyrian Student Alliance at UC Berkeley will be holding a rally = in the=20 main plaza from 12 noon till throughout the afternoon to = commemorate those=20 who were slaughtered at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in WWI. We = the=20 Assyrian Student Alliance will be speaking and actively = participating in=20 the activities that day. Please come out and attend.

Ramond Takhsh
California

ASSYRIAN TO ENGLISH TRANSLATOR=20 NEEDED

Language Resources of America, a translation and interpreting = service=20 business, needs to translate from English to Assyrian 4 documents=20 containing an estated count of 11,000 English words. Our local = School=20 District requested the translation of these documents.

The documents to be translated contain the evaluation by the = School=20 District of handicapped Assyrian students, and include = recommendations on=20 the educational, physical, mental and medical needs of these = children.

The translation will be used for the information and benefit of = the=20 parents of these Assyrian children.

We are trying to located an English to Assyrian experienced and = professional translator interested in executing this translation = for a=20 fee. Should you know of such person we would appreciate being=20 contacted.

Language Resources of America has been in Buisiness since 1990. = We are=20 located in Los Angeles, California. Our telphone number is = 323-933-1006.=20 Our Fax number is 323-933-1153.

Language Resources of America.
Abel Plockier
Vice=20 President
5150 Wilshire Blvd.. #506, Los Angeles, CA, USA 90036 = 323-933-1006 lra@lrausa.com

DE ASSYRIERS (SURYOYE) IN IRAK HEBBEN = ONZE STEUN=20 HARD NODIG

Stichting Beth-Nahrin TV-Amsterdam organiseert een feest om = geld in te=20 zamelen voor de Assyrische-Suryoye christenen in Irak die het = slachtoffer=20 zijn geweest van jaren onderdrukking van het regime en nu leven = onder zeer=20 moeilijke economische omstandigheden.

Het geld zal in zijn geheel overhandigd worden aan de Assyrian = Aid=20 Society, een officiele organisatie die verantwoordelijk is voor de = wederopbouw van dorpen, scholen, ziekenhuizen, kerken en irrigatie = systemen in de assyrische-Suryoye dorpen en steden in Irak.

Geef zodat zij mogen leven in ons Vaderland Beth-Nahrin:=20 Mesopotamie!

Literatus

DO CHRISTIANS HAVE A = FUTURE IN THE=20 MIDDLE EAST?

Two decades ago, while I was researching a book on the role of = the=20 Vatican in the Middle East, the late Lebanese scholar and jurist = Edmond=20 Rabbath told me that Arab Christians were in the process of = becoming=20 =93fossilized=94 communities.

This statement seems prophetic in retrospect when we consider = the state=20 of the Christian communities in the Arab world today. Their plight = has=20 become even more dramatic in light of the current US-led invasion = of Iraq.=20

In the last 30 years, Arab Christians have attempted to weather = several=20 storms: the Lebanese war, the intifada and Israeli violence, the = Iranian=20 revolution and the resurgence of Islamic revivalism and now = the war=20 on Iraq.

Lebanon=92s civil war began in 1975 and lasted more than 15 = years. Though=20 it has become popular in recent years to reduce the war years to = Christian=20 vs. Muslim, or Lebanese vs. Palestinian, the actual picture was = much more=20 complex.
Some Lebanese Christians waged battles with and = without=20 weapons to maintain their hegemonic status in the country. = These=20 =93Christians=94 decided to deploy their faith in an ethnic = contest. A=20 supposed fight for survival superseded religious values.

During the war, some influential Maronite politicians and = clergy chose=20 to take a confrontational approach not only with the Muslim world, = but=20 with the Vatican as well. These Maronites thought that they could = count on=20 the total and unswerving support of the Holy See in their struggle = against=20 the Palestinians and their Muslim allies, simply because of their=20 Christian identity.

However, it was the welfare of Christianity in the Middle East = in=20 general that dictated (and still dictates) the Vatican=92s = approach to=20 Lebanese Christians the Holy See=92s goal was to save = Lebanon as a=20 sovereign entity in order to save the Christians. This policy = explains the=20 Pope=92s consistent opposition to partition or other schemes, such = as=20 federation, cantonization, etc. proposed by some Maronite groups. = If=20 Lebanon were to be carved up into small ethno-religious entities, = the=20 creation of a Christian mini-state could have negative = repercussions on=20 other Christian communities living in Arab and Islamic countries, = the=20 Vatican held.

At the war=92s end in 1990, and with the signing of the Taif = Accord,=20 Lebanese Christians saw their power attenuating rapidly away in a = new=20 political milieu dominated by US, Saudi and Syrian interests. = Today,=20 Lebanese Christians suffer from a serious leadership deficit, with = the=20 exception of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, who still wields=20 influence and garners respect in Lebanese politics.

In 1993, a group of Maronite intellectuals living in Paris = issued a=20 document (which unfortunately has never received the follow-up = attention=20 it deserves). They held that, since independence, the Maronites = have=20 traded their religious heritage and teachings for positions of = power. In=20 so doing, they substituted a volatile political order for the = cultural=20 foundations of their own community and thus, that of wider = Lebanese=20 society. According to these intellectuals, religion has been = tribalized=20 and reduced to a political identity. Maronites =93need to go back = to their=20 monastic traditions, intertwined with prayer, silence and = modesty=94 in=20 order to heal themselves communally of the political vices of the = war=20 years.

The predicament of Lebanon=92s Christians is not as dramatic as = that of=20 the Christians living in other countries of the Middle East. = Non-Lebanese=20 Christian communities have faced the same problems encountered by = other=20 communities in the Levant. In fact, throughout history, under Arab = and=20 Ottoman dominations, non-Muslims (Christians and Jews) were = treated as=20 dhimmis tolerated and protected minorities by the = Muslim=20 majority. In the Ottoman Empire, tolerance of Christians was = defined by=20 the millet system. This system estranged Christians from political = life=20 and deepened suspicions between them and the Muslim population. = Their=20 loyalty was often in doubt, given Arab Christians=92 connection = with Western=20 missionary activities.

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and in reaction to the = Arab=20 predicament, Christians were at the forefront of Arab nationalist = and=20 secular movement. Some, such as Michel Aflaq, founded parties such = as the=20 Baath. In Iraq one of the countries where the Baath ruled, = or=20 misruled the Baath is no longer in power, and hence the = Christians=20 of Iraq may now face dimmer prospects as the Bush administration = advances=20 leaders such as Ahmed Chalabi in a manner evidencing utter = disregard for=20 the true interests, visions, and history of the people, be they = Christians=20 or Muslims, Arabs or Kurds.

In the 1980s, Christians in Iraq (Chaldeans, Assyrians, = Armenians)=20 numbered 2 million. Today, their number has dwindled to around = 800,000.=20 The regime used the Christians as an ally in its policy of = divide-and-rule=20 in Iraq. Chaldean Patriarch Bidawid astutely built solid = relationships=20 with the Baath regime in order to protect his community. =
Today, Iraqi=20 Christians find themselves hemmed in between Sunni and Shia = competition=20 for power. Their allegiance to the state is put in doubt, and the = presence=20 of a new =93crusading=94 Western force is placing Iraq=92s = Christians in a=20 quandary. Their prospects are to stay and suffer their plight with = the=20 rest of the population, or to opt for exile and emigration. In an = effort=20 to maintain their sense of identity and solidarity, Iraqi = Christians have=20 kept alive the centuries-old languages such as Assyrian or = Aramaic, the=20 latter being the language spoken by Jesus and by Christian = communities in=20 some parts of Syria. It is doubtful that the evangelical Christian = Zionists in the US administration, of whom Bush himself is one, = are aware=20 of the complex and rich history of Arab Christians.

Dramatizing the plight of his community, the Assyrian Catholic=20 Patriarch of Iraq, Monsignor Ignace VIII Abdel Ahad, recently = stated that=20 the =93Christians of Iraq are foremostly in solidarity with their = Muslim=20 compatriots. Like all Iraqis who are proud and attached to their = land,=20 they will defend their country.=94 Referring to the US-UK invading = troops,=20 Abdel Ahad stated: =93Iraqis do not consider foreign armies as = liberators=20 but colonizers. Those who are now invading the country are not = here to=20 defend human rights.=94 This attitude is very similar to the one = adopted by=20 the Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian religious hierarchies: Arab=20 Christians and Muslims are united in their struggle against = Israeli=20 occupation, Western-based schemes for regime change, and attempts = at=20 creating =93Christian=94 islands in the Middle East.
Arab = Christians are=20 bound to suffer and pay a heavy price if the Bush administration = onslaught=20 in the region does not result in a fair and just resolution to the = fundamental Arab cause: the question of Palestine. To avoid any = backlash=20 against the Christian communities in the Middle East, who may be=20 associated by some demagogues with the fundamentalist Christian = Zionists=20 now guiding US foreign policy, Western church leaders headed = by Pope=20 John Paul II have, throughout the period leading to the = invasion of=20 Iraq, expressed their strong opposition to any military aggression = and=20 called for a UN-based resolution.

In the current transitional and unsettled context, Christian=20 communities in the Middle East could play a very important role by = going=20 back to the roots of their various faith traditions and by = grooming new=20 leaders, women as well as men. These are not impossible tasks. As = for now,=20 Arab Christians have to lie low and wait for the storm to pass by. = Their=20 task is to limit the damage that the war in Iraq has wrought and = prepare=20 for the future while forging common bonds of solidarity with their = Muslim=20 brothers and sisters and creating more humane and participatory = democratic=20 systems. A democratic governance system tailored to the region=92s = culture=20 and history is the ideal solution to stop the hemorrhage of = Christian=20 Arabs from their countries. Their presence in the region is a must = and a=20 powerful proof that coexistence between Christians and Muslims can = be an=20 exemplary model in a democratic Middle East.

Professor George Emile = Irani
Canada

[Z-info:=20 Prof. Irani teaches conflict resolution at Royal Roads University = in=20 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He is the author of The Papacy = and The=20 Middle East. This commentary was written for The Daily Star Online = on 22=20 April as =93Do Arab Christians Have a Future in = Iraq?=94]

Bravo

SCHOLARS HERE MAKE CATALOG OF SACKED MUSEUM =

Courtesy of the Chicago Sun Times (19 = April); by=20 Dave Newbard

Among the archeologically irreplaceable items feared stolen or=20 destroyed is a 2,700-year-old stone relief from the grand palace = of King=20 Sargon II, the Assyrian leader who ruled in what is now northern = Iraq from=20 722 to 705 B.C. Also potentially missing are 4,500-year-old,=20 2-1/2-foot-tall statues from the temple of the god Abu in central = Iraq.=20 The wealthy of antiquity thought the statues helped them = communicate with=20 the deity.

"It's like the Garden of Eden was trampled on,=94 said Clemens = Reichel, a=20 research associate at the University of Chicago's Oriental = Institute, of=20 the looting that took place at the National Museum in Baghdad = after the=20 United States military took over the city.

Those items were among thousands excavated by the U. of C. over = the=20 past century and sent to the National Museum. The fear that the = artifacts=20 are now gone has driven U. of C. researchers and students to = launch a=20 desperate attempt to recreate the inventory of the National = Museum.

Officials at the Oriental Institute and the school's = anthropology=20 department held a "crisis meeting=94 Friday to discuss the = creation of an=20 online database that will eventually include thousands of digital = images=20 of items believed to have been in the National Museum's = collection.

A link to the database is at www.oi.uchicago.edu, the = institute's Web=20 site. It will eventually include the status of the = artifacts--whether they=20 are missing, destroyed, recovered or unknown. It will be updated = regularly=20 so art collectors and others can determine if something they come = across=20 has been stolen.

"We are going to do everything we can possibly do to hinder the = flow of=20 this art out of Iraq and into the art market,=94 said Nicholas = Kouchoukos,=20 an assistant professor of anthropology who has studied the = museum's=20 collection. "If an object appears on our page and it's not in = Iraq, it can=20 be assumed it was stolen or looted.=94

No one knows for sure how many items were stolen, nor does = anyone know=20 the size of the museum's collection, but some estimates suggest = the=20 collection could include 170,000 or more items.

Many of the items are well known to researchers at the U. of = C., which=20 has conducted several excavations in Iraq dating to the 1920s. = That=20 includes the city of Nippur, a sacred Sumerian site in southern = Iraq with=20 items dating to 3000 B.C. It also includes four sites in the = Diyala region=20 in central Iraq in the heart of Mesopotamia.

Early antiquities laws required sending half the items dug up = to=20 Baghdad, while half went to the Oriental Institute; in the 1970s, = the law=20 required keeping everything in Iraq.

The U. of C. kept detailed records of everything excavated, = including=20 black and white photos of varying quality from earlier digs and = color=20 shots more recently. But Reichel had hoped to visit Baghdad to = take new=20 photos of the items from the Diyala project, which includes 17,000 = items=20 in Baghdad and Chicago.

Still, the university is putting everything it has online, and = is=20 soliciting photos from around the world. Working almost around the = clock=20 this week, graduate students have scanned some 1,500 photos from = the=20 institute's archives, books and elsewhere.

"This is so important because it's not just Iraq's heritage, = it's the=20 world's heritage,=94 Reichel said.

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