March 3, 2003

GOOD MORNING=20 BET-NAHRAIN

APP=20 REPRESENTATIVE DISCUSSES THE GERMAN-FRENCH FACTOR

Courtesy of IC.Wales (25 February); = article by=20 David Williamson

(ZNDA: Wales) Would anyone visiting = Germany=20 and Japan in 1945 believe that half a century later each of the = states=20 would be economic powerhouses and proponents of democracy?

Poisonous Nazi ideology had led ordinary Germans to participate = in the=20 Holocaust, and deluded Emperor worship had encouraged young = Japanese men=20 to become kamikaze pilots.

Yet a combination of American military occupation and massive=20 investment brought freedom and prosperity to millions. Today, = Japan is=20 helping rebuild Afghanistan, and Germany's Foreign Minister is a = member of=20 the Green party.

President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair believe the = success=20 can be repeated in Iraq.

If a swift war is won with minimum civilian casualties and Iraq = becomes=20 a bastion of democracy in the heart of the Middle East, the two = men are=20 hoping current massive misgivings about the conflict will be = forgotten and=20 their respective re-elections will be assured.

But a democratic Iraq will be a pipe-dream if the five main = people=20 groups cannot work together.

Of the Iraq population of just over 23m, 60-65%, are Shia = Muslim and=20 15-20% are Sunni Muslim. There are also 5 million Kurds, many of = live in=20 two effectively autonomous regions in the north; 2 million = Turkomans; and=20 2 million Christian Assyrians.

The dissidents are convinced that France and Germany are = pressuring the=20 Bush administration to guarantee their energy companies continued = access=20 to some of Iraq's most lucrative oil fields, and also to award = contracts=20 to German and French construction firms.

They are adamant that opposition by Arab states to the war is = fuelled=20 by the fear that a free Iraq will intensify pressure on = neighbouring=20 regimes to bring in democratic reforms.

Terry Botros of the Assyrian Patriotic Party says: "Support = from=20 Gaddafi is nothing new, but to find France and Berlin fighting so = much - I=20 feel ashamed. They are blackmailing the United States."

Mr Botros, like nearly all Assyrians a member of the 3% = Christian=20 minority, claims to understand why the Vatican and millions of = protesters=20 are actively opposing the war, but he believes their understanding = of the=20 situation is deeply flawed.

"It assumes that we are living in a peaceful situation and this = cowboy=20 is coming from Texas to destabilise us," he said. "We as Iraqis = are in a=20 war every day."

Mr Botros does not think a war will usher in a utopia, but his=20 colleagues and he are resolved that Saddam must go as soon as=20 possible.

"To change from a totalitarian regime to a democratic one is = not like=20 an electric switch. We need to build an infrastructure," he = said.

"But whatever this transition era brings, it will be better = than what=20 we have because it will be a multiparty society committed to human = rights."

Mr Botros is concerned that any new regime may not separate = religion=20 from politics, and is also fearful that Christian minorities = throughout=20 the Middle East may be targeted in revenge killings.

But he looks forward to the rule of law being established in = Iraq, and=20 hopes that crimes of the past will be investigated.

He said, "Whatever morality you have, it's very difficult to = forgive=20 the people who committed these crimes - 150 Christian villages = were=20 demolished for nothing. They should be punished, at least to = prevent=20 others form committing these crimes again.

"But it must be realised that an officer who had no choice = other than=20 following orders should not be treated like the people who ordered = him."

CHALDEAN CHURCH INVITES = EPISCOPAL BISHOP TO=20 PRAY IN IRAQ

Cuortesy of Financial Times (4 March); = article by=20 Roula Khalaf

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Pierre Whalon was the first western bishop to = take up=20 an invitation from the Iraqi Chaldean church to join prayers for = peace in=20 Baghdad.

In a passionate appeal against the horrors of war in one of the = city's=20 modern churches, he told a calm and solemn group of worshippers = that they=20 should not feel alone. "War is never, never God's will," he = said.

But between prayers, mainly in Arabic, and the sermon delivered = in=20 English and French, he sent a broader message to a troubled = country=20 bracing itself for more confrontation - that preventing war alone = would=20 not be enough to create peace.

"Peace is when we understand each other and when we can speak = what's in=20 our hearts among us," said Bishop Whalon, a French-American who is = in=20 charge of the convocation of American Episcopal churches in = Europe. "It is=20 when we ask why are you afraid of me and why am I afraid of = you."

His recent visit to Baghdad was part of the mobilisation of = Christian=20 leaders around the world against a war that many refuse to bless = as "just"=20 under Christian doctrine.

It was also a reflection of concern for the fate of Iraq's = Christian=20 minority, a community that fears the worst from a military = conflict.

The Iraqi regime's persecution of Shia Muslims, Kurds and Marsh = Arabs=20 is cited by the US and UK as part of the moral case for war. But = the=20 country's Christian leaders worry that their tiny minority will be = caught=20 in the crossfire.

They could face a religious backlash from die-hard regime = supporters=20 who might perceive them as accomplices of American invaders of the = same=20 faith. But they also risk a political backlash from those who have = considered them allies of President Saddam Hussein.

"The concern is that Christians will disappear," said Bishop = Whalon.=20 "The present regime gives them some tolerance, who knows what the = next one=20 will do."

Part of his message, to Iraq's Muslim communities as well the=20 Christians, was that the possible war should not be seen as an = attack=20 against Islam. "If there's a war here it's not Christians against=20 Muslims," he said. "Americans are afraid of weapons of mass=20 destruction."

The alarm over Iraq's Christians - the most generous estimates = put=20 their numbers at 800,000 people in a country of more than 23 = million - has=20 given added impetus to Pope John Paul's efforts to find a peaceful = solution to the Iraq crisis. A Vatican envoy met Mr Hussein last = month and=20 delivered a letter from the Pope. It is said to have urged full = compliance=20 with the UN disarmament demands.

Later this week a papal representative will meet President = George W.=20 Bush to hand over an appeal for a peaceful solution. The Pope has = also=20 declared tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting and prayer for=20 peace.

Iraq's Christians say their roots go back to the first century = when the=20 apostle Thomas evangelised the land of Iraq, then known as = Mesopotamia. A=20 majority of them are Chaldeans, an old Catholic rite that = originated in=20 this region and is in union with Rome.

The ruling Ba'ath party in Iraq was co-founded by a Christian = and it=20 took over in 1968 on a platform based on a radical pan-Arab = nationalist=20 and deeply secular ideology.

As citizens, Christians have shared the same grievances with = the=20 government as other Iraqis. But, dominated by the Sunni Muslim = minority,=20 the regime has also looked for support among other minorities = willing to=20 show their loyalty, as most Christian leaders have done.

Over the past two decades, however, life has become harsher for = the=20 Christians. After repeated wars and more than 12 years of UN = sanctions=20 many have gone into exile.

According to Emmanuel Dely, an adviser to Patriarch Rafael = Bedawid, the=20 head of the Chaldean Church, up to 100,000 Christians - some say = even more=20 - have emigrated in recent years. "We strongly feel the loss when = people=20 leave because we are not that many," he said.

Also troubling has been the rising wave of Islamist sentiment = in the=20 country. In an effort to prevent the emergence of a strong = Islamist=20 opposition, the regime itself, including the Ba'ath party, has = adopted=20 Islamic slogans, built grand mosques and introduced a ban on = alcohol.

Some attacks by radical Islamists against Christians have been=20 reported, particularly in the northern city of Mosul. Bishop Dely = said=20 that some rules, such as the ban on alcohol, are unfortunate. He = blamed=20 aggression and discrimination against Christians in the = administration on=20 individual "fanatics".

"We've always lived peacefully with Muslims here but there are = always=20 extremists, in every society. We tell the government if anyone = bothers us=20 and they deal with it," he said. As for the future, he added: "All = that's=20 left to do now is pray and put in the hearts of those in positions = of=20 power the will to sit down and work things out."

AN INTERVIEW WITH RT. REV. PIERRE = W. WHALON=20

Courtesy of the Episcopal News Service = (27=20 February); interview was conducted by Rev. Jan Nunley, deputy = director of=20 the Episcopal News Service.

The Rt. Rev. Pierre W. Whalon, received an invitation to Iraq = February=20 19-23 to pray with, meet and talk with the leaders of major = Christian=20 groups in that country. Traveling with him were Jean-Michel = Cadiot, Iraq=20 specialist for Agence France-Presse, and Yako Elish, a Chaldean = Christian=20 businessman who served as guide and translator.

Whalon met with bishops of the Chaldean, Syrian Catholic, = Armenian=20 Catholic, and Assyrian churches; the Latin Archbishop (Roman = Catholic); a=20 Protestant church council; the mullah of the Mosque of al-Kadham; = and the=20 Shaik of the Mandaeans (disciples of John the Baptist). He = declined an=20 invitation to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Tarik Aziz and the = Mufti of=20 Baghdad as both are officials of the Saddam Hussein regime. He = also led an=20 ecumenical prayer service at the National Protestant Church in = Baghdad and=20 inspected the closed Anglican church in the city, St. George's. On = his=20 return, Whalon spoke with Jan Nunley of Episcopal News = Service.

ENS: What motivated you to go to Iraq at this time?

WHALON: It wasn't my idea. I got an invitation, along with the=20 president of the French Catholic Episcopal Conference, the = president of=20 the Orthodox bishops, and the president of the French Protestant=20 Federation, and me, being the Anglican bishop living in France, = from the=20 Patriarchate of Babylon, which is the Chaldean Church--they're = uniate=20 Catholics.

ENS: And represent a considerable percentage of Iraqi = Christians.

WHALON: The Chaldeans are 85 percent of the Christian = population, yes.=20 You have a very small percentage of Roman
Catholics and = Protestants=20 there, Presbyterians--very small numbers on those. Then the rest, = you have=20 the Assyrian Catholic Church; the Nestorian Church, which is a = result of a=20 split in the 19th century; the Armenian Catholic Church; the = Syrian=20 Catholic Church; and also then you have the Armenian Orthodox and = the=20 Assyrians also have an Orthodox church.

ENS: Any Anglicans?

WHALON: I was told there was only one in Baghdad when I was = there.

There is a church, St. George's, in Baghdad. It's been closed = since the=20 Gulf War. In terms of permanent chaplain presence they do come by = every=20 once in a while to see if the building is still standing. I asked = to have=20 it reopened so I could look at it and take some pictures so I = could report=20 back to Clive Handford, the bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf.

The Protestant church where I led the ecumenical service [on = February=20 21] was once an Anglican church, and when it became clear that = they were=20 going to be under the Diocese of Jerusalem in those days and = Jerusalem was=20 going to become the capital of a new Israeli state, they decided = they=20 really didn't want to be Anglicans any more. But they asked me to = start=20 talking about 'can we come back,' because they've had a lot of = trouble=20 going it alone.

I was going to decline this invitation, because I thought, who = am I?=20 The Convocation of American Churches in Europe is my mandate. But = when I=20 talked it over with the presiding bishop and John Peterson [of the = Anglican Communion Office in London] they were very encouraging, = and so my=20 mind changed as a result of that. The other invitees did not = go.

It was strange being the only American bishop who's been to = Iraq since=20 the crisis began--of any stripe. So it took on an
importance = that I=20 had no idea an amazing experience.

ENS: What was your sense of the mood of Iraqi Christians?

WHALON: They have a very significant problem. Like all Iraqis, = of=20 course, the prospect of another war is very scary. But on the = other hand=20 they're all resigned to wars--they've had a lot of them. But for = the=20 Christians, what they're really afraid of is after the war, the = reason=20 being that the government that Hussein essentially completely = co-opted is=20 based on the Ba'athist principles--like Syria is. In other words, = the=20 state should be secular, it should not be run by the Muslims, and = that=20 there should be religious tolerance.

So they have official tolerance. There are about 50 church = buildings in=20 Baghdad. Nobody bothers them, they don't bother other people, and = the=20 bishops walk around town in their clerical garb. I walked around, = nobody=20 gave me a hostile glance or gesture. And they think that after = Hussein is=20 gone and after the Americans are gone, it's going to be a = hard-line Muslim=20 government who's going to expel them, massacre them, persecute = them.

They're between a rock and a hard place because they end up = looking=20 like supporters of Hussein--Tariq Aziz is probably the greatest = example of=20 that; certainly he is a collaborator. So they're afraid if there's = an=20 American military government they'll be seen as a million = collaborators=20 with Hussein. Whereas privately they you could hardly call them=20 enthusiastic supporters.

ENS: Is Saddam someone to fear?

WHALON: Saddam really is somebody who's a menace. The stories I = got=20 told would curl your hair. He and his sons have profited = enormously from=20 the embargo. They do not want the embargo to be lifted. We're = always=20 talking about how we're killing these kids with medicine that = we're not=20 giving them and all this other stuff. But on the other hand, they = were=20 very clear with me--in private, of course--that the last person in = the=20 world who wants the embargo lifted is Saddam Hussein, because he's = made=20 more money off this, because he controls the black market, than = anyone=20 else.

Meanwhile, his people go without all kinds of things. If you = can=20 imagine everybody test-driving the worst used cars you'd ever seen = at=20 once, that's what Baghdad's streets look like. We were driving in = the car=20 of the brother of the Chaldean who came with us from Paris, and he = had a=20 new car, a Peugeot. I said, 'You like your new car?' and he said, = 'Yeah.=20 It took me 20 years to get it. In 1983 I put a down payment on = this car=20 and about three months ago it arrived. Sometimes they lift the = embargo to=20 let some cars in.'

ENS: Do you think Saddam can be fairly compared to Hitler, as = he often=20 is?

WHALON: If you think about Hitler you also have to think about = the=20 entire philosophy of the Nazi party, the racial component, the = weird=20 mysticism of it. And in that sense, no, Saddam is not like Adolf = Hitler.=20 He certainly is as ruthless as Hitler or Himmler or Goebbels--or = Stalin,=20 for that matter.

But on the other hand, unlike Hitler, Hussein has no knowledge = of the=20 outside world. He's never really been educated outside of Iraq. He = really=20 sees everything mostly on his own personal canvas: 'what it means = to me.'=20 And whatever you think of Hitler, Hitler at least thought in big = terms;=20 Saddam doesn't. He thinks in terms of 'me,' I was told.

And he mostly lives underground now. He's got about 20 palaces = and each=20 one of them has a very deep subterranean living space and he moves = from=20 each one unpredictably. Each palace has to have a meal and a woman = waiting=20 for him, should he happen to show up, and if they don't then they = just=20 throw out the food and tell the lady to come back or something. So = he is=20 really cut off from anything now.

I also was told that his grip seems to be loosening. The = Muslims have=20 gotten him to accept portions of sharia law, which are now applied = to the=20 Christians--intermarriage, for instance; if there are any = intermarriages,=20 the Muslim always wins and always gets the kids to become Muslims. = We were=20 hit up for baksheesh [bribes] by the border guards, and my friend = who went=20 with me, a French Iraqi specialist, said that didn't happen = before. We=20 were also asked for money by beggars, and he said there were never = beggars=20 20 years ago or street crime. So in that sense, Saddam isn't = totally in=20 control, as he once was.

ENS: Did anyone give private indications that Saddam does have = weapons=20 of mass destruction?

WHALON: When I went to visit the mullah at the al-Kadham = mosque, he=20 launched into this diatribe about 'we have no weapons of mass = destruction,=20 they'll never find any because there aren't any, all Bush wants to = do is=20 kill us,' on and on. Of course, French TV was filming him, and = there was a=20 guy from the ministry of religion sitting there.

Whenever I talked to Christians more informally, they always = started=20 out by saying, 'What are these weapons?' and I would say, 'they're = the=20 ones Iraq declared after the '91 war.' 'Oh.' And either the = discussion=20 would end there or they would say, 'Well, yeah maybe he had some = stuff '=20 One person said to me, 'Well, of course he has these things, and = when your=20 troops come he's going to set them off on you. But they're going = to blow=20 back to our people and all our civilians are going to get killed, = and it=20 will be your fault.'

The other thing they said is that, while nobody's really = willing to die=20 for Saddam, they are willing to die for their homes. And it = occurred to me=20 that, while Arab soldiers in pitched battles are apt to drop their = guns=20 and run if they think things aren't turning their way, in front of = their=20 wives they'll fight to the death. I remember when the Israelis = used to=20 have women in combat. As soon as the Arabs found out they were = going to=20 surrender to women, they became the best fighters in the = world.

So if we think we're going to waltz into Baghdad and everyone = is going=20 to say 'thank you for liberating us,' after a bloody street = battle, it's=20 not going to work. Baghdad's five million people, and it's a very=20 spread-out city, about 50 kilometers in diameter or 30 miles. = That's a lot=20 of miles--about twice the size of Paris. So to have that kind of = fighting=20 is just a nightmare.

And the worst part for me is now that I went and met these = people and=20 started to become friends and was extremely warmly greeted, now I = have a=20 personal problem when we start to shoot. I'm going to be dying to = find out=20 what's happened to all these really nice, fine, hardworking = people. They=20 have the best hospitals, they have the orphanages, the nursing=20 homes--Muslims don't do those things, or they do them minimally. =

[Christians] are the elite of the country. I met the wife of = the=20 president of the Protestant Council. I asked her what she did. She = said,=20 'I teach medicine. Let me introduce my sister, the pediatrician, = and my=20 other sister, the dentist.' If the Muslims take over, they're not = going to=20 be exercising any more.

ENS: Can they leave the country?

WHALON: I think the last thing they want to do is leave. = They've been=20 there for two thousand years. The official language is = Aramean--like=20 Jesus'. One person said to me, 'We used to be 100 percent = Christian in=20 Iraq. Then the Muslims came. Now we're five [percent].' They've = seen=20 people continue to leave, and they think they're going to have a = warm=20 welcome from people overseas and they don't. So I don't know about = evacuation.

They took me to their seminary--all the churches have one big = seminary=20 and it's packed. A number of women students, by the way, even = though at=20 this point none of the churches ordain women. Nevertheless, they = were=20 there, studying theology along with the men, and they asked me = questions=20 just like the men did. They want to build a library, and I knew = right away=20 one thing they need is some technical help in how to build a = modern=20 theological library. We really need to support the hospital = efforts with=20 medicine, if we could gather up medication. And of course if the = churches=20 get damaged in the bombing, help rebuild them--maybe a diocese = could take=20 on a church to rebuild.

The most important thing is to get to know these folks, because = we=20 don't have any contacts with them. We don't know them, they don't = know us,=20 and I just scratched the surface there. There need to be a lot = more people=20 besides me that go.

ENS: Is the church in Iraq a 'persecuted church'?

WHALON: In the sense that they're not perfectly free. They have = to deal=20 with encroaching sharia provisions. The problem with 'selling' = that right=20 now is that some people will say the Christians are involved in = the=20 government, because you have Tariq Aziz, so they're not really = persecuted.=20 By the time they become candidates for being in that list of = persecuted=20 churches, there's not going to be anybody left.

ENS: How do they feel about American Christians supporting a = war with=20 Iraq?

WHALON: I was asked about that, and the way the question was = framed=20 was, 'isn't it true that the non-Catholic Christians are strongly=20 influenced by the Jews?' The person who asked this was a very = serious and=20 well-educated person, and I burst out laughing. And I said, 'Why = do you=20 say that?' And he said, 'Well, among other things, don't they = really=20 control all the support for Israel, and fundamentalist Christians = are also=20 interested in the survival and prosperity of Israel for their own=20 reasons?'

And I said, 'You know, whether there were fundamentalist = Christians or=20 not, the Jewish people in America who support
Israel would = give a=20 quart of blood a day if they felt it was necessary for the = survival of=20 Israel. You've got to understand,
these people are very, very = serious=20 in the United States about Israel. They see themselves as = temporary=20 residents of the
States, when their hearts are in = Jerusalem."

I don't think that has anything to do with fundamentalists. = Yes, there=20 certainly is some connection there and some of the people around=20 [President] George Bush are in that camp. But to see it as some = kind of=20 plot or conspiracy or some kind of big joining of forces is really = unrealistic.

ENS: There is a perception, though, that this conflict = represents 'the=20 clash of civilizations,' Christian versus Muslim.

WHALON: What I'm trying to get across to people in France, and = I also=20 said to al-Jazeera and Abu Dhabi and the other Arab networks that=20 interviewed me--I said I don't think people really understand that = what's=20 driving general American support for this war is fear. = Specifically,=20 having been attacked twice in a couple of months in spectacular = ways--the=20 9/11 attacks and then the anthrax in the envelopes attacks. = Americans are=20 reacting in fear, saying 'We are going to make sure and we are = going to=20 use all our power to take out anybody who can threaten us in this = way=20 again.' And that has broad support across the board and it has = nothing to=20 do with religion.

And you know, people don't understand that. They're just not = used to=20 thinking of American foreign policy or anything being driven by = fear. They=20 don't see us as as the French say to me, 'We always see the = Americans as=20 sort of a cut above, and we don't understand that they would be = afraid.'=20 Well, of course--think about your own history!

ENS: How do the French react to increasing criticism of France? = Does=20 this surprise them, dismay them?

WHALON: I think both. The viciousness of it is rarely seen = before, and=20 they're bemused by it more than anything else.
Personally, = being=20 somebody who's a citizen of both countries and raised in both = cultures,=20 it's been extremely difficult for me to deal with. But I also = think that=20 one thing is for sure: in France, if you want to sell papers, say=20 something against America; if you want to sell papers in America, = say=20 something against France. It's a formula that both media are very = good at=20 exploiting whenever their income's down.

I think the other thing that Americans aren't aware of is that = the=20 French are very quietly marshalling their forces. French =
troops are on=20 maneuvers right now in Qatar, and the De Gaulle, the new nuclear = aircraft=20 carrier, has just finished maneuvers with the [USS Harry] Truman, = and has=20 gone home but it's not giving anybody leave; they're filling up = again and=20 turning right around and going somewhere, they're not saying = where. I=20 can't see the French wanting to be sidelined if it comes down to = it, it's=20 just not their style.

ENS: What, if anything, can Christian communities do to support = Christians in Iraq?

WHALON: I think there's several things we can do.

The first is that we can start to publicly pray for them, so = that,=20 among other things, besides God hearing about them from us, we = will begin=20 to tell ourselves, 'Hey, there are a million Christians in = Iraq'--because=20 I don't think most people know that.

Secondly, I think we need to start thinking right now about = what kind=20 of aid we can give them post-war. It's possible that there won't = be a war.=20 War's not inevitable till the first bomb is dropped, and nobody = knows how=20 this endgame is going to play out now. But in the event of a war, = and=20 probably then an ensuing American military occupation, I think we = need to=20 make it very clear to the general staff that we expect that the = Christians=20 of Iraq will be protected, and they will not be accused generally = of=20 collaborating with Saddam any more than anyone else in Iraq.

We took a flight on this Boeing 707, must be 50 years old, in = an=20 airport with exactly one flight leaving--huge airport; of course = it's=20 called 'Saddam International Airport.' I went in the duty-free = shop, where=20 there was a young woman cashier who asked my guide in Arabic, 'Is = that the=20 bishop who was on TV last night?' He said yes, and she asked him = to have=20 me come over, and when I came closer she grabbed my hand with my = ring on=20 it,
kissed it, pressed it to her forehead and said in English, = 'Thank=20 you, thank you, thank you,' and started to cry. She was =
wearing this=20 little cross around her neck. She was a Christian.

She asked for my blessing, she asked for my autograph, and she=20 explained that an American bishop coming to Iraq to pray for peace = really=20 strengthened her faith, and that maybe this war could be avoided. = Then she=20 grabbed my hand again and kissed my ring again. I had to sit down, = I was=20 so overwhelmed.

If we can scream loudly that there are a million Christians in = Iraq and=20 they're really in a tough spot, if we start doing that, start = praying for=20 them publicly and get that word out, I think that's the most = important=20 thing we can do for them. And the second part is to plan how we = might be=20 able to help them.

CHRISTIANS IN SADDAM'S IRAQ HAVE LONG = SUFFERED=20 LOSSES

Courtesy of the Associated Press (3 = March); article=20 by Richard N. Ostling

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Saddam = Hussein's=20 Middle East region is home not only to 150 million Muslims but to = a=20 minority remnant of 10 million to 12 million Christians.

Their heritage extends to the biblical beginnings depicted in = the Book=20 of Acts. The new faith quickly spread to Syria, where "the = disciples were=20 for the first time called Christians" (Acts 11:26), across = present-day=20 Turkey and into Europe and points eastward.

But in modern = times,=20 Christians' status in the region has long been precarious. The = Iraq=20 situation makes matters worse.

A timely primer is "Who Are the Christians in the Middle East?" = (Eerdmans) by Betty Jane and J. Martin Bailey, a U.S. Protestant = clergy=20 couple who spent four years in the region helping the Middle East = Council=20 of Churches. "The church was born in the East" and Westerners = should never=20 forget it, they say.

Mideast Christianity's diverse denominations fall into four = families:=20 Eastern Orthodox; Armenians and the other Oriental Orthodox (who = accept=20 only doctrines from the first three ecumenical councils); = Catholics (in=20 various ethnic "rites"); and scattered Protestants, called = "Evangelicals"=20 in these countries.

The Middle East Council's Beirut-based General Secretary Riad = Jarjour=20 (a Protestant clergyman) provided one chapter that says Christians = "are=20 being decimated, dispersed, depressed and disempowered."

Jarjour says Christianity's long-running "demographic = hemorrhage"=20 through emigration stems from the West's past "intrusion"; = "political=20 Judaism" with its "exclusivist claim" to the Holy Land; and the = rising=20 "political Islam," which "threatens all Arab Christians."

In Saddam's Iraq, the Baileys report, Christians, largely = Chaldean=20 Catholics, are 5 percent of the citizenry. They face "ambivalent = and=20 difficult circumstances" and have often emigrated. Though Islam is = the=20 recognized state religion, the secular Ba'athist regime has = "tightly=20 controlled" Christians and Muslims along with everyone else. The=20 Christians are highly educated but with few exceptions "are = virtually=20 excluded from public life."

The Baileys' status reports on Iraq's neighbors:

-Iran: Christians are less than 1 percent of the population; = the=20 biggest groups are the Armenians and Chaldean Catholics. Most = Christians=20 "practice their religion without hindrance" despite the Islamic=20 revolution. However, local courts "very often favor the Muslims" = and one=20 Protestant pastor was executed in 1990 for converting from Islam. =

-Jordan: Islamic values are officially affirmed, but from its = 1946=20 founding the nation has guaranteed freedom of worship. Christians, = 4.2=20 percent of the population, are largely middle- and upper-class=20 Palestinians and many are prominent in politics, public = administration and=20 the professions. More than half are Eastern Orthodox; another = third are=20 Catholic.

-Kuwait and Saudi Arabia: Forsaking the Prophet Muhammad's = tolerant=20 example, contemporary Saudi Arabia's Muslim regime allows only = very=20 private or secret Christian meetings. Kuwait, however, lets = several small=20 denominations operate openly. In the Persian Gulf states overall,=20 evangelism is forbidden, governments control other church = activities, and=20 the Christian population of 5 percent to 10 percent consists = almost=20 entirely of transient foreign workers.

-Syria: One of the oldest Christian communities constitutes up = to 10=20 percent of the population. About half the Christians are Eastern = Orthodox,=20 alongside Armenians, other Oriental Orthodox and Catholics. The = secular=20 Ba'athist regime closely supervises all organizations. However, = Muslims=20 and Christians "are equal before the law." Churches practice their = faith=20 openly and receive public aid and even occasional time on state=20 television.

-Turkey: Though Turkey has been an important land since New = Testament=20 times, Christians today are a mere 0.2 percent of its population, = living=20 mostly in Istanbul. Earlier in the century the 2 million-plus = Armenians=20 were "virtually annihilated" and today number a mere 60,000. = Eastern=20 Orthodoxy's historic prime see now has 3,000 parishioners. The = state is=20 officially secular but "Christians experience many constraints, = both=20 formal and informal."

[Z-info:=20 Middle East Council of Churches: http://www.mecchurches.org/=20 ]

CHRISTIANS BLOCK PLANNED MOSQUE IN = NORTH=20 IRAQ

Courtesy of the = Toronto Star (3=20 March); article by Sandro Contenta

(ZNDA: Arbil) = Behind the=20 Roman Catholic church in this Kurdish village of stone houses is a = shallow=20 hole that brought a generation of peaceful co-existence between = Muslims=20 and Christians to a end.

For the two religious communities here, the days of working and = mourning together are over, and Ramadan and Christmas celebrations = are no=20 longer shared.

The break occurred last May, when the 30 = Muslim=20 families here decided to build the village's first mosque.

The diggers barely started work on the foundation when leaders = of the=20 50 Christian families got wind of the plan.

They appealed to regional Kurdish authorities, and work on the = mosque=20 was ordered stopped.

Since then, relations between the two groups are as cold as the = wind=20 that lashes down from the snow-covered mountains above.

"This is a village that belongs to Christians," says Danha = Jabbar, 65,=20 Hermuta's primary school principal.

"This mosque would deform the appearance of the village"

Muslim resident Mahmoud Rasoul says, "We didn't want to build a = mosque=20 to compete with the Christians. We just wanted a place to pray." =

The religious dispute in Hermuta, about 60 kilometres east of = Arbil, is=20 a local example of the ethnic and religious fault lines that have = made=20 Iraq a fragile nation since it was pieced together by the European = powers=20 after World War I.

It remains an artificial collection of competing tribes, = faiths,=20 regions, languages and ethnic groups.

Held together for the past 20 years by the brute force and = terror of=20 Saddam Hussein's regime, it risks falling apart if the United = States and=20 Britain proceed with war plans to topple the Iraqi president.

In a post-Saddam Iraq, British and American forces occupying = the=20 country could be embroiled in a long-term effort to prevent Iraq = from=20 breaking into a Shiite Muslim enclave in the south, a Sunni one in = the=20 centre, and a Kurdish one in the north.

Hermuta's dispute shows just how powerful religious or ethnic = divisions=20 can be, even in a village of 80 families where everyone is a Kurd. =

Politics has long divided the Kurds.

Rival militias of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the = Patriotic=20 Union of Kurdistan launched turf wars in the mid-1990s that saw = more than=20 100,000 people expelled for their political loyalties from towns=20 controlled by either side.

Now in Hermuta, the common Kurdish bonds of language, culture, = and=20 decades of repression at the hands of the Iraqi regime do not seem = strong=20 enough to overcome the religious divide.

According to its residents, Christian Kurds have inhabited the = spot=20 that is now Hermuta for centuries. Its Christian residents today = are Roman=20 Catholic Chaldeans, who say they are descendents of the ancient=20 Mesopotamians.

Christians make up 3 per cent of Iraq's population of 22 = million. Those=20 in Hermuta lead a typical village existence, living off the land = and=20 clinging hard to their traditions and faith.

Women who have trouble getting pregnant make a pilgrimage to a = nearby=20 holy shrine, and a constant source of irritation is the lack of a = resident=20 priest since the last one died seven years ago.

Since then, Hermuta's Catholics have been able to attend mass = only once=20 a week, when the priest comes from Arbil, capital of the Kurdish=20 autonomous area in northern Iraq. To their endless offence, he = comes on=20 Fridays, not Sundays.

"The priest must be a Muslim to come and celebrate mass on = Fridays,"=20 complains Zachia, Jabbar's wife, noting that Friday is the = traditional day=20 of worship for Muslims.

About 30 years ago, Muslims began arriving in Hermuta to work = the=20 fields of Christian landowners. They eventually built homes and = settled.=20

Co-existence was complete, except for certain rules, which = Catholics=20 considered part of the natural order of things.

"Marrying a Muslim is forbidden," Jabbar said. "If a Christian = girl=20 wants to marry a young Muslim, for us, it's a crime and she will = be cast=20 out of her religion."

In Zakho, a Kurdish town near the Turkish border, a Christian = father=20 killed his daughter recently for such a transgression, Jabbar = said.

Asked if Catholic parents in Hermuta would do the same, Jabbar = thought=20 for a while, then said: "We would not kill her"

Still, Jabbar invited Muslims to his Christmas dinners and, in = turn,=20 was invited to break fast with his Muslim neighbours during the = holy month=20 of Ramadan.

But then, Muslims started digging a hole for their mosque, and=20 everything changed.

Jabbar said incidents he considers threats suddenly occurred = after the=20 Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which controls northeastern = Iraqi=20 Kurdistan, blocked building of the mosque.

Someone put the magazine of an AK-47 automatic rifle against = the door=20 of the church, and later, part of its courtyard wall was = demolished in the=20 middle of the night.

The Christian landowners then fired the Muslim residents who = worked in=20 their fields. Jabbar let go 15 Muslim workers who tended his wheat = and=20 lentils, and brought in Christian ones from nearby towns.

Rasoul, 47, lost the work he got from Christians as a driver. =

"It has all been very sad," said Rasoul, sitting on floor mats = close to=20 a space heater in the tidy living room of his home.

The Catholics went further. They successfully lobbied PUK = authorities=20 to refuse building permits to any new Muslim family wanting to = settle in=20 the village.

"Halas," said Jabbar, using the Arabic word for enough.

It's a sorry end for a village whose residents, regardless of = religion,=20 have felt the iron first of Saddam's army.

Kurds have been gassed and mass executed by Saddam's forces = during the=20 1980s and early 1990s in at least 77 Kurdish villages.

It happened during the Iran-Iraq war and, again, when the = northern=20 Kurds staged an unsuccesful revolt after the last Persian Gulf = War.

"When it comes to killing, Saddam doesn't discriminate," Jabbar = said.=20

Added Rasoul: "We are united in suffering"

But divided, it seems, by religion.

'This (Hermuta) is a village that belongs to Christians. This = mosque=20 would deform the appearance of the village.'

News = Digest

U.S. CHALDEAN SHARE = FEARS OF THEIR=20 RELATIVES IN IRAQ

Courtesy of the Catholic News Service (24 = February)

(ZNDA: San Diego) U.S. Chaldean Catholics from Iraq say they = share the=20 fears of relatives in their homeland that a military attack there = could=20 cause casualties exceeding those of the 1991 Gulf War. U.S. data = show that=20 during the Gulf War an estimated 100,000 Iraqi soldiers were = killed,=20 300,000 were wounded, and 150,000 deserted and were taken = prisoners. Human=20 rights groups claimed higher numbers of Iraqi deaths. As for U.S. = losses=20 in the conflict, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs sources = reported that=20 148 American troops were killed in battle, 145 were killed in = accidents=20 and 467 were wounded in action. U.S. Chaldean Catholics say their=20 relatives in Iraq still relive the Gulf War's "psychological = nightmare,"=20 according to Saad Marouf, chair of the Michigan-based Chaldean = Federation=20 of America. Iraqis were packed like sardines in Baghdad's = underground=20 shelters, where they listened to exploding bombs and worried if = their=20 homes had been destroyed.

IRAQI CHRISTIANS FEAR FOR KIN=20

Courtesy of the Press-Enterprise = Riverside (27=20 February); article by Sharyn Obsatz

(ZNDA: Los = Angeles) In=20 America, George Zyro proudly wears a gold chain displaying Jesus = on the=20 cross. In his native Iraq, he hid it under his shirt.

The auto glass repairman moved from Orange County to Riverside = five=20 years ago, one of a growing number of Chaldean Catholics attracted = to the=20 Inland area by business opportunities and affordable housing.=20

Chaldeans, descendants of the ancient Babylonians, say = they suffer=20 religious discrimination under Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Many = worry=20 that war will harm relatives back home.

Zyro, 30, said two friends died in 1991 Persian Gulf War = bombings. He=20 emigrated in 1993.

"Everybody comes to the United States for freedom to build a = family=20 here, to live good," Zyro said. Iraq keeps its borders shut down, = he said.=20 "Otherwise everyone would just walk out."

Chaldeans from Corona, Moreno Valley, Riverside, San Bernardino = and=20 Temecula worship at St. George Chaldean Catholic Church in Santa = Ana.=20 Church leaders say about 40 percent of the parish's 115 families = live in=20 the Inland area.

Hussein has limited Chaldeans' freedom, said Ghassan Hanna = Shathaya, a=20 University of Redlands graduate and general secretary of the = immigrant=20 group Chaldean National Congress.

Officially, all non-Muslim Iraqis are permitted to practice = their=20 religion but not to promote it. And Christians are subject to = societal=20 prejudice.

"We are always suspected of being members of the Western- = American=20 Christian nation," Hanna Shathaya said. "We tend to have to prove = and=20 double-prove our loyalty to Iraq."

The government forbade parents from giving their newborns = Christian=20 names, he said. Converting from Islam to Christianity is = punishable by=20 death.

In schools, Christian students have been required to learn the = Islamic=20 holy book, the Quran, he said. Non-Muslim businesses have little = chance of=20 getting government contracts.

"The policy is to Arab-ize all the Chaldeans," said Hanna = Shathaya, 45,=20 a Silicon Valley resident. "The Chaldean church is 2,000 years = old, as old=20 as Christianity itself."

An estimated 97 percent of Iraqis are Shi'a or Sunni Muslims, = according=20 to the U. S. State Department. That includes Arabs, Kurds and = Turkmen.=20

About 3 percent of the population is comprised of Christians=20 (Chaldeans, Assyrians, Roman Catholics and Armenians), Yazidis, = Mandaeans=20 and Jews.

The church estimates there are 800,000 Chaldeans in Iraq, Hanna = Shathaya said.

Many immigrants will not criticize Hussein publicly for fear of = retaliation against their families still in Iraq, he said.

The Iraqi government denies accusations of religious = intolerance,=20 saying the United States and opposition groups want to tarnish = Iraq's=20 image and fuel internal dissent. The foreign ministry's Web site = says:=20 "Believers from all the existing religions and sects in Iraq are = the sons=20 of one people, . . . living and enjoying the right of performing = their=20 religious ceremonies and rites freely."

Chaldeans would cheer the overthrow of Hussein and have joined = U.S.-led=20 discussions on a future Iraqi coalition government, Hanna Shathaya = said.=20 But the military should not target the country's civilian = infrastructure,=20 he said, noting that the Gulf War destroyed food silos, telephone=20 facilities and water purification plants.

Chaldeans historically found themselves stuck in the middle = between=20 warring Muslim nations. After the Iran-Iraq war, Hussein destroyed = Kurdish=20 and Chaldean villages, demolishing centuries-old monasteries and = churches.=20

Many Chaldeans who lost their homes moved to Baghdad. Zyro's = uncle=20 lives there with his six children.

"We worry about them. We don't know what's going to happen to = them.=20 They wanted to come here too," Zyro said.

"Christians look for peace. They don't want to fight. That's = what Jesus=20 taught us. That's why Christians left Iraq."

Chaldeans began coming to the United States in the 1890s, = settling=20 primarily in the Detroit area. Today's population of 150,000 = Chaldeans=20 includes about 25,000 in Southern California, particularly San = Diego,=20 Hanna Shathaya said.

Parishioners pack the pews of St. George's in Santa Ana. The = church, 2=20 years old, often provides the sole contact for an increasingly = dispersed=20 community, said Joe Rafo, one of its administrators. After Mass, = everyone=20 sticks around for conversation, coffee, pizza and cake.

The priest leads services in Aramaic, the language spoken by = Jesus=20 Christ, Zyro said. Portions are translated into Arabic and English = for=20 children and immigrants who haven't learned Aramaic.

Zyro said people sometimes assume he's Greek, European or a = convert to=20 Christianity. "I don't think they have any idea there's a lot of=20 Christians in Iraq," he said.

Chaldeans in Iraq are allowed to attend church on Sundays. But = Muslim=20 extremists are pushing for total separation from Christians, Zyro = said.=20

During his obligatory military service, Zyro would share food = with=20 Muslim soldiers. Six or seven usually had to eat off the same = plate, doing=20 their best to ignore the criticism from hard-liners who frowned on = such=20 close contact.

Thinking about those dining encounters, Zyro pointed out that=20 Christians, Muslims and Jews share the same patriarch, Abraham. = "When=20 you're friends, we're like brothers," Zyro said.

US SHOULD SEEK UN ACTION ON = IRANIAN=20 RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION

Courtesy of the Tate Report by Deborah = Tate (27=20 February)

(ZNDA: Washington) A group of human rights activists is calling = on the=20 United States to highlight Iran's crackdown on religious = minorities at=20 next month's meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission.

Members of an organization calling itself the Association of = Defense=20 for the Rights of Iranian Minorities held a Capitol Hill news = conference=20 to discuss Iran's human rights record when it comes to religious=20 minorities.

Mansour Lavaie, an Iranian-born American citizen who lives in = Pasadena,=20 California, is a member of the Zoroastrian faith. "Members of our=20 community have been constantly harassed, ridiculed, and = discriminated=20 against by the Iranian regime," he said.

Mr. Lavaie says two decades ago there were 65,000 Zoroastrians = living=20 in Iran. He says many fled oppression, leaving fewer than 25,000 = there=20 today.

Christians in Iran also face persecution, according to the = Reverend Guy=20 Carey of Immanuel's Church in Silver Spring, Maryland.

"Christian leaders and their families are threatened, = mistreated,=20 forced to leave the country or killed," he said. "Most evangelical = churches have closed, or have been restricted to only conducting = services=20 in Armenian or Assyrian. As a result, many churches have gone = underground.=20 The government is actively seeking those underground churches and = punishes=20 those involved."

Reverend Carey says all religious minorities in Iran are = subject to=20 threats, imprisonment, and detention without trial or torture. =

Rabbi Pinchas Aloof spoke for the group when he appealed to = Secretary=20 of State Colin Powell to highlight the situation in Iran at next = month's=20 U.N. Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva.

"Introduce a resolution to ask for a close monitoring of human = rights=20 conditions in Iran," he said.

For the first time in seven years, a team from the U.N. Human = Rights=20 Commission visited Iran this month.

The team, which concluded its 12-day visit this week, = criticized what=20 it called Iran's extensive practice of solidarity confinement for=20 prisoners and arbitrary detention of people expressing their = views. But=20 team members also praised Iran for what they said was = unprecedented=20 cooperation in allowing access to jails and prisoners.

QATAR OFFERS LAND FOR CONSTRUCTION OF=20 CHURCHES

Courtesy of Zenit News Agency (25=20 February)

(ZNDA: Doha) The government of Qatar authorized the = construction of=20 churches in the country, something unprecedented in this Arab Gulf = state.=20

"The Ministry of Municipal Affairs wishes to conclude long-term = rental=20 contracts for symbolic amounts with those involved in the = construction of=20 churches," said a government representative, who asked for = anonymity, in=20 statements to Agence France-Presse.

According to the official, this decision is part of "Qatar's = conviction=20 in favor of freedom of worship."

Last Nov. 18, the Vatican and Qatar announced the establishment = of=20 official diplomatic relations. The Qatari government is willing to = put a=20 plot or plots of land at the disposition of the Church for the=20 construction of churches.

The Qatari government's announcement implies that, thanks to = the=20 agreement with the Vatican, Qatar will respect the religious = freedom of=20 the other Christian communities living in the country.

Situated in the Arabian peninsula, Qatar is a neighbor of Saudi = Arabia.=20 Its population of about 800,000 is made up in the majority of = Bedouin=20 Arabs, as well as immigrant laborers from nearby Arab states and = from=20 Iran, Pakistan, India and the Philippines.

Although Islam is the majority religion, there are 45,000 = Catholic=20 immigrants in Qatar, above all from the Philippines and India. = There are=20 also some 10,000 Orthodox, the great majority being foreigners. =

Qatar, which presides over the Islamic Conference Organization, = is=20 preparing for a conference in Doha on interreligious dialogue, to = be held=20 this April.

ASSYRIAN BUSINESSMAN HAS BIG = PLANS FOR=20 MODESTO=92S ELKS LODGE

Courtesy of the=20 Modesto Bee (3 March); article by J.N. Sbranti, Photo by Joan = Barnett=20 Lee

(ZNDA: Modesto) Elaborate remodeling and = expansion plans=20 are being considered by the new owner of Modesto's longtime Elks = Lodge=20 complex at 945 McHenry Ave in Modesto.

Youra J. Tarverdi, a San Jose businessman, paid $1.6 million = for the=20 property in December.

The aging 20,000-square-foot lodge, which includes meeting = rooms, a=20 ballroom and two bars, sits on 2.16 acres.

"I want to remodel it and turn it into a full-service center = for=20 service clubs and cultural events," said Tarverdi, 40, who is = involved in=20 numerous Assyrian cultural, political and business = organizations.

During a telephone interview Friday, Tarverdi said many of the = region's=20 service clubs and fraternal organizations could hold their = meetings and=20 events there.

"It would be a turnkey operation for all the service clubs," he = explained, noting plans to provide catering, linen, equipment, = floral and=20 limousine services.

Private groups also could rent rooms there for special events, = such as=20 weddings or corporate meetings.

"I want to bring some large Silicon Valley-type conventions to=20 Modesto," Tarverdi said, noting that expanding the facility would = make it=20 big enough to attract such events.

Tarverdi tentatively plans to rename the lodge The Seasons at = the Elks,=20 and he hopes to create four banquet rooms there. As part of the = expansion,=20 he wants to build a glass-enclosed atrium between the lodge's = existing=20 buildings.

Before it became a lodge in 1950, the property was a house = owned by Dr.=20 Eugene Falk. The Elks have enlarged it several times over the = decades.

The place continues to be used by the Elks, but perhaps not for = long.=20

"We're searching for property on which to build our own new = facility,"=20 said Mike Merryfield, a trustee with the lodge. He said the Elks = have made=20 an offer to buy two acres off Kiernan Road north of Modesto, but = an=20 agreement has not been reached.

Merryfield approves of Tarverdi's plan to turn the old lodge = into a=20 facility for service clubs.

"This is an ideal spot," said Merryfield. The main reason the = Elks want=20 their own property, he explained, is to provide space for visiting = members=20 to park their recreational vehicles overnight.

Such camping was frowned upon at the McHenry Avenue property = because of=20 city regulations, Merryfield said.

Tarverdi said he wants to start remodeling by June, but he = still is=20 talking with city officials about his options.

He said he also is considering purchasing other property in and = around=20 downtown Modesto for various commercial ventures.

[Z-info:=20 Mr. Tarverdi is the chairman of the Ways & Means Committee of = the=20 Assyrian Univeral Alliance.]

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

HOMESICK = ALREADY

Greetings from London, England, where = my fellow=20 Assyrians are making me feel at home with their sweet = hospitality,=20 wonderful food, but also making me homesick for Japan.

There are 2 million of our fellow Assyrian Christians in = Iraq. They=20 need our prayers at this time. The best way to appreciate all = we have=20 in Japan? Leave for a little bit! I'm homesick already.

Rev. Ken Joseph
Japan

[Z-info: Rev. Joseph is a member of the Japanese = delegation=20 visiting Baghdad, Iraq later this week. Look for Rev. = Joseph=92s=20 exclusive reports for Zinda Magazine from Baghdad in the = coming=20 issues.]

PEACE ACTIVISTS DENY PEACE TO THE = PEOPLE OF=20 IRAQ

I hope that the irony of the recent = massive=20 peace demonstrations in Europe and North America was not lost = on Zinda=20 readers. Where have these "peace activists" been all these = years to=20 come out in force to condemn Saddam's regime for terror, = torture and=20 mass murder, and for denying peace to the people of Iraq? And = why is=20 it that we have never seen these same millions take to the = streets to=20 condemn their own governments for doing brisk business with = the=20 murderous regime in Iraq? It is the same chemicals and = armaments that=20 these governments sold and keep selling to the Iraqi regime = that have=20 caused so much pain and suffering to the Iraqi people and have = enabled=20 Saddam to develop his weapons of mass destruction.

Worst of all is the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, which = has=20 never condemned the Iraqi regime for its atrocities and has = never=20 demanded that the world refrain from doing business with this=20 murderous regime at the expense of the Iraqi people, that gave = audience to Tariq Aziz - who I hope will be captured alive by = the=20 American forces to stand trial for committing crimes against = humanity=20 - to meet with the Pope and pray for peace!

Samuel Saro
New York

DEAR MR O'REILY

How you dare to deny my existence = while I am=20 still alive here in Australia and all around the world?

There are about 1 million of my brothers and sisters still = living=20 in our homeland Mesopotamia [Iraq]. I am advising you to have = a quick=20 visit to Australian Bureau Of Statistics Web Site,you will = find out=20 that almost 20 thousands people called themselves = (Assyrians)during=20 the latest census,this is only in Australia,I am sure the = number is=20 much higher in other Westren Countries and the middle east. So = please=20 don't bury me while I am still alive.I've had enough of these = attempts=20 from Saddam Hussien,Thank you

Fred Audisho
Australia

All of my life I have had to = explain to=20 people what an Assyrian is, as well as clarify to responses = that, "No,=20 I wasn't a Syrian, that's an Arab! And, no I wasn't a = Sicilian, that's=20 an Italian! Caesarean? No not 'how' I was born!" I had to use = key=20 phrases like: Mesopotamia, Babylon, and the Cradle of = Civilization.=20 Now I hear that we don't even exist! I want to inform you that = we do=20 exist. We are a people who have a culture, a language (both = written=20 and spoken) and are one of the first Christian converts that = are=20 mainly Orthodox now. The famous Bay Area chef, Narsi David is = an=20 Assyrian that, as president of the Assyrian Aid Society, has = helped=20 raise monies for Assyrian schools in the Northern Iraq no-fly = zone.=20 These monies have among other things, helped build Assyrian = schools in=20 where the curriculum is done in the Assyrian language. Of the = many=20 sites that do exist, I suggest you take an informative visit = to=20 www.zindamagazine.com and also check out www.betnahrain.org = where you=20 can even hear the Assyrian language spoken, as well as see it=20 written.

Susan = Benjamin-Warda
California

[Z-info: Dear Readers, tell Bill O'Reilly that = Assyrians Exist.=20 Please sign the following petition: http://aina.org/petitions/= oreilly.htm.=20 Email this link to your friends and relatives = today.]

FRONTPAGE JOURNALIST CALLS = ASSYRIANS=20 =93UNPATRIOTIC MUSLIMS=94

I am a student at the University of = California,=20 Berkeley. Approximately 12 of us here at Berkeley comprise the = Assyrian Student Alliance, a university-funded organization. = We=20 perform many activities on and off campus such as overnight = host=20 programs for prospective Assyrian students, activities = regarding the=20 remembrance of the Christian Genocide of WWI, and = participation in=20 various cultural festivals.

Recently on a online magazine called FrontPage, a = journalist named=20 Eric k Stakelbeck wrote an article about "unpatriotic" student = groups=20 at UC Berkeley. In it, he says the following:

"Scanning UC Berkeley=92s list of student groups reveals a=20 significant Muslim presence, with the Iranian Student-Cultural = Organization (ISCO), the Afghan Student Group, the Assyrian = Student=20 Alliance, the Somali Student Association and the Muslim = Student=20 Association all collecting University funds."

I have written an e-mail to the editors of FrontPage = magazine, and=20 have posted a comment on their message board, carefully = explaining who=20 the Assyrian people are, and how we are not a Muslim people. = Please=20 take a couple minutes to post a comment or write an email so = that they=20 will correct this egregious mistake. In this day and age, with = war on=20 Iraq being imminent, we the Assyrians cannot afford to be = incorrectly=20 labeled as Muslims, Arabs, or unpatriotic. It would be an = insult to=20 those martyrs who have perished so we could exist and thrive = today.=20 Here is the link to the article (the link to contact or post a = comment=20 is on this page as well. http:= //frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=3D6406

Ramond = Takhsh
California

[Z-info: =85 And we thought O=92Reilly was ignorant. = No asinine=20 remarks as this should be tolerated. Follow the link above and = quickly=20 enlighten the unwise.]

JUST ASSYRIANS - NOTHING MORE, = NOTHING=20 LESS

Excellent job Zinda crew! I love = reading your=20 stuff. I would also like to point out the fact that there are = those of=20 us, members of the "Chaldean" Catholic church, and Syriac = (formerly=20 Assyrian) Orthodox Church who are proud Assyrians. Please do = not refer=20 to us as Syriacs and Chaldeans. We are no less Assyrian than = those of=20 the Church of the East and wish to be recognized as such. This = is a=20 message to all writers in the media world. Our ecclesiastical=20 designation in no way is an ethnicity. We are = Assyrians...nothing=20 more, nothing less.

Baseema raba w tawdi ghelebeh!

Sargon = Donabed
Canada

WANDERING ASSYRIAN PRIEST BROUGHT = CHESS FROM=20 INDIA

I read in last week's issue of Zinda = the=20 article on the etymology of "check mate". It may interest = Assyrians to=20 know that the game of chess was first brought to Mesopotamia = by an=20 Assyrian periodeutes (wandering or rural priest, called a = sa'ora in=20 Assyrian) named Budh, who was sent to India by Khusraw I on a = mission=20 to procure medicinal drugs (between 531 and 578 A.D., the date = is not=20 given). Budh returned not only with drugs, but with a Buddhist = work=20 and the game of chess. This information is from "How Greek = Science=20 Passed to the Arabs" by De Lacy O'Leary (pp 155-156). A review = of this=20 important book is available here: http://www.aina.org/aol/= peter/greek.htm

Peter BetBasoo
Chicago

Surfer's=20 Corner

TRAVEL ITINERARY FOR = H.G. BISHOP MAR=20 BAWAI SORO

H.G. Mar Bawai Soro, Bishop of the Diocese of Western = California,=20 representing the Holy Apostolic Assyrian Church of the East, will = be=20 attending a series of conferences in February and March 2003. = These=20 conferences constitute lectures and seminars with the goal to = share and=20 defend theological and historical viewpoints of the Assyrian = Church of the=20 East.

Conference No. 1: Pontifical Oriental Institute (Rome, Italy)=20
Symposium on the Council of Constantinople II (AD = 553)
February 27,=20 2003

H.G. Bishop Mar Bawai will be presenting a paper on the subject = of:
=94The Condemnation and Rehabilitation of Nestorius of=20 Constantinople=94

Conference No. 2: Pro Oriente Foundation (Vienna, Austria) =
6th=20 Syriac Dialogue Consultation
March 6 =9613, 2003

H.G. Bishop Mar Bawai will be presenting a paper on the subject = of:=20 =94Theology of Priesthood in the Assyrian Church of the = East=94

The Pro Oriente Syriac Commission is a mixed commission of=20 representatives of all Churches of Syriac Tradition and of Pro = Oriente=20 delegates. Representing our Church will be HG Bishop Mar Bawai and = Chorbishop Michael J. Bernie (Seattle). HG Bishop Mar Bawai is a = member of=20 the Steering Committee and Communique Committee. He will be = presiding as=20 moderator and presenting a paper on Holy Orders/Priesthood. = Chorbishop=20 Bernie will present a paper on the Eucharist. Present will be = Bishops from=20 many Churches and Professors from Oxford, Paderborn and several = other=20 institutions.

Ten churches will be represented at this symposium. These = include:

1. Ancient Church of the East
2. Assyrian Church of the = East=20
3. Chaldean Catholic Church
4. Malabar Catholic Church =
5.=20 Malankara Catholic Church
6. Malankara Orthodox Church =
7.=20 Maronite Church
8. Roman Catholic Church
9. Syrian = Catholic=20 Church
10. Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch =

Holy Apostolic Catholic
Mar Yosip=20 Cathedral
Assyrian Church of the East
680 Minnesota = Avenue
San=20 Jose, California

Literatus

BBC NEWS REPORT: = ASSYRIANS OF=20 IRAQ

Assyrians are descendants of the ancient empires of Assyria and = Babylonia. These empires ruled over what was known as Mesopotamia, = roughly=20 the same area as modern Iraq.

After the collapse of their = empire during=20 the 6th and 7th Centuries BC, the Assyrians scattered across the = Middle=20 East region.

Assyrian political parties campaign for more national rights. = They=20 embraced Christianity in the 1st Century and are today followers = of the=20 ancient church of the East, the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, = the=20 Chaldean Catholic Church and various Protestant denominations. =

Like the Armenians, they were victims of Ottoman massacres and = in 1915=20 were driven by the Turks out of the mountainous region where they = were=20 living as a semi-independent people.

A year after Iraq became independent in 1932, the Iraqi = military set=20 upon the Assyrians resulting in large-scale massacres in = retaliation for=20 their collaboration with the British, the former colonial power. =

Assyrians have been targeted as part of the Baath regime's = internal=20 deportation programs to maintain a grip on the nation, = particularly the=20 oil-rich areas.

Hundreds of Assyrian villages were destroyed by Iraqi forces in = northern Iraq, churches and monasteries were torn down and = Assyrians=20 denied the right to practice their religion and preserve their = culture and=20 language.

Recently, however, there appears to have been some kind of=20 reconciliation with the government. Some places of worship have = been=20 rebuilt and the Assyrian culture appears to be tolerated.

There are five seats reserved for northern Christians in the = Kurdistan=20 National Assembly in the Kurdistan Autonomous Region. The most = important=20 party representing this group is the Assyrian Democratic Movement = (ADM).=20

It campaigns for the recognition of Assyrian national rights = and=20 encompasses Chaldean, Assyrian and Syriac identities - which the = party=20 says are different names for one common identity.

Before the Gulf War in 1991, Christians comprised almost one = million of=20 the Iraqi population. Today, there are an estimated 650,000 = Christians in=20 Iraq and all the churches report that number is still shrinking, = as many=20 continue to leave the country.

Many left to join relatives in the West after the Gulf War and = the=20 imposition of economic sanctions against Iraq.

Assyrian and Chaldean Catholics - who acknowledge the supremacy = of the=20 Catholic Pope - are the largest Christian communities. They can = trace=20 their ancestries to ancient Mesopotamia and the surrounding lands. =

Other Iraqi Christians include Syrian Orthodox, Syrian = Catholics and=20 Greek Catholics and the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Many Christians can be found in the northern cities of Kirkuk, = Arbil=20 and Mosul, but there are also a significant number in Baghdad. =

Christians have risen to the top ranks in Iraq under Saddam = Hussein,=20 with Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz prominent among them. = Commentators=20 say anti-Christian violence has been largely suppressed by the = Baath=20 regime.

Iraq's Christian communities have lived in harmony with their = neighbors=20 for decades. In Mosul, for example, there are an estimated 50,000=20 Christians.

The city - Iraq's third-largest and a center of the oil = industry - is=20 also home to Muslim Kurds, Turkomen and Arab Muslims.

But some communities have been subjected to the government's = systematic=20 "relocation programs". For the Christians, this has been = particularly=20 marked in the oil-rich areas, where the government has tried to = create=20 Arab majorities near oil fields to secure control of economic = assets.

Some Christians fear that a US-led conflict in the country = could=20 generate anger against them. They recall the Gulf War, when "New=20 Crusaders" was how many Muslims sympathetic to Saddam Hussein = described=20 the American and allied forces.

BBC News Report
Thursday, 27 February=20 2003

[Z-info:=20 For an animated outline of the history of Iraq, including ancient=20 Bet-Nahrain (Mesopotamia) visit: http://www.= startribune.com/stories/1608/3652300.html]

6TH CENTURY MONASTERY LETS = VISITORS=20 PARTAKE OF THE SIMPLE LIFE

The bell for lunch rings at 3pm, and residents, boarders and = day guests=20 head to the table for the midday meal held every day at = approximately the=20 same time at Deir Mar Musa, a 6th century Ethiopian monastery 80=20 kilometers north of Damascus and a half hour drive from the = nearest=20 town.

Two families climb up the steep cliff toward the earth-colored=20 monastery built into the rocky desert mountains.

Brother Paolo, an Italian monk responsible for the monastery, = greets=20 them with cups of tea as they unwind after an exhausting 20-minute = walk.

=93That=92s the way we are,=94 says Paolo cheerfully, pointing = out that Deir=20 Mar Musa is a monastery open to people of all faiths. Nuns, monks, = employees and guests all sit down for lunch, which has been = prepared with=20 locally grown food.

According to Ramona, a nun, lunchtime is the time of day when = most of=20 the dialogue takes place between people of different nationalities = and=20 faiths.

In warm weather, lunch is served on the terrace next to the = church,=20 overlooking the desert; in the winter it is eaten in a small = building made=20 of stone, blending in with the modest style of the desert = monastery.

After lunch, guests usually wash the dishes, as everyone =20 including guests is expected to participate in the communal = life of=20 the monastery.

This desert monastery is reminiscent of an era when rocky = landscapes in=20 the desert provided shelters for self-sustaining religious=20 communities.

According to legend, the son of a wealthy Ethiopian king named = Musa=20 founded the monastery. Preferring the monastic life to the throne, = he=20 traveled to Egypt, then to the Holy Land, settling in Syria where = he=20 became a monk in Qara. He lived as a hermit in the valley where = the=20 monastery is now situated. He became a martyr when a Byzantine = soldier=20 killed him. As the story goes, his family took his body, and by a = miracle=20 his right thumb was separated from his body, which remains as a = relic in=20 the Syrian church of al Nebek.

Paolo, who has been involved in the restoration of the = monastery since=20 it began in 1984, gives tours of the church and explanations of = its=20 history which he manages with ease in at least four = languages.

The monastery of Mar Musa has existed since the beginning of = the 6th=20 century and belonged to the Syrian Antiochian Rite, and the church = was=20 built later in 1058. The frescoes on the walls of the church, = which date=20 from the 11th and 12th centuries, are the pride of the monastery.=20 Restorations have so far revealed three layers of frescoes. The = first=20 layer is from the middle of the 11th century, the second dates = from the=20 end of the 11th century, and the third is from the end of the 12th = century=20 or the beginning of the 13th. Further restorations are expected to = reveal=20 even older frescoes.

The frescoes depict scenes from both testaments. For example, = the nave=20 of the church is decorated with images of saints females on = the=20 arches and males on the pillars. There are Syriac letters written = in the=20 Gospels in the hands of four evangelists. On the wall of the nave = is a=20 representation of the final judgment.

Also depicted are Adam and Eve, who pray for their children. = Beside=20 them are the Virgin Mary, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob embracing the = saved=20 people. Beneath them are Moses with Elijah, David and Solomon, = standing=20 together with the fathers of the church with two angels playing = the=20 trumpets of judgment.

Like the inhabitants of the monastery 1,500 years ago, the = present-day=20 residents live substantially balanced lives. Goat farming is one = of the=20 ways residents have found of living off the land while at the same = time=20 preserving their environment. Most meals prepared at the monastery = in some=20 way contain goat products be they milk, cheese or meat.

The monastery and the surrounding area have not suffered from=20 desertification in the same way that areas of extensive human = development=20 have, in large part because of the refuge the area has provided = for plants=20 and animals.

The valleys around the monastery, however, are in danger from = the=20 desert, and the community has already embarked on projects to = prevent=20 environmental degradation. These include goat farming, planting = trees, and=20 the gathering of water resources through various projects = including=20 small dam.

They have also begun transforming the waste heap on the road to = the=20 monastery into a biodiversity garden.

Preserving the environment of the monastery and the surrounding = area is=20 essential, claim the residents, in order for it to exist as a = place of=20 meditation and spiritual retreat.

Every evening between 7pm and 8pm, an hour is set aside for = meditation.=20 The clean air and bare hills make Mar Musa an ideal place for = relaxation=20 and reflection. Madge, an Arabic student from Great Britain, and a = regular=20 visitor to the monastery, says she likes the monastery seclusion, = but it=20 is still close enough to Damascus that it makes an easy day = trip.

=93The people at Mar Musa are very open and friendly,=94 she = says, =93and if=20 you want, they=92ll take an interest in you, but if you just want = to spend=20 time alone, they=92ll give you your space.=94 A well-known social = project of=20 the monastery is their commitment to keeping an open dialogue with = people=20 of all faiths. Less well-known are their social programs for = Christians.=20 At the monastery, they feel that continued immigration abroad,=20 particularly of Christian families, has put inter-faith dialogue = at=20 risk.

They think that it is important for there to be a thriving = Christian=20 community in Syria, and as a monastery, they do what they can to = encourage=20 young Christians to stay, or to return after their studies abroad. = They=20 help young Syrians find scholarships, and also help to restore old = houses=20 and build new ones in the parish.

The community at Deir Mar Musa is also involved with Muslim and = Christian intellectuals in the area, with the aim of stimulating=20 interaction between the two faiths, and not just coexistence. Mass = is held=20 at 8pm, and hymns are sung in Syriac. Both men and women and both = Orthodox=20 and Catholic nuns and monks conduct the service. As Ramona, a = Catholic=20 nun, prays, she kneels and bows her forehead to the ground, as = Muslims do.=20 She says that she just likes to pray that way.
At approximately = 9.30pm,=20 dinner is served, and is often eaten by candlelight.

After dinner is free time, and residents and guests retire to = their=20 beds, some of which are in caves in the hills enclosing the = monastery.=20 Everyone is welcome, expected to take part in the monastery=92s = communal=20 life.

Brooke Anderson
The Daily = Star

Bravo

ASSYRIAN MUSIC ON KPFA RADIO = STATION

KPFA=20 Radio Station (94.1 FM) played Habib Mousa and other Assyrian = Music=20 between 10 AM and 12 PM, Pacific Time (California Time) on Monday = 3=20 March.

You can also listen to the program online, wherever = you have=20 access to the internet, by going to:
http://kpfa.org/ and then "Listen=20 online"

If you wish to thank the station or make = contribution for=20 all the great work it has done for the community, Please contact = the=20 station at:

KPFA
94.1 FM in the = Berkeley=20 signal area
1929 M L King Jr Way
Berkeley, CA 94704=20
510-848-6767

Calendar of=20 Events

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

Thank=20 You!

Zindamagazine would like to = thank:

Shimshon Antar
(California)

Ashor Giwargis
(Lebanon)

Ashur Isaac
(Australia)

Konstantin Sabo
(Sweden)

Mar Narsai Parish, Church of the East
(San=20 Francisco)

Stavros Stavridis
(Australia)

Ed = Williams
(Chicago)

= 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

ISRAELI JOURNALIST = BEFRIENDS=20 ASSYRIANS

U.S. CHALDEAN SHARE = FEARS OF THEIR=20 RELATIVES IN IRAQ

HOMESICK = ALREADY

TRAVEL ITINERARY FOR = H.G. BISHOP MAR=20 BAWAI SORO

BBC NEWS REPORT: = ASSYRIANS OF=20 IRAQ