May 12, 2003

GOOD MORNING=20 BET-NAHRAIN

IRAQ'S ASSYRIANS STRUGGLE FOR=20 POWER

Courtesy of the Jerusalem Post (8 May); = by Matthew=20 Gutman

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Last week, Yonadam Y. Kanna, secretary-general = of the=20 Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM), did something unusual for one = of the=20 leaders of Iraq's 60 or so emerging political parties: He cleaned = the=20 bathroom sink at ADM's headquarters.

While other leaders enjoy the princely luxury allotted for the = first=20 time to leaders other than Saddam Hussein, Kanna seems to work = hard at=20 practicing the democracy he preaches.

Considered a medium-sized movement, ADM has all the trappings = of what=20 is considered a serious Iraqi party these days=97impressive = offices, a=20 charismatic leader, a clear vision, and lots of men with AK-47s = standing=20 guard outside.

ADM is not one of the six parties, including Ahmed Chalabi's = Iraqi=20 National Congress and the Kurdish groups, on the steering = committee that=20 is set to establish an interim government later this month. = However, the=20 fate of Iraq one day might hinge upon parties like ADM, which = might swing=20 the country away from Islamization or authoritarianism.

A grassroots leader, who ate standing with the rest of his men = Tuesday,=20 Kanna fears the return of "fossil ideology," the type of arcane = and=20 impracticable policies that guided many Arab states, including = Iraq,=20 toward civil and financial ruin.

Kanna, who derides the "Pan-Arabic media" as "extremist and = bribed by=20 Saddam," paints himself as a true moderate. He believes in a = secular,=20 democratic, and constitutional Iraq, which would accept the = cultures and=20 traditions of its minorities.

Unabashedly, he envisions a peace agreement with Israel, once = the issue=20 of "Palestinian statehood is solved." Many Arab countries, he = says,=20 "continue to invest heavily in the conflict, using it as a tool to = persuade their own people. They have been too busy lining their = own=20 pockets and looking after their own interests."

Nobody wants an American presence on Iraqi soil, adds Kanna, = but he=20 remains a steadfast supporter of an international presence in the = country,=20 "because we need the tools, the technology, and the experts to = rebuild."=20

It is ironic, or perhaps a symbol of what could happen in the = new Iraq,=20 that ADM has ensconced itself, and its many armed guards, in the = former=20 headquarters the Fedayeen Saddam paramilitary group, the regime's = main=20 tool of repression.

Midway through the interview, Kanna notes offhandedly the two = death=20 sentences the regime meted out against him.

Isaak Ishak, the movement's deputy secretary-general, reasons = that for=20 years Iraq sought the patronage of the communist bloc, "and the = country is=20 now much worse off than it was before Saddam. So now we will try = to follow=20 the lead of Europe and the US."

The cooperation has already begun in earnest. Saddam's regime = often=20 considered the Assyrians its most faithful servants. Nevertheless, = it was=20 an Assyrian employee of the regime who on April 10 alerted = American=20 intelligence officers that Saddam and his sons had entered a = Mansur=20 district restaurant.

While the bombing missed its mark, American officials = nonetheless=20 hailed it as the closest it had come to decapitating the regime. = ADM, its=20 officials make pains to note, also took part in the liberation of = the key=20 oil cities of Kirkuk and Mosul in the North.

Long before Arabic dominated the Middle East, the Assyrian = language and=20 Aramaic served as the region's lingua franca. But the centuries = have not=20 treated this shrinking Christian sect kindly.

ADM began fighting Saddam in 1979. Suffering continuous losses, = it=20 moved north toward Iraqi Kurdistan in 1988 and joined the Kurdish = forces=20 fighting there to carve out a semi-autonomous safe haven.

The Assyrians claim to hail from the biblical-era nation that = conquered=20 much of what is today Israel. They claim a 7,000-year-old history = in=20 present-day Iraq. A few churches dating back to the fifth century = still=20 dot the northern countryside.

In modern times, the group, which today numbers about 1.25 = million, was=20 doubly mistreated; first by the regime and then by their Kurdish=20 landlords.

Few locals have heard of ADM, and it appears doubtful that it = will be=20 able to garner enough votes to influence Iraq's future when the = country=20 goes to a referendum later this month. The balance of power is = heavily=20 tilted toward Shi'ite groups, many of them radical.

While they cling to a semblance of tolerance, proffering a = future=20 democracy and multi-party system, there could be cause for = suspicion among=20 the burgeoning Shi'ite groups.

During a visit to the Diyala Governorate, a stronghold of the=20 Iran-backed and funded Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in = Iraq, its=20 local leader, Abu Muslim al-Jaffari, offered Iran as a model for a = "democratic state," arguing intensely for over an hour that = minorities=20 enjoyed rights and even some power there.

Responding to reports that as many as 700 of the party's Badr = Brigades=20 militia flooded Diyala, he vowed that none had entered any part of = Iraq.=20 "No one here is armed. We are politicians and civil servants = only," he=20 said.

But merchants hawking vegetables, AK-47s, and pistols lined = Diyala's=20 capital of Ba'aquba. When Jaffari's interview with The Jerusalem = Post=20 ended, he accompanied me to the large lobby of the former = governor's=20 office, now commandeered by SCIRI.
Several of his men were = fiddling=20 with an AK-47. They were dressed in fatigues, and like mischievous = schoolboys self-consciously tried to hide the gun behind their = backs.

Al-Dawa, the most veteran of the Shi'ite political groups, = which=20 struggled against and suffered bitterly at the hands of the = regime, also=20 promises democracy. But Iraq must be Islamic, argues an eloquent = Abdul=20 Karim al-Anzi, the group's Baghdad leader. He refused to say that = he=20 desires a state with "constitutional Islamic laws."

When probed on what action he would take to limit the hundreds = of=20 vendors selling alcohol in Baghdad's streets, he replied, "We = would have=20 to persuade them against it."

Back at the partially destroyed Fedayeen headquarters, Kanna = concluded:=20 "There is still some of the virus that was Saddam in this region, = still=20 extremism and frankly, we need some help to save us from that = fate."

TWO CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ MURDERED FOR = SELLING=20 ALCOHOL

Courtesy of the Daily Telegraph (9 May); = by Kate=20 Connolly

(ZNDA: Basra) Christians fell victim to the upsurge in Islamic=20 fundamentalism sweeping Iraq when they were shot dead in Basra = yesterday=20 by suspected militants attempting to stamp out the sale of = alcohol.

The men, who were alcohol vendors in a district of the southern = Iraqi=20 city that is home to Armenian and Syrian Catholics, were shot = within 10=20 minutes of each other in their shops by two men, witnesses = said.

Shia clerics - whose influence was suppressed under Saddam = Hussein -=20 have been warning shopkeepers for weeks to stop selling alcohol or = risk=20 severe punishment.

The clerics have become increasingly vocal on a variety of = issues,=20 including the status of women, since Saddam's fall.

Under Saddam, Iraqi Christians were the only citizens permitted = to sell=20 alcohol. The trade would attract day trippers from neighboring = Kuwait,=20 about two hours' drive away, which has a complete ban on = alcohol.

Yesterday shopkeepers closed their doors and warned that such = killings=20 were to be expected while the country had no rule of law.

IRAQI CHRISTIANS FEAR OUTBREAK OF = SHIITE=20 FUNDAMENTALISM

Courtesy of the Newhouse News Service (13 = May); by=20 Mark Mueller

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Two weeks ago, Raad Karim Essa arrived home = from work=20 to find his furniture on the street. His Muslim landlord wasn't = renting to=20 Christians anymore.

"He told us not to argue and threatened us," said Essa, 42, a = father of=20 four. "He said the government was no longer here to protect us. = What could=20 we do? We feared for our lives."

"The Muslims want to destroy us," said Amira Nisan, 38, Essa's = wife. "I=20 think we were better off under Saddam."

Such a statement, once unthinkable, is voiced increasingly = today among=20 Iraq's 800,000 Christians.

Like most of their countrymen, Christians greeted the fall of = Iraqi=20 President Saddam Hussein with celebration and hope. But in little = more=20 than a month, their desire for greater religious freedom has been = replaced=20 by fear of the fundamentalism rippling through Iraq's Shiite = Muslim=20 majority, which has moved quickly to exert its influence after = decades of=20 violent repression.

Christian women say they've been harassed by Shiite men for = walking on=20 the street without head scarves, and priests complain that Shiite = clerics=20 inflame religious hatred by calling for the expulsion from Iraq of = "non-believers."

The most overt acts have been directed at Iraq's liquor stores = and=20 manufacturers, almost universally run by Christians. The owners of = those=20 facilities say they've been threatened with death for selling = alcohol,=20 forbidden under a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

"I'm afraid for my people," said Bishop Ishlemon Warduni, the = religious=20 leader of Iraq's Chaldean community, which represents about 80 = percent of=20 the nation's Christians. The remaining 20 percent is comprised = mostly of=20 Syrians, Assyrians and Armenians.

"During the war, we were not afraid like we are now," said = Warduni, 60.=20 "All Christians are in danger."

Last week, Warduni expressed his concerns in a letter to = President=20 Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.N. Secretary-General = Kofi=20 Annan. Tuesday, the bishop is scheduled to make his case in a = meeting with=20 Jay Garner, the retired U.S. Army general who has been = administering=20 Iraq.

"We would like a guarantee of our rights, our freedom and our=20 protection," Warduni said. "We have a 2,000-year history in Iraq, = and that=20 is now threatened. The fanatics would see us gone."

The worries are most pronounced in southern Iraq, a Shiite = stronghold=20 where clerics have issued the most strident calls for the creation = of an=20 Islamic republic. Underscoring the dangers, the Christian owners = of two=20 liquor stores were shot to death last week in Basra, Iraq's = second-largest=20 city, after rebuffing demands to shutter their shops.

But religious tensions are high and rising in Baghdad as = well.

"Ten days ago was better than a week ago, and a week ago was = better=20 than today," Warduni said. "I have no doubt that tomorrow will be = worse.=20 We're losing what little protection we had."

Under Saddam, Christians were permitted to worship but not to = publicly=20 express their views or proselytize. It also was forbidden to give = children=20 Christian names.

While those strictures have been swept aside, Christians say = they feel=20 even less free in the face of growing Shiite pride and power. In = the=20 chaotic days after Baghdad's fall, Shiite clerics sent armed = followers to=20 patrol neighborhoods and to safeguard schools and hospitals from=20 looting.

Still under Shiite control, some of those hospitals now bear = signs=20 ordering any woman seeking treatment to wear a head scarf.

More disconcerting to many Christians is the belief that = they're being=20 targeted for violence and rape by Muslim men. Parishioners and = priests at=20 a half-dozen churches in recent days told stories of women and = young girls=20 snatched from the streets in broad daylight. Almost inevitably, = however,=20 those telling the stories can provide no details, saying they = heard them=20 from a friend or family member.

According to one account repeated at several parishes, a = Christian man,=20 Arkan David Belu, 28, was shot to death by several Shiite men as = he left a=20 church service Sunday.

"They killed him only because he was a Christian," said Zuher = Butros,=20 60, the caretaker at St. George Chaldean Church in the New Baghdad = neighborhood.

Belu, 28, was indeed shot to death, but his uncle, Hikmat Belu, = said=20 the killing had nothing to do with his nephew's religion. Belu, = the uncle=20 said, was simply caught in the cross fire between warring gangs, = which=20 have terrorized the capital in the absence of any police = presence.

The relationship between Muslims and Christians has grown more=20 sensitive with the profusion of new mosques. In almost every = Baghdad=20 neighborhood, vacant buildings and former government offices have = been=20 converted into Shiite houses of worship.

One such mosque, Jama Al-Wehda Al-Islamiya, or Unity of Islam, = sits=20 directly across the street from Warduni's church, Our Lady of the = Sacred=20 Heart. Before the war, the building served as the neighborhood=20 headquarters for the ruling Ba'ath Party. Later, it was looted and = partially burned.

The Shiite moved in three weeks ago, mounting a half-dozen = loudspeakers=20 that blare the call to prayer five times a day, sometimes = interfering with=20 church services across the street.

The mosque's imam, Sheik Ali Al-Bahadili, said he is supportive = of an=20 Islamic state, but he said it should be one that respects the = rights of=20 Christians and other Iraqi minority groups. He flatly rejected = claims that=20 Muslims have been targeting or intimidating Christians.

Sam Hanna argues otherwise.

One morning last week, the 43-year-old Christian arrived at his = Baghdad=20 liquor store to find a note that had been slipped under the = door.

"It said that if we didn't stop selling alcohol, the shop would = be=20 bombed and we would be killed," Hanna said. "They said alcohol was = against=20 God's law. Hah! It's against God's law to sell alcohol but not to = kill=20 people? They are hypocrites."

The situation is equally grave for the region's distilleries. = About 20=20 miles north of Baghdad, in the town of Baquba, six factories that = once=20 manufactured whiskey, gin and arak, a sweet Arabic liquor, have = been=20 closed for a month or more. A Shiite cleric went from factory to = factory=20 with a large group of armed men, decreeing that only medicinal = alcohol=20 could be manufactured in the future.

"Everyone's afraid," said Albert Paul Younan, 42, the manager = at the=20 Al-Abraj alcohol plant. "We agreed that we would make alcohol only = for=20 medicine, and still they come."

Younan said he sought help from a United Nations facility in = Baghdad,=20 where he spoke with an American military commander.

"I told him we need protection, and he said, `I'm sorry. You're = going=20 to have to protect yourselves,"' Younan said. "There is no law = anymore.=20 There is only Islamic law. God help us all."

[Z-info:=20 Mark Mueller is a staff writer for The Star-Ledger of Newark, New = Jersey.=20 Write comments to Mark at mmueller@starledger.com.]

LAUNCH OF INTERIM GOVERNMENT MAY BE = DELAYED 2 OR=20 3 MONTHS

Courtesy of the Kyodo News Service (13=20 May)

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Paul Bremer, the chief U.S. administrator of = Iraq, told=20 Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday = it=20 would take one or two months for an interim government to be set = up by=20 Iraqis.

The remarks suggest a delay in the launch of an interim = government from=20 late May as agreed upon by groups of Iraqis opposed to toppled = Iraqi=20 President Saddam Hussein.

Various groups of Iraqis have met twice under the U.S. = leadership to=20 forge an interim government, and some 300 participants in a = meeting April=20 28 agreed to hold a third meeting by the end of May to select = officials in=20 the government.

News = Digest

TWO U.S. CHALDEAN = BISHOPS DEMAND=20 TOTAL SEPARATION FROM ASSYRIANS

(ZNDA: Chicago) On Saturday, May 10, in a signed statement two = U.S.=20 Chaldean bishops announced their demand for full and immediate = separation=20 of ethnic and religious identity of the Chaldean population of = Iraq from=20 the Assyrians.

=93The statement is intended for distribution in Washington=94, = according=20 to a senior Assyrian political representative in Chicago. = Observers in=20 Chicago, Michigan, and California are calling the statement as the = "most=20 devastating blow to Christian political unity and power in = post-Saddam=20 Iraq". Another commentator said in an interview with Zinda = Magazine: =93The=20 new Iraq has no place for religious fervor and the separation of = Church=20 and State will not be easily accepted by many Moslem and Christian = heads.=94

The Assyrians, according to this statement, comprise less than = one=20 percent of the Iraqi population and should be treated as any other = ethnic=20 group: "Chaldeans are ready to work in harmony and collaboration = with all=20 the other ethnic and religious groups in Iraq, particularly with = the=20 Assyrians, provided that the Chaldean identity is recognized and=20 preserved," says the statement.

Last week leaders of local Moslem Iraqi groups in Detroit were = invited=20 by the Chaldean bishops to discuss the future role of the = Chaldeans in a=20 post-Saddam Iraq.

To further illustrate their desire for separating the Chaldean = identity=20 from the Assyrian national character the controversial Chaldean = bishops in=20 the U.S. demanded a separate ethnic category for the Chaldean = population=20 between the Kurdish-Arab constituency and before the Assyrians and = Turkomen: "Since Chaldeans are numerically the third segment of = the actual=20 Iraqi population (being approximately 650,000 people inside Iraq) = and=20 since they represent 3.5% of the total population, it is fair and=20 democratic to mention them, in the official US documents and = speeches,=20 immediately after the Arabs and Kurds, i.e. before the Turkmen and = the=20 Assyrians and other minorities."

According to Zinda Magazine sources in Iraq and North America, = neither=20 any other Chaldean bishop nor His Beatitude Mar Raphael Bidawid, = the=20 Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, have endorsed the = released=20 statement.

Assyrian political observers and political groups are meeting = this week=20 in Chicago to discuss this latest divisive tactic perpetrated by = the=20 controversial Chaldean bishops in the U.S. A "statement of unity = and hope"=20 among all Christian denominations with respect to all Assyrian and = Christian religious denominations is expected at the end of this=20 meeting.

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

[Z-info:=20 The following is the full statement released on 11 May, courtesy = of the=20 Chaldean News Agency. CNA is supported by the two Chaldean = eparchies in=20 the United States.]

"Bishops Present a Compelling Vision for Chaldeans = in New=20 Iraq"

In a historic move reflecting the newly acquired confidence of = Iraq's=20 Christian minority in demanding its involvement in the shaping of = its own=20 future in the new Iraq, the United States Chaldean bishops, = representing=20 the largest Chaldean community outside Iraq, presented a = compelling vision=20 for the Chaldeans. A vision that could well serves as the = political=20 program and agenda of the Chaldeans in the new Iraq.

Iraqi Christians, and for centuries, have been treated as = second class=20 citizens by its Muslim rulers. During the regime of Saddam Hussein = an=20 aggressive Arabization campaign was unleashed against Iraq's = non-Arab=20 citizens, including its Chaldean natives. Tens of Chaldean = villages and=20 churches were razed to ground in the government efforts to crush = the=20 Kurdish revolt resulting in a massive immigration of Chaldeans to = Arab=20 towns and specifically to Baghdad. There, they were subjected to = Saddam's=20 propaganda machine in an attempt to kill their Chaldean identity = and=20 replace it with an Arab one.

With the Chaldean masses closely attached to their ancient=20 two-thousands-years-old church, the voices of the two Chaldean = Bishops=20 should add a powerful momentum to the Chaldean nationalist = movement. It=20 would also have a tremendous impact on the involvement of Chaldean = laymen=20 in the events currently shaping the future of Iraq and that of = their=20 nation; an involvement that would certainly have a positive impact = on=20 Iraq's movement towards a democratic and pluralistic system.

Below is the historic memorandum of Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim of = Detroit,=20 Michigan and Bishop Sarhad Jammo of San Diego, California:

MEMORANDUM ON CHALDEANS IN THE NEW IRAQ

A. Chaldean Ethnic and Cultural Identity

1) Contemporary Chaldeans are the descendants of the = inhabitants of=20 ancient Mesopotamia, and are the heirs to and the continuation of = its=20 civilization, particularly through their preservation of the = Aramaic=20 language, culture and heritage. Their ancestors converted to = Christianity=20 during the first centuries of the Christian era. Their Church, the = Chaldean Catholic Church, in communion with the Roman Catholic = Church, is=20 the heir of the ancient Mesopotamian Church of the East.

2) Since the middle of the 16th century until the present time, = the=20 majority of Christians of Mesopotamia, today's Iraq, restored = their=20 ancient name "Chaldean" as the expression of their ethnic and = cultural=20 identity.
This nomenclature in fact refers to the last = national=20 Mesopotamian Empire with its splendid Capital Babylon, before = foreign=20 invaders conquered the country (i.e. the Parthians, the Persians, = the=20 Arabs, the Mongols, and finally the Ottoman Turks). The language = of=20 ancient and contemporary Chaldeans is Aramaic, the same language = that=20 Jesus Christ spoke.

3) The cultural and ethnic grouping of the population of Iraq = consists=20 of the following ethnicities:

70 % Arabs
20 % Kurds
3.5 % Chaldeans (approximately = 650,000=20 inside Iraq)
1.0 % Syriacs
0.5 % Assyrians

2.5% Turkmen
2.5% all other minorities.

Though relatively a small segment in number, the Chaldeans of = today's=20 Iraq are more than a mere minority group. They represent the = historic=20 remnant of ancient Mesopotamia. Moreover, they have their = ancestral towns=20 and villages within the actual borders of present-day Iraq.

B. Political Background

1) The Iraqi Chaldeans, since the establishment of the Iraqi = state in=20 the early twenties, have been recognized as valuable force in the = Iraqi=20 cultural and political arena, and many of them have emerged in = modern=20 times as prominent civil servants. Several Chaldeans were = appointed=20 Ministers of Government; the Chaldean Patriarch himself served, = until the=20 establishment of the Republic of Iraq in 1958, as Senator in the = Iraqi=20 Senate. The regime of Saddam Hussein continued adopting the well=20 established governmental attitude of relying on the expertise and = skills=20 of the Chaldean technocrats.

2) Nonetheless, because of their ethnic and cultural identity,=20 different from that of the Arabs, and because of their Christian = religion,=20 different from Islam, Chaldeans endured discrimination and = persecution=20 since the Arab invasion of Iraq (A.D. 634) until the present = time.

In the last century, until the collapse of the Baath Regime in = Iraq,=20 Chaldeans suffered greatly. Their Chaldean language, the major = dialect of=20 Aramaic, had no chance to be taught in schools and used in = communication=20 media; Arabization was sponsored and enforced by the State. Their = villages=20 and properties were confiscated or destroyed; their private and = parochial=20 schools were nationalized without compensation; they were forced = out of=20 their ancestral lands to become refugees all over the world.

Actual Political Implications:

1) The Chaldeans in the United States, approximately 150,000 = strong,=20 have in recent decades freely expressed an ethnic and cultural = awareness=20 of who they are, by asserting that Chaldeans are a distinct people = different from Arabs, Kurds, Persians, Turkish, or Turkmen. In = fact, they=20 were recognized by the Census Federal Bureau as a distinct ethnic = and=20 cultural community.

2) The Chaldeans, being a distinct ethnic and cultural segment = of the=20 population of Iraq, genuinely rooted in its millenarian history, = they will=20 accept to be represented only by Chaldeans speaking in the name of = Chaldean organizations, and maintain everywhere that they shall = reject any=20 non-Chaldean, political or otherwise, individual or organization, = claiming=20 to represent them.

Nevertheless, Chaldeans are ready to work in harmony and = collaboration=20 with all the other ethnic and religious groups in Iraq, = particularly with=20 the Assyrians, provided that the Chaldean identity is recognized = and=20 preserved.

3) The Chaldeans agree with the United States government policy = in=20 promoting a new Iraq that is based on the principles of = territorial=20 integrity, respect of human rights, minority rights, and of = pluralistic=20 democracy. As implementation of that very policy we present the = following=20 legitimate demands of Chaldeans in the new Iraq:

- Constitutional recognition of Chaldeans as an ethnic = segment of the=20 Iraqi population, immediately after the Arabs and Kurds, with = their=20 cultural, administrative, and political rights.
- Fair = representation=20 in all the government branches: legislative, executive, and=20 judiciary.
- Equal right of access to governmental offices = and=20 positions, to mass media, and to free professions.
- Cultural = rights=20 particularly regarding Aramaic language, private schools, and=20 associations.
- The right to return to their homes and = ancestral=20 villages and lands.
- The right to fair reparation for = confiscated or=20 nationalized properties.
- In areas where Chaldeans make up = the=20 majority of the population -around Mosul, Zakho-Dehok, and = Erbil--=20 Chaldeans should be allowed regional self-administration.
- = In regard=20 to religion: It is imperative that the Iraqi constitution = guarantees the=20 freedom of religion, and that Islam is not the religion of the = State,=20 and that all citizens, regardless of their faith, are of equal = rights.=20 Therefore, separation of religion and state should be the clear = law of=20 the new Iraq.

C. Recommendations for immediate action

1) We recommend that the United States support the inclusion of = Chaldeans as a recognized and valid partner in the process, = currently=20 being undertaken, that will expectedly result in a new government = in Iraq,=20 and that the United States will endorse, as well, a secured = recognition of=20 their rights in the new Iraqi Constitution and government.

At the present time, there are two Chaldean organizations = working to=20 express and represent the political aspirations of Chaldeans; we = endorse=20 both of them:

- The Chaldean National Congress with world-wide branches and = representatives.
- The Chaldean Democratic Union, operating = within=20 Iraq.

2) Since Chaldeans are numerically the third segment of the = actual=20 Iraqi population (being approximately 650,000 people inside Iraq) = and=20 since they represent 3.5 % of the total population, it is fair and = democratic to mention them, in the official US documents and = speeches,=20 immediately after the Arabs and Kurds, i.e. before the Turkmen and = the=20 Assyrians and other minorities.

May 5, 2003
San Diego, = California

Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim
St. Thomas = the=20 Apostle of
Chaldean Catholic Diocese, USA

Bishop Sarhad Y. Jammo
St. Peter the=20 Apostle
Chaldean Catholic Diocese, USA

PROUD CHALDEANS DEFEND HERITAGE =

Courtesy of the Detroit Free Press (13 = May); by=20 Marsha Low & Victoria Turk

(ZNDA: Detroit) A battle over identity erupted thousands of = years ago=20 in a dusty land known as Mesopotamia. It persisted into modern-day = Iraq,=20 and migrated to the sweetshops, restaurants and business meetings = of metro=20 Detroit.

Now the dispute between Chaldeans and Arabs is reaching full = boil as it=20 seeps into the offices of U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Collins and even = into=20 Detroit Tigers events planning.

At issue: Are Chaldeans also Arabs?

Chaldeans say no. Arabs say yes.

And the debate continues.

As Iraq struggles to rebuild, attention continues to center on = the=20 country and its mosaic of ethnicities. And as people of Middle = Eastern=20 descent continue to be scrutinized and detained throughout the = country and=20 metro Detroit in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, = more are=20 trying to disassociate themselves from the umbrella term = frequently used=20 when referring to people of the region: Arab.

Metro Detroit's Arab community -- with ancestral roots in=20 Arabic-speaking countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi = Arabia=20 -- quickly established itself by organizing help agencies, = building=20 cultural centers and assigning leaders to speak on its behalf. =

Chaldeans -- Iraqi Catholics who speak a distinct language -- = recently=20 began making strides to assimilate, organize and interject their = newfound=20 voices into the political arena. As Chaldeans gain confidence and = assert=20 themselves, Arab leaders are growing more impatient. Meanwhile, = the public=20 at large remains baffled by the debate as the communities try to = work=20 toward consensus.

"This is growing pains," said Adhid Miri, president of the = Chaldean=20 Iraqi American Association of Michigan, based in Southfield. "This = struggle for identity is what all new communities face when they=20 immigrate. Through time, things will change, and this issue of = Chaldeans=20 being Arabs will no longer exist."

Disparate treatment

After Sept. 11, 2001, Collins, the U.S. attorney, began hosting = monthly=20 meetings with local leaders of Middle Eastern descent. Held in = Collins'=20 Detroit office, the discussions center on protecting the community = from=20 hate crimes and on what government agencies can do tohelp.

At first, both Arab and Chaldean leaders participated, but = Chaldean=20 attendance waned last year and has been sporadic since.

Saad Marouf, chairman of the Southfield-based Chaldean = Federation of=20 America, said that he and others within his organization initially = attended the meetings. While most people of Middle Eastern = ancestry say=20 they faced harassment after Sept. 11 because the general public is = unable=20 to differentiate between the various ethnicities by appearance, = Marouf=20 claims Chaldeans did not experience the difficulty that Arabs did. = For=20 that reason, he said, Chaldeans stopped participating in the = meetings.=20

Last month, Ramsay Dass, a Chaldean American representing a = fledgling=20 group of Middle East Christians, went to the meeting and told the = group=20 that Chaldeans are distinct from Arabs and require their own=20 representation.

"It was irritating to so many around the table to hear this = desire for=20 separation when at the end of the day, we have the same issues," = said Imad=20 Hamad, director of the Dearborn-based American Arab = Anti-Discrimination=20 Committee. "Nothing he said was new to us, but we never expected = that this=20 meeting would be used as a forum to air this desire for = separation."

According to Hamad and most other Arabs, the debate breaks down = this=20 way: Chaldeans are from Iraq, Iraq is an Arab nation, Chaldeans = therefore=20 are Arabs.

Chaldeans argue they are the descendants of the Babylonians. = They speak=20 Chaldean -- derived from Aramaic, much as French comes from Latin. = They=20 are Catholic and they have their own cuisine and culture. For = these=20 reasons, Chaldeans claim not to be Arab.

"When we say we are not Arab, we do this without malice," = Marouf said.=20 "It is unfortunate, but people don't want to be called Arab = because of=20 9/11. The work of a handful of people tarnished the reputation and = name of=20 an entire group. But now when you say Arab, people think Muslim. = This is=20 another reason we do not want to be called Arab."

Similarly, the Kurds who hail from northern Iraq have their own = language and do not claim to be Arab. But because the population = of Kurds=20 in Michigan and the United States is small, the debate over = identity is=20 subdued.

Others say the identity battle is moot because there is no = right or=20 wrong.

"We academics don't think there is any such thing as a correct=20 identity. We believe it is a matter of invention," said Juan Cole, = a=20 University of Michigan professor of history and the modern Middle = East.=20 "Being identified as Arab is a matter of political negotiation and = dispute."

Some say it can be a matter of money.

Many Chaldeans say that Arab-led agencies claiming to represent = both=20 Arabs and Chaldeans have received state and private funding to = support=20 programs and to build community centers.

Chaldeans say they are not using these resources and are = building their=20 own center in West Bloomfield.

Martin Manna, board president for Chaldean Americans Reaching = &=20 Encouraging (CARE), a West Bloomfield-based agency that promotes = diversity=20 and education, said: "The Arab community lobbies the state and=20 corporations all the time saying they represent us. Now we're = going for=20 our own, so the Arabs have a lot to lose -- they might lose = money."

Arab leaders dispute the suggestion and deny that they attempt = to=20 represent the Chaldeans.

"Chaldeans should represent themselves," said Nasser Beydoun, = executive=20 director of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce in Dearborn. = "They have=20 their own social and cultural issues to address."

Special Day at The Park

But there are some who say they do not think separation is = prudent for=20 Iraqi Americans. They argue that separation dilutes the power of = the=20 collective voice. And they think there are more important issues = at hand.=20

"This is the wrong time to make distinctions between people," = said=20 Ashley Mammo, an attorney from Southfield who is Chaldean, but = also=20 identifies herself as Iraqi and Arab. "Right now, we should see = ourselves=20 as Iraqi Americans for the welfare of the Iraqi people who are = dealing=20 with conflict in the country right now."

The debate found its way into the offices of Comerica Park, = home of the=20 Detroit Tigers.

Last year, the Tigers began discussions with the region's Arab=20 Americans to plan a day of appreciation. Jim Stapleton, senior = vice=20 president of business affairs for the ball club, said plans are = tentative=20 and that the event is one of several the organization is planning = to honor=20 minority groups.

Arab leaders said plans would include offering discounted = tickets to=20 the area's Arab organizations. Achieving Arabs would be honored at = the=20 beginning of every inning. The national anthem would be sung by an = Arab=20 American. Arab vendors would be hired to serve shawarma, hummus = and=20 tabbouleh.

But when Chaldeans learned of the event, they wanted to be = included.=20 They wanted one of their own to sing, and they wanted recognition = for=20 their people.

Manna, who is working to plan the event, said that concessions = were=20 made and the Aug. 30 game against the Chicago White Sox will be = called=20 Arab Chaldean Day.

"We know the Arabs will be upset, but we hope they will = understand that=20 we are our own voice," said Manna of CARE. "Maybe they will = boycott, but=20 if they do, they would be sending the wrong message. I hope we can = resolve=20 the issue and enjoy the day."

Beydoun said metro Detroit's Arab community is thankful for the = recognition. But he also expects the name of the occasion to be a = source=20 of agitation.

"Of course, this will irritate some people," Beydoun said. "But = I do=20 not believe there will be a protest of that day. The Tigers aren't = doing=20 that well anyway, so maybe no one will go."

IRAQ'S FORGOTTEN CHRISTIANS FACE = EXCLUSION IN=20 GREECE

Courtesy of the Athens News (2 May); by = Kathy=20 Tzilivakis

(ZNDA: Athens) They are descendants of the ancient Assyrians - = builders=20 of the earliest civilisation - and are determined to keep their = culture=20 alive, though thousands are undocumented and marginalised

A DREAM lost in limbo: After 14 years, one man - an Assyrian = from=20 northern Iraq - has all but given up hope that he and his family = will one=20 day call Greece their home.

"It's a shame," says the man, who wants to be called Petros, = although=20 that is not his real name. "We've been in Greece for many years. = We don't=20 make any trouble, we live a quiet life. Two of my children were = born here.=20 My oldest daughter was very young when we came to Greece. This is = the only=20 home they know."

Like several thousand other Assyrians (from Iraq, Iran, Syria = and=20 Turkey) in Greece, Petros has no papers, no residence permit. And = like=20 countless others who fled Iraq seeking shelter in Greece, his = application=20 for political asylum was rejected. Twice.

"We are not asking anyone for money," says Petros. "All we want = is=20 papers. But the government says there is no way. We are now = waiting. Will=20 they pass another law? Will my two children who were born here be = eligible=20 for citizenship one day?"

For Petros and thousands of other Assyrians in this country, = home is=20 where the end of the line is: Greece. But the vast majority of = Iraqi=20 Assyrians in Greece are undocumented. Many of them arrived over a = decade=20 ago to escape the Iran-Iraq war. Others fled the difficult = conditions=20 under the embargo. An estimated 90 percent are without papers and = many of=20 them are trying to reunite with relatives in other European = countries or=20 in the United States, Canada and Australia. They lead a shadowy = existence.=20

Like many others, Petros does not have proper identification to = open a=20 bank account and he has no health insurance for his family. His = children=20 will soon graduate from high school but will have no ID card in = order to=20 obtain their certificate of studies.

Modern Assyrians in Greece

An estimated 6,000 Assyrians live in Greece. Only several = hundred have=20 applied for asylum. Some have managed to obtain residence and work = permits. About 1,000 are naturalised Greek citizens. The rest have = no=20 papers.

Greece's Assyrian community can be traced back to the 1920s, = when the=20 Assyrian Federation of Greece was formed. This organisation was = officially=20 recognised by the Greek state in 1934. Today, the group serves as = the=20 community's social support network. In Athens, Assyrian migrants = are=20 concentrated mainly in the western Athens suburb of Aegaleo and in = the=20 eastern suburb of Kalamaki.

In Aegaleo, Assyrians gather at least twice a month in a small=20 makeshift church for Sunday prayer. Mass is conducted by an = Assyrian=20 priest from Sweden. The Assyrians were the first to embrace = Christianity=20 in the 1st century AD.

In a bid to keep their culture alive, special lessons in the = ancient=20 language were held at a centre run by the Social Work Foundation, = a=20 non-governmental organisation assisting asylum-seekers and = refugees in=20 Athens. About 100 youngsters attended these classes last year. = Today,=20 lessons are offered by the Assyrian Federation of Greece.

Without a homeland

Even though the Assyrian empire fell in 612 BC, there are some = 4.5=20 million people who call themselves Assyrians. The heartland of = Assyria is=20 located in present-day northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, = southeastern=20 Turkey and northwestern Iran. The remains of the ancient capital = of=20 Assyria, Nineveh, are near Mosul in northern Iraq.

Today, millions of Assyrians are spread across Iraq, Syria, = Turkey and=20 Iran. There are also hundreds of thousands living outside the = Middle East.=20 The diaspora is heavily concentrated in Canada, the US (about = 400,000) and=20 across Europe. An estimated 30,000 live in Germany, 15,000 in = France,=20 8,000 in the United Kingdom and some 3,000 in Italy.

"Now that the war in Iraq is over, if the regime changes, if = there is=20 polyphony and freedom for Assyrians in Iraq, many will probably = return to=20 their homes," notes Mr. Batsaras, president of the Assyrian = Federation of=20 Greece.

ASSYRIAN STATUE, GOING CHEAP =

Courtesy of the Guardian =96 London (24 = April); by=20 Jane Morris

(ZNDA: London) We do not know how bad the looting of Iraq's = museums has=20 been, nor how many historic objects are smashed or sitting in = Iraqi homes.=20 But at least some of Iraq's historic treasures will have started = the long=20 journey west to be sold in the shady corners of London's = antiquities=20 market.

Assyrian statues and cuneiform tablets will join the tide of = objects=20 flooding west, from Cambodia and Latin America, Africa and China. = Some=20 objects are stolen to order, but many are passed from local people = up a=20 chain that starts with a handful of dollars and ends in a Mayfair = or=20 Manhattan gallery. On the way, they will be smuggled across = borders,=20 disguised as fakes or passed off with forged documents.

Unlike the glamorous high jinks of films such as Topkapi or The = Thomas=20 Crown Affair, much of this crime begins as something fairly = mundane.=20 Ordinary people sell in local markets. Stallholders sell to = dealers in=20 capital cities. Dealers in capital cities have international = contacts,=20 legal and illegal. A few, very valuable and recognisable artefacts = may be=20 bought by that shadowy figure, the rapacious international art = collector=20 who wants what he wants and does not care about price or legality. =

Last week the first rumours started circulating of looted Iraqi = pieces=20 for sale in Paris. On Monday, the FBI confiscated suspected loot = in a US=20 airport. With London one of the most important markets for art and = antiquities, including objects from the Middle East, there is = little doubt=20 that artefacts are making their way towards the UK.

How does an Assyrian statue end up in a private London gallery = in the=20 chaotic aftermath of a war? All too easily. London has long had a=20 reputation, second only to Switzerland, for handling objects that = are=20 dubious, and which many experts believe are looted. So much so = that London=20 and Geneva are now the two main marketplaces for stolen = antiquities.

The trade in stolen artefacts is not new. But it is getting = more=20 widespread, as western collectors expand their interests to Asia = and=20 Africa. Non-western collectors are also joining the fray. Since = the Soviet=20 withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, the Kabul Museum has been = stripped=20 almost bare. Archaeologists believe that many of its items are in = the=20 hands of wealthy Pakistanis. Tokyo is also becoming as important a = market=20 as London, Geneva and New York.

Meanwhile, the desecration of historic sites continues = unabated. Since=20 1975, the temples and monuments of Angkor Wat, Cambodia, have been = wrecked. Hundreds of stone Buddhas have been hacked off, with the = heads=20 particularly prized. In China, archaeological sites are routinely=20 plundered. Yet the local looter risks paying a terrible price. In = 2000,=20 three local men were executed in Shanxi Province for passing 15 = Tang=20 dynasty murals to the international trade. The market exploits = some of the=20 poorest people in the world, who loot their heritage at risk of = their=20 lives.

What is surprising is the weakness of international = legislation.=20 Britain, after years of resistance, finally signed the most basic = of=20 international treaties, the Unesco treaty on illicit trade, but it = rejects=20 the sort of legislation in force in Italy or Finland, where it is=20 difficult for dealers to claim that stolen goods were bought in = good=20 faith. China, Argentina and Brazil all have tougher regimes than = the UK.=20 Meanwhile, the laxity of Swiss law and international legal = loopholes allow=20 many items to be "laundered" via Geneva and appear, apparently = clean, in=20 London.

Last week, the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, claimed that = everything=20 was being done to stop the illicit trade. This is far from the = truth. An=20 important piece of legislation that would make dealing in illicit=20 artefacts a criminal offence is stalled in a line of 12 private = members'=20 bills. Jowell claimed that sanctions prohibit the trade in Iraqi=20 antiquities, but the British School of Archaeology in Iraq = believes that=20 10,000 items have passed through London since the first Gulf war. =

Hope for Iraq's plundered heritage is not entirely gone. The = government=20 could answer the calls of the British Museum and Unesco to halt = sales of=20 Iraqi antiquities until their origins are established. Instead of = leaving=20 it to the eagle eyes of museums and the most ethical dealers to = spot=20 suspicious objects, it could draw up a database of types of = objects and=20 actively police it. It could break the confidentiality that = surrounds the=20 art and antiques trade and so often acts as a shield. Most = crucially, it=20 could change the burden of proof, so dealers have to show that an = artefact=20 isn't stolen, rather than forcing the authorities to prove that it = was -=20 an often difficult undertaking.

But it is not all about the law. The government could also = start to=20 educate ordinary collectors to ask themselves how ancient objects = in their=20 local dealer's came to be where they are. Until ordinary, = all-too-innocent=20 buyers do that, they areunwittingly feeding the international = markets just=20 as much as their unscrupulous and criminal counterparts.

[Z-info:=20 Jane Morris is the editor of Museums Journal in = London.]

POPE STRESSES RELIGIOUS LIBERTY FOR = EASTERN RITE=20 CATHOLICS

Courtesy of Zenit News (12 = May)

(ZNDA: Vatican) In his meeting with students of the Eastern = rite=20 Pontifical Seminaries of Rome this week, John Paul II appealed for = peace,=20 development, and religious liberty in countries inhabited by = Eastern rite=20 Catholics.

These Catholic communities, while in communion with the Bishop = of Rome,=20 differ from the Latin tradition in their various rites. According = to the=20 Pontifical Yearbook, there are five Eastern rite traditions: = Alexandrian,=20 Antiochian, Armenian, Chaldean, and Byzantine or = Constantinopolitan.

Although some of these Catholics have had to leave their = countries=20 because of persecutions or political and economic problems, the = majority=20 of these faithful are in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. They = are=20 spread over a wide geographic area that extends from North Africa = to Asia.=20

"Turning to the many countries you come from," the Holy Father = said, "I=20 must strongly repeat the hope that peace will be ever more = consolidated in=20 that region; that fair and peaceful solutions will restore harmony = and=20 good living conditions to the populations so sorely tried by = tensions and=20 unjust oppression."

"May the Lord illuminate the leaders of nations so that they = will=20 courageously work, with respect for the law, for the good of = everyone, and=20 for the freedom of every religious community," he added.

The Pope exercises his ministry as Bishop of Rome to the = Eastern rite=20 Churches with the Vatican Congregation for the Oriental Churches, = whose=20 prefect is Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, patriarch emeritus of = Antioch=20 of the Syrians.

The Holy Father applauded this congregation's initiative to = offer=20 Arabic-speaking priests of different Eastern rites the possibility = of a=20 center of formation in Rome, at the College of St. Ephrem, to = pursue their=20 ecclesiastical studies and carry out apostolic activities.

John Paul II said this service is decisive for the "defense of = the=20 ritual identity and ecclesial and pastoral maturation" of these = priests.=20

In particular, the Holy Father suggested "knowledge of the = liturgy of=20 the Oriental Churches and of the spiritual traditions of the = Fathers and=20 Doctors of the Christian East."

Lastly, the Pope encouraged greater mutual understanding = between Latin=20 and Eastern rite Catholics, to grow in "the unity" of the = universal=20 Church. It is necessary to "avoid tensions between Latins and = Orientals=20 and to stimulate dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox," he=20 concluded.

On Tuesday, the Indian bishops met the Holy Father before = concluding=20 their 'ad limina' visit to Rome in two separate gatherings, one = for the=20 Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Churches, the other for the = Syro-Malankara=20 Churches. Their origins, according to tradition go back 1950 = years, when=20 they received the Gospel from the lips of the Apostle, St. Thomas. =

The Holy Father stressed, particularly to the Eastern rite = Catholics=20 who have an extraordinary cultural richness, that differences in = rituals=20 should not be the cause of divisions within the Church.

Christians of the Syro-Malabar Church, belonging to the = Chaldean ritual=20 tradition, have Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil as their pastor. This = Church=20 numbers over 3.5 million faithful. In 1992, John Paul II = recognized it as=20 an "autonomous Church" in full communion with Rome.

The great vitality and growth of the Syro-Malabar Church is = reflected=20 especially in the great number of vocations to the priesthood and=20 consecrated life. Close to 70% of the 120,000 vocations in India = -- whose=20 Catholic population numbers 15 million -- come from this Church. =

The Syro-Malankara Church belongs to the Antiochian ritual = tradition,=20 and has as its pastor, Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselios of Trivandrum = who is=20 also president of the episcopal conference of India.

This Church of 400,000 faithful, 4 dioceses, 7 Bishops, and 4 = religious=20 Congregations, recovered full communion with Rome in 1930, at the = time of=20 Pius XI.

"Evangelization lies at the heart of the Christian faith. = India,=20 blessed with so many different cultures, is a land in which the = people=20 yearn for God; this makes your distinctly Indian liturgy an = excellent way=20 of evangelization," the Pope said.

"Authentic evangelization is sensitive to local culture and = custom,=20 always respecting the 'inalienable right' of each and every person = to=20 religious freedom," he added.

"Here the principle remains valid: 'The Church proposes, she = imposes=20 nothing' (Redemptoris Missio, 39)." This "openness, however, can = never=20 diminish the obligation to proclaim Jesus Christ as 'the Way, and = the=20 Truth, and the Life' (John 14:6). For the Incarnation of the Lord = enriches=20 all human values, enabling them to bear new and better fruit," he = said.=20

In this connection, the Pope made several recommendations to = Eastern=20 rite Catholics.

Addressing the Syro-Malabar bishops, John Paul II urged them to = keep=20 the Eucharist as "the most precious possession which the Church = can have=20 in her journey through history, in particular, "against = unwarranted=20 experimentation by individual priests which violate the integrity = of the=20 liturgy itself and can also cause great harm to the faithful." =

The Holy Father also invited them to renew their "ritual = patrimony,"=20 but emphasized the "urgent need to overcome the fears and=20 misunderstandings which appear at times between the Eastern = Churches and=20 the Latin Church."

When addressing the bishops of the Syro-Malankara Church, the = Holy=20 Father said: "At a moment of growing secularism and, at times, of = blatant=20 disregard for the sanctity of human life, bishops are called to = remind the=20 people by their preaching and teaching of the need for an ever = deeper=20 reflection on moral and social issues."

"All Christians are obliged to participate in this prophetic = mission by=20 taking a firm stand against the current crisis of values and by = constantly=20 reminding others of the universal truths which must be manifest in = daily=20 living," the Pope concluded.

Pope's Address to the Bishops of the Syro-Malankara = Church of=20 India

[Z-info:=20 The following is the address John Paul II delivered to the bishops = of the=20 Syro-Malankara Church of India at the conclusion of their "ad = Limina=20 Apostolorum" visit.]

Dear Brother Bishops,

1. "Christo pastorum Principi". Repeating the words employed by = my=20 illustrious predecessor, Pope Pius XI, when he received your = forefathers=20 into full communion just over seventy years ago, I am pleased to = welcome=20 you, the Bishops of the Syro-Malankara Church, on the occasion of = your ad=20 Limina visit. In being with you, I draw closer to the priests, = Religious=20 and lay faithful of your Eparchies. Indeed, it is fitting that as = your=20 community celebrates the Fiftieth Anniversary of the death of = Archbishop=20 Mar Ivanios, a tireless apostle for unity, you find yourselves at = the=20 tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul praying with Christ "ut omnes = unum=20 sint". I take this opportunity to greet especially Archbishop = Cyril Mar=20 Baselios. I am grateful for the good wishes you have conveyed on = behalf of=20 the clergy, Religious and faithful of the Syro-Malankara Church. =

As we give thanks together for these important landmarks in = your=20 ecclesial life, we are also mindful of the multiple blessings that = have=20 been bestowed on your Church in a relatively short time. You have = become=20 one of the fastest growing Catholic communities in the world, = boasting=20 large numbers of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, = and your=20 pusillus grex is home to many educational and welfare = institutions. The=20 new Law of Christ which compels us to go beyond the boundaries of = family,=20 race, tribe or nation is concretely manifested in your generosity = to=20 others (cf. Mt 5:44).

2. An undaunted commitment to Christian love, so clearly = demonstrated=20 in the Syro-Malankara community, is the product of a strong and = vibrant=20 spirituality. The people of India rightly take pride in their rich = cultural and spiritual heritage, expressed in the innate = characteristics=20 of "contemplation, simplicity, harmony, detachment, non-violence,=20 discipline, frugal living, the thirst for learning and = philosophical=20 enquiry" which distinguish those living on the subcontinent. These = same=20 traits permeate the Syro-Malankara community, allowing the Church = to=20 "communicate the Gospel in a way which is faithful both to her own = traditions and to the Asian soul" (cf. Ecclesia in Asia, 6).

The mystical heritage of your continent is not only expressed = in the=20 spiritual life of your faithful but is also seen in your = time-honored=20 rites. The ancient and revered Syro-Malankara liturgical tradition = is a=20 treasure which reflects the universal nature of Christ s salvific = work in=20 a uniquely Indian context. Your Eucharistic Celebration, like all=20 celebrations of the Paschal Sacrifice, "contains the Church s = entire=20 spiritual wealth: Christ himself, our Passover and living bread.=20 Consequently the gaze of the Church is constantly turned to her = Lord=20 present in the Sacrament of the Altar, in which she discovers the = full=20 manifestation of his boundless love" (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 4). =

3. At a moment of growing secularism and, at times, of blatant=20 disregard for the sanctity of human life, Bishops are called to = remind the=20 people by their preaching and teaching of the need for an ever = deeper=20 reflection on moral and social issues. The Syro-Malankara presence = in the=20 fields of education and social services places you in an excellent = position to prepare all men and women of good will to face these = issues in=20 a truly human manner. In fact, all Christians are obliged to = participate=20 in this prophetic mission by taking a firm stand against the = current=20 crisis of values and by constantly reminding others of the = universal=20 truths which must be manifest in daily living. More often than = not, this=20 lesson is taught by actions rather than by words. As the Apostle = Paul=20 says: "Make love your aim, and earnestly desire the spiritual = gifts,=20 especially that you may prophesy" (1 Cor 14:1).

Responding to this challenge in a proper fashion necessitates = an=20 inculturation of Christian ethics at all levels of human society; = this is=20 a difficult and delicate task. "By her very mission the Church = travels the=20 same journey as all humanity and shares the same human lot with = the world:=20 she is to be leaven, and as it were the soul of human society in = its=20 renewal by Christ and transformation into the family of God" (cf.=20 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 854). Your long experience as a = small=20 community of Christians in a predominately non-Christian land has = prepared=20 you to become this "leaven", a fitting instrument of = transformation. The=20 process is never simply an "external" one but requires an intimate = change=20 of cultural values through integration into Christianity and = subsequent=20 insertion into the various human cultures. This complicated task = cannot be=20 accomplished, however, without adequate reflection and evaluation, = ensuring always that Christ s saving message is never diluted or = altered=20 in an attempt to make it more culturally or socially acceptable = (cf.=20 Ecclesia in Asia, 21).

4. Your special ministry, as shepherds of growing flocks, = requires=20 close collaboration with your co-workers. As I wrote in my = Post-Synodal=20 Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis, "priests exist and act = in order=20 to proclaim the Gospel to the world and to build up the Church in = the name=20 of Christ the Head and Shepherd" (No.15). Properly trained = ambassadors of=20 Christ are necessary for this ministry of "building up the = Church". For=20 this reason Bishops must work unceasingly to identify and = encourage young=20 people to answer the call to the priesthood and the religious = life. In=20 this regard, I pray that you will continue to do all in your power = to=20 ensure that those with priestly or religious vocations are well = prepared.=20 This entails ensuring that the seminaries under your protection = are always=20 models of formation according to the example of Jesus Christ and = his=20 commandment to love (cf. Jn 15:12). Training must be specifically=20 Christ-centered through the proclamation of the holy Scriptures = and the=20 celebration of the Sacraments.

The same is true of the formation of candidates for consecrated = life.=20 "All are to have appropriate formation and training which should = be=20 Christ-centered ... with emphasis on personal sanctity and = witness; their=20 spirituality and lifestyle should be sensitive to the religious = heritage=20 of the people among whom they live and whom they serve" (Ecclesia = in Asia,=20 44). As Bishops, you are the source of guidance and strength for = the=20 religious communities in your Eparchies. Through close cooperation = with=20 religious superiors you must help to guarantee that the training = received=20 by candidates transforms their hearts, minds and souls in such a = way that=20 they are enabled to give themselves without reservation to the = work of the=20 Church. Your strong leadership will do much to encourage religious = communities to persevere in their edifying example as witnesses to = Christ=20 s joy.

5. Dear Brother Bishops, these are some of the thoughts that = your visit=20 evokes. The Solemnity of Easter which we have just celebrated = urges you to=20 allow the Risen Lord to renew continually the Churches under your = care.=20 Entrusting you to Mary, Queen of the Rosary, I pray that through = her=20 intercession the Holy Spirit will indeed fill you with joy and = peace, and=20 I impart my Apostolic Blessing to you and to the priests, = Religious and=20 faithful of your Eparchies.

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

WAS IT WORTH = IT?

As you know that Assyrians were the = rulers and=20 owners of Iraq. They were the first supporters to the US = Troops who=20 liberated Iraq from the evil. Now, where do they stand? Are = they part=20 of the Iraqi Presidential Council?

E. Elia
United = States

LET US CONCENTRATE ON THE=20 ASSYRIANS

The thought itself of building = bridges and=20 lines of communications between the members of the Assyrian = Church of=20 the East and those of the Chaldean Catholic Church is rosy on = paper.=20 The reality is anything but that. The reasons are many. Allow = me to=20 address few points:

Dialogue is fruitful when the intentions are genuine. = Dialogue with=20 certain individuals, who have certain destructive agenda and = have=20 today concrete ties with the Kurds while yesterday with the = Ba'ath=20 regime, is useless. The Kurds are promoting these few = individuals and=20 no matter what Assyrians try to do it would be just waste of = time and=20 energy. The Kurds want this "Chaldean" category today to = undermine any=20 Assyrian national hopes in northern Iraq by presenting the = Assyrians=20 (without the Chaldeans) as a negligible minority. The Kurds = understand=20 very well that "Chaldean" as an ethnic group and on its own is = not a=20 threat for their plans for the so-called Kurdistan. The Kurds = know=20 very well that Chaldeanism as a national movement has no = historical=20 claim or foundation in northern Iraq. The Kurds have no = problem with=20 the Chaldeans as a Christian minority in the region. The Kurds = have=20 exactly equal history when compared with the title Chaldean in = north=20 of Iraq. The title Chaldean spread in north of Iraq in the mid = 19th=20 century, and became dominant in early 20th century. While the = Kurds=20 will promote it today to undermine the Assyrian case, they can = easily=20 discredit it tomorrow through legal and historical means. The = members=20 of the Chaldean Catholic Church must understand that they have = no=20 future in northern Iraq as ethnically "Chaldeans."

The = Catholic Assyrians (i.e. Chaldeans), generally speaking, have = not been=20 involved in their own national affairs. The political movement = of the=20 members of the Chaldean Catholic Church is only one year old, = if not=20 shorter, and it is steered by numbered individuals and does = not have=20 grass-root support. It has no future and it will disappear = when the=20 purpose of its creation is fulfilled. I understand that = members of the=20 Chaldean Catholic Church were involved in the Iraqi political = matters,=20 as some of them were members in the Iraqi Communist Party; = others were=20 ministers in Iraqi government and so forth in the early and = mid 20th=20 century. But those early politicians were simply working for = their own=20 personal benefits or fighting for Kurds or Arabs rights. = Furthermore,=20 I understand that few members of the Chaldean Catholic Church = were=20 nationalist Assyrians in the turn of the 20th century. Today, = just as=20 yesterday, the members of the Chaldean Catholic Church, who = assert=20 that they are ethnically Assyrians, cannot gain the support of = the=20 religiously oriented people as long as the bishops are in the=20 way.

The Chaldean Catholic Church clergymen have strong = presence within the Chaldean sect. The separation of church = and state=20 is non-existent in the community. The bishops have great = influence on=20 the congregation. Members of the said church will NOT stand = openly=20 against their bishops although few might complain behind = closed=20 doors.

What I am trying to say is that these few individuals will = do what=20 is planned already and nothing will make them change their = evil ways,=20 nothing. The Kurds in general and the Kurdish (un)Democratic = Party in=20 particular, do not want to see us united under one name. The = members=20 of the Chaldean Catholic Church have to understand that we = will not=20 gain in the final analysis if they went ahead with the = introduction of=20 the Chaldean category in Iraqi political, national, and = constitutional=20 matters. From one side, the members of the Chaldean sect have = no=20 history to back-up any claims for Chaldean ethnicity. From the = other=20 side, the Assyrians will not have the numbers to have that = meaningful=20 representation in future Iraq.

Iraq will be a better place for Iraqis; I have no doubt = about that.=20 But how much influence can we have in the future decision = making=20 process? The problem with this ever-going misunderstanding is = that the=20 process is channeling our energies in the wrong direction. I = think=20 that the Assyrians must concentrate on getting the best they = can from=20 the situation. They should stop wasting time on this "lost" = cause for=20 now at least and concentrate on improving themselves in Iraq = and their=20 case in the world community. The Assyrians have history behind = them=20 and they as the indigenous people of Iraq could, if they play = their=20 cards right, gain much through the international bodies = regardless to=20 their population figures. The United Nations has issued = numerous=20 declarations regarding special rights for the indigenous = people and we=20 must take advantage of those declarations. It seems to me that = concentrating on our national, linguistic, religious, and = ethnic=20 rights is better in the long run than having to drag ourselves = behind=20 the Chaldean movement that is geared towards the ideology of = the=20 "Mesopotamian concept" and that the people of Iraq are "our = people."=20 Iraq of tomorrow is not the Iraq of yesterday and if democracy = did=20 become the rule of the land, we must start from today the = defining the=20 means to establish more efficient cooperation between the = Diaspora=20 Assyrians and those inside Iraq.

Let us concentrate on those who are Assyrians; they have = suffered=20 enough and we have neglected them for so long.

Fred = Aprim
California

LET=92S TALK = SERIOUSLY

Let me first mention my full support = and=20 respect to Zinda magazine on your continuous efforts in well = informing=20 our Assyrian Nation of the critical times we are all facing = these days=20 after the collapse of brutal regime in Iraq (Bet-Nehrain). = Your=20 genuine attempts to prepare our Assyrian nation to be ready = for the=20 challenges facing us in the near future and to take historical = decisions and steps to secure the future of our coming = generations are=20 highly appreciated by vast majority of Assyrians communities = all over=20 the world.

I would like to bring your attention to one of our most = crucial=20 challenges we are facing today, i.e. the coward attempts to = divide our=20 nation based on religious and selfish benefits and to create = (God=20 forbid) sort of similar division in our nation that took place = in the=20 60's - old calendar church, that is to say Chaldeans, which I = believe=20 is much more wicked and dangerous, as the first one was based = on some=20 minor disagreements in our Church interpretation of certain = dates=20 based on old /new calendars and was supported by the Iraqi = regime to=20 divide our nation to take advantage in weakening our Nation, = this=20 issue may have some success for a short time in our Nation's = long=20 history that goes back to thousands of years and will be = resolved=20 sooner or later.

But looking at the new wicked attempts to divide our Nation = based=20 on ill thoughts and attempts to create new ethnic group as = Chaldians,=20 which we all know that they are religious group in our = Assyrian Nation=20 that were initially part of The Church of The East until 150 = years=20 back Rome succeeded to split our Church.

My thoughts on this issue is to start serious talks on the = highest=20 levels from all parties whether political, church or = intellectuals=20 from all groups in our Nation to resolve this issue rather = than=20 digesting every day long and painful articles contributing to = more=20 divisions and more misunderstandings.

I urge Zinda magazine to take the initiative on this = historical=20 issue and try by all means to arrange for a conference/forum = as soon=20 as possible to resolve this issue once and for all and I am = full=20 confident that we will.

Alfred Alkhas =
California

UNITY IS NOT A MERE = WORD

A regular Conference of Assyrian = Universal=20 Alliance has completed its work. Unfortunately, the = Declaration which=20 was adopted hasn=92t brought any understanding of how the = events in Iraq=20 will develop and what the Assyrians could do to influence the = course=20 of events considering interests of the Christian population of = the=20 country. Three clauses were added to the 11 clauses which had = been=20 adopted before the AUA Conference. But all the 14 clauses of = AUA=20 Declaration are good intentions, which could be expressed = innumerable=20 number of times, as while saying the word =93halva=94 numerous = times you=20 doesn=92t feel any sweetness in your mouth. No concrete clause = for=20 practical realization mentioning executors and time for = performance=20 was adopted.

Meanwhile, the events in Iraq are proceeding with lightning = speed.=20 Each day is rich in news, which is at times positive and = encouraging.=20 We are sincerely glad that the Assyrians became members of = municipal=20 government Mosul together with the Arabs and the Kurds; we are = proud=20 that a legendary Assyrian football player Ammanuil Baba became = the=20 head of National Olympic Committee; we are pleased with the = Assyrian=20 Democratic Movement=92s success, ADM opened its representative = offices=20 almost in all the cities of Iraq. It=92s a distinguished and = deserved=20 victory of ADM. But the lack of cooperation between ADM and = other=20 national political forces, absence of consultations with = leading=20 Assyrian politicians allow thinking that ADM doesn=92t follow = national=20 interests but is guided by narrow party corporative interests. = In this=20 respect Mr. Wilfred Bet-Alkhas=92 suggestion about the = necessity to=20 attract Assyrian social and political leaders - natives of = Iraq to=20 solution of Iraqi problem is considered to be absolutely = correct.

It should be added that there is no, at least a visible = one,=20 integration of ADM=92s efforts with a large community of = Chaldean=20 religion in Iraq. But such a narrow-corporative position of = ADM is=20 fraught with tragic consequences. It=92s enough to remember = the=20 situation in Iraq in 20-s and 30-s of the previous century in = order to=20 realize what consequences could follow uncoordinated = activity.

ADM leaders could receive a considerable help from all = those=20 contemporaries who don=92t have an opportunity to participate = in the=20 work on forming a new Iraq directly. This huge potential force = has to=20 watch passively today what is going on there. First of all, = these are=20 Assyrians =96 natives of Iran and Turkey, as well as = Chaldeans, Syriacs,=20 Maronites, who are not only our ethnic brothers but also = nearest=20 neighbors, residing in Syria and Lebanon. Even non-committal,=20 unofficial consultations and joint discussions of the problems = could=20 give a powerful incentive to rendering both material and = intellectual=20 assistance to the Assyrians of Iraq and also to create all = over the=20 world public response in defense of the interests of native = Christian=20 peoples of Iraq. ADM leaders should understand that their fate = is=20 decided nowadays not only in Baghdad, but also in Damascus, = Beirut,=20 Chicago, Stockholm, Tehran, Sydney, Moscow and in many other = cities of=20 the world where the Assyrians of all religions trust them very = much=20 and, I=92m sure, they take hard their alienation from their = historical=20 motherland in this crucial moment. We also worry that there is = no=20 counter movement from our brothers and sisters in Iran, Syria, = Lebanon=20 and their political organization in America, Sweden, Germany,=20 Australia and others. They should also understand that the = future of=20 Christians in Lebanon, Syria, Iran and other countries of the = Near and=20 Middle East depends on the way how the fate of the Christians = in Iraq=20 will develop.

In Russia we believe that it=92s possible to come to = concerted action=20 quickly and efficiently. That=92s why we once again call upon = all our=20 social, scientific and political figures to take part in the = work of=20 the 2nd World Assyrian Conference which will take place in = Moscow on=20 June 27 =96 29 this year.

Professor S.G. = Osipov
Russia

TOWARDS A REAL ASSYRIAN = UNITY

To the participants of the Amsterdam=20 Conference: Assyrian Regards,

Since the emancipation of the Assyrian liberation movement = in 1915,=20 the Assyrian Cause passed through many historical twists which = made us=20 realize what's demanded of us in order to realize our goals, = however,=20 today we find ourselves still in the same place because of the = different decisions and references, which caused a weakness in = the=20 Assyrian position in general.

Let's take the Iraqi opposition and its conferences as a = simple=20 example for these conferences came as a test to the Assyrian = position=20 in these difficult circumstances but we failed in this test, = not=20 because of the short comings in the standing of the Assyrian=20 delegation but more because of the feebleness in the Assyrian=20 political base in general. The Assyrian Parties which met in = London=20 between the 1st and the 3rd of November 2002 didn't do any = thing after=20 the ominous declaration of the Iraqi opposition in London. = This=20 compelled one of the Assyrian Parties to directly address the = American=20 President in a letter, while other Parties limited themselves = to=20 criticizing the opposition's conference around some trivial = sections=20 such as the percentage of representation and Barazani's speech = without=20 taking any concrete steps except for few phone calls amongst = each=20 other (Assyrian Parties) again a clear position wasn't taken = to face=20 the marginalization of the Assyrian ethnicity in the London = opposition=20 conference. This Assyrian disorder led to an impudent = situation in the=20 Arbil conference where there was negligence in the = representation of=20 the Assyrian ethnicity in the leadership committee as = well??

I'm not going to analyze the negative points which are in = the Iraqi=20 opposition's declaration but I just mentioned it as an = important=20 example which shows the feebleness of the Assyrian position, = thus we=20 conclude that our problem is that the Assyrian Cause is not=20 represented as a problem on the Iraqi arena!

We are used to direct blame to strangers because we always = look at=20 the external problems forgetting our own illnesses which allow = such=20 problems to appear and it's time that we take a look at our = situation=20 inside the Assyrian House with an objective attitude after the = fall of=20 the Iraqi r=E9gime, especially that our fate in the homeland = is in=20 jeopardy in the presence of recent changes, thus the situation = isn't=20 tranquil as some may think, especially for the weakest groups = of the=20 Iraqi people.

On the other hand we are faced with a real danger and that = is the=20 Kurdish project as well as the Kurdish existence in itself, = whereby=20 the national Kurdish ambitions have turned into an obstacle in = front=20 of our ambitions which remain humble in comparison with our = rights in=20 self determination.

It's obvious through the false bargains and hidden = denominational=20 spite between the different opposition currents that Iraq will = turn=20 into another Lebanon because of its religious and ethnic = mosaic, also=20 because the beginnings of a Kurdish federalism will mark the = beginning=20 of the end of Assyrian existence in Assyria. It will also = represent a=20 huge disappointment to the Assyrian Nationalistic ambition = added to=20 past disappointments, because there aren't any clear = constitutional=20 affirmations to guarantee their political future and equalize = them=20 with other groups found on Assyrian historical land and in = this case=20 the blame befalls the Assyrian House before others for its = short=20 comings in building a strong foundation for the Assyrian = house.

Questions and many a "why" are on the mind of people who = are aware=20 and suspicious of the region's history. . . Those watching = over the=20 political developments on the Assyrian and Iraqi arena should = oblige=20 every Assyrian politician to have answers, for we are all = aware that=20 there isn't any side in the Middle East that cared or will = care about=20 the interests of the Assyrian people neither will they = sympathize with=20 its demands, especially when the regime's peoples are = generally in a=20 state of intellectual retrogression for religious and = political=20 reasons, while the Assyrian people's strength remains within = the long=20 awaited unity during which speeches and mottos such as = "Assyrian=20 Unity", "collaboration", "coalition", and "gathering". . . . = All these=20 empty words without any real action.

Thus the flaw lies in who has the right to undertake = decisions in=20 the absence of an organization which was supposed since long = time ago=20 to be the umbrella to all the Assyrian Parties or it exists = but un=20 fortunately we don't notice it because it works just as = another part=20 in a some kind of coalition, even though it should be the one = to unite=20 all the Parties, and to gather them with all their differences = and=20 disputes. In other words this umbrella organization should be = the sole=20 representative and spokesperson for the Assyrian people and = nation=20 internationally. However, this organization's suggestions are = seen un=20 fortunately as "surrealism" in the presence of the Assyrian = political=20 irregularities. This organization has a role in pushing = forward the=20 Assyrian National Movement through the realization of the=20 following:

1- Uniting the Assyrian voice and specifying the National = goal=20 which the Assyrian Nation is looking forward to on the long = run.

2- Forming a unified program to determine the secondary = goals in=20 the near future.

3- Holding international relations with the governments of = the=20 Assyrian Diaspora.

4- National awareness and organizing the Assyrian public to = become=20 a political, financial and media support.

5- Financial organization and creating a central Assyrian = treasury=20 to invest in having projects for a better future.

6- Encouraging repatriation.

It's obvious that the reader will notice that the "Umbrella = Organization" is the Assyrian Universal Alliance . . . One = leadership=20 for one Nation. . . A motto which has been the dream of every=20 Assyrian, to become the first step in facing the "de facto = forces".=20 This slogan will not be realized except through this Assyrian=20 institution which has adopted it. This institution with its = diversed=20 structure in all domains and in a pyramidal form had provided = to the=20 Assyrian national movement the requirements following what = happened in=20 1933, these requirements were neglected by all other Assyrian=20 institutions since 1968, and even by the Assyrian Universal = Alliance=20 itself. In order to realize these requirements there should be = one=20 strong Assyrian strategy (not unified) to face the threats to = the=20 Assyrian existence in Iraq, therefore, we have to merge the = Assyrian=20 intelligence strategies, political, cultural, media and others = within=20 the Assyrian Universal Alliance, then the Assyrian political = decision=20 will turn into a more courageous position in Assyria = connecting our=20 working institutions there with the Assyrian currents in = general=20 (politically, financially and morally) through a one larger=20 institution and not one coalition against the other, this will = increase the confidence of the Assyrian individual towards = Assyrian=20 organizations, it will encourage individual initiatives and = helps in=20 building a larger base of popularity which can have a = political and=20 media influence to present the Assyrian Cause and impose = itself as a=20 true dilemma in the Iraqi equation to face the "de facto = forces". . .=20 . This in turn will give more weight to the Assyrian decision = and that=20 will be the unique sign to advance in the procession of = national=20 struggle.

Some may think that suggesting the re-activation of the = Assyrian=20 Universal Alliance's role is strange or not at a good time but = we have=20 to observe our political reality in the organization of a = future=20 nationalistic program if that is found. Unfortunately the = programs of=20 our organizations have been mostly hypothetical, forgetful and = without=20 implementing. In the absence of a one vision and program to = attain the=20 aspired goals these kinds of projects even though very = constructive=20 are lacking the will, even though we are supported more than = any other=20 people by history, facts, and international protocols but we = need=20 those who can make the move, until then that should be the = primary=20 role of our organizations to perform their political role = before the=20 benevolent or cultural one.

Lastly, The Assyrian Universal Alliance isn't at all = limited with a=20 group of people as much as it's encompassed with a set of = goals and=20 principles for the general national interests, especially that = its=20 program comprises the work of all other organizations and with = their=20 agreement. For as we have noticed in the last 70 years, the = Assyrian=20 National Movement has suffered many illnesses in its = foundations and=20 principles, thus, we need seriousness and honesty when we call = for=20 "Unity". Therefore, we have to find the method which will = activate the=20 role of this organization by studying the problems which are = hindering=20 its work, so if the problem is with individuals then in = agreement with=20 all others, the right person should be in the right place and = in the=20 right circumstances with all due respect to those who will = step aside=20 so that a change may take place, and it's about time.

Long Live the Assyrian Nation!

Ashor = Giwargis
Lebanon
Translated from=20 Arabic by Mary-C (Canada)

LET=92S NOT BLOW IT = NOW!

Two U.S. Chaldean Bishops demand = separation=20 from Assyrians. Well, I guess it doesn't matter how high you = think=20 you've made it in this life to be this stupid especially at = this point=20 of autonomy. Just doesn't matter=85.WAKE UP ASSYRIANS!! I say = Assyrians=20 instead of Chaldeans because which came first the chicken or = the egg!=20 None of us is better than the next, not even the = Chaldeans=85In fact if=20 we blow it now=85we deserve it!!! I'm really sick and tired of = cringing=20 my shoulders for my people=85wake up and start acting like my = people.=20 Enough is enough! Unite before it is too late. continue to = break up in=20 to different mahta's, sects of christianity=85etc. and they = will flush=20 you down the chuchma=85continue to separate and well, as much = as I love=20 you=85you deserve it!! Wake Up=85Unite=85love one another, = right now!!!=20 tomorrow is too late!

We would also like to encourage a mass email campaign to jzogby@aaiusa.org to = enlighten him=20 on what he has stated is delusional, at best. It appears that = Mr.=20 Zogby would like to re-write history. This is no surprise. It = is the=20 same as saying that because we all speak English that we are = all of=20 British decent??? Wake UP!!, Mr. Zogby=85nice try, but = Assyrians are Not=20 Arabs, we are Christians not Muslims, speak Aramaic (the = language that=20 Christ spoke) along with Arabic,(which was kind of forced up = on=20 us--not our choice!) have a separate and distinct culture for = which we=20 have been persecuted for. We are alive and kicking in spite of = your=20 nation's attempts to Arab-ize us! Although we know they've = done their=20 best to eradicate us throughout history they have not = successfully=20 done so in spite of their attempts throughout the centuries. = WE ARE=20 THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF IRAQ. Would Mr. Zogby like to replace = the=20 Bible with the Quran??? I'll bet=85 Time to Go back to school, = Mr.=20 Zogby. Re-learn your ancient history and old testament. We are = on page=20 2. Stand Up Assyrians!! Stand up for your rights!! The time is = NOW to=20 UNITE! We cannot allow this to happen for the sake of our = Assyrian=20 Martyrs and future Generations! Never again is NOW!!!! Support = AJR31!=20 Contact your representatives in Washington, enough is = enough.**Please=20 post link to AJR 31 here**& any other links to Washington = you may=20 deem helpful! Together we can make a difference,

Louai and Regina Salim
Chicago

Mr. Zogby, please do not refer to = Assyrians as=20 Arabs! If the Maronites, Jacobites, Chaldeans (who are all = Assyrians)=20 or any other religious sect want to consider themselves Arabs = that's=20 sad, but fine by me; but the Assyrians call themseves = ASSYRIANS ONLY.=20 Your education is an insult. We the Assyrians have baptized = all the=20 Arabs!

We have spoken Assyrian throughout our life, we do not = consider=20 ourselves Arabs, Persians, Russians, Kurdish or from any other = part of=20 the country that we might have lived at due to = persecutions.

Gewargis Atoraya=20 Bet-Simon
California

LOOKING FOR LAHIB = NOUMAN

We would like to help Lahib Nouman. = Should you=20 set up a fund for her we would like to contribute with the = hope she=20 can obtain the proper psychiatric care here in the U.S. She = truly has=20 suffered enough! Thank you and God Bless.

Louai and Regina = Salim
Chicago

I too am wondering about Lahib Nouman = (reprinted from TIME). How can I help her?

Emily Murray
United = States

[Z-info: Ms. Nouman is among a few Iraqi-Assyrians = who require=20 immediate medical support. Zinda Magazine will in the coming = weeks=20 feature specific information on the condition of at least two = such=20 individuals and provide contact information for our readers=92 = gift of=20 support.]

THE NEW STONELOCK PICTURES = WEBSITE:=20 GILGAMESH TEASER

To fellow members of the Assyrian = community, We=20 are happy to announce the launch of our new website:=20 www.StonelockPictures.com . At our site, you'll be able to = find some=20 great information on our catalog of award-winning films, along = with=20 photos, trailers, and products. Also, if you peruse thru the = 'In=20 Development' section, you'll see a nice layout of the projects = we hope=20 to soon bring to a theatre near you. If you're looking for = what's hot=20 here at Stonelock Pictures, look no further than our 'In = Production'=20 section, where you'll find out more about our upcoming = Epic-of-Epics,=20 'GILGAMESH' (already in pre-production); you can even download = a=20 tantalizing teaser to show your friends and business = associates.=20 Gilgamesh, the much anticipated adaptation of the oldest work = of=20 literature known to man, has been creating quite a buzz = lately;=20 especially having great talents already attached, such as Omar = Sharif,=20 Michael Madsen, Robert Davi, Billy Zane, and Kashmira Shah. We = invite=20 you to visit our website soon and often to find out more about = this,=20 and other, exciting projects here at Stonelock Pictures. Below = are=20 some links to help you on your way:

New Email:

With a new website and a greater presence on the = world-wide-web, we=20 have new email addresses. Please take a few moments to update = our=20 contact information and make note of our new email address for = general=20 communications:
info@stonelockpictures.com=

Main Website: http://www.stonelockpictures.c= om/

Site Features:
=B7 Gilgamesh Teaser (High-speed = Internet): click = here
=B7 Gilgamesh Teaser (Dial-up/56k): cli= ck=20 here

Jude Calvillo
Director of=20 Development
Stonelock Pictures, = LLC
California

Surfer's=20 Corner

ATMAN & ABOONA SPEAK = AT LONDON=20 LECTURES

Saturday, 10th of May = 2003
London

Two Assyrian authors, Sabri Atman from Holland and Hirmez = Aboona from=20 Canada gave a lecture about the Assyrian Genocide (SEYFO 1915) in = ALAP=20 Youth & Community Service. Before Atman commenced with his = lecture he=20 presented Shoshan Lamassu (Alap YCS=92s Project Director) with a = cluster of=20 roses to express his appreciation for this initiative and said, = =93I am=20 proud of Alap=92s activities and I am delighted to be here among = our=20 community in London, also I would like to wish they the Alap team = best of=20 success in their endeavours=94.

The meaning of the following words: Genocide, Holocaust, Seyfo, = Ferman,=20 Kafle etc. were all explained. He also said that the Seyfo issue = is a very=20 wide subject, and it will be impossible to approach all and every = point in=20 detail, hence he summarized all the necessary and relevant topics. = He also=20 explained the rule of =91Ittihat & Terakki=92 (The Society for = Unity and=20 progress). Atman illuminated how it all started in 1911 with the=20 preparation and planning by the =91Ittihat & Terakki=92 to = finally=20 initiate the Genocide of the Christian in 1915.

Sabri Atman=20 (Middle) & Hirmez Abouna (Right)

Some international experts on the Armenian Genocide, reserve to = acknowledge the Assyrian Seyfo, in fact it is pushed to the side, = ignored=20 and sometimes intentionally forgotten.

But the last few years, we have witnessed some changes. Many = people now=20 have realised that the Assyrian people were also victims of this = Genocide.=20 He also said, =93Our people have only just started working on this = subject,=20 and that our Assyrian Institutes must further study this topic, = strategise=20 their actions and propagate Seyfo on parliamentary level, while = creating=20 awareness among our own people=94.

He gave us a few examples:

=95 There are 26,000 books written about the Armenian = Genocide, yet the=20 same could not be said about Assyrian Seyfo, in fact we would = not be=20 able to find 26 books on our Genocide!
=95 There are 56 = professors=20 specialised on the Armenian Genocide, yet I find it hard to say = that=20 they are 6 professors specialised on the Assyrian Seyfo!
=95 = The=20 Armenians have erected many monuments to commemorate their = Genocide, yet=20 there is not even one that I know of in our = case!

These are a few essential points that we must emphasise on, = especially=20 our energetic youth from all around the globe, the Netherlands, = Germany,=20 Sweden, England, USA and Australia. There is a large potential for = us in=20 Europe to have Seyfo recognised in the European Parliament, = according to=20 Atman.

It was a lively and interactive lecture with participation from = the=20 attendees. Up on concluding, Atman presented Aboona to the fore, = and asked=20 to be excused to attend a prearranged interview with Revelation TV = to talk=20 about the same subject.

Then, Aboona captured the audience with his magnetic oratory = skills,=20 thanked Alap for hosting him and for organising this activity, he = also=20 thanked Fr. Dr. Khushaba Gewrgis, then said, =93Seyfo may have = been the=20 primary blow to eradicate the indigenous Assyrians, and oust them = from=20 their ancestral Land. But there were many similar preludes without = which=20 Seyfo would not have been possible to implement. According to = Aboona the=20 elimination of the Assyrians became an official policy in the mid = 1800s,=20 when the Ottomans finally decided to weaken the main strongholds = of the=20 Assyrians, the two fortresses of Turabdin and Hakkari. He said, = =94We often=20 ignore the massacres of Badri Khan Beg, the merciless tyrant and=20 mercenary, who with the instruction of his Ottoman masters = executed the=20 initial preparations that paved the way for Seyfo=94.

Apparently, the then British Consul of Mosul, in his = communication to=20 London reported that =93The Assyrians of Turabdin, had contacted = the Ottoman=20 officials to inform them of their will to gather 15,000 strong and = brave=20 fighters to serve in the ottoman army, if the ottomans are willing = to=20 combat this Badri khan Beg, the criminal who was slaughtering = their kith=20 and kin in Hakkari=94 naturally the ottomans ignored their = appeal.

Aboona concluded with his own appeal =93See our forefathers, = the great=20 theologians explained why Jesus gave us the example of the mustard = seed,=20 they said that the Mustard seed, is the only leguminous seed that = is not=20 formed of two parts, thus emphasising the importance of unity. It = is unity=20 and not only believe that can move mountains. Our people were once = united=20 like the Mustard seed, and they were trodden by those foreign = invaders,=20 that entered Assyria after the battle of Chaldiran 1514 A.D. (The = Kurds of=20 today), who immediately started to loot and massacre, and change = the=20 demographic map of our country. We the Assyrians of today must = reunite to=20 emulate the mustard seed once again; we must be conscious about = what is=20 facing us or else we may witness the conclusion of the final = chapter of=20 our rich history=94.

When Aboona uttered these moving words, we both saw how Mr. = Bahram=20 Zaya, a prominent Assyrian activist in London, look to his eight = years old=20 son and sigh. The gestured seemed to speak a thousand words.

George Christopher Hanna & Nineb=20 Lamassu
London

Literatus

WHO ARE THE ASSYRIAN = CHRISTIANS OF=20 NORTHERN IRAQ?

Courtesy of the News & Observer (9 = May); by=20 Yonat Shimron

Q. Charles Gregory of Raleigh asks, "Who are the Assyrian = Christians of=20 northern Iraq?"

A. Located at the crossroads of so many ancient civilizations, = Iraq has=20 always had a minority of Jews and Christians. While most of its = Jews=20 emigrated to Israel, the country still has more than 1 million = Christians=20 of various denominations.

Christians in Iraq originally belonged to a branch of = Christianity that=20 split off from the early Christian church in the fifth = century.

With the rise of Islam in the seventh century, Christians = become a=20 minority, but enjoyed a relatively peaceful co-existence with the = emerging=20 Muslim leadership. Under the Abbasid Empire, from 750 to 1258, = Christians=20 collaborated with Muslims in a monumental project of translating = Greek=20 philosophical and scientific texts into Arabic.

In the 16th century, a number of Christians in present-day Iraq = allied=20 themselves with the Roman Catholic Church. By the 19th century, = they=20 created their own church, called the Chaldean Church. It is part = of the=20 Catholic Church and recognizes the authority of the pope, but = maintains=20 its own liturgy and much of its tradition.

To this day, Chaldean Christians constitute the largest segment = of the=20 Iraqi Christian population. Tariq Aziz, the former deputy prime = minister=20 of Iraq under Saddam Hussein, is a Chaldean Christian.

Those Christians who did not unify with Rome remained in what = was=20 called the Church of the East. At the end of the 19th century, as=20 archaeological remains of the ancient Assyrian Empire were = unearthed, some=20 of these Christians -- who never considered themselves Arab -- = began=20 identifying as Assyrian Christians. In so doing, they were trying = to link=20 their heritage to that of the sophisticated Assyrian Empire that = ruled=20 over the region of northern Iraq from 1300 to 600 B.C. The = Assyrians are=20 known from the Bible and from their own literary heritage, written = down on=20 clay tablets in cuneiform script. They built the city of Nineveh=20 (present-day Mosul) described in the book of Jonah.

Most important, Assyrian Christians see their Aramaic tongue = (the=20 language spoken by Jesus) as an offshoot of an earlier Assyrian=20 language.

Lucas Van Rompay, a professor of Eastern Christianity at Duke=20 University, said the Assyrian Christian quest for = self-determination=20 parallels the rise of nation states across the world during the = late 19th=20 century. But whether there was a direct link between these = Christians and=20 the ancient Assyrian Empire is disputed.

"It's difficult to establish a real connection," said van = Rompay. "It's=20 a political issue."

After World War I when the British ruled over Iraq, Assyrian = Christians=20 were promised some sort of independence especially in the north, = where=20 most of them lived. That never materialized, and over the years = many=20 Assyrian Christians emigrated to the United States, especially = California,=20 where many now live.

Other Christian groups in Iraq include Armenian Orthodox, = Syrian=20 Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, and, beginning with the modern = missionary=20 movement, several Protestant groups as well.

"Under Hussein, the Christians of Iraq were relatively free," = said Van=20 Rompay. "But they kept a low profile."

[Z-info:=20 To comment on Yonat Shimron=92s piece send e-mail to yshimron@newsobserver.com = or=20 write to me at The News & Observer, P.O. Box 191, Raleigh, = N.C.=20 27602.]

Bravo

IRAQI ASSYRIAN POETS RETURNING AFTER MANY = YEARS OF=20 EXILE

Courtesy of the Post-Gazette (8 May); by = Mackenzie=20 Carpenter

One is a great Iraqi poet, who expresses his longing for home = and=20 ambivalence about American military might in Walt Whitmanesque = language.=20 Another is an editor at an Arab literary journal who adores = America,=20 particularly its movies. A third, one of Iraq's best short-story = writers=20 in the 1960s, today translates American poetry into Arabic.

Saadi Youssef, Samuel Shimon and Sargon Boulus are among = hundreds of=20 Iraqi poets and writers scattered around the globe who have spent = much of=20 the past quarter century in exile, while continuing to create a = literature=20 brimming with anguish, desolation and longing, in journals, in = poetry=20 readings and on Web sites.

And now, they wonder: Can we go home again?

"Of course. I have to be back in the country," said Youssef, = one of=20 Iraq's foremost contemporary poets, during a telephone interview = from his=20 home in London. "It is an exciting time."

Youssef, who has written dozens of books of poetry, including = an=20 anthology in English that was published several years ago, was a = staunch=20 opponent of Saddam Hussein's regime, and was imprisoned and = eventually cut=20 off from his family after he left Iraq for good in 1979.

Although relieved that the dictator is gone, the 72-year old = poet=20 continues to express ambivalence toward America, a country he has = visited=20 twice. He loves the United States -- and mistrusts it. In his = widely=20 published poem "America, America," he asks, at one point, that = Americans=20 "take what you do not have/and give us what we have/take the = stripes of=20 your flag/and give us the stars/... take Saddam Hussein/and give = us=20 Abraham Lincoln/or give us no one."

Youssef says he has watched the televised images of mass street = demonstrations by Shiite Muslims demanding an Islamic government = run by=20 religious clerics, but remains confident that Iraq's unique = history in the=20 Middle East as a pluralistic, cosmopolitan culture will = prevail.

"We have had a history, at times, of political parties, of a = free=20 press, of open-minded religious leaders and honest businessmen," = Youssef=20 said. "We are really, in many ways, a multinational country."

Salih Altoma, a noted scholar of Arabic literature who has = translated=20 Youssef's poetry into several languages, agreed.

"Iraq is a fragile mosaic of cultures, religions and ethnic = groups"=20 with a strong tradition of secularism, Altoma said.

History of Pluralism

The secularism wasn't just imposed by Saddam's Baathist Party = but goes=20 back to Iraq's formal creation in 1919, Altoma said. The more = moderate=20 Iraqi Shiite clerics, he said, should not be confused with their = neighbors=20 in Iran.

"Iraq is different from Iran, which is mostly Persian, more=20 homogeneous. Let us not rush to judgment" about the inevitability = that the=20 majority Shiites would like to set up an Islamic republic, said = Altoma, a=20 professor emeritus at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Youssef's communist sympathies as a youth led to him being = jailed in=20 Iraq and Algeria, although he said he never joined the party. But = he has=20 always been a strong voice for democratizing Iraq, and has spent = much of=20 his time in recent years encouraging young writers in Iraq's = expatriate=20 community.

Still, he said, it will be hard for the Iraqi people, after so = many=20 years of repression, to relearn freedom.

Boulus, an Iraqi writer whose sensitive translations of = American poetry=20 into Arabic have earned him praise among scholars, agreed.

Sargon=20 Boulus fears a battle for the control of Iraqi intellectual = freedom=20

"This war created a tremendous vacuum, and everyone is rushing = to fill=20 it," said Boulus, an American citizen who divides his time between = San=20 Francisco and Europe.

The people filling the vacuum aren't just Muslim clerics or=20 self-appointed mayors. They also include many writers, critics, = artists=20 and others who are hurrying back home to take over newspapers, = publishing=20 houses and other cultural institutions.

Many of the expatriates are leftists, drummed out of Iraq after = the=20 Baathist Party cracked down on them in the late 1970s. Others are = members=20 of the Baathist Party who fled after falling out of favor with = Saddam.=20 Still others are "entrepreneurs," Boulus said, with agendas of = their=20 own.

"This thing is so complicated," he said. "If you go back after = a month=20 or two or three, all the newspapers, all the magazines, all the=20 educational facilities, these will be taken over by certain = groups. These=20 are the places that publish your writing, and so, if you are not = with=20 them, they are closed to you."

Some See Freedom

But Shimon, assistant editor of the Arab literary journal = Banipal in=20 London, remained optimistic that intellectual freedom would = survive in=20 post-Saddam Iraq, noting that a communist publication, The = People's Way,=20 began publishing again in Baghdad three weeks ago.

Shimon is staunchly pro-American. He was raised as an Assyrian=20 Christian in a town 80 miles north of Baghdad and was "never made = to feel=20 an outsider." He became infatuated with American culture as a = youth,=20 especially John Ford Westerns.

In 1979, he left Iraq during the political purges "to become a=20 moviemaker," but instead found himself cooling his heels in = various jails=20 in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon because authorities mistakenly = thought he was=20 a communist. He finally ended up in London.

Eventually, he believes, anti-American sentiment will die down, = "once=20 people start working again, once all the [electrical] power is=20 restored."

But Boulus, whose work appears in Shimon's magazine, scoffed at = his=20 editor's notion that all will be well.

"That is simplistic," he said. "It's a nice idea to think that=20 everything will be hunky-dory, and we all dream of that, but the = Shiites=20 are part of this tremendous vacuum of power, and they see their = historical=20 chance. Their ambitions go back hundreds if not thousands of = years, and=20 Iran has a hand in it. So they may try to grab power, and it might = break=20 this whole structure or mosaic apart."

Moreover, religious fundamentalists aren't the only ones who = will try=20 to control Iraqi intellectual freedom, he said.

"The ones who are working for the American organizations, = they're the=20 ones who will control the culture, to make sure that nothing comes = out=20 that's anti-American. They know that you can't control the = politics=20 otherwise," Boulus said.

The battle for Iraq's intellectual life appears to be = intensifying on=20 all sides.

Just last month, Shimon launched an online Web site showcasing = Middle=20 Eastern artists and writers, www.kikah.com, which also criticized = Arab=20 newspapers for encouraging religious fundamentalism. It was = attacked in no=20 short order by the Saudi Arabian newspaper Al-Watan, which claimed = that=20 the Web site was brought into being "by American tanks" and that = Shimon's=20 aim was to tear Iraq from its Arab and Islamic roots.

Not so, Shimon said. "I did this to encourage an atmosphere of = dialogue=20 and tolerance. We need a human literature that allows = dialogue."

As Youssef, the poet, prepares to return to Iraq, he also = dreads what=20 he will find there.

"After I watched the first day of the bombings, I woke up the = next=20 morning semi-paralyzed. I could not move," he said, speaking in a = deep=20 voice. He said the scenes of combat around Basra were particularly = painful.

"I knew the places, the bridges, the rivers, all of them," he = said.

Asked if he felt different about the United States in the wake = of=20 Saddam's fall, Youssef seemed to sidestep the question. America's = culture=20 has always beguiled him, he said, and he has always been able to = separate=20 the democratic, fun-loving adventurous side of our character --=20 personified for him by Abraham Lincoln, Marilyn Monroe and Walt = Whitman --=20 while rejecting what he perceives as our darker, more aggressive = side.

"I am always fascinated by that playful side in American life = and=20 letters," he said. "I acknowledge an America apart.

"Wars or no wars, I always have that remote America within = me."

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WHO ARE THE ASSYRIAN = CHRISTIANS OF=20 NORTHERN IRAQ?

THE COMPELLING VISION OF = DEFEAT

THE DEADLY MISTAKE OF = CERTAIN=20 ASSYRIAN ORGANIZATIONS:NO SUBSTANCE FOR THE TERM=20 =91KURDISTAN=92

TWO U.S. CHALDEAN = BISHOPS DEMAND=20 TOTAL SEPARATION FROM ASSYRIANS

WAS IT WORTH = IT?

ATMAN & ABOONA SPEAK = AT LONDON=20 LECTURES

WHO ARE THE ASSYRIAN = CHRISTIANS OF=20 NORTHERN IRAQ?

THE DEADLY MISTAKE OF = CERTAIN=20 ASSYRIAN ORGANIZATIONS:
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