April 28, 2003

GOOD MORNING=20 BET-NAHRAIN

FUTURE IRAQI INTERIM GOVERNMENT TO = INCLUDE AN=20 ASSYRIAN

(ZNDA: Washington) A group nine Iraqis is expected to head = Iraq's=20 interim government in the coming months, according to retired Army = Lt.=20 Gen. Jay Garner, the U.S. civil administrator for Iraq. Reliable = sources=20 to Zinda Magazine report that the group will include an Assyrian=20 representing the Christian groups in Iraq.

Garner said on Monday that the group includes Massoud Barzani, = leader=20 of the Kurdistan Democratic Party; Ahmad Chalabi of the Iraqi = National=20 Congress; Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan; Iyad = Allawi=20 of the Iraqi National Accord; and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, whose elder = brother=20 heads the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq.

The 9-member group will be chosen by Iraqis and will include = locals in=20 addition to returned exiles. Many Iraqis are concerned that = certain exiles=20 might act as puppet leaders for the United States or would = misunderstand=20 the needs of the country.

ASSYRIAN VOTED ASSISTANT GOVERNOR OF = NINEVEH=20 PROVINCE

(ZNDA: Mosul) In Mosul on Monday, about 230 representatives = from the=20 city's main families and ethnic groups voted in the provincial = elections.=20 In addition to a governor for the Province of Nineveh, a 24-member = council=20 was also elected of whose members three are Assyrian. Confirmed = reports to=20 Zinda Magazine indicate the elected Assyrian officials are Dr. = Yousif=20 Hanna Lallu as Deputy Governor, Rev. Lewis Sako and Mr. Ghani = Salim=20 Sofiya. Dr. Lallu, from Bartilla, holds a Ph.D. in psychology and = is a=20 professor at Mosul University.

The governor position was won by Ghanim al-Basso, a = Major-General in=20 the Iraqi Army, an independent and from a well-known Mosuli = family. In=20 addition to the Assyrian deputy, two additional deputies for the = governor=20 well elected, one Kurdish and another Turkomen.

Retired army Gen. Ghanim al-Boso, an Arab, was selected as = mayor; a=20 Kurd, Khosrow Goran, was chosen as deputy mayor; and an Assyrian = and a=20 Turk were selected as the mayor's assistants.

Lt. Col. Ryan Gonsalves, a U.S. military commander in Tikrit, = said the=20 council would be a "representation from the entire city of = Mosul."

The 24-member council consists of seven Arabs, three Kurds, two = Assyrians, one Turkmen and one Shebak inside the city of Mosul and = six=20 Arabs, one Yezidi and one Assyrian from outside the city, along = with two=20 former generals.

[Z-info:=20 On 30 April, SF1 - the largest Swiss television station - ran a = special=20 report on the Assyrian GHB Freedom Fighters in the city of Kirkuk. = To view=20 this special segment click = here.=20 To download a free copy of RealPlayer to view this file click=20 here.]

News = Digest

IRAQ=92S PATRIARCHS = & BISHOPS=20 DEMAND EQUAL RIGHTS

(ZNDA: Baghdad) The following is a statement of the Iraqi = patriarchs=20 and bishops released last week in Baghdad. Published and published = through=20 the Vatican press office:

At this moment, when Iraq is turning a page and is beginning a = new=20 chapter in her millenary life, we, the Patriarchs and Bishops of = the=20 Christian Churches in Iraq, driven also by pressure from our = faithful,=20 wish to express our aspirations relative to the future of this = country, in=20 the hope that the Iraqi people, which has had a long history = marked by=20 defeats and successes, will be able, without religious or ethnic=20 distinction, to live in freedom, justice and respect for = interreligious=20 and multiethnic coexistence.

When Hammurabi sculpted his Code on the stone of this land, law = became=20 the basis of the development of civilization.

When Abraham looked at the heavens above Ur, they opened up to = him and,=20 by this revelation, Abraham became the Father of a multitude of = peoples.=20

When Christianity and Islam met, their respective "holy ones" = began the=20 two religions in respectful and reciprocal coexistence.

In addition, by virtue of our original right of belonging to = the most=20 ancient peoples of this land, we claim for ourselves and for all = those who=20 live in it today, whether a majority or minority, united by a long = history=20 of coexistence, the full right to live in a state of law, in = peace,=20 freedom, justice and equality, according to the Human Rights = Charter.=20 Consequently, we -- Chaldeans, Assyrians, Syrians, Armenians, = Greeks and=20 Latins -- forming together one Christian community, ask that the = new Iraqi=20 Constitution:

-- Recognize our religious, cultural, social and political = rights;=20
-- Envision a legal statute in which each person will be = considered=20 according to their capacities, without discrimination, so that = each may=20 have the right to actively participate in the government and the = service=20 of this country;
-- Consider Christians as Iraqi citizens with = full=20 rights;
-- Guarantee the right to profess our faith according = to our=20 ancient traditions and our religious law, the right to educate our = children according to Christian principles, the right to freely = assemble,=20 to build our places of worship, and our cultural and social = centers=20 according to our needs.

And, lastly, we make this appeal before everyone, the Iraqi = people,=20 rich in ethnicities and religions, the political and religious=20 authorities, as well as to everyone who has the good of the = country at=20 heart, and to the leaders of the international community.

FINAL DECLARATION OF THE AMSTERDAM=20 CONFERENCE

DECLARATION

This declaration by delegates working for national unity in = regard to=20 our people in Iraq was adopted unanimously at a conference held in = Driebergen, The Netherlands on April 2003. In attendance at the = conference=20 called and hosted by the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA), were = observer=20 activists, government dignitaries involved in the Assyrian = Question, and=20 the undersigned political parties, organizations, and = federations.

The Assyrian Nation includes Chaldean and Syriac =85 and are = the=20 indigenous people of Iraq and the remnants of the Assyrian Empire. = The=20 Assyrian numbers over four (4) million scattered throughout the = world with=20 two (2) million still in the homeland of Iraq. They are the second = largest=20 minority and as Christians the second largest religion of Iraq. = The=20 declaration points adopted are:

1. That we support the integrity of an undivided Iraq.
2. = That the=20 Iraqi Government must be democratic and secular.
3. That the=20 constitution recognizes equally all Iraqi citizens.
4. That = Assyrians=20 receive all ethnic and religious rights (The terms ethnic = minorities or=20 religious minorities must be interpreted to have the same meaning = in all=20 languages).
5. That Assyrians be acknowledged as the indigenous = people=20 of Iraq.
6. That all living Assyrians and their descendant = children be=20 granted dual citizenship, thereby allowing a fair = representation.
7.=20 That Assyrians in any Iraqi government where autonomy is declared = for any=20 group or where a federal government established, then the = Assyrians must=20 be provided autonomy or given a state named Assyria = accordingly.
8.=20 That Assyrians must be able to freely exercise their customs, = traditions,=20 language and religion.
9. That Assyrians be entitled to = representation=20 and participation at all levels of Government.
10. That the = homes and=20 lands of Assyrians illegally removed be returned to all including = those at=20 home and abroad.
11. That any constitution for Iraq must = include a bill=20 of rights for all citizens.
12. That the statement of basic = principles=20 adopted at Ankara on March 19, 2003 by the governments of the = United=20 States and Turkey and by the Iraqi opposition groups be included = in the=20 interim Iraqi regime and any subsequent government.
13. That = all=20 Assyrians have the right and are entitled to resettle in their = ancestral=20 homeland, Iraq.
14. That we Assyrians support the inclusion of = the=20 Yezidies in our Assyrian nation.

Adopted unanimously on April 27,=20 2003
Driebergen, The Netherlands

R E S O L U T I O N S

1. To achieve the goal of unity to connect the divisions = affecting our=20 people, the Assyrian, Chaldean, Malachite, Syriac, and Maronite = =85 church=20 denominations through centuries. We call for an official = invitation from=20 this conference to be issued to all Church Leaders to begin a = dialogue of=20 understanding and unity to heal the wounds of all sects of our=20 nation.
2. The conference acknowledges the historical unity = between=20 Assyrians and Yezidies and requests the rights of Yezidies be = secured and=20 implemented equally as outlined in the declaration statement = adopted=20 heretofore.
3. We ask that the appointed committee pursue = immediately=20 with the present legal government in IRAQ and with the governments = of the=20 coalition representatives and bring to justice the incident of the = eight=20 Assyrian men that reportedly have been imprisoned by the Kurdish=20 Democratic Party, KDP.
4. We support Assyrian national effort = for=20 democracy, and the fulfillment of our national and human rights in = the=20 homeland.
5. This body is to create a temporary Leadership = Committee to=20 be composed of nine representatives for implementing the mandates = and=20 resolutions adopted here in a voice of unity agreed at this = Amsterdam=20 Conference.
6. The ten member temporary Leadership Committee to = consist=20 of the nine present political parties and the Assyrian Universal=20 Alliance.
7. We resolve to thank and recognize the efforts and=20 dedicated hard work of President Shlimon Haddad and the members of = the=20 Dutch Assyrian Society of Holland in organizing, preparing, and = conducting=20 this outstanding Amsterdam Conference.

Adopted unanimously on April 27, 2003
Driebergen, The = Netherlands=20 by

Signatories

Assyrian Universal Alliance
Assyrian Democratic = Party
Assyrian=20 National Organization
Assyrian Liberation Party = (GFA)
Assyrian=20 Liberation Movement
Assyrian Patriotic Party
Bethnahrain = Freedom=20 Party
Bet Nahrain National Alliance
Patriotic Union of=20 Bethnahrain
Shuraya Party
Assyrian-Chaldean-Syriac = Union
Dutch=20 Union of Christians of the Middle East
Syriac Assyrian = Federation of=20 Sweden (SARS)
Assyrian American National Federation
Assyrian = Australian National Federation
Assyrian Federation of=20 Russia
Assyrian Youth Federation of Middle Europe
Atour = Assyrian=20 Association of Armenia
Babylon =96 Institute for Assyrian = Kultur =96=20 Eu
Dutch Assyrian Society
Syriac League of = Lebanon
Assyrian Youth=20 Federation of Sweden
Free Women of Bethnahrain = (HNHB)
Svenska=20 Kommitten for Assyrier (SKA)
Union of the Assyrian-Syriac = Associations=20 in Germany (UASD)
International Assyrian Congress of=20 Georgia
CaldoAshor Organization Communist Party of = Iraq
Union of=20 Syriac Associations in Switzerland (HHS)

IN WASHINGTON ASSYRIANS DEMAND BETTER=20 REPRESENTATION

Courtesy of the Radio Free Europe/Radio = Liberty (2=20 May); report by Sterling Wright

(ZNDA: Washington) A group of Iraqi activists met in Washington = last=20 week to discuss the makeup of a future government in Baghdad. The=20 participants say a viable Iraqi government must allow the = participation of=20 all segments of society.

Participating in a panel discussion at RFE/RL's Washington = offices this=20 week, activists for Kurdish, Christian, and Turkoman interests = shared=20 their respective goals and visions for a pluralistic Iraqi = society.

Dr. Katrin Michael, a Chaldean, works with the Iraq Foundation = in=20 Washington. Michael Flannigan is a Washington lobbyist = representing Iraqi=20 Chaldean and Assyrian Christians. Both insisted that the = territorial=20 integrity of Iraq be maintained and that the country's resources = be fairly=20 distributed to all citizens. But like the Kurds, they also wanted=20 Christian communities granted localized self-rule.

Lacking representation under Saddam Hussein, Chaldean and = Assyrian=20 Christians have now adopted a unified political front -- the = Assyrian=20 Democratic Movement (ADM) -- to lobby for representation within = the new=20 government. Michaels says a primary goal of the ADM is to = establish=20 secular democracy in Iraq: "We should insist that democracy not be = made=20 into the means of the majority to rule over the minorities. It = means that=20 all ethnicities [ethnic groups] have equal status."

Within a federal system, the Assyrians want decentralized = political and=20 administrative control over their community and the freedom to run = churches, schools, and media outlets.

Additionally, they want to assure the preservation of their = cultural=20 heritage by protecting the archaeological sites of Nineveh and Ur. =

Flannigan says people will need to be firm but also will need = to allow=20 for compromise in the debate over who owns and controls what land: =

The policy of Arabization did not count Chaldeans and Assyrians = as=20 separate cultural and ethnic groups. Therefore, Flannigan and = Michaels say=20 a census is needed to accurately determine Iraq's Christian = population.=20

Flannigan says, "We want the ability to live as ourselves -- to = be=20 Assyrians within a pluralistic Iraq."

ASSYRIAN MENTAL PATIENT REMAINS IN = AUSTRALIAN=20 DETENTION CENTER AFTER 11 YEARS

Courtesy of the Courier Mail (3 May); by = Mark=20 Phillips

(ZNDA: Melbourne's) Almost 11 years after arriving in Australia = as an=20 asylum seeker, Vilperit Betkhoshabeh is still in Melbourne's = Maribyrnong=20 detention centre knowing he could one day be deported back to the = country=20 he fled.

He has spent just 18 months of those 11 years as a free man. =

The United Nations Human Rights Committee recommended in = October that=20 Mr Betkhoshabeh, 42, an accountant who suffers a mental illness, = should be=20 released and compensated for what was called "cruel, inhumane and=20 degrading punishment".

Although the Federal Government was asked to respond within 90 = days, it=20 has failed to do so.

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said the = Government=20 was still finalising its response.

Mr Betkhoshabeh's family in Australia continue to maintain hope = he will=20 one day be released but fear if he is deported to Iran he will = face=20 persecution because of his Assyrian Christian religion.

His only taste of freedom is being allowed an accompanied visit = for=20 Sunday lunch once a month to the Tullamarine house of his brother = Victor=20 and mother Youlieh.

His sister-in-law, Violet Betkhoshabeh, said the family = encouraged him=20 to remain positive.

"We're just trying to give him courage," she said.

Mr Betkhoshabeh spent his first two years in Australia in the=20 Maribyrnong detention centre after arriving on a one-way ticket in = July=20 1992. In August 1994, he was released into the care of his family = with=20 paranoid schizophrenia.

His psychiatrist, Professor Patrick McGorry, claims the illness = was=20 triggered by the detention centre environment.

Mr Betkhoshabeh was granted a protection visa as a refugee on = March 16,=20 1995. But the Government has wanted to deport him since 1997 = because of an=20 offence he committed after his protection visa was granted.

Mr Betkhoshabeh served an 18-month sentence for aggravated = burglary and=20 making threats to kill after breaking into the home of an = immigration=20 official who was also a family friend.

Under the Immigration Act, any jail term of more than 12 months = results=20 in a visa cancellation and deportation.

However, the Immigration Minister has the discretion to stop = the=20 deportation.

Mr Betkhoshabeh has remained under detention, initially at Port = Phillip=20 Prison and now at Maribyrnong, since the jail sentence finished in = December 1998.

Professor McGorry said as long as Mr Betkhoshabeh continued = taking the=20 drug Clorazil he posed no threat to the community.

"The worst you can say at the moment is he appears quite = depressed,"=20 Professor McGorry said.

"The continuing uncertainty about the situation is most = damaging but,=20 also, institutionalisation means he must have lost all of his = survival=20 skills.

"On a human rights basis, he's been incarcerated for 10 years = which is=20 the best years of his life."

The UN Human Rights Committee became involved in November 1999 = and=20 found Australia had breached its obligations under the = International=20 Convention on Civil and Political Rights by detaining Mr = Betkhoshabeh when=20 he was suffering a mental illness.

It said he should be compensated and should not be deported. =

However, the Government is under no obligation to accept the=20 committee's recommendations.

Human rights barrister Nicholas Poynder, who represented Mr=20 Betkhoshabeh before the UN committee, said its decision was an = indictment=20 on the system of mandatory detention.

"What sort of country are we to lock up a person who was found = to be a=20 genuine refugee until he goes crazy and then when he goes crazy = and=20 commits a crime because of us locking him up, we will deport him = to a=20 country where he will be persecuted?" he said.

MICHIGAN CHALDEAN CENTER TO OPEN = IN SUMMER=20 2004

Courtesy of the Associated Press (5 = May)

(ZNDA: Detroit) Chaldeans living in Michigan want to preserve = their=20 culture. So, they're planning a $5 million Chaldean Community = Cultural=20 Center in the city of West Bloomfield.

Adhid Miri, the president of the Chaldean Iraqi American = Association,=20 says the community center will be a base for the community's = values and=20 history. The center is being touted as the first of its kind in = the world=20 and is scheduled to open in the summer 2004.

It will feature a library, an historic time-line exhibit and a = gallery=20 with replicas of murals and ornate relics from ancient Chaldean=20 society.

THE ASSYRIAN MONESTARY SADDAM ADMIRED = SO=20 MUCH

Courtesy of the Cox News Service (4 May); = by Mike=20 Williams

(ZNDA: Baghdad) It's hard to imagine a bloody dictator like = Saddam=20 Hussein visiting this stunning Christian monastery perched high on = a=20 craggy mountain, where monks have prayed in rooms carved from rock = for=20 more than 1,700 years.

But Saddam did once visit, according to Father Paulus, a blind = Assyrian=20 Christian monk who has lived here in isolation for more than 40 = years.

The dictator was apparently so moved by the breath-taking view = that he=20 ordered a government-funded renovation of the monastery and the=20 construction of his own private retreat.

"We welcome all here, and we spoke about our history," said = Father=20 Paulus, recalling Saddam's 1980 visit. "He didn't stay long, and = never=20 returned."

The anecdote is one more odd tidbit in the legacy of a dictator = who=20 terrorized his people for decades. A Sunni Muslim, Saddam was = tolerant of=20 the estimated 1.5 million Christians who live in Iraq, but also = violently=20 repressed the majority Shiite Muslims whom he apparently saw as = rivals of=20 his own Sunni tribe.

While scholars have decried the terrible looting of Iraq's = museums in=20 the war's chaotic aftermath, the St. Matthew Monastery escaped = untouched,=20 both by Saddam's brutal regime and the war.

The retreat is a window into Iraq's fascinating past, as well = as an=20 indication that modern-day Iraq is a place of surprising religious = diversity.

In northern Iraq, there are dozens of Christian villages = dotting the=20 rolling fields and steep mountain slopes. It isn't uncommon to see = a domed=20 church topped by a cross only a few blocks from a mosque marked by = minarets and the crescent moon symbol of Islam.

In the mountain village of Shaqlawah in the Kurdish region, = Roman=20 Catholic priest Zaya Shaba prepares his Sunday homily beneath a = picture of=20 the pope, even as the 4 p.m. call to prayers from a nearby mosque = echoes=20 down the valley.

"Our history here goes back to the time of Christ," he said. = "Our first=20 church here was built in 200 A.D. We have been here longer than = the=20 Muslims, and we have never had problems. Our families live mixed = together=20 with one another."

Shaba often takes tea with Mullah Ottoman Abdullah Ismail, who = runs the=20 nearby mosque.

"We have the same problems of clergymen everywhere," said = Ismail. "We=20 must tend our flocks."

The ministers sometimes visit each other's services for = important=20 ceremonies, and have grown accustomed to presiding over marriages = and=20 funerals attended by people from the other faith.

"We love and respect each other," said Ismail, a notion that = may bring=20 comfort to Americans accustomed to hearing mostly of the anger of = Islamic=20 extremists who believe western culture is decadent and should be=20 destroyed.

But there are other faiths in northern Iraq that, while obscure = to=20 many, trace their roots back to ancient times. One of the most = interesting=20 is the Yezidi sect, a group that worships Lucifer, the fallen = Angel that=20 in Judeo-Christian lore became Satan.

The group's members pray at sunrise and sunset. They won't eat = lettuce=20 and never wear blue, for reasons long forgotten. They believe that = Lucifer=20 did not become Satan, but instead was restored to his position as = God's=20 chief angel, and they credit him with creating the material = world.

The sect has a shrine high in a mountain valley north of Mosul, = and=20 claims a following spread through dozens of villages north of = Mosul.

With Saddam now gone, some from the minority sects wonder if = the=20 tolerance the dictator showed toward groups other than the Shiites = will=20 hold. There are worries that long-simmering tensions between the = Sunni and=20 Shiite Muslims will break into new conflict and that Iraq might = fall under=20 the sway of religious extremism and intolerance, as has happened = in other=20 parts of the Muslim world in recent years.

But blind Father Paulus, secure in his mountain retreat where = Christian=20 monks have prayed undisturbed since the 3rd Century seemed unmoved = by the=20 tumultuous events that have shaken his country in the past few = weeks.

"All are welcome here," he said, repeating the words he once = spoke to=20 Saddam. "We want nothing but peace for the world."

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

TOUCHED BY THE TIME = MAGAZINE=20 STORY

I was extremely impressed by the = story of Lahib=20 Nouman that I read in this issue of the Zinda. To the extent = that I=20 wanted to buy the issue of the TIME magazine where it was = published=20 first, as you mentioned. You said that it is issue of April = 26.=20 However, there is no issue on this date. Is there anything = wrong? Is=20 it really the Time magazine (the one published in US)?

Although I keep watching TV and reading newspapers, and I = know how=20 cruel Saddam was, a personal witness as the one from Ms. = Nouman is=20 different, it makes you feeling guilty for having lived = happily in=20 your country while people in Iraq were brutalised.

Please tell me, is there anything that I can do now for Ms. = Nouman,=20 at least? Help her writing the book on her life? Maybe = somebody is=20 collecting money to help her? Are you in touch with Mushtaq = Zanbaqa,=20 the parish priest who knows who is mentioned in the article? = Thanks=20 for your precious information.

Bianca Moioli
Italy

[Z-info: The story of Lahib Nouman was reprinted with = permission from the 5 May issue of Time Magazine. Zinda = Magazine=20 received the story prior to the regular publication=20 date.]

CONSPIRACY OR HIDDEN = AGENDA

[Z-info: the following is a Zinda Magazine reader=92s = letter=20 written in response to a recent 60-Minutes II weekly = television=20 program.]

Mr. Bob Simon: As I watched your = program "60=20 Minutes II" which aired on Wednesday April 30, 2003, I was = shocked and=20 dismayed by the fact that even though almost 70 percent of the = artifacts that you showed in your program were Assyrian, not = once did=20 you mention either Assyria or the origin of the artifacts. = Even more=20 troubling is that when you refer to the legendary capital city = of the=20 Assyrians, Nineveh, you identified it by referring to John = Russell and=20 saying"... the ancient city of Nineveh. That's the place in = northern=20 Iraq where, according to the Bible, Jonah wound up after being = spit=20 out by that whale."

I know the work of Mr. John M. Russell very well. I have = met him in=20 person and own his great book called "The Final Sack of = Nineveh". I am=20 sure that when discussing Nineveh he would call it "one of the = oldest=20 and most important cities of ancient Assyria", as he does in = the=20 introduction of his book, and not where "Jonah wound up".

This makes me believe that either there must be some sort = of hidden=20 agenda/conspiracy or simply total ignorance. I find the = ignorance=20 option hard to believe given the experience of you and the 60 = Minutes=20 II staff.

I am aware of the fact that most people have heard of = Assyrians=20 through biased stories in the Bible. Until recently, school = books did=20 not talk about Sumer, Babylon and Assyria. It is sad when = scholars=20 such as Dr. Simo Parpola, Mr. Harry Saggs, Mr. David Stronack = and Mr.=20 John Russell spend a lifetime educating people and separating = the=20 facts from biblical fictions. It is disconcerting that a giant = media=20 company like CBS chooses to promote ignorance and broadcast = fiction.=20

Sargon = Tavour
California

SECRET OF SUCCESS

The more I read about the Jews, and = other=20 nations who have successfully come back to life and revived = their=20 nations, the clearer it becomes to me that the two things that = helped=20 the most in this process were: Education, Money and Power.

Now Education is up to you and I can't force it on my = fellow=20 Assyrians even though I wish they were to put the effort into=20 obtaining it. While when it comes to money, I think we can = each=20 contribute somehow. Few days ago I had written an article here = about=20 how Assyrians should give their money to Assyrian businesses = first and=20 as much as possible. Now I got some replies complaining about = the=20 level of bad service which they got from Assyrian businesses = which is=20 clearly understandable.

But today I have a better idea. Why not have a special day = in the=20 year where each Assyrian would spend money or buy something = from an=20 Assyrian store or business. We can either make this a yearly = thing or=20 maybe even on a monthly basis. This is not something hard to = do. And=20 beleive me, once we do it we will be motivated to do even = better=20 things in the future. After all it start with simple yet = influencial=20 things like these.

You can buy anything you want, even if it is a simple and = cheap=20 chocolate bar. Or maybe something as big as changing your = tires or=20 have an Assyrian service man do your furnass or carpet = cleaning.=20 Anything! As long as it is done by an Assyrian or purchased = from an=20 Assyrian. And as I mentioned in the title we can name this = something=20 like "Buy from an Assyrian"

Now I am really serious about this. This is not just a = post. It is=20 actually a plan that I will seriously follow until I can have = it=20 implmented by as many Assyrians as possible, locally and = worldwide. I=20 will even mention it in the news on the main page of this = website. And=20 I will spend all my energy to tell people about it.

Finally, and please, I would really appreciate your = comments and=20 feedback about this. Such as your favorite day to make this, = what name=20 would you like to give this event or anything else that comes = to=20 mind.

Please don't be suprised about why I am so into this thing. = You may=20 not realize the potential of this until the future but I can = assure=20 you that nations can only be brought back to life through = education=20 and money. This campaign is to help establish the latter.

You can even email me at: AssyrianAuthors@hotmail.com=20 for more feedback.

Ashoor =
www.AssyrianVoice.net

BACK TO IRAQ

There are educated Assyrians who fled = Saddam's=20 Iraq that want to return to help those that never left. I for = one=20 don't know where to begin. What Assyrian organizations are = hosting or=20 facilitating this and can you post the information on your=20 website?

Ninos = Oshaana
California

[Z-info: If you are interested in providing technical = or=20 administrative service in the assistance projects for the = rebuilding=20 of Iraq, please visit the USAID online form at http://www.usaid.= gov/iraq/form/employment.html.=20 To provide direct support for the Assyrian groups, contact = your local=20 Assyrian Democratic Movement chapter or the Assyrian Aid = Society of=20 America.]

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

The photo in the middle of the page = [April 28:=20 =93Gilgamesh Tomb Believed Found=94] is not of Gilgamesh. It = is of Sargon=20 "The Great" 2350 B.C. of the Akkadian Dynasty during the = Sumerian=20 Empire. Please correct the message and don't confuse people = doing=20 research about Gilgamesh and Sargon.

Michael B. Younan
California

[Z-info: The photo is indeed that of Sargon the = Great; however,=20 the photo was included with the aforementioned article and not = inserted by our staff. To clear up further confusion below = please find=20 the admired artifact of Gilgamesh as depicted by ancient=20 Sumerians.]

MARRIED TO MY WIFE AND FORGOT ALL = ABOUT MY=20 POOR AND FRAGILE MOTHER

I cannot help myself in sharing the = feelings=20 trapped inside of me for a long time. The feelings of despair = and=20 anger for what it is doing to my Omta Atoureta, where no one = is=20 benefiting from it, except for our enemies.

My beloved brothers, most of us forgot about our mother = Omta=20 Atoureta when we signed a union with our favored political = party=20 (Gabbah). In the pursuit of a new love, we forgot about the = mother=20 which we all came from. The mother which nourished us with her = love=20 for centuries. We failed to remember who we are and what her = needs=20 are. We have left our old and fragile mother in pursuit of a = new love=20 ( gabbah ) when we should all be thinking of our one and the = only=20 mother, Omta Atoureta. She needs us now, more than ever before = to see=20 to her needs. Let us remember the old traditions that when a = son gets=20 married, he brings his new bride to the house of his father to = take=20 care of the needs of his aging mother. Today our new brides = (Gabbah),=20 should not forget our centuries old traditions that have kept = us alive=20 till this day.

Oh! mother, I can hear your callings. Oh! mother I can see = the=20 tears coming down your wrinkled and aged face. Oh! mother I = can hear=20 your whispers calling on your sons and their new found brides = to come=20 back and be united once again as they once were under your = loving=20 care. Oh! Mother I have been trying to convey your calls to = all=20 telling them about your tears, but all I hear in response are = that=20 they are too busy with their new wives and forgot all about = you. When=20 I got married I thought I was going to make you happy and make = you=20 proud of me. I was hoping that my new wife would have taken = the burden=20 off of your shoulders and helped you at the time of your need = and at=20 your old age. I am saddened to tell you my dear mother, that = all your=20 sons have now abandoned you and have no more love left in = their hearts=20 to give to you. The little love they had left, has all freely = and=20 willing been given to their new bride (gabbah ), with none = left to=20 offer to you.

Forgive me and all my siblings my mother Omta Atoureta, for = we have=20 failed to answer your calls. Forgive us mother of all mothers = for the=20 sins which we committed against you. Forgive us for which we = have=20 forgotten of what of yourself you gave to us all, and forgive = us a one=20 thousand times for what we have failed to give back to you my = mother=20 Omta Atoureta. With broken heart - your son=85

David Oraha
Canada

Literatus

CHRISTIANS FOR=20 SADDAM?

Reprinted from = OrthodoxyToday.com

Introduction

After the Divine Liturgy a few Sundays ago, I joined several = other men=20 from my parish for brunch. The topic of Iraq came up, and one of = the men=20 remarked that he had heard that there was a substantial Christian=20 population in Iraq, and that Tariq Assiz, the Iraqi foreign = minister, was=20 a Roman Catholic. He was shocked that a Christian could be = associated with=20 such a man as Saddam Hussein.

=93What can that mean for his witness as a Christian to serve = such a=20 leader?=94 my friend asked in bewilderment.

While I cannot know what is in Mr. Assiz=92s heart, only God = can know=20 that, I can certainly understand, on a basic level, his service to = Saddam=20 Hussein. Before we, in the West, become too judgmental of our=20 co-religionists living under Muslim rule, I believe we need to = understand=20 the world Iraqi Christians inhabit. It is a brutal world of few = good=20 choices, and many potential dangers. Theirs is a truly desperate = plight,=20 and it is one that our forthcoming invasion of Iraq is quite = likely to=20 make much, much worse.

Background =96 Iraqi Christians

In Iraq, live an estimated 1 million Christians who are = ethnically=20 Assyrian. This community descends from the various Mesopotamian = kingdoms=20 that once ruled the area and formed powerful empires in the = Fertile=20 Crescent. Their Christian heritage is ancient, as many Assyrians = converted=20 to Christianity as early as the second century A.D. Assyrians = define=20 themselves as a broad category of Christian groups speaking = Aramaic (the=20 language of Jesus) that includes followers of the Chaldean = Catholic Church=20 (in communion with Rome), the Syrian Orthodox Church and the = Church of the=20 East, among others.

The Assyrians have lived under foreign domination since the = fall of the=20 Assyrian kingdom to Persian power in the seventh century B.C. = Since then,=20 the Assyrians have been subjected to Persian, Arab, and Ottoman=20 domination. Between 1919 and early 1920, Assyrian nationalists = under the=20 leadership of their Patriarch Sham'un fought fiercely to defend = their=20 ethnic areas in what later became modern Turkey, shah-ruled Iran, = and=20 British-ruled Iraq. As a result of ethnic cleansing by Iranian, = Turkish,=20 and Arab-Iraqi forces in the 1920s and 1930s, the Assyrians lost = thousands=20 of people and regrouped in the mountainous regions north of = Baghdad.

Under various Iraqi governments, particularly those following = the=20 British withdrawal in 1945, Christians in Iraq have been = politically=20 suppressed. Although substantial numbers of their intellectuals = chose to=20 join the Ba=91th regime and identify themselves as Arab = Christians, the=20 Assyrians have been subjected to systematic attempts by Saddam=92s = regime to=20 "Arabize" them, a process that includes driving ethnic minorities = from=20 their lands and seizing some of their properties, especially in = the=20 strategic, oil-rich northern region bordering the Kurdish enclave. = This=20 has been done partly out of Saddam=92s fear of disloyalty on the = part of=20 non-Arabs, and partly out of a desire to reward Saddam=92s = political=20 supporters with their land.

"The Iraqi government has also forced ethnic minorities such as = the=20 Assyrians, the Kurds and the Turkomen to sign 'national correction = forms'=20 that require them to renounce their ethnic identities and declare=20 themselves to be Arabs," says Hania Mufti of Human Rights Watch. = "In a=20 way, it is a form of ethnic cleansing by clearing an area of its = ethnic=20 minorities."

Today, in the Middle East, Assyrians are spread across Iraq, = Syria,=20 Turkey, and Iran, where rights groups say they live as small, = often=20 discriminated-against minorities under governments largely = unsympathetic=20 to their religious and cultural aspirations. In Iraq, most = Assyrians live=20 in the North, under Kurdish control in an enclave that was = established=20 after the 1991 Gulf War. There, they have achieved a modicum of=20 independence, and are allowed five seats in the Kurdish = Parliament.

In fact, this is perhaps the best situation in which Assyrians = have=20 found themselves in some time. Given their history with Saddam, = and the=20 relative freedom they are experiencing in Northern Iraq, you would = probably assume that the Assyrians would like nothing better than = to see=20 Saddam=92s murderous regime consigned to the dustbin of = history.

Unfortunately, you would be wrong.

Saddam Hussein =96 That Bad in Context?

This may come as a shock to many Americans, whose image of = Saddam has=20 been framed by comparisons to Adolf Hitler, but the prevalent fear = among=20 Assyrians, both in Iraq and abroad, is that what comes next after = an=20 American invasion will be worse.

"Our greatest fear if there is a regime change in Iraq is if = there will=20 be a substitution of Saddam Hussein's tyranny for a new tyranny," = says=20 Ronald Michael, president of the Assyrian American League, an=20 Illinois-based organization representing the estimated = four-million-strong=20 Assyrian community in the United States.

Saddam Hussein and the Ba=92th Regime have been, and still are, = nasty and=20 oppressive to all Iraqis. However, Saddam has not been = particularly=20 oppressive to the Assyrians, at least compared to what has been = the norm=20 elsewhere in the region. One must always keep in mind that the = oldest=20 members of Middle Eastern Christian communities remember outright=20 slaughters of Christians by the millions. By the yardstick of his=20 neighbors and Middle Eastern history, Saddam just doesn=92t look = that=20 bad.

The secular Saddam has neither encouraged nor permitted the = type of=20 anti-Christian riots seen in Egypt and Iran. Further, Saddam has = never=20 engaged in actual anti-Christian genocide of the type seen in = Sudan, where=20 2 million Christian have lost their lives in the past decade. = Unlike any=20 other regime in the Middle East, Saddam has permitted Christians = to occupy=20 high public office. This includes the Iraqi Foreign Minister, = Tariq Assiz,=20 who is a Roman Catholic. In addition, Saddam=92s regime has = permitted a=20 degree of free practice for Christians that is positively enviable = compared to the situations experienced in such U.S. =91allies=92 = as Pakistan=20 and Saudi Arabia. Christmas and Easter decorations always abound, = even in=20 Baghdad, and attending church does not require an act of courage. =

Today, the Christians of Iraq seem to be split between those = who=20 support the status quo =96 de facto autonomy of a type in the = North =96 and=20 those who support Saddam Hussein=92s continuation in power. Broad = support,=20 enthusiastic or otherwise, for the ouster of Saddam Hussein by the = U.S.=20 Army seems to be noticeably absent from the political landscape. =

Is this anxiety warranted? Should the Assyrians be so concerned = about=20 being liberated by U.S. military power? If history is our guide, = they=20 shouldn=92t be afraid.

They should be terrified.

Our Friends the Kurds

As noted earlier, the majority of Assyrians live in northern = Iraq in=20 the Kurdish enclave. So far, this situation has been reasonably = tolerable=20 for the Assyrians, as the Kurds have been conducting a fairly = successful=20 democratic experiment under the cover of U.S. and British combat = patrols.=20 Given the historical tendency of the Kurds to victimize and = slaughter the=20 Assyrians, the current situation seems quite impressive.

However, Assyrians are quick to ask, have the Kurds really = moderated=20 their traditional attitudes and embraced Western notions of civil = rights?=20 Or, are they only moderating their tone in order to build a = unified front=20 against Saddam Hussein? This leads to a great fear among Assyrians = in the=20 north that when the unifying factor of a common enemy is removed, = the=20 traditional problems between the Kurds and the Assyrians will = resurface=20 with a vengeance.

Among the future problems between the two groups are disputes = over=20 land, that for now have been put on hold.

"There are outstanding issues of Assyrian villages and lands, = which=20 were vacated under Baghdad's forced repatriations during the 1970s = and=20 '80s," says Hania Mufti of Human Rights Watch. "Those issues have = not been=20 resolved when the Kurdish authorities took over and they are a = bone of=20 contention between the two groups."

Two main Kurdish parties, KDP (Kurdish Democratic Party) and = the PUK=20 (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan), uneasily share power in northern = Iraq. The=20 leaders of these parties have maintained that their aim is not to = set up=20 an independent government or entity, but an Iraqi federation made = up of an=20 Arab region and a Kurdish region.

However, whether or not that is merely a cover story, is, for = the=20 moment, anyone=92s guess. Should the Kurds seek an independent = nation,=20 Assyrians fear that the democratic fa=E7ade that has been erected = in the=20 North will crumble. There is widespread concern that = =91Kurdistan=92 may be a=20 much less hospitable place for Christians than Saddam=92s Iraq, as = the=20 Assyrians would be the =91outsiders=92 in the new state.

Recent events in the north fuel these fears. The Kurdish = authorities=20 have begun attempts to classify Iraq's Christians as "Kurdish = Christians."=20 This appellation is an outright fabrication, but it points to a = future in=20 which the Assyrians, who survived =91Arabization=92 in Saddam=92s = Iraq, may find=20 themselves subjected to a harsh =91Kurdization=92 at the hands of = an=20 independent Kurdistan.

Also, there has been a resurgence of traditional Kurdish = attacks on=20 Christians. The Kurdish authorities of both parties have = resolutely=20 ignored these attacks. As Ronald Michael explains, it is in the = best=20 interests of Kurdish politicians to not antagonize their Muslim=20 constituents by being zealous in the defense of Christians.

"The nationalist parties don't want to lose the support of the = Kurdish=20 people," says Michael. "If the KDP is in power, we expect justice = to be=20 served. But the KDP turns a blind eye to these attacks out of fear = of an=20 Islamic backlash."

These fears have caused the Assyrians to actually contemplate a = state=20 of their own in the future. Ronald Michael sums up this mindset by = saying,=20 =93If the Kurds use the chaos of the war to try to grab land and = if they are=20 given a federal state, then we want our own state, because they = [the=20 Kurdish parties] have not proven themselves to be democratic." Of = course,=20 the only power in the region that could or would create an = Assyrian=20 political entity is the United States, and that does not seem to = be a high=20 priority for the Bush administration at this time.

The Kurds have an estimated 70,000 soldiers in the North that = are=20 reportedly ready to fight on the U.S. side against Saddam. How = extensively=20 the U.S. plans to make use of them in its war effort remains to be = seen.=20 However, one thing is clear =96 these men aren=92t going away = after the=20 fighting stops. They will still be there. Will they turn on the = Assyrians=20 as part of a drive to an independent Kurdistan? Or, will they = agree to=20 stay in a federal Iraq, but decide to settle old scores with the = local=20 Christians in any event?

If the blind eye turned by Kurdish authorities to violence = against=20 Christians becomes outright genocide, will our U.S. military = forces=20 intervene against our Kurdish =91allies=92 to protect defenseless=20 Christians?

If you and I don=92t know the answer to that troubling = question, how do=20 you think the Assyrians feel?

Our Friends the Turks

Turkey has repeatedly warned against any attempt to establish = an=20 independent Kurdish political entity. The Ankara government is = fearful=20 that independent Kurds will be an example for the millions of = Kurds under=20 Turkish domination. Should the Kurds attempt to achieve = independence,=20 there is a real threat that Turkey will enter the war in order to = stop a=20 Kurdish state from forming.

In fact, there is a chance that Turkey may intervene = aggressively in=20 any event. Leading up to the latest Turkish election, which = brought to=20 power a party with Islamic roots, nationalist Turkish politicians = and=20 senior generals threatened to seize Kirkuk and Mosul in the event = of war,=20 citing Ottoman-era claims to the two oil-rich northern Iraqi = cities.

In September 2002, Ozdem Sanberk, the former Turkish ambassador = to=20 Britain, told a reporter, "If the U.S. intervenes, and in the = first days=20 the Kurds enter Kirkuk and Mosul, the Turkish army will move = in."

It has been reported that the Turkish army already has troops = inside=20 the Iraqi Kurdish zone, and to stop any flow of Kurdish refugees = into=20 Turkey when full-scale war breaks out.

Currently, Turkey is driving a hard bargain in exchange for = backing the=20 U.S. The details are not all public, but it appears that Turkey is = demanding at least 10% of the oil revenues from the area around = Kirkuk and=20 Mosul. Even if it receives its wish, there is no guarantee that it = will=20 abide by any agreement it makes with Washington.

Should the Turks end up in control of northern Iraq, the = outcome for=20 the Assyrian Christians in the area is likely to be = catastrophic.

No nation in the region has as much Christian blood on its = hands as=20 Turkey. At the turn of this century, at least 1.5 million = Armenians lived=20 in eastern Turkey, where they had built some 2,200 churches and = 166=20 monasteries. At the same time, there were over two hundred = thousand=20 Assyrians scattered throughout Turkey. In 1922, the Greek = population of=20 Istanbul alone was 270,000.

Turkey carried out major slaughters of Christians in 1915 = (close to two=20 million Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks), the early 1920=92s, and = again in=20 1955. To this day, it is the official position of the Turkish = government=20 that these genocides did not happen. Further, Turkey has waged a = non-stop=20 war of attrition on its native Assyrian, Greek, and Armenian = minorities=20 over the last century. Through discrimination, expulsion, race = riots, and=20 immigration, these communities have been practically obliterated. =

Today, Turkey is almost a Christian-free zone, despite Istanbul = serving=20 as the residence of the Patriarch of Constantinople =96 one of the = most=20 important Sees of the Orthodox Church. It is estimated that only = 60,000=20 Armenians, 15,000 Assyrians, and 3,500 Greeks remain in Turkey at = the dawn=20 of the 21st Century.

With its unparalleled and continuing history of anti-Christian=20 persecution, Turkey must be considered one of the greatest threats = facing=20 the Assyrian community in Iraq. Turkish rule would likely be far = worse=20 than continuing to live under Saddam Hussein, and could very well = spell=20 the end of the Assyrian communities.

If Turkey invades, will the United States stand against its = =91ally=92 in=20 order to defend Assyrian Christians and Muslim Kurds? If Turkey = turns to=20 genocide against the Assyrian Christians as part of a campaign of = =91ethnic=20 cleansing,=92 will the United States defend the Christians?

History would lead one to conclude that the answer is an = unqualified=20 =91no.

There may be some doubt as to how the U.S. would react to = Kurdish=20 atrocities, but there is almost none when it comes to Turkish = ones. The=20 United States sat idly by and allowed the Turks to massacre = Christians in=20 1923 and 1955. (In fact, U.S. ships in the area even refused to = take=20 aboard survivors who were fleeing for their lives. The U.S. was = afraid of=20 =91offending=92 the Turks by helping any of their victims.) The = U.S. did not=20 assist the Greek island nation of Cyprus when Turkey attacked it = in 1974,=20 and occupied over 1/3 of Cypriot territory. The U.S. has failed to = vigorously protest ongoing Turkish abuse of Turkey=92s few = remaining=20 Christians.

Over and over again, the U.S. has proven that it will sacrifice = an=20 unlimited number of Christian lives in order to maintain its = alliance with=20 Turkey. The Assyrians are well aware of this history, and are = terrified=20 that they will be the next sacrifice offered up on the altar of=20 U.S.-Turkish friendship.

Our Friends the Iraqi National Congress

The Iraqi National Congress is an umbrella organization = bringing=20 together various anti-Saddam groups. Based in London, it is = heavily=20 financed by the United States, and may be expected to play a role = in the=20 post-invasion reorganization of Iraq. The groups represented in = the INC=20 range from constitutional monarchists to Islamic radicals. Their = diversity=20 is representative of Iraq itself, which has a Kurdish north, a = Sunni Arab=20 center, and Shiite south. Despite this diversity, however, there = may be=20 one thing that all of these various groups could agree on =96 they = are all=20 Muslims.

And this is another fear that grips the Assyrians. In a = post-Saddam=20 world, there must be some unifying force to hold the disparate = pieces of=20 Iraq together. What that force will be is still to be determined. = Will it=20 be an occupation by the U.S. Army? Will it be a new monarchy, = loosely=20 based on Islamic principals? Will it be fundamentalist Islam, as = in the=20 ethnically diverse nation of Pakistan?

If Iraq turns more fundamentalist after Saddam is removed from = the=20 picture, as some future dictatorship seeks to use Islam as a = unifying=20 force, the Assyrians could find themselves becoming the = sacrificial lambs=20 on the altar of Iraqi unity. It has happened elsewhere in the = Middle East=20 =96 nothing unifies a population like a common enemy to = slaughter.

If a new Iraqi government, in control of the whole country, = turns on=20 the Assyrians with a genocidal fury, will the U.S. military = protect the=20 Christians? Even if the =91official=92 policy of the new Iraqi = government is=20 not anti-Christian, but fanatics seize the opportunity to start = killing=20 Christians =96 will U.S. troops act to protect them?

If history is our guide, the answer is an unqualified =91no.=92 =

In Kosovo, we have an example of NATO forces, led by U.S. = ground=20 troops, occupying a majority Muslim state. The Muslims have a = well-armed=20 military force to protect their interests. While ostensibly = neutral=20 between the two sides at the time of deployment, it became quickly = apparent to the Serbs in Kosovo that the NATO forces had little = stomach=20 for keeping the Muslims in line. The =91peacekeepers=92 were only = there to=20 keep Serbian forces out of Kosovo, not to protect the Serbs in = Kosovo. If=20 they had tried to do so, then it would have invited casualties = from Muslim=20 reprisals. That was the last thing any NATO governments wanted. So = 50,000=20 NATO troops stood by while 100,000 Serbs were ethnically cleansed = and 112=20 churches and monasteries were destroyed.

NATO and the United States were, and are, unwilling to make = waves in=20 Kosovo in order to save Christian lives and churches =96 why would = post-invasion Iraq be any different?

There is probably no avoiding war with Iraq at this time. Too = much has=20 happened for us to turn aside now, even if that might be the best = thing=20 for all concerned. Despite some of our wishes to the contrary, the = war is=20 probably going to come, and its coming is fraught with danger for = many=20 innocent people in the Middle East. But if war must come, then as = citizens=20 of the United States, we have an obligation to remind our leaders = that the=20 lives of Christians are just as important as the lives of Muslims. = A=20 victory in Iraq that destroys the Assyrian community in its wake = is no=20 victory. If our President and his staff are not considering the = fates of=20 these brave Christians, then it is time for us, as Americans, to = remind=20 them of their obligations to our co-religionists in a war that we = brought=20 to them.

The Assyrians still speak the language of Jesus, and follow the = way of=20 the cross, despite centuries of persecution. The strength of their = faith=20 should be a humbling example to us all in the West. The Assyrians = have=20 survived the coming of the Persians, the Arabs, and the Turks. It = remains=20 to be seen if they will survive the coming of the Americans.

Glen Chancey
Florida

[Z-info:=20 Glen Chancy graduated from University of Florida in 1992 with a = degree in=20 Political Science, and a certificate in Eastern European Studies. = He=20 completed extensive course work on Russia and the Balkan States = and=20 received his certificate for his project on Russian Pan-Slavism = and its=20 relationship to Balkan nationalism. He completed post-graduate = studies at=20 the University of Adam Mieckiewicz in Poznan, Poland, where Mr. = Chancy=20 also lectured in the Information Technology Department. After = three years=20 of study, Mr. Chancy returned to America with his Polish wife. He=20 currently holds an MBA in Finance, and works as a business analyst = for a=20 major U.S. software developer. He lives in Orlando, = Florida.]

Bravo

ASSYRIAN COMPOSER OF 370 MUSICAL PIECES IN EXILE = FROM TURKEY=20

Courtesy of the KurdishMedia.com (23 = April); by M.=20 Zahit Ekinci

Simon Aram Abgar was born in Urfa in 1965. In his own = expression, he=20 was a manual worker in the music field for 25 years. Abgar, who = has=20 composed 370 musical pieces to date, plays the mandolin, the = guitar, the=20 baghlama, the oud, the piano, and various other musical = insruments. He=20 describes the world of such instruments as spellbinding, and far = from=20 every sort of evil. He has been a refugee in Europe for = approximately a=20 year now, as his life was in danger. I spoke with Assyrian artist = Simon=20 Aram Abgar, who says that every sentence in nature, even the = blowing of=20 the wind, takes place with musical notes, and who compares his = life with a=20 tragic film scenario, regarding his life and his work.

- Can you briefly tell us the story of the area where you were = born?=20

Urfa, the city where I was born, was the site of 16 different=20 civilizations, and well as the worlds first university, and was = the=20 midwife to the first cries of a great many thinkers, politicians, = and=20 musicians. My childhood took place in a garden of different = peoples. It=20 was a virtual mosaic of peoples, with Kurds, Armenians, and = Assyrians. We=20 had brotherly ties with all of them. No one was treated = differently. And=20 that's the atmosphere in
which I grew up.

- Well, then, how big a role do the Assyrians play in the = cultural and=20 artistic life of Urfa?

No doubt the Assyrians contributed just as much as any of the = other=20 nations. As is known, the Assyrians have an honorable history that = goes=20 back a very long way. Many Assyrian men of religion, such as Mar = Yakup=20 from Urfa and Mar Yakup from Suruch, put their stamp on Urfas = cultural=20 life. Either three or four of the eight maqams of the Assyrian = (Orthodox)=20 Church were written by Assyrian men of religion from Urfa.

- As we know, you have been a musical worker for the past 25 = years. How=20 did this passion of music come about?

Passion is impossibility. What gave me these feelings were the = dreams=20 and longings that I could never reach So I decided that I could = best=20 express these feelings through music. The first instrument that I = ever had=20 in my hands was a mandolin. I began with a broken mandolin, then I = passed=20 onto the guitar, and finally I began to write lyrics to songs, and = to=20 compose the music for them. With time, I began to play the = baghlama, the=20 oud, the piano, and other instruments.

Naturally, there is an educational dimension to this as well = that's=20 true, this doesn't happen without training. I studied at Antep = University=20 between the years 1986 and 1989, and for a year in the = conservatory of=20 Istanbul Technical University as well. There, a problem arose = because of=20 my Assyrian name how strange was the widespread intolerance for = names in=20 ones mother tongue but I was able to get my diploma with the name = on my=20 official identity card, Selami Akaltun.

- It is said that you had a music school of your own.

In 1995, I had a project to take music to all the various = levels of=20 society, so that it wouldnt be restricted just to certain = individuals. But=20 the school that I wanted to open for this purpose under my own = name, Simon=20 Aram Abgar, ran up against an invisible wall, again because of my = name. I=20 was only able to open a school under the name of Selami Akaltun, = which was=20 on my identity card, but which was never my real name. After this = music=20 school had been in business for about a year, it was forced to = close due=20 to negative propaganda that was being made about it.

- You have a number of compositions of your own?

I have 370 compositions of my own, as registered by MESAM = [Turkish=20 Professional Association of Owners of Musical Works]. In addition, = a=20 cassette that I was working on was seized by the Ministry of = Culture,=20 without any justification, just as it was coming onto the market. =

- Is it just the fact that you are an Assyrian that underlies = all of=20 these prohibitions and the repressive mentality you have faced? =

Turkey is a strange country. It is hostile to all the different = values=20 that grow out of its own soil. While on the one hand prohibiting = these=20 things, it says that all the minorities are free to speak their = own=20 languages and to live their own cultures. The mentality that says = the=20 Kurdish language is free today implements the most repressive = measures=20 possible against those who listen to cassettes by Xelil Xemgin = [Kurdish=20 musician]. It is only natural that the mentality that shows such a = disrespectful approach to the art and the culture of millions of = Kurds=20 will not tolerate a weed like myself, who is both an Assyrian and = a=20 leftist. I dont even consider this to be unusual any more.

- Your music school closed down, and your cassette activity was = thwarted. How did this affect you? Are you angry?

Naturally, one suffers great disappointment. An artistic person = has to=20 be able to express himself with the values that he finds important = to=20 life. When in other countries of the world even the trees that = artists=20 lean against are preserved, in Turkey, even forgetting about such=20 treatment, artists are totally abandoned, or left to starve. = People like=20 Nazim Hikmet [poet], Yilmaz Guney [film-maker], and Ahmet Kaya = [singer]=20 are not born every day. But what has Turkey gained by the fact = that each=20 and every one of them was obliged to live and die in exile, far = from their=20 home? What flowers bloomed on the mountains because these people = died in=20 exile? Most of the dedicated artists who worked for years at = Yesilcam [the=20 Turkish Hollywood] died in misery. Naturally, I am angry. My anger = is=20 directed at the uncultured leaders of the state, who think that = culture=20 consists solely of prohibiting things.

- Well, apart from music, have you engaged in any other = artistic=20
activities?

I played the chief role in a film, along with Meltem Cumbul, = entitled=20 Twisted Roots, which portrayed the life of an Assyrian. A portion = of the=20 filming took place in Urfa. But unfortunately, the film was = thwarted by=20 the Review Board of the Ministry of Culture on trumped up charges = that it=20 contained separatist propaganda and religious discrimination. As a = result,=20 all our effort, as well as the investment of resources, went to = naught.=20

At that time, in order to make a film in Turkey, you either had = to=20 portray Malkocoglu, the fighter of Mehmet the Conqueror, or Kara = Murat=20 [references to Turkish nationalist figures from comic books and = films]. So=20 having had such a great disappointment in my first film, I had to = turn=20 down all the film offers that came afterwards.

- Your life resembles the plot of a tragic film. You came to = Europe=20 after all these obstacles were put in your way. How did this = adventure=20 begin?

Ever since the beginning, the rights granted to minorities have = been=20 merely on paper. We were never able to express ourselves in a free = atmosphere.

In the southeast of the country, hundreds of Assyrian churches = have=20 been turned into stables. And the state is well aware of this. = During the=20 filming of the film in Urfa, Meltem Cumbul got death threats on = many=20 occasions just because the life of an Assyrian was being = portrayed.=20 Fearing these threats, she was obliged to leave the film = unfinished. I=20 received similar threats on many occasions. I was taken into = police=20 custody. During interrogation, they tried to find out why the film = was=20 being made in Urfa, and were trying to find some ulterior motive = in this.=20 Last year, in September, someone banged on my door late at night. = When I=20 opened the door, bullets were fired. This attack wasn't intended = to kill=20 me, but just to drive me away. And since I was unable to face all = of these=20 threats and blackmail, I came to Germany, where I believe I will = be able=20 to follow my artistic career more freely.

[Z-info:=20 Translated from Turkish by KurdishMedia.com; published in Ozgur = Politika=20 newspaper, 22 April ]

Calendar of=20 Events

Visit the Zinda Magazine Calendar at http://www.zindamagazine.c= om/calendar

Thank=20 You!

Zindamagazine would like to = thank:

Nahera Adams
(California)

Tomas Isik=20
(Sweden)

Martin Sarkis=20
(Switzerland)

= SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH READERS IN = 55 COUNTRIES=20 BY INCLUDING ZINDA MAGAZINE IN YOUR COMMUNITY OR ORGANIZATION'S MAILING = LIST.=20 DISTRIBUTE FREELY.

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

ZOGBY=92S EXAGGERATED=20 PERSUASION

THE ASSYRIAN SOLUTION = STARTS FROM A=20 PROVINCE AND ENDS IN AUTONOMY OR SELF-RULE

IRAQ=92S PATRIARCHS = & BISHOPS=20 DEMAND EQUAL RIGHTS

TOUCHED BY THE TIME = MAGAZINE=20 STORY

CHRISTIANS FOR=20 SADDAM?