GOOD MORNING=20 BET-NAHRAIN

NEWS FROM THE BATTLEFRONT =

(ZNDA: Dohuk) The Assyrian Democratic Movement information = office has=20 told Zinda Magazine that the Assyrian forces have successfully = liberated=20 the majority of the Mosul plain at press time and may soon enter = Mosul and=20 move south to Baghdad. In Mosul/Nineveh, Saddam=92s Fedayeen = forces have=20 been hit very hard and their ammunition depot has been = destroyed.

=93Iraqi army continues its withdrawal = from the Mosul=20 plain and the end of oppression looms. The execution squads are = forcing=20 the soldiers to resist,=94 reports the Assyrian Democatic Movement = in a=20 recent communiqu=E9 to Zinda Magazine. The ADM forces successfully = liberated=20 the town of Alqosh, with the support of the Assyrian-Chaldean = people of=20 this town. The airports of Harir and Ainkawa are now under the = control of=20 the Coalition Forces.

The ADM (Zowaa) fighters have also entered the town of = Ain-Sifne=20 (Shikhan) and preparations have begun to set up a local office. = Over one=20 hundred Asyrian families have already fled Ain-Sifne and are = traveling to=20 Dohuk, Sapna, Nahla, and Atrosh areas.

The cities of Arbil, Dohuk, and Sulaimania are secure and the = shops are=20 open again. In North Iraq, dinar is being exchanged as the rate of = 5.6=20 dinar to a U.S. dollar. The price of oil and gas remain high. = According to=20 Mr. Rommel Moushi, president of the Assyrian Aid Society in Iraq, = Assyrian=20 refugees continue to arrive from Baghdad, Mousel & the = sorrounding=20 towns. Many have taken shelter at the Nisibin School Dormitories = where=20 they are cared for and fed. Other refugee families are are being = housed in=20 churches, schools and people=92s homes. Some Christians have also = fled into=20 Syria.

The Arab Star Television interviewed Mr. Yonadam Kanna, General = Secretary of the ADM, last week who discussed the immediate future = and the=20 interim authority for the post-Saddam Iraq. The Secretary General = answered=20 questions from callers in a separate interview with the = London-based=20 Arabic television station, ANN.

According to other sources in North Iraq, on 31 March Bartulla, = a=20 Christian village just 12 kilometers from Mosul, was bombed when = the=20 Coalition planes hit the local Baath Party headquarters. Reports = state=20 that approximately 20 Christians were killed and 75 wounded.

In Baghdad, the Air Command Center of the Baathist government, = which is=20 located in a Christian area, was destroyed and much damage was = suffered.=20 One senior Christian leader had the windows and doors of his home = blown in=20 by the blast.

ONWARD TO NINEVEH

Courtesy of Time Magazine (7 April); by = Paul=20 Quinn-Judge

I spent last Saturday sitting on a hill in Kurdistan watching = U.S.=20 forces trying, unsuccessfully, to bomb the Iraqi army into = oblivion. The=20 Kurdish authorities had closed the road to the front-line village = of=20 Khazar, ostensibly for our safety but also perhaps because they = had lost=20 the village the night before. Reinforcements swept along the dusty = road:=20 we watched as noisy peshmerga, taciturn Special Forces, a top = commander,=20 the brother of the ruler of this part of Kurdistan, moved past in = a convoy=20 of Land Cruisers, waving regally. The next day we discovered that = the=20 Kurdish commander who waved courteously to us was badly injured by = a U.S.=20 air strike further along the front. Friendly fire.

After the procession had passed, = towards evening,=20 something strange happened =97 as is often the case during wars, = which is=20 one of the attractions of this sort of journalism. Many = journalists had=20 left, and I was sitting on a small hill some distance from the = remaining=20 group, airing my feet and trying to do something about a faint but = disturbing odor that had infiltrated my boots after a night spent = sleeping=20 in the mud a couple of weeks ago. A pickup drew up at the = checkpoint and=20 an official climbed up towards me to pray. When he was finished he = came=20 over and we shook hands =97 the Kurds are remarkably polite = people.

I was tired of complaining to officials about being stopped = here, and=20 since my visitor seemed to understand some English, I asked about = Nineveh=20 =97 the ruins of the great Assyrian city, site of the world's = first library,=20 which lay a few miles down the road. I wondered whether it too was = under=20 fire from U.S. air power or Iraqi artillery =97 and I also = wondered whether=20 anybody cared.

Nineveh! He beamed with delight, "Assurbanipal," and we shook = hands=20 again as if King Assurbanipal (who died in 627 B.C.) was a close = mutual=20 friend. I never found out why he was so enthusiastic about the = late king,=20 as his knowledge of English did not allow for that breadth of = discussion,=20 but the mention of Nineveh had an immediate impact on my working = day.

The Kurdish official indicated that I should meet him around = the bend=20 in the road, out of sight of the checkpoint. He drove around, = picked me up=20 and we barreled down the rutted road. The vigor with which he = charged deep=20 potholes make me fear for my neck and his axle, but the driving = lasted=20 only a short time. The Iraqis, apparently unimpressed by the U.S. = bombing=20 raids, opened up once again with mortars. My guide and I took = cover behind=20 and earthen bank. "Very good air strikes," he said with what I = took to be=20 irony.

When things quieted down, he continued down the road alone, and = I=20 hitched a ride back to my hillside with a truck. Nobody had = noticed my=20 absence.

When I took cover that afternoon, I thought for a moment that = perhaps I=20 should call the office. An idea like this would have occurred in = previous=20 wars, but this time is different, even for a technologically = backward=20 print journalist like myself. This is a war of Thurayas =97 the = tiny=20 satellite phones little bigger than a cell phone =97 and text = messages. We=20 correspondents are now joined, umbilical-like, to each other and = the rest=20 of the world. So we zoom up Kurdistan's mountain roads, messaging = each=20 other from our cars =97 no more stopping to assemble, swivel = around and=20 curse a satellite phone bigger than a laptop whose lid-cum-antenna = have an=20 irritating habit of dropping on your fingers.

Another new feature of the war in Kurdistan is that for a week = or two=20 journalists became designated targets. The risk of falling victim = to=20 friendly fire =97 or getting killed in a road accident because we = are too=20 cool to buckle our seatbelts =97 is a risk that comes with this = sort of=20 work. But for a while Ansar al-Islam, a fundamentalist group that = carved=20 out an armed camp near the Iranian border, pointed its suicide = bombers in=20 our direction and succeeded in killing one journalist. In theory = Ansar=20 al-Islam was routed ten days ago, though I have my doubts (they = lost at=20 most half their fighters, so I expect they will be back sooner or = later).=20 I spent a week trying to get into the head of this dour, brutal = and often=20 suicidal group of fighters. I did not succeed, although I did = spend time=20 looking over their bomb paraphernalia, was given my very own bomb = timer,=20 and wandered through a particularly sinister detention center. =

But I did succeed in meeting the local Sufis. Unlike Wahhabis, = who feel=20 that the world has been going downhill since the seventh century, = Sufis=20 love life, poetry, cheerfully embrace other religions and distrust = authority. Not surprisingly, they have a rough time when people = like the=20 Taliban, or Taliban clones like Ansar, are in power.

I made their acquaintance in the mountain village of Beyara, = which is=20 one of the main Ansar bases. Sufis from a nearby village had come = to lend=20 a hand clearing up the mosque, which has been rocketed by the U.S. = on the=20 grounds that it was an Ansar command post. None of the helpers = looked a=20 day under 70, and although they were picking and pulling at the = mountain=20 of rubble with vigor, they were not making much headway. They did = not mind=20 being interrupted.

"Sufis have been living here for 400 years," said one (I did = not ask=20 his name, as this was a chat, not an interview), "and we never = killed a=20 single person." When I asked how many Sufis lived in the area, the = anarchist side emerged. "I don't know," my interlocutor answered, = with a=20 trace of exasperation. "We don't ask. We're not a political party, = you=20 know." I wandered off, but later dropped by again to see how they = were=20 doing. With the help of a passing translator I asked them what = they=20 thought of Ansar's approach to Islam. One of them stuck his bottom = out,=20 and his neighbor exploded with laughter.

Sensing another linguistic breakdown, I backtracked, checking = how my=20 question had been rendered into Kurdish, and whether the gesture = had=20 anything to do with the answer. In fact, the translation was right = on, and=20 the gesture was a succinct analysis of Ansar theology: They had = approached=20 Islam ass-forward. Ansar's philosophy, explained one Sufi, was one = of=20 "hate, hate, hate. No, no, no."

News = Digest

ASSYRIAN AFRAID FOR = RELATIVES STILL=20 IN IRAQ

Courtesy of Daily Herald (31 March); = article by=20 Cass Cliatt

(ZNDA: Chicago) The fear invades her sleep. A bomb blast = flashes behind=20 closed eyes. Smoke shrouds the scorched crater that was her = family's home=20 in Baghdad. Soldiers march past civilian dead. She can't see the = faces.=20 Could it be her uncle, her brother's wife?

Ashtar Shamoon wakes. The clock reads 5 a.m. when she turns on = the news=20 in her Arlington Heights home. Shamoon abandoned her vigil here = just four=20 hours earlier, but worry compels her to watch a war progress = toward the=20 city she used to call home.

"If I don't watch the news, it's like I don't care about it," = the=20 44-year-old Shamoon said. "It's still your country."

But fear has kept the hair stylist away from her homeland for = more than=20 20 years. She is tormented by reports about other U.S. families = sending=20 letters to their fathers, sisters and sons in military service in = the=20 Middle East. For Shamoon, the hold Saddam Hussein has over Iraq = grips her,=20 even here, stifling her with fear of maintaining too much contact = with her=20 own family.

She is among thousands of Iraqi expatriates who carried their = sense of=20 oppression to the Northwest suburbs, away from Iraq's borders. = They harbor=20 a dread here that continues to alienate them from families back = home. "I=20 have my brother's wife, his sister, her daughter, my uncle, many = cousins,"=20 Shamoon said. "Now with the war starts, I've been talking to them = every=20 two days, but I'm scared even to mention their names. Maybe the = government=20 of Saddam Hussein just go after them.

"Shamoon is one of about 80,000 Assyrian Christians in the = Chicago=20 area, a large majority of whom fled Iraq because of political = persecution,=20 according to the Assyrian National Council of Illinois. As much as = they=20 fear that their families could fall victim to the ravages of the = war, some=20 worry even more that they could unleash torment on their own = relatives.=20 "Sometimes, for example, if someone is talking against the = government or=20 against the regime in Iraq, they cut his tongue," said Isho Lilou, = director of the Assyrian council. "If a man doesn't want to serve = in the=20 army, they cut his ear." The punishment can be much worse for = families=20 seen as American sympathizers, Lilou said. "Basically, the = government=20 point of view is, whoever is outside, especially in America and = they have=20 relatives there, they treat them as if they are all Americans," he = said.=20 "And the regime hates America. "If there is communication, you = don't know=20 what will happen. Some people will either disappear or they get = hit by a=20 car," Lilou said. "One way or another, they are gone."

It's the main reason Shamoon hasn't been back to Baghdad since = she left=20 in 1981. She and her family were among the estimated 1 million = Assyrian=20 Christians in a country that's 97 percent Muslim. She says she = left=20 because Hussein's government asked her to spy on other Christians = who were=20 customers in the hair salon where she worked. "To see what the = people say=20 about Saddam Hussein, if they like him," Shamoon said. "I say I = can't do=20 that. I say I am a Christian. I do my job and come home. I said I = can't=20 talk politics." Yet they kept at her for five months. Shamoon had = to get=20 out.

She came to the United States with her teenage sister in 1981 = and=20 became a U.S. citizen 10 years later. Shamoon, her sister, now 40, = and her=20 73-year-old mother now live in Arlington Heights, afraid to ever = return to=20 Iraq. But tomorrow, Shamoon will make one of her increasingly = frequent=20 calls home to Baghdad. Since the war started last week, Shamoon's=20 questions are always the same. "Are you safe? Nobody is killed and = nobody=20 is bombing there? How is uncle, how are nieces and nephews? ... Do = not go=20 outside. Stay at home." Three minutes on the phone with her family = is all=20 Shamoon will risk - five at the most. "I don't say anything about = what's=20 going on here," Shamoon said. "They (the government) listen on = their phone=20 when you talk, and maybe someone here, the Muslim people here = contact=20 them. You never know."

Louise Cainkar, a professor at the University of Illinois at = Chicago,=20 said many people might classify the fear felt by Shamoon and = others as=20 paranoia. But that doesn't make their fear any less real. "It's = the nature=20 of the society when you live under oppressive conditions and you = know=20 people are watching other people and reporting on each other," = said=20 Cainkar, who specializes in Arabs and Muslims in the United = States. "I=20 think it's how most Iraqis feel, whether they're Muslim or = Christian," she=20 said. "They're afraid to call their families. They have been = traumatized=20 by a watchdog society."

The potential to regain open lines of communication with her = family=20 makes Shamoon welcome the war, in a way. "I'm glad they're going = to get=20 Hussein and they're going to kill him, but I'm feeling bad for a = lot of=20 people who are there - my family, the other Assyrian Christians = and a lot=20 of poor people," Shamoon said. "They're going to die, too." The = last time=20 Shamoon risked talking to her relatives, they told her they sit = huddled=20 inside, wondering how long the groceries they bought a month ago = will=20 last. All of the businesses are closed and no one is working. = "They don't=20 know what's going to happen to them, if they're going to bomb = everything=20 there," Shamoon said. She rushes from work today, as she does = everyday,=20 and immediately turns on the news when she gets home. Troops = remain on the=20 outskirts of Baghdad. Shamoon will probably stay glued to her = television=20 until 1 or 2 a.m. again. She'll definitely try to call her family = in Iraq=20 tomorrow. The phone lines have remained clear so far, but Shamoon = doesn't=20 know how long she should rely on them - rely on the peace of mind = so many=20 other families get from hearing their relatives' voices on the = other end=20 of the line. "If I can't hear nothing from them, I can't go to = work," she=20 said. "I would be nervous every day. I can't sleep."

MAR IBRAHIM, COALITION FORCE WILL = LOSE PEACE=20 IN IRAQ

Courtesy of Catholic New Service (3 = April); article=20 by Robert Delaney

(ZNDA: Detroit) The spiritual leader of Chaldean Catholics in = the=20 eastern half of the United States predicts the United States and = Great=20 Britain will win the war being fought in his homeland of Iraq, but = he is=20 equally confident they will lose the ensuing peace.

Before = the war=20 began, Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim was opposed to the use of = military force=20 to oust the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but he said = March 29=20 that he at least thought the United States and Britain had = probably=20 planned it so well it would all be over within the first week.

"Now, from what I am seeing and hearing, I think it's going to = drag on=20 for months, and it will be very harsh for both sides, but the main = victim=20 will be the Iraqi civilians," said Bishop Ibrahim, who heads the = Eparchy=20 of St. Thomas the Apostle, based in suburban Southfield, which = numbers=20 about 120,000 faithful -- about 100,000 of those in the Detroit = area.=20 Eparchy is a term for a diocese in the Eastern Catholic = churches.

Had the war been over in a week, U.S. hopes for the cooperation = of a=20 grateful Iraqi people might have been realized, but a lengthy = conflict=20 will mean the destruction of the country and the loss of loved = ones for=20 many Iraqis.

"Suppose you say to somebody, 'Let me destroy = your=20 house and then rebuild it back' -- that might be accepted," he = told The=20 Michigan Catholic, newspaper of the Latin-rite Archdiocese of = Detroit.=20 "But if you kill my kids, you kill my father, you kill my mother = and my=20 brothers, what good is it that you rebuild my house?"

What = good is=20 it to build "a new Iraq" or build "a democratic Iraq if half of = the Iraqi=20 people are affected that way by the war?" he asked.

Instead = of=20 fostering feelings of gratitude, he predicted Americans would = foster=20 feelings of hatred toward them.

"Maybe in theory it is true = that=20 the coalition forces are making their best possible effort to = avoid=20 hitting civilians, but in practice, in fact, it is not true. = Because where=20 are those governmental buildings -- are they in the desert or are = they in=20 the middle of the people?" Bishop Ibrahim said.

He pointed = to=20 damage to the Chaldean patriarch's headquarters in Baghdad. = Although not=20 the target of a U.S. air strike, it was close enough to a targeted = government building that all of its windows were blown out. While = no one=20 was seriously injured, the building had to be closed; Patriarch = Raphael I=20 Bidawid has been in Beirut, Lebanon, for treatment of a serious = kidney=20 ailment.

Bishop Ibrahim called it sad that many people of = the=20 Middle East have a sense of vengeance. And while Christians stress = the=20 importance of forgiveness, they make up only 5 percent of Iraq's=20 population.

He predicted "a very somber" future for the = United=20 States in Iraq. Had there been a homegrown revolution inside Iraq, = with=20 the United States coming in to support it, he said, the Iraqi = people might=20 have accepted accidental deaths in a different light but not when = they=20 came about as part of an invasion.

"We cannot give = happiness to=20 people with war," he added.

Bishop Ibrahim said he still = cannot=20 understand why the United States could not have waited at least = another=20 couple of months to see whether Iraq would make good on its = pledges of=20 cooperation with United Nations weapons = inspectors.

"Disarming Iraq=20 of weapons of mass destruction -- all agree on that, even the = Iraqi=20 government agrees; every Iraqi agrees on that. So, why didn't we = give the=20 opportunity to see whether it is true or not?" he = asked.

Regime=20 change was not a high priority for Iraq's Chaldean Catholics. In = fact,=20 considering that Christians are such a small segment of the = population,=20 the Chaldeans counted themselves fortunate to be living under a = secularist=20 regime at a time of rising Islamic fundamentalism, the bishop=20 explained.

Still, Chaldeans have been leaving Iraq at a = rapid pace=20 in the past 20 years -- and with more of them moving to Detroit = than any=20 other destination -- but that is because of the poor economic = conditions,=20 concern about rising Islamic fundamentalism, and the fear that = their sons=20 would be drafted into the Iraqi army, Bishop Ibrahim = said.

"From a=20 state of prosperity, now it is poverty all over Iraq," he said, = explaining=20 that the eight-year war with Iran in the 1980s, the Gulf War, and = then the=20 ensuing sanctions ruined the economy.

He added Iraqi = military=20 conscription does not work the way it did in this country when = there was=20 draft. Rather than serving a two-year stint, draftees are locked = into an=20 involuntary military career that can last for decades.

"Can = you=20 imagine, young men drafted at age 19 have stayed 12 years or 16 = years, or=20 20 years, and they can't get out? There are men who have been in = the army=20 since 1980," the bishop said.

Asked what the U.S. = government might=20 do to lessen Iraqis' ill will toward Americans, Bishop Ibrahim did = have=20 some advice: "They should stop all operations immediately, and go = through=20 the United Nations -- to get Saddam and his relatives to step = down, and to=20 set up a temporary government and prepare the country for = elections."

FAMILY WORRIES ABOUT ARCHBISHOP = BROTHER IN=20 BASRA

Courtesy of the Michigan Catholic; by = Robert=20 Delaney

(ZNDA: Detroit) Figuring that war with Iraq was inevitable, = Joseph=20 Kassab tried to get his brother Gabriel to come to the United = States back=20 hi January, but his brother said he had to be in Basra with his=20 people.

=93I-us people=94 are the = Chaldean Catholics of=20 southern Iraq. Joseph Kassab=92s brother is Archbishop Gabriel = Kassab of=20 Basra.

As Coalition forces step up efforts to take control of Basra, = Joseph=20 Kassab=92s worries have only increased.
Kassab was able to = reach his=20 brother Saturday night, March 29, and found him unharmed at his = residence=20 at Basra=92s cathedral.

=93He said he barely had ally food or any good water, and no = electricity=20 at all,=94 said Kassab, 52, of Farmington Hills, a member of = Mother of God=20 (Chaldean) Parish in Southfield.

Kassab said his brother was reluctant to give any impression of = the=20 fighting in his area, lest the phone call be monitored and = officials=20 interpret his words as communicating sensitive information to the=20 West.

=93He=92s a man of religion, he=92s a man of humanitarian aid = and he doesn=92t=20 want to do anything but protect his flock,=94 Kassab added.

Making the call took several hours of repeat dialing, and it = was the=20 first time Kassab had been able to get through since March 25.

In that time, he and his two brothers and three sisters on this = side of=20 the ocean became increasingly concerned about news reports of = ferocious=20 fighting in and around Iraq=92s second largest city.

Recounting last Saturday=92s call, he said, =93I asked him, = =91What can we do=20 for you?=92 and he said, =91local! you can do is pray for us = here.=92 So, we=20 prayed on the phone together.=92

Kassab said he quickly called his brothers and sisters, and = told them,=20 =91He is good, he is all right, and the main thing is that he is = still=20 alive=92=94

From what he can glean from the news about Basra, Kassab called = it =93a=20 devastating situation, a humanitarian disaster.=94 He added that = he hopes to=20 work with other Detroit-area Chaldeans to make some aid shipments = =91when=20 this thing clears up.=94

Not that things were great before the war started=97 one of = Archbishop=20 Kassab=92s greatest concerns has been the privations brought on by = the U.N.=20 sanctions. His animal trips to the United States have raised money = for=20 food and medicine =97 for both Catholics and Muslims, Kassab = said.

=93Besides giving people food, clothing and water to people, he = opened a=20 pharmacy last year,=92 Kassab said.
Although Basra is a mostly = Shiite=20 Muslim

city, there are enough Catholics among its 1.2 million people = to=20 support five churches.

Kassab also recalled his previous conversation with his brother = =93He=20 came to the phone rapidly breathing. He had been flying to fix a = water=20 pump. I said, =91Why don=92t you take care of yourself=92 But he = said, [have to=20 take care of my people first. I want water for my = people.=94=92

Kassab spoke of the happier time, just a few years ago, when = his=20 archbishop brother was able to present Pope John Paul II with a = stone from=20 the ruins of ancient Ur, where Abraham was from, on a papal visit = to=20 Jordan.

While no defender of Saddam Hussein Kassab is opposed to the = war: =93War=20 dismantles everything. War is meant to destroy things and kill = people.=20 Chaldeans are known to be people of peace. We are definitely = against this=20 war.=94

Kassab is worried his brother=92s reputation for helping could = endanger=20 him. =93What if some desperate people comes to him for help, and = he has=20 nothing left to give? What if they misunderstand why he can=92t = help them?=92=20 he asks.

=93War makes people violent, angry, on the edge =97 these are = not normal=20 times=92 Kassab adds.

SARGON DADESHO RECEIVES $2.4 MILLION = AS VICTIM=20 OF IRAQI REGIME

Courtesy of the Associated Press and the = Modesto=20 Bee (6 & 8 April); Brian Skoloff & Melanie = Turner

(ZNDA: Modesto) A few days ago, Sargon Dadesho saw $2.4 million = deposited in his bank account from the confiscated assets of the = Iraqi=20 government, one of a number of victims to finally collect = judgments from=20 lawsuits filed after the first Gulf War.

The payments last Friday came after President Bush issued an = executive=20 order that took control of $1.7 billion in frozen Iraqi assets. = Some $302=20 million of that was set aside to satisfy legal judgments. Sargon = Dadesho=20 of Ceres (between Turlock and Modesto) who fled Iraq nearly 40 = years ago,=20 now runs an Assyrian satellite network that beams news and = anti-Saddam=20 Hussein commentary into Iraq.

He was awarded the money after a failed assassination attempt = by a=20 hired Iraqi hit man 10 years ago. In 1995, Dadesho won a $1.5 = million=20 judgment against Iraq for "emotional distress" suffered after the=20 assassination attempt, which was foiled by the FBI.

Iraq appealed the decision, but a federal appeals court later = affirmed=20 the judgment.

Dadesho is the president of the Assyrian National Congress and=20 president of Bet-Nahrain Inc., the nonprofit organization that = operates=20 Assyrian television station KSBV Channel 23, out of Ceres. Dadesho = said he=20 hasn't decided what he'll do with the money. "My only regret is = that=20 Saddam Hussein will not live long enough to find out that I got = even with=20 him," Dadesho said. "He has been after me for a long time."

Last Friday at 3:50 p.m. Mr. John Kanno and Mr. Sargon Dadesho, = were=20 being interviewed on CNN. The reporter toured the Bet Nahrain = Cultural=20 Club and the AssyriaSat TV station. The two men talked about their = role in=20 a future free Iraq.

"Finally, the nightmare is over for me and the Iraqi people,"=20 53-year-old Dadesho said at a news conference at the Assyrian = Cultural=20 Center in Ceres yesterday.

Dadesho said he might donate part of his judgment to the = Assyrian=20 Welfare Committee in Iraq. The committee helps rebuild churches = destroyed=20 by Saddam's people, he said.

Dadesho said he intends to go back to Iraq for a time to help = his=20 people rebuild.

ARIZONA ASSYRIAN TRYING TO QUALIFY = AS=20 INTERPRETER, REPAY U.S.

Courtesy of the Arizona Republic (3=20 April)

(ZNDA: Phoenix) Edward Rehana = hasn't been=20 back since he fled Iraq in 1964 at age 21.

Now, the 60-year-old Peoria resident is eager to go back. He = wants to=20 help the U.S. military liberate his former homeland.

"People there have been suffering under this regime for more = than two=20 decades, and this is the United States fighting to liberate my = country,"=20 Rehana said. "I think I owe it to this country to help complete = this=20 mission."

Yesterday, he left behind his wife, Glyniss, and their three = grown=20 children and boarded a United Airlines flight for Fairfax, Va., = where he=20 will undergo a series of written and physical exams as well as a=20 background security check.
If he passes, Rehana could be = deployed=20 within the next two weeks to the Middle East, where he could spend = a year=20 or more working as an interpreter.

Rehana is one of thousands of immigrants from Iraq who have = volunteered=20 during the past three months to work with U.S. military forces as=20 interpreters, translators and guides.

If he qualifies, Rehana was told he will receive a = $70,000-a-year=20 salary.

Rehana acknowledged the salary is appealing: It's more than he = makes=20 selling windshields.

But he's not doing it just for the money. He sees this as a = chance to=20 help liberate the people of Iraq from Saddam Hussein's regime and = play a=20 role in rebuilding the country after the Iraqi dictator is removed = from=20 power.

Rehana reads, writes and speaks English and Arabic. He also is = a U.S.=20 citizen with a U.S. passport, two of the other qualifications = needed to=20 assist the military as interpreters, he said.

Rehana was born in Habbaniyah, a town about 25 miles west of = Baghdad.=20 He fled to Kuwait in 1964 to escape escalating persecution and=20 discrimination against Assyrian Christians under the Iraqi Baath = Party.=20 Four years later, he came to the United States and settled in = Chicago.=20 Rehana became a naturalized U.S. citizen on July 4, 1976, during a = bicentennial ceremony in Chicago.
Rehana and his family moved = to=20 Arizona in 1985 and were among the first wave of = Assyrian-Americans to=20 migrate to the Phoenix area from Chicago.

The valley's population of Assyrians has since grown to more = than 8,000=20 people, according to their estimates.
Rehana said he doesn't = know what=20 dangers he will face if he is sent to Iraq, but he is prepared to = work=20 with front-line troops, if necessary.

He also is prepared to stay as long as he is needed. "It could = be six=20 months. It could be a year. It could be longer," he said.

"She had mixed emotions," Rehana said about his wife. "She = doesn't want=20 me to go, but she said if you want to go, 'I'll let you make the=20 decision.'"

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

HOW CAN THIS HELP = US?=20

Please clarify this clipping from = your email=20 [notification]: "Secondly, thank you for your support and = patience as=20 we diligently work with many communities to establish = letter-writing=20 and media campaign efforts across the world. Your response has = been=20 tremendous. Please continue your campaigns and bombard your = local and=20 national newspapers and now television stations with = information on=20 Assyrians and our rights in a free Iraq. "

I am = curious as to=20 whether this sort of organized effort could possibly harm our = nation=20 in anyway. As I understand, there are many communities tied = into this=20 effort in encouraging the Assyrian people to write letters and = such.=20 Do these organizations and communities work in conjunction = with Sargon=20 [Dadesho], for example, and other Assyrian officials? Is this = an=20 Assyrian joint effort? As you know, we Assyrians tend to have = many=20 leaders, perhaps one of our pitfalls.

I'm certain that = the=20 individuals who are politically influential globally, already = know of=20 our existence (certainly U.S., Britain, Russia, and other = European=20 countries know who and where we are). Are we then aiming our = efforts=20 at the common American, for example? Who do we exactly want to = recognize us? And most important how will this effort and=20 demonstration help our nation.

What I would like to = read more=20 than any other news, is whether Assyrians in Iraq are okay, = how they=20 live, where they live, what are they doing, how are they = surviving. Do=20 they need our help, in what way, this sort of thing. We need = to know=20 how we can help. I hear Assyrians in Chicago are raising money = for the=20 Iraqi Assyrians, but according to Sargon, this fund raising = effort=20 should not be undertaken yet, because we don't know who is = collecting=20 and distributing these funds, are they going through right = channels to=20 get to our people.

Thank you for making Zinda Magazine available to us = readers.

Meetra M.
United States =

GIVE DADESHO'S MONEY TO PEOPLE OF=20 IRAQ

While watching CNN a few days ago I = was=20 surprised to see a story featuring the Assyrian community's = role in=20 rebuilding Iraq. As the story developed I began to draw more = and more=20 interest.

The story seemed neutral until Mr.. Sargon Dadisho appeared = and=20 confidently claimed receiving $2.4 million in compensation due = to an=20 assassination plot by the Iraqi government in the early = 1990s.At first=20 I didn't think much of it, but later discovered how = hypocritical some=20 Assyrians can be at times.

The money awarded to Mr. Dadisho came from frozen Iraqi = government=20 assets, and according to CNN these same assets are to be used = in=20 rebuilding Iraq. These assets are distinguished from Saddam = Hussein=92s=20 personal fortresses and include the capital which belongs to = the=20 sovereign state of Iraq, not Hussein personally. So while = Assyrians=20 and other Iraqis suffer and face mass starvation, little = medicine and=20 absolutely no source of income, Mr. Dadisho sits comfortably = in his US=20 studio appealing to the Assyrian community to fund projects in = order=20 to help these same people.

The fact of the matter is that the money awarded to Mr. = Dadisho=20 could have been better spent on medicine or supplies to hungry = and=20 injured Iraqi people suffering from US and British bombings. = Even if=20 Mr. Dadisho had suffered from this attempt, I think any = reasonable=20 person would see the suffering of the Iraqi people to have a = greater=20 need.

This letter is not to defame Mr. Dadisho, but to just clear = things=20 up. Maybe Mr. Dadisho has pledged or donated amounts from his = payout=20 to the needy people in our homeland, the basic fact is that I = neither=20 or any of my relatives or friends know.

In order to conclude I would just like to ask our readers a = quick=20 question. Is it fair that our community leaders request our = donations,=20 encouraging us to dig deep into our pockets with an aim to = accumulate=20 amounts while Mr. Dadisho receives $2.4 million in = compensation? I=20 think Mr. Dadisho or someone with knowledge on this matter = should=20 clarify the financial trail in a more professional manner. I = hope that=20 someone can provide us with relevant documentation showing = money from=20 this payout has gone to Assyrian organizations. Our community = has=20 always proclaimed themselves as being democratic people, I = hope my=20 comments can be seen as a democratic gesture and nothing else. = Mr.=20 Dadisho, the ball is now on your side of the court.

Peter Esho
Australia =

ASSYRIANS JOIN RALLY WITH FRIENDS = OF=20 AMERICA

A successful and wonderful rally of = =93Friends of=20 America=94 took place at Nathan Phillips Square - Toronto City = Hall,=20 Toronto-Ontario on Friday, April 4 at 12 noon.

Assyrian from many cities = came to the=20 rally in support of our American. They brought Assyrian and = American=20 flags and posters. Two Assyrian flags and few posters were = waving up=20 in front row of the rally. Wonderfully, many western people, = took=20 pictures, handshake with representative of =93Assyrian = Students=92=20 Association of Mohawk College=94 as he was holding a poster = that says=20 =93We, the Assyrian, the indigenous people of Iraq, Syria, = Lebanon,=20 Turkey, and Iran, welcome and support the American and the = Coalition=20 troops in our stolen land, Assyria, currently called = Iraq=94.

The poster also listed many Assyrian websites =93http://www.atour.com/, http://www.betnahrain.org/, http://www.nineveh.com/, = http://www.zindamagazine.com/,= =20 http://www.mohawkc.on.ca= /clubs/assyrian=94.=20 Many people spoke with the representative of the =93Assyrian = Cultural=20 Association=94 asking him, what is that flag he was holding. = He replied,=20 =93This is our Assyrian flag=94. A short video of the event is = posted at=20 http://www.nohr= a.netfirms.com/magazine/rally.htm=20 The nasty storm that brought freezing rain, and pellets been = dropping=20 all night and continued to the time of the rally, and the = dangerous=20 contagious sickness =93Sever Acute Respiratory Syndrome=94 = known as=20 =93SARS=94, as well as closure of schools, universities and = many=20 institutions because of the sever storm did not affected the=20 continuation of the =93Rally For America=94 to take place. = About 500 to=20 800 people joined the rally, as well as many top Canadian = politicians,=20 provincial and federal; spoke out in support of our friends, = the=20 American. Hundreds of small American flags were distributed = free of=20 charge.

Over one hundred police were all over, in top of buildings, = on=20 various roads, ensuring safety of the public. A small = opposition=20 group, of about fifty people was protesting alone, as they = were=20 stationed close to 200 meter from the rally =93Friends of = America=94, with=20 police circled around them to ensure they will not pop out and = cause=20 any confrontation. Some of the oppositions were Islamic = Kurdish, Arab=20 and Islamic people that have their own objectives; others were = ordinary western people, whom their only objective is = peace.

Between the protesters and the rally, democratic system = played a=20 positive practice here in Toronto. Each respected others = right, and=20 understood proper conduct at such event.

A high officials of the =93Rally of America=94 requested = people to sign=20 a petition of support to America on paper or to go to their = website http://www.friendsofamerica.ca/<= /A>=20 . The petition will go to the American Ambassador to Canada, = Honorable=20 Mr. Paul Cellucci, informing them that Canadian support = America. The=20 =93Friends of America=94 was established about two weeks, and = the=20 preparation of the rally also took two weeks.

Ashur Simon Malek
Canada =

FATHER ANTOINE MOUSSALI PASSES=20 ON

[Translated from French]

With great sadness I announce that on = Tuesday,=20 1 April Father Antoine Moussali, a Lazariste, passed on at the = age of=20 82. I had the joy of entrusting him to the Lord the day before = his=20 death, although this does not remove the pain of his loss. =

Father Moussali was the author of several books in Arabic, = but he=20 is better known in France by his books in French. The most = known of=20 his last ones are =93The Cross and the Crescent=94, which = establishes a=20 clear comparison between Christianity and Islam and which = received an=20 award from the Academy of the Social Sciences and the Pedagogy = of=20 Paris, =E9d. of Paris, on 1998). His =93Seven Nights with a = Moslem Friend=94=20 is about real conversations that take the French-speaking = reader=20 through the Islamic mentality, its problems, and = anti-Christian=20 intolerance (=E9d. of Paris, on 2001).

In a debate distorted by a false alternative, on one hand = the=20 syncretism which sees no radical difference between = Christianity and=20 Islam - whether it is to denigrate the first one or to incense = the=20 second- and on the other hand the delirious criticisms of = Islam the=20 example of which Italian-American Fallacci gives, Father = Moussali has=20 brought the glance of a life spent in the service of the = Christians=20 and the Moslems, in the Middle East at first, then in Algeria. = And=20 this glance freed from the deep and usual confusion which is = made=20 between the persons - the Moslems-, and the Islamic doctrine. = It was=20 not a fate if, in Amiens as previously in Algeria, Moslems = came to see=20 him regularly, only or in some, to be listened to and have his = opinion.

His burial, chaired by Mgr. Jacques Noyer, will take place = on=20 Saturday, 5 April at 11 am in the Church of St. Anne des = Lazaristes,=20 near the Station. May the Lord guide us Oriental Christians = who can=20 continue on the way which he opened, in association with = Christians of=20 the old European roots.

P. Edouard-M. = f.j.
France

Date =

Event

Address

09.04.2003=20

Start: = 2:00=20 p.m.

Conference

Swedish=20 Parliament

Stockholm/Sweden

11.04.2003=20

Start: = 7:30=20 p.m.

Demonstration=20 with torches

Place=20 Saint-Josse

Br=FCssel/Belgium

12.04.2003

Start: = 7:30=20 p.m.

Demonstration=20 with torches

=20

B=FCrkli=20 Platz

Z=FCrich/Switzerland

12.04.2003=20

Start: = 7:30=20 p.m.

Demonstration=20 with torches

Rathaus (near=20 Sparkasse)

G=FCtersloh/Germany

12.04.2003

Start: = 6:30=20 p.m.

Demonstration=20 with torches

Wesserlerbrink=20 (Mor Kuryakos)

Enschede/Netherlands

19.04.2003

Start: = 7:30=20 p.m.

Demonstration=20 with torches

Br=E4nnarev=E4gen 1,=20 Linahagen

S=F6dert=E4lje/Sweden

19.04.2003

Start: = 12:00=20 a.m.

Great=20 Demonstration

S-Bahnhof,=20 Hallensee

Berlin/Germany

19.04.2003

Start: = 3:00=20 p.m.

Announcement

Hardenbergstra=DFe

Berlin/Germany

19.04.2003=20

Start: = 7:00=20 p.m.

Panel=20 Discussion

Rathaus=20 Sch=F6nenberg

Berlin/Germany

20-24.04.2003

Start: = 1:00=20 p.m.

Hungerstrike

Luisenplatz=20

Wiesbaden/Germany

24.04.2003

Start: = 6:00=20 p.m.

Church = Service

Syrisch-Orthodox=20 Church

Wiesbaden/Germany

20.04.03

Start: = 12:00=20 a.m.

Church = Service

Greek-Orthodox=20 Church Berlin/Germany

=20

03.05.2003=20

Start: = 5:30=20 p.m.

Conference

Bethnahrin=20 Information- and Socialbureau=20 = Augsburg/Germany

Surfer's=20 Corner

TO THE=20 ASSYRIAN-ARAMEAN-CHALDEAN-SYRIAC PEOPLE

Due to the Iraqi war humans are facing critical, difficult and=20 extraordinary days. This war, which is carried out in our home=20 Mesopotamia, in which our culture and history has been formed and=20 developed, will leave worldwide an effective influence. According = to=20 experience, also the present phase will create new requirements = and=20 challenges for the life of the indigenous people of the region, = like many=20 times in history before.

It is a fact that those developments and events, that have = their origin=20 in Mesopotamia and in the Middle East, always performed worldwide=20 influence in the past as well as in future. Therefore, this region = was a=20 place of many armed discussions and conflicts in the past as well = as it is=20 today. During the devastating wars our people suffered due to = large=20 material and intellectual losses. Under this point of view a = genocide was=20 committed against our people during the First World War = (1914-1919). The=20 annihilation of more than 500.000 innocent Assyrian-Syriac took = place=20 under the leadership of the leaders of the Ottoman empire and some = Kurdish=20 tribes. In the same period more than one million Armenians were = killed in=20 the genocide in the Ottoman dominian. Large parts of our native = country=20 were transformed into battlefields and many villages were = destroyed. This=20 crime against humanity has been kept for decades as a secret to = the world=20 public and has been denied of many sides and minimized. Also some=20 international powers that knew everything about the genocide, = behaved calm=20 due to geopolitical interests and advantages, showed no interests = and=20 behaved silent. Because our people did not have the necessary = requirements=20 to show the great sorrow to the world public, it suppressed the = inner=20 agony. This inner trauma caused a wound that every individual felt = and=20 that was handed down from a generation to the other one. To this = day, this=20 trauma has considerable influence on the social reality of our = people.

The Assyrian-Syriac people was due to the unsatisfactory = organizational=20 and political possibilities not able to achieve any results and = progress=20 in this matter in time. Therefore, the tragedy of the genocide was = hardly=20 known to the world public. With the foundation of the Mesopotamia = Freedom=20 Party (GHB) in 1995 however the Sayfo martyrs have been remembered = with=20 different actions and events and the accountability demand against = the=20 guilty and perpetrators has been expressed. The GHB raised the = genocide of=20 1915 to the liberation flag of the national unity and the = resistance=20 movement. The intellectual, organizational and executing hand of = the=20 genocide pursued the same aim: the annihilation of our people. In = this=20 sense, the commemoration to the Sayfo martyrs has a special = importance.=20 Because remembering the genocide means to represent the existence = and=20 liberty of our people.

Also in this year various events were arranged on the occasion = of the=20 88. Sayfo anniversary. Therefore, we appeal to our people to = oppose the=20 new massacres in Iraq and in the whole Middle East, to condemn the = annihilation- and slander policy and to support and to take part = in the=20 genocide-commemoration and information events that were organized = in=20 Europe and worldwide. Because the time has come to raise our = voice, to=20 demand accountability, to win the lost again and to remember = honorably the=20 martyrs. In addition today we must be able to handle our native = country,=20 history and all other esteems with more responsibiliy. Therefore = our=20 people must organize itself, strengthen its social and national = unity and=20 as oldest and most indigenous Mesopotamian people strengthen the = back of=20 his resistance movement that represents its identity. Also we ask = the=20 world public to show solidarity with us and help to finish the = attacks and=20 injustices opposite our people.

Finally we appeal once more to the = Assyrian-Chaldean-Aramean-Syriac=20 people and at all his friends and supporter: Let us participate = all at the=20 commemoration and demand together the moral, political and legal=20 conviction of the perpetrator of the genocide of 1915.

Assyrian-Aramean-Chaldean-Syriac Committee
March 29 = 2003

WOMEN FOR A FREE IRAQ MEET WITH = PRESIDENT=20 BUSH

4 April 2003

The Women for a Free Iraq are honored to have the opportunity = to meet=20 with President Bush and extend our heartfelt support to his = leadership,=20 and our gratitude to all Americans who are being asked to risk = both lives=20 and treasure to remove Saddam.

We are diverse group of women from Iraq, representing a broad=20 cross-section of Iraq's diverse religious and ethnic groups - = Sh'ias and=20 Sunnis, Arabs and Kurds, and Assyrian and Chaldean Christians. We = are=20 daughters, mothers, wives, and sisters whose families and = communities have=20 suffered for too long, and are speaking up to tell the truth to = Americans=20 about Saddam's reign of terror and express the Iraqi people's = yearning for=20 freedom.

We stand with the President because only the United States and = its=20 allies can help the people of Iraq break free from Saddam=92s 34 = years of=20 brutal rule. And only the United States and its allies can = chaperone a=20 process of democracy-building in Iraq and help us achieve our = vision of a=20 free Iraq that is based on the rule of law and equal rights for = all=20 genders, races, religions and ethnic groups.

We wish to share with the President and the American people the = following message:

=B7 We wholeheartedly support the brave soldiers in Iraq who = are=20 fighting to protect the free world from tyranny and free the = Iraqi=20 people. We pray for them, for their families, and for the Iraqi = people,=20 that this war may end soon with the definite removal of = Saddam=92s regime=20 and a clear victory for the liberation forces.
=B7 The = responsibility=20 for this war lies with Saddam, whose single-minded pursuit of = power has=20 made him a danger to the people of Iraq, the Middle East and the = whole=20 world. The Iraqi people need help from the outside to overthrow = Saddam,=20 and we welcome the US-led effort to remove him and liberate our=20 country.
=B7 We appeal to those who care about the fate of = the Iraqi=20 people to lend their passion and voices not to oppose war, but = to=20 support the liberation of Iraq, and to ensure that the = post-Saddam Iraq=20 develops into a functioning constitutional democracy.
=B7 As = women, we=20 are especially concerned that Iraqi women are involved in the = political,=20 economic and civic reconstruction of Iraq from day one. As = members of=20 many different religious and ethnic groups working, we emphasize = the=20 importance of ensuring that in the post-Saddam Iraq, no ethnic = or=20 religious group is ever dominated by any other, and each Iraqi=20 individual has equal rights and opportunities.
=B7 Finally, = the Iraqis=20 in the Free World are eager to help on the frontlines. We stand = ready to=20 do more, as soldiers, translators, liaisons and humanitarian = workers. We=20 urge the American government to increase our involvement in = liberating=20 and securing Iraq.

Meeting participants included Nadia Mirza (Assyrian), Zainab = Al-Suwaij=20 (Shi=92a), Ibtisam Latif (Shi=92a), Esra Naama (Shi=92a), Raz = Rasool (Sunni=20 Kurd).

AN EVENING OF TRIBUTE &=20 SUPPORT

On behalf of KSIV News Talk = Radio 1360, and=20 the Assyrian Democratic Movement I would like to invite everyone = in a=20 "Support our Troops Rally" that will take place this thursday at = Graceada=20 Park in Modesto, California.

Thursday April 10th from 5p.m. to 8p.m. the KSIV talk radio = 1360 will=20 be sponsoring the 5,000 flag rally, by passing out 5,000 American = Flags in=20 our appreciation of our brave Men and Women in the armed forces, = and pray=20 to God to send them back safely.

The event will have speakers from througout California and = especially=20 from the Assyrian Democratic Movement. Since the Assyrian = Democratic=20 Movement has been elected to represent all our people, we have = been=20 recieving numerous amounts of phone calls from all News agencys = across the=20 globe to tell the world our side of the story.

The event will have live radio coverage and perhaps some = newspaper=20 reporters. On the brighter side there will be live music and = entertainment=20 many speakers from our community and our beloved Zowaa. Please for = all=20 that can, attend our rally and let us voice our opinion on = Operation Iraqi=20 Freedom.

For more information feel free to Email me ashur@Citycelireless.com

Ashur Shiba
California

Literatus

MAR BAWAI SORO FAVORS = U.S. MILITARY=20 ACTION IN IRAQ

Courtesy of-National Catholic Register = (30 March);=20 article by Sabrina Arena Ferrisi .

Bishop Bawai Soro was born in Kirkuk, Iraq, and ordained to the = diaconate in the Assyrian Church of the East in Baghdad in 1973. = He left=20 his homeland that year and continued his studies abroad. He was = ordained a=20 priest in Chicago in 1982 and consecrated bishop there in = 1984.

He was involved in efforts leading to the signing of the Common = Christological Declaration by Pope John Paul II and Mar Dinkha IV, = patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, in 1994. He was in = Rome for=20 ecumenical work when he spoke to Register correspondent Sabrina = Arena=20 Ferrisi on March 20 about the situation in Iraq.

When did you leave = Iraq?

I left at age 20, in 1973. I was born and raised in Iraq. I = then went=20 to Lebanon from 1973 to 1976, in the midst of their civil war. In = 1976, I=20 came to the United States as a refugee. I can honestly say I have = seen the=20 difficult situation of war up close.

Tell me about the Christian Iraqi community in the = United=20 States.

There are a quarter of a million Christian Iraqis in the United = States.=20 One hundred thousand live in Chicago, 100,000 in Michigan and = 50,000 live=20 in California. Many Christians began to leave Iraq in the 1960s. = There was=20 a massive immigration outward. They still constitute a small = minority in=20 Iraq.

You are in favor of U.S. military action in Iraq.=20 Why?

The Iraqi people have suffered tremendously. That is how I = arrived at=20 my position. It is a question about the right of the Iraqi people = to find=20 leaders with a paternal concern for them, as guarantors of human = rights=20 and the means to live in happiness, peace and freedom. There is = currently=20 an absence of these elements, which are basic to human existence. = One=20 develops a conscience that disagrees with how Iraq has been ruled = for the=20 past 35 years.

What factors have influenced your = position?

My decision was shaped by two factors. First, my own experience = as an=20 Iraqi who lived in the country for 20 years, and then the rest of = my life=20 where I have had strong contacts with Iraqi groups and religions. = As an=20 Assyrian Christian Iraqi, I have equal love for Assyrians and = non-Assyrian=20 Iraqis, for both Christians and Muslims.
Through our suffering, = deprivation and oppression, we have found a common bond that = brings us to=20 the same aspiration of freedom, justice and peace for everyone. = These are=20 the ideals of monotheistic religions. Iraqis live in deprivation. = It does=20 not matter what ethnicity or religion you are. It=92s about human = rights.=20

Why have we not heard more about the human rights = abuses in=20 Iraq, particularly from those who strongly defend = peace?

I am very disappointed to see, as far as some high officials in = the=20 Holy See are concerned, that their reasoning seems more pragmatic = and=20 political rather than moral and theological. I consider the = suffering of=20 the Iraqi people to be a moral issue. For me, it is of paramount=20 importance in cases of such severity.

Followers of Christ must first speak in moral rather than = pragmatic=20 terms. For some, the concern is not to upset the Muslim people. = How, then,=20 can the world be against the United States if the last five wars = that were=20 fought by the United States were wars to protect Muslim people? = The=20 Kuwaiti War [1991 Gulf War], Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and now = Iraq.=20 These were all wars to protect Muslim people.

What are your greatest concerns for the near=20 future?

My prayers and concerns are for various things: First, I want = the=20 suffering of the Iraqi people to be eliminated. Second, [I want] = Iraqi=20 soldiers and American military personnel to return home safely. = Third, the=20 weapons of mass destruction should be destroyed and eliminated. = Fourth,=20 there need to be plans and resources to address the inevitable=20 humanitarian crisis in Iraq, before and after the war. Fifth, Iraq = needs=20 to become a free, just, peaceful and democratic country as a = consequence=20 of this war. Finally, the other serious issue that must be dealt = with and=20 resolved is the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

On what basis can you as a bishop entertain the idea of = war?

For centuries, Christian thinkers have struggled with the = question of=20 war in the context of developing their teachings about peace and = justice.=20 The universal consensus is that war is evil. However, this evil of = war=20 must be accepted when a greater evil of injustice, oppression and=20 inhumanity can be stopped by an act of war.

I believe the minimal conditions for any =93just=94 war must = meet the=20 following state of affairs: first, the existence of an unjust = ruler;=20 second, the war is to defend the innocent and eliminate the = suffering of=20 the people; (The United States wants to defend Iraqis. I don=92t = know why=20 people are not looking at that.) third, the intention to establish = good=20 after the war. (This would be the establishment of a free, = democratic and=20 just Iraq.)

Why do people say the United States is invading Iraq = for the=20 oil?

Well, let me ask a question: Why did the United States abandon = Iraqi=20 oil in 1991 when they had the opportunity to take the oil? They = could have=20 done it then but didn=92t.

What are your aspirations for Iraq?

Iraq is an extremely rich country at all levels: manpower, = water,=20 agriculture, oil, minerals, history, human civilization, culture,=20 archaeology. Think about it: Why have we sunk to the level where = we are=20 today? In fairness to the civilized nations of the world in the = 21st=20 century, we can all agree that God has ordained governments to = serve their=20 people so prosperity, moral and material, individual and = collective, will=20 increase in society. This process would only happen within the = context of=20 a fair social system and moral polity. This is the basic role of=20 government. Any government that does not facilitate such aspects = and=20 aspirations of tangible progress should come under the scrutiny of = every=20 moral society and integral person.

As an Iraqi, I know the potential of the Iraqi people is great. = Assyrians, Arabs, Kurds, Turkomans and others are wonderful = people. I feel=20 it is unjust to see Iraq separated from prosperous nations not = only in the=20 Middle East but also in the world. It hurts me to see Iraq so = limited.

What do you hope will happen with regard to this=20 war?

I hope and pray the war will be extremely short, with minimal = civilian=20 casualties. I pray Iraqi soldiers and U.S. military personnel will = be safe=20 so they can return home to their families. In my opinion, a = democratized=20 Iraq will send affirming signals to the whole of the Middle East. = So much=20 so that a peaceful Middle East will not be a near impossibility, = as it is=20 today. Iraq can play a crucial role in contributing to progress in = the=20 Middle East.

What do Iraqis living outside the country think in = regard to=20 this war?

Some people who talk about Iraq do so on a theoretical basis. = But if=20 you speak to Iraqis not under the penalty of fear, what you sense = is more=20 experiential, not theoretical. That is why we are able to = appreciate the=20 American action =97 because it is a great charity toward the = powerless in=20 Iraq who desperately need someone to remove their cause of pain = and=20 suffering.

What do you think of President Bush?

I hope and believe that after the chaos of war, after the = political=20 rhetoric has settled down, people will see much more clearly the=20 providential role Bush has taken in promoting the American ideals = of=20 freedom, liberty and equality for all =97 not only in America but = also=20 throughout the world.

AN ASSYRIAN IN FLORENCE

The Italian press often uses to refer to the mosaic of peoples, = languages and religions characterizing the Middle East. Actually, = however,=20 this region is still being perceived as an Arab-dominated one, = with the=20 only exception of Israel. This happens even now that the US/UK war = on Iraq=20 has drawn attention to this country.

Many Italian newspapers, including Il manifesto (Rome) and Il = corriere=20 della sera (Milan), still confuse peoples with religions and the = reverse.=20 They often talk about =93Iraqi Christians=94 but fail to call them = by their=20 actual name =96 Assyrians. Many Italians will find this word = peculiar, since=20 there are few Assyrian migrants in this country. To many the very = term=20 Assyrian reminds old school days: Sumerians, Persians, Medes=85 = Reality is=20 quite different, since Assyrians live on despite the many = persecutions=20 they suffered. An Assyrian lives in Florence too: Sami Chichan, = 54, who=20 fled Iraq in 1972. He was one of the first Assyrian exiles in = Italy. Here=20 is our interview.

Who are the Assyrians?

The Assyrian people belongs to the Semitic branch like the = Arabs and=20 the Jews. His language is Aramaic, the one Jesus spoke. Nowadays = the=20 Assyrians are some 3,5 million. Half live in Iraq, while the = others can be=20 found in other Middle Eastern countries, the US, Australia and = Europe. In=20 Berlin live 7,000 Assyrians live in Berlin, whilst in Sweden they = run=20 their own TV (Assyria TV).

What is your opinion concerning the current war on=20 Iraq?

In principle I am against war and think that any problem may be = solved=20 by political means.
The Palestinian issue is no exception. = Dictators=20 like Saddam Hussein, however, don=92t use to allow this.

Don=92t you fear Iraq may become an US = protectorate?

I don=92think so. The Americans will surely stay some years in = Iraq, but=20 then they will leave the country.

What do you wish for Iraq=92s future?

I support a democratic, federal Iraq granting actual autonomy = to all=20 peoples living in this country. I mean cultural, political as well = as=20 religious autonomy. A multicultural Iraq, not the Arab-dominated = one the=20 world knows.

Can you give any suggestions to the Italians which want = to know=20 the Assyrian question better?

There are many books on the Assyrians, mainly in English and in = French.=20 One of the most recent is Sebastien de Courtois, Le g=E9nocide = oubli=E9=20 (Editions Ellipses), but many interesting articles can also be = found on=20 websites like http://www.nineveh.com/. = There is a=20 great deal of Assyrian websites: as Albert Gabrial wrote, = =93Internet is our=20 only home=94. I know there are no Italian books on the Assyrians, = so I wish=20 I wrote one. I just need one publisher, do you know any?

Alessandro Michelucci =
Italy

[Z-info:=20 Mr. Alessandro Michelucci, born in 1952, is an Italian journalist = living=20 in Florence. He specializes in indigenous and minority affairs and = edits=20 La causa dei popoli [The Cause of Peoples], the only Italian = journal on=20 this subject. He has written and edited several books, including = La=20 questione etnica in Europa (1991), America indigena (1992) and = Popoli=20 indigeni, popoli minacciati (1998). He has translated books on=20 globalization, East Timor and the U=92wa. He writes for several=20 publications, including Il manifesto, La nuova ecologia, Le monde=20 diplomatique and Il giornale della musica. Mr. Michelucci is the=20 correspondent for Zinda Magazine in Italy. Be sure to read = Alessandro=92s=20 future articles in the coming isues. ]

Bravo

NADIA MIRZA MEETS PRESIDENT BUSH

Courtesy of the Sun-Times (4 April); by = Lynn=20 Sweet

(ZNDA: Washington) President Bush met last Friday with Iraqi=20 immigrants, including a Skokie, Illinois woman whose parents fled = Saddam=20 Hussein's rule, to talk about the war and rebuilding Iraq.

"He looks forward to meeting with these free Iraqis to talk = about the=20 progress and speed being made in the war, and discuss the = humanitarian=20 situation on the ground," said White House press secretary Ari = Fleischer=20 last Friday.

The people meeting with Bush were Shiite Muslims, Sunni Muslims = and Ms.=20 Nadia Mirza =96 an Assyrian.

Nadia Mirza, 31, left Baghdad when she was 9 years old because = her=20 parents were being threatened by Saddam's ruling Baath party.

"There was continual harassment," said Mirza, a legal assistant = at a=20 Chicago law firm. A first cousin who voiced her political views=20 disappeared one day after school, Mirza said, and the family never = determined what happened to her. Many of her relatives, including = her=20 grandfather, uncles and first cousins, were arrested, tortured or=20 disappeared under the Ba=92ath regime.

Mirza said her message for Bush was: "In order for there to be=20 democratic government in Iraq, you have to have the inclusion of = Assyrian=20 Christians."

Ms. Mirza is the co-founder of the Assyrian Community for Civic = Responsibility.

FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT TO = STUDY=20 ASSYRIANS

(ZNDA: Los Angeles) Four Pitzer College seniors have each been = honored=20 with one of the nation's top academic awards for the 2003-2004 = academic=20 year =96 the Fulbright Scholarship. One of the four recipients, = Ms. Elise=20 Carlson, a double major in political studies and media studies, = will=20 travel to Sweden to research "Patriarchy and Assimilation: Turks,=20 Assyrians and Kurds in Sweden."

Pitzer is a private, undergraduate, coeducational college of = the=20 liberal arts and sciences and is consistently ranked among the = best such=20 colleges in the country. It is located in Claremont, California, a = city=20 about 35 miles east of Los Angeles,

"This is a really good group of students, they are = well-qualified to be=20 cultural ambassadors - not only in learning and studying, but also = in=20 giving back," said Nigel Boyle, associate professor of political = studies=20 and faculty adviser for the Fulbright program at Pitzer. "This is = quite an=20 accomplishment, and I'm very proud of them."

Following World War II, Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas = saw the=20 need for a program that would promote "mutual understanding = between the=20 people of the United States and the people of other countries of = the=20 world." Fulbright's vision was approved by Congress and the = Fulbright=20 Program was signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1946.

Approximately 250,000 Fulbright scholars - 94,000 from the = United=20 States and 155,600 from other countries - have participated in the = program=20 since its inception more than 55 years ago.

The U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 scholars and = professionals=20 each year to more than 140 countries, where they lecture or = conduct=20 research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields = including=20 urban planning, journalism, zoology, business administration, = music and=20 philosophy.

Ms. Carlson has done her preliminary research in Turkey.

Calendar of=20 Events

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

Thank=20 You!

Zindamagazine would like to = thank:

Ninous Bebla
(California)

Tomy = Doomany=20
(California)

Ashor Giwargis
(Lebanon)

Dr. = George=20 Habbash
(United Kingdom)

Tomas Isik =
(Sweden)

Pauline=20 Jasim
(Chicago)

Joseph Kassab
(Michigan)

Gigo=20 Khananisho
(California)

Tony=20 Kilaita
(California)

Susan Ninos
(North = Iraq)

Fred=20 Rustam
(Arizona)

Pavel Varda=20
(California)

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IRAQ WAR PUSHES = LITTLE-KNOWN=20 ASSYRIANS TO FORE

ASSYRIAN AFRAID FOR = RELATIVES STILL=20 IN IRAQ

HOW CAN THIS HELP = US?=20

TO THE=20 ASSYRIAN-ARAMEAN-CHALDEAN-SYRIAC PEOPLE

Address

MAR BAWAI SORO FAVORS = U.S. MILITARY=20 ACTION IN IRAQ