May 19, 2003

The Lighthouse=20

RETURN TO THE HOMELAND = OF=20 ASHOUR
FACT OR FANCY?

The main objective of this paper is to revisit examine some of = the=20 points advanced in my previous paper, =93Alienation of Assyrian = Political=20 Performance in Diaspora,=94 (appearing in Zinda, May 20, 2002) and = their=20 relevance to the current political situation in Iraq.

The most frequently-stated explanation one will hear from an = Iraqi=20 Assyrian who forsook his homeland is that he was persecuted by the = Ba=92ath=20 regime because he is Christian Assyrian. For this reason, he will = explain,=20 he was obliged to take refuge in the Christian West. While there = is truth=20 to this rationale, it is probably not the complete picture. But be = that as=20 it may, a more critical point of concern is the many past = statements of=20 certain Assyrians (who describe themselves as the =93leaders=94 of = political=20 parties and nationalistic organizations) who would tell anyone = listening=20 that as soon as Saddam and his Ba=92ath party were removed from = power, they=20 would be returning to Iraq.

There can hardly be a nobler or more legitimate ambition for = any=20 genuine Assyrian patriot, than to repatriate to the homeland. But = now that=20 the dictator Saddam and his fascistic Ba=92ath regime have in fact = been=20 ousted from power in Iraq, have these =93leaders=94 delivered on = their=20 promise?

As I proceed, may I remind the readers of a few = points I=20 mentioned in my previous paper, where I explained why the Assyrian = national case is exceptional.

Firstly, Assyrians established their political parties and=20 organizations in the Diaspora while other Iraqi nations -- Arabs, = Kurds=20 and Turkmen -- established theirs while in exile. In a political = sense,=20 exile is different from Diaspora. The latter is a permanent = situation, and=20 does not necessarily have any political content. For example a = person in=20 Diaspora typically acquires a new citizenship status. Exile, on = the other=20 hand, is seen as a temporary situation for a population which is = small=20 compared to that of the homeland. Exile occurs due to political = reasons=20 associated with the eventual liberation of the homeland or the = removal of=20 an existing regime. As soon as this goal is achieved, it is very = likely=20 that the members of these political groups will return to their = homeland=20 to take part in the new government, to participate in national = politics,=20 and to resume their lives in a place they consider their permanent = home.=20

Secondly, another significant distinction between the Assyrians = and=20 other Iraqi subsets is that our Diaspora population actually = outnumbers=20 those who remained in the homeland; and the number of emigrants = continues=20 to increase unabated. The majority of Diaspora Assyrians, = particularly=20 those who have been here for a couple of generations, have planted = deep=20 social and economic roots in their adopted country; they have come = to take=20 for granted their serene and comfortable life style. There is no = evidence=20 that they are giving any serious consideration to leaving the = adopted=20 country, including its physical security and economic opportunity, = in=20 favor of =93repatriation.=94

While one can accept this thinking as normal in the general = population=20 of the Assyrian Diaspora, it appears disingenuous and even a = breach of=20 faith when it is applied to the prominent activists in our = political=20 parties and other nationalist =93leaders.=94 After all, their = signature=20 trademark was to clamor about returning to the homeland, and they = led us=20 to believe they intended to be on hand for the creation of an = independent=20 state or for autonomy for our people there.

Today, we find that these same leaders do not hesitate to = condemn the=20 Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) for failing to produce some = form of=20 Assyrian autonomy in Iraq, or for lacking the requisite vigor in = pursuit=20 of Assyrian national rights. While hurling such attacks at the ADM = in=20 Iraq, these Diaspora leaders have firmly ensconced themselves in = the plush=20 trappings of Western life, without the slightest intention of = abandoning=20 any of their comforts for a return to the homeland. Moreover, = these=20 so-called leaders in the Diaspora have shown no inclination to = lift a=20 finger to assist the ADM or other Assyrian parties in Iraq who are = toiling=20 to secure a measure of political standing for our people there. = These very=20 same Diaspora leaders have yet to come forward with any = constructive plan=20 to marshal some practical assistance for our needy people in = Iraq.

Meanwhile, it appears that ADM ( ) has come the closest to = fulfilling=20 the responsibility of a genuine Assyrian nationalist organization. = Through=20 its charity arm, the Assyrian Aid Society, it has dealt capably = with many=20 of the tribulations and unexpected occurrences daily confronting = Assyrians=20 not only in the villages of Garbia, but also in the principal = cities of=20 Iraq (such as Baghdad, Mosul, and Kirkuk). With a limited budget, = and with=20 constant backsniping from sunshine patriots, the ADM has worked = diligently=20 in a difficult and abstruse environment, in the interest of our = small=20 Christian Assyrian community which lives amid a huge Muslim and=20 non-Assyrian population. As I see it, ADM is practicing national = politics=20 in an exemplary manner.

Unlike Diaspora Assyrians, most of the Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen = leaders=20 and the cadres of their political organizations in exile have by = now=20 returned to Iraq, engaging in homeland politics, and working to = secure=20 their place in the forthcoming Iraqi government. The contrast is a = stark=20 one. To date, no Assyrian political party or leader from the = Diaspora has=20 returned to the homeland, and there is no perceptible sign that = any of=20 this is about to change. A few honorable Assyrians, in their = individual=20 capacity, or perhaps representing an Assyrian organization, have = made the=20 effort to visit post-Saddam Iraq, and such isolated cases deserve = our=20 appreciation. But these individuals are unfortunately the = exception, and=20 certainly not the rule.

It is appropriate to ask why Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen = politicians=20 return to Iraq, while their Assyrian counterparts do not? One = obvious way=20 to explain this opposite behavior is to keep in mind the = difference=20 between those in the Diaspora and those in exile. The significant = contrast=20 between the performance of the ADM and of the Diaspora Assyrian = political=20 parties ought to be a cause of great concern. ADM stands out = because,=20 among the array of Assyrian organizations and parties, it seems to = be the=20 only one pursuing a practical course aimed at actual achievements. = We=20 already touched on this in our previous paper, and in view of the = current=20 situation in Iraq today, it may be useful to briefly remind the = reader of=20 a few points.

We=92ve referred before to two theoretical concepts of politics = useful in=20 gauging Assyrian political performance: =93Demography and = Geography,=94 and=20 =93The Art of the Possible=94. The first relates to all aspects of = life taking=20 place in an area known as the homeland. The second concerns = practical=20 activities and the wise use of available resources in order to = achieve=20 certain objectives.

Both of these concepts are relevant to the ADM. Firstly, the = members of=20 this organization are Iraqi natives, and the live there. The group = was=20 established in the homeland for specific Assyrian purposes, and = this is=20 the very place where its members are practicing their politics. =

Secondly, ADM is trying to utilize all available resources and = it is=20 doing so in a very difficult, uncertain and uneasy environment. In = such=20 delicate circumstances, the ADM has to deal with a panoply of = views,=20 ranging from ultra-Marxists, socialists and nationalists, to the = extremist=20 Islamic groups. It is an understatement to say that to achieve its = goals=20 on behalf of Assyrians, ADM=92s task calls for a high degree of = skill.=20 Apparently, the difficulties inherent in this challenge seem to = escape a=20 few shallow-minded Assyrians who are quick to issue ungenerous = comments=20 about ADM=92s political performance. It is very important to any = Assyrian=20 interested in nationalist issues to recognize that practicing = politics in=20 a friendly and democratic environment (such as in the Diaspora) is = a far=20 more benign exercise than its practice in a hostile, untrusting, = situation=20 (such as that of post-Saddam Iraq).

If the past decades have taught us anything, it is that = Assyrian=20 political parties in the Diaspora are simply flailing at = windmills. The=20 time is long past for them to restore a measure of their = credibility among=20 the Assyrian by dedicating themselves to a productive course. = There are=20 several ways in which this can be accomplished, and one example is = for=20 them to pack their national claims in their attach=E9 cases, and = fly to Iraq=20 to advocate these claims firsthand. Or they could set aside their = =93agenda=94=20 of Ashour liberation or autonomy, and instead concentrate their = effort in=20 Assyrian American politics. In doing this, they can help support = Iraqi=20 Assyrians and their homeland political parties, and they can look = to the=20 Assyrian American League as a great example of that model.

The abnormal conditions in Iraq and the general lack of = security in=20 this time of transition is an understandable reason why ordinary = Assyrians=20 seeking to visit family or relatives in the homeland would = postpone their=20 travel plans. But this is not an explanation befitting anyone who = calls=20 himself an =93Assyrian political leader,=94 and especially in the = case of=20 those who publicly insist on an independent Assyria or autonomy. = These are=20 the =93leaders=94 who aspire to compete with or even supersede the = homeland=20 Assyrian parties, yet they want to do this by long distance only. =

Participation in Middle East politics, particularly when it = comes to=20 Iraq, is more than a rhetorical challenge. It is fraught with high = risk=20 and demands personal sacrifice (sometimes costing one=92s life). = Those who=20 do not hesitate to step forward to this challenge deserve our = greatest=20 respect. As for the rest =96 their national claims notwithstanding = =96 they=20 deserve to be seen as duplicitous hypocrites.

On=20 3 February 1985 three members of the Assyrian Democratic Movement = are=20 hanged in Baghdad without trial: Yousip Toma Hermis, Youbert = Benyamin=20 Shlimon & Youkhana Esho Jajo. Sixteen other ADM members have = been=20 murdered since then. The author visited the burial site of Martyr = Yousip=20 Toma Hermis at Belejani village in North Iraq in March 2000. =

We the Diaspora Assyrians can take a meaningful stand in = solidarity=20 with our Iraqi Assyrian brothers and sisters, to help them prove = that our=20 claims for national rights are meritorious. Here are a couple of=20 supportive measures which should be considered without delay:

=B7 Convening general conferences for non-political Assyrian=20 organizations in the USA, Europe, Russia and Australia, to be = organized=20 by Assyrian Federation organizations of these continents in = order to=20 discuss and find out practical ways of providing financial, = political=20 and moral support to the Iraqi Assyrians.

=B7 An = immediate=20 conference in Baghdad assembling Diaspora and homeland Assyrian=20 political parties and organizations with the coordination of = ADM, the=20 key player of Iraqi Assyrian politics in Iraq. This conference = would aim=20 to give a boost to the Assyrian claims in Iraq and to assist the = struggle of the Assyrian political parties there. This is a very = simple=20 and practical duty for any Assyrian political leader who claims = to be a=20 nationalist. Those who take this step will act as pioneers for = other=20 Assyrians who want to achieve their dream in returning to=20 homeland

We recognize that these are modest steps compared to our = national=20 aspirations, or when compared to some of the dreamier claims (such = as=20 =93establishing a little Bet-Nahrain=94 in north of Iraq or = =93calling for a=20 return of all Diaspora Assyrians to the homeland-Iraq, so as to = change the=20 demographics on the ground). But for starters, it is imperative = that we=20 learn to differentiate between the possible and the impossible. We = should=20 not forfeit achievable objectives for a bag of dreams and romantic = claims.=20 We should ask our people for a realistic commitment, and we ought = not to=20 look for miracles. We should begin in pursuit of the simple and = current=20 objectives, and not get too far ahead of ourselves. Such simple = measures=20 are very practical, and they can bear fruit in the short-term, = which is an=20 essential step on the road to national claims.

The dramatic developments in post-Saddam Iraq were generally = unexpected=20 by the Assyrian parties in the Diaspora. Caught by surprise, most = of them=20 seem to have assumed a very low profile or, in some cases, = entirely=20 disappeared from the political horizon. The only signs of life = seem to be=20 random statements and routine press releases containing statements = of=20 scant value and improbable application.

It is true that the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA), took the = initiative by convening a conference (April 25-27, 2003) in = Amsterdam,=20 with high-sounding declarations to unite our nation. This was = meant to=20 forge us as one voice in the quest for Assyrian national rights in = a=20 reconstructed Iraq. Unfortunately, this gathering stuck to the = familiar=20 tune of adopting romantic and unrealizable objectives. Unity is = more than=20 mere words or slogans or press releases, as Professor S. Osipov = noted=20 perfectly (See Zinda May 15, 2003). If it is to mean much, unity = must be=20 evident in deeds, not just words. We are in desperate need of=20 organizations focused on deeds and activities, instead of words = and press=20 releases.

Due to its international structure and experience, I still = believe that=20 AUA is the appropriate organization to take the initiative at the = present=20 time, to mobilize the efforts and the resources of the Diaspora = Assyrians=20 toward supporting the homeland Assyrian movement in Iraq. But it = cannot do=20 so without first abandoning its Stone Age and romantic claims, and = replacing them with factual and practical ones. Regrettably, the = AUA=20 continues to bark up the wrong tree, neglecting geographical facts = and=20 political borders. While it is true that we are =93One Nation, = Assyrian,=94=20 the political and legal fact is that we are Iraqi Assyrians, = American=20 Assyrians, Australian Assyrians and so on. Politics and law deal = with real=20 facts not aspirations and fulsome feelings. Politics considers = actions and=20 movements, not press releases and paper conclusions.

In the current climate, the Iraqi situation demands that all = Assyrians=20 and their organizations divert their efforts toward the Iraqi = Assyrians.=20 In this connection, I would like to recall what I wrote in my = article, =93A=20 Call for A New AUA Secretary General=94 (Zinda, 30 September = 2002). Not=20 surprisingly, that message has fallen on deaf ears, and the logic = of=20 having an Iraqi Assyrian at the helm of the AUA at this critical = time=20 seems to have escaped the current leadership. Subsequent events in = Iraq,=20 including the downfall of Saddam and the Ba=92athist government, = have proven=20 more than ever the critical need for our case to be presented by = an=20 appropriate Iraqi Assyrian voice.

The way things are today, Mr. Bush, Mr. Blair, and other world = leaders,=20 and even the various Iraqi political groups, seem to listen to = Iraqi=20 Assyrians and to consider their claims more thoughtfully than = Assyrians=20 elsewhere. Out of the current chaos, a unique opportunity has = appeared=20 after a long century of national deprivation. He who can wrest = this=20 opportunity and achieve our national rights in the homeland will = be the=20 real statesman. If we fail again, we are going to face another = century of=20 chasm, if not longer.

Aprim = Shapera
United=20 Kingdom

There are = others=20 Assyrian political parties in Iraq and I am referring to ADM just = as an=20 example of an active, popular political organization recognized by = the=20 Iraqi main political groups, the USA Administration and other = world wide=20 political organizations. This exclusive reference to ADM is not = deleting=20 the role of other Assyrian political parties in Iraq.

GOOD MORNING=20 BET-NAHRAIN

ANTI-CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE IN IRAQ ON THE = RISE

Courtesy of the Ekklesia (18 = May)

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Anti-Christian violence which Christians in = Iraq have=20 long feared seems finally to have arrived with the brutal murder = of two=20 Christian men.

Sabah Gazala and Abdul Ahed who were shot and killed by two = Islamic=20 gunmen within ten minutes in separate incidents in Basra.

Like a number of Christians in the city and in other parts of = Iraq they=20 were involved in the sale of alcohol, jobs forbidden to Muslims = but=20 permitted to Christians under Saddam Hussein=92s rule.

In recent weeks such vendors have faced severe threats from = Shia Muslim=20 conservatives seeking to impose defacto Islamic law (which bans = alcohol=20 completely) in Iraq in the chaotic wake of the victory of = coalition forces=20 in the country.

Many Christian shop owners have been forced to close, others to = defend=20 their premises with metal bars across the windows.

In Basra, Baghdad and across Iraq some Christians are beginning = to=20 suffer harassment, threats, intimidation and even violence at the = hands of=20 conservative Shia Muslims who want to impose Shari=92ah law on = both Muslim=20 and non-Muslim alike.

On Friday 2 May Moqtada Sadr, one of the main Shia leaders in = the=20 country openly declared in a sermon in Kufa that =93The banning of = alcohol;=20 and the wearing of the veil should be spread to all and not only = to=20 Muslims.=94

The Los Angeles Times reported that last week in Basra Shereen = Musa, a=20 Christian woman, was pelted with vegetables to chants of =93Shame! = Shame!=94=20 as she walked with her mother through a market, simply because her = head=20 was not covered in accordance with the Shari=92ah. =93Everyone was = laughing at=20 me, and I was crying,=94 Shereen said.

=93When I had to walk back through the same place someone saw a = cross on=20 my neck and said: =91Oh, you=92re a Christian. You=92ll suffer a = terrible=20 fate.=92=94

Some Christian families like Shereen=92s have now begun to = leave Basra to=20 return to the traditional Christian heartland around Mosul.

In Baghdad Christians are =93terrified=94and =93hesitating to = come to church=94=20 as services at one Chaldean church in the city are drowned out by = Islamic=20 prayers and teaching broadcast by loudspeaker from a new mosque = across the=20 street.

Elsewhere, shopkeepers selling western-style magazines with=20 advertisements containing pictures of women considered = unacceptable by=20 many Shia Muslims have also been threatened and intimidated.

Christians are fearful for their future in an Iraq which seems = to be=20 slipping into the hands of Muslim extremists who want an Islamic = state=20 under Shari=92ah.

Both the Vatican and the US Committee for International = Religious=20 Freedom have issued statements expressing their concern that = religious=20 liberty should be guaranteed for all in the future Iraq.

Iraqi Church leaders from all the major denominations have = similarly=20 issued a joint statement asking that the new Iraqi constitution = =93recognise=20 our religious, cultural, social and political rights =85 consider = Christians=20 as Iraqi citizens with full rights=94 and =93guarantee the right = to profess=20 our faith according to our ancient traditions=94 a clear = indication of=20
their concern.

They want to draw attention to the fact that Christians are = beginning=20 to face violence and discrimination at the hands of conservative = Muslims=20 in the new Iraq and urge that every possible measure is taken "to = protect=20 the Christian minority in Iraq and prevent them from becoming the = victims=20 of Islamic extremist violence."

IRAQI CHRISTIANS FEAR RISE OF SHIITE=20 FUNDAMENTALISM

Courtesy of the Charlotte Observer (19 = 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=20 Essa, 42, a father of four. "He said the government was no longer = here to=20 protect us. What could 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=20 unthinkable, is voiced increasingly today among Iraq's 800,000=20 Christians.

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

Christian women say they've been harassed by Shiite men for = walking on=20 the street without head scarves. Priests complain that Shiite = clerics=20 inflame religious hatred by calling for the expulsion from Iraq of = "nonbelievers." The most overt acts have been directed at Iraq's = liquor=20 stores and manufacturers, almost universally run by Christians. = The owners=20 say they've been threatened with death for selling alcohol, = forbidden=20 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. All = Christians are=20 in danger," said Warduni, 60. "We have a 2,000-year history in = Iraq, and=20 that 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. But religious tensions are high and rising in = Baghdad as=20 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 = looting.=20 Still under Shiite control, some of those hospitals now bear signs = ordering any woman seeking treatment to wear a head scarf.

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 Baath Party. Later, it was looted and=20 partially burned.

The Shiite mosque moved in three weeks ago, mounting a = half-dozen=20 loudspeakers that blare the call to prayer five times a day, = sometimes=20 interfering with 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 recently, 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=20 that if we didn't stop selling alcohol, the shop would be bombed = and we=20 would be killed," Hanna said.

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.

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."

ASSYRIANS CALL FOR END TO KURDISH = TERROR=20 RAIDS IN KARKUK, MOSUL

Courtesy of the Assyrian International = News Agency=20 (16 May). All Rights Reserved.

The precipitous=20 disintegration of Iraqi armed forces towards the end of "Operation = Iraqi=20 Freedom" led to a provocative advance of Kurdish forces into the = cities of=20 Mosul and Karkuk. The ensuing looting and terror raids against the = majority non-Kurdish residents of those cities have led to = increased=20 ethnic tension. American forces that were supposed to secure the = urban=20 areas in order to prevent just such terror raids by Kurds did not = arrive=20 until Kurdish bands looted and ransacked the cities = unhindered=85

To read this article in its entirety visit: http://aina.org/re= leases/2003/karkukmosul.htm

MAY 5TH MAYORAL ELECTIONS IN MOSUL = AND=20 NINEVEH

Courtesy of the Army Link (12 May); by = James=20 Matise

(ZNDA: Mosul) On 5 May the retired Iraqi general Ghamin = Al-Basso became=20 mayor of more than 2 million citizens in the city of Mosul and its = outlying Nineveh province.

The Mosul Interim Government Convention, held May 5 by local = delegates=20 and brokered by the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at the = old=20 Ba'ath Party Social Club, marked the first democratic elections = held in=20 Northern Iraq and put the first local officials there in public = office=20 since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

"I thank all the people who have come here from afar and made = me=20 responsible for all the province," Al-Basso said to the 24-member = interim=20 city council that elected him and to the 232 delegates from nine = ethnic=20 and geographic factions who also elected the council. "I will be a = loyal=20 soldier."

Al-Basso was forced into retirement and briefly imprisoned = during the=20 Iran-Iraq war when his brother, Salim Al-Basso, was caught = plotting an=20 attack against Saddam Hussein and executed. Yet the mayor remained = in=20 Mosul, said local resident Basel Faisel Mohammed.

It was a day of firsts at the convention, which brought = together Arab,=20 Kurdish, Turkomen, Assyrian, Yezidi and Shabakh ethnic groups from = Mosul=20 and the outlying municipalities in the province. They endured an = arduous=20 election process that took the entire day to complete, but in the = end=20 celebrated their final product.

Mohammed Rashib, chief justice of the Nineveh province, = validated the=20 election for the delegates and vouched for its credibility.

The delegates then broke off in their own groups and went in to = a=20 private session to vote for representation to the city council. An = officer=20 of the 101st and a local judge observed each group.

Using preprinted ballots with the delegates' names printed in = English=20 and Arabic, the delegates voted and cast their ballots in wooden = boxes.=20 The boxes were escorted by armed guard in a public room and = opened. A=20 division officer and impartial election observers counted the = votes, and a=20 judge certified their tallies.

When officials had counted the ballots for the retired = generals'=20 faction, the election process took a new twist.

"There was a tie, so they're going to go re-vote," said Col. = Richard O.=20 Hatch, 101st staff judge advocate."It's a tie between four people, = so=20 they're going to revote with just those four names."

After the first round of council voting, the Arabs from outside = the=20 city and the Assyrian Christians, had ties.
Hatch said the = groups=20 re-voted, breaking the ties.

The retired generals ultimately had to vote a third time before = clear=20 winners for the group's two council seats were established.

After everyone present was satisfied with the election's = accuracy, the=20 ballots were taped together and placed back in the voting boxes, = which was=20 taped off, signed by a judge and placed on display in the = convention's=20 main room. The delegates were called back in, the results were = announced,=20 and Mosul's new city council was sworn in.

After the delegates broke for lunch, several hours later than = planned,=20 the new council met to vote for its mayor and appoint a deputy = mayor and=20 assistant mayors.

The delegates returned shortly after and the ballots were = quickly=20 tallied, but before Al-Basso's victory was announced, the = delegates were=20 notified that the council had already made its first decision = resolving a=20 miscommunication involving the Kurdish members of the council.

"It had been agreed there would be only three Kurdish council = members=20 and the deputy mayor would be one of the three. But due to a=20 misunderstanding, the Kurds thought there would be an added member = who=20 would be the deputy mayor," Petraeus said.

The council decided there would be no change in the number of=20 representation, so the Kurds asked if they could exchange a member = of=20 their council for the man they wanted as deputy mayor, Petraeus = said.

"It was discussed with the city council, and they decided that = they=20 would allow that member to replace one of three Kurdish members. = The city=20 council agreed unanimously and the chief judge validated = that."

The deputy mayor, nominated by the Kurds and chosen by = acclimation of=20 the city council, is Khusru Goran. Two assistant mayors were also = chosen=20 from the Assyrian and Turkomen factions, also nominated by their = parties=20 and ratified by acclimation. They are Yousif Lallo and Dr. = Ibrahiem=20 Mohammed Salin.

Al-Basso and his deputy and assistant mayors were then sworn in = office,=20 completing the formation of the interim government.

Security was extremely tight at the convention to prevent the = elections=20 from being disrupted. People seeking access to the convention had = to=20 produce a notarized invitation distributed earlier.

Infantry and military police squads were deployed on the = streets=20 surrounding the social club and cut off direct access by vehicle = with=20 sconcertina wire. A sniper squad positioned itself on the roof, = and higher=20 above, Kiowa and Apache attack helicopters patrolled the area=20 continuously. Psychological Operations and Explosive Ordnance = Disposal=20 teams stood by for any possible contingency.

Aside from a single thunderous explosion around 11 a.m., which = turned=20 out just to be EOD setting off a charge, the convention remained = safe and=20 undisturbed.

"Mosul truly is a special city. It is blessed in many ways and = our=20 soldiers feel very good about what they are doing here," Petraeus = said.=20 "Soon we will all know how to say, 'Ana Maslawi (I am a Mosul = citizen)'. I=20 am confident that together we can make a lasting difference for = the people=20 of this city and this province."

[Z-info:=20 The article above was written by Private First Class James Matise = of the=20 101st Airborne Division for Army Link, an Internet news service of = the=20 U.S. Army.]

News = Digest

SPECIAL MEETING CALLED = BY HIS=20 HOLINESS MAR DINKHA IV

Press Release
15 May 2003

1. In his continued effort to promote trust, collaboration and = unity=20 among the Assyrian and all Syriac-speaking People, His Holiness = Mar Dinkha=20 IV, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, on = Monday,=20 May 12, 2003, called a meeting of Assyrians from the Chicago area = and from=20 elsewhere composed of twenty (20) individuals from various = religious,=20 political and civic organizations. The meeting started at 7:00 = PM.

2. The meeting began by an invocation by His Holiness who later = on=20 spoke briefly about the necessity of this meeting and the issues = raised in=20 its agenda. The Agenda included three points: (i) the current = political=20 situation in Iraq, in particular the situation of the Assyrians; = (ii) the=20 relations between Assyrians and Chaldeans; (iii) the relations = between the=20 various Assyrian political parties. Here is a summary of = discussion on=20 each one:

i. The participants declared that the current political = situation in=20 Iraq obligates all Iraqis, including Assyrians, to do their best = to help=20 Iraq restore its proper place among the civilized nations of the = world=20 and prosperous countries in the Middle East. Assyrians, however, = must=20 also do their best to have the new Iraqi constitution recognize = Assyrian=20 national identity and ethnicity and protect their other rights=20 guaranteeing their cultural, administrative and legal = rights.

ii. The terms "Assyrian", "Chaldean", " Syriac", and "Aramean = " refer=20 to one national ethnic group. The future and fate of this = ethnicity is=20 greater than the self-interest of an individual or a group. The = various=20 ethnic terms must not be used to divide the oneness of our = people. The=20 participants remain committed towards working with Chaldeans, in = particular, those who seek unity with Assyrians despite all = obstacles=20 presented by a few individuals.

iii. The Assyrians people today again face difficult issues = in a=20 tumultuous time. It is imperative that all Assyrian political = groups=20 work with diligence and professionalism so that further = political or=20 sectarian division does not hamper the hard-earned gains = achieved thus=20 far. The Participants look forward to continue this kind of = meetings to=20 further coordinate and ultimately organize a strong political = leadership=20 for the Assyrians.

iv. The Christian Churches in Iraq - - the promoters of = fraternal=20 relations and tolerant coexistence between all Iraqis - like all = Iraqis=20 also face challenging times ahead. The participants, therefore, = call=20 upon the heads of all the Christian Churches in Iraq (including = the=20 Assyrian Church of the East, the Ancient Church of the East, the = Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Syriac = Catholic Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Maklkite = Catholic=20 Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Protestant Churches) = to rally=20 for the sake of having the new Iraqi constitution recognize and = protect=20 their religious rights guaranteeing their freedom of worship and = their=20 administrative, legal, educational and cultural = rights.

3. For the conclusion of this meeting, the assembled = representatives=20 declared that the work of this group is not finished and there = would=20 definitively be a further need in the future for them to gather = again=20 under the auspices of His Holiness to discuss future issues and = programs=20 for the benefit of all Assyrians and their institutions.

4. At the end of the meeting all the participants thanked His = Holiness=20 for this historic initiative and pledged full cooperation for the = sake of=20 unity between all the various folds of the Assyrian Nation. The=20 Participants also thanked Saint Mary=92s Parish for hosting this = meeting.=20 The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 PM.

5. The following individuals were present at this meeting:

Head of Assembly:
=97 His Holiness Mar = Dinkha, IV,=20 Catholicos-Patriarch (Assyrian Church of the East)

Religious Participants: = (Alphabetically)
=97=20 Rev. Alfred Abraham (Assyrian Evangelical Church)
=97 His Grace = Bishop=20 Mar Emanuel Eliya (Church of the East)
=97 Archdeacon Awikam = Pithyou=20 (Ancient Church of the East)
=97 His Grace Bishop Mar Bawai = Soro=20 (Assyrian Church of the East)

Political Participants: = (Alphabetically)
=97=20 Dr. Sargon Dadisho (Assyrian National Congress & Assyrian = Committee of=20 Eight=97Iraqi Opposition)
=97 Mr. Fraidon Darmoo (Assyrian = Committee of=20 Eight=97Iraqi Opposition)
=97 Mr. Romel Elia (Assyrian = Democratic=20 Movement)
=97 Mr. Eshaya Esho (Assyrian National = Organization)
=97 Mr.=20 Younan Homme (Assyrian Democratic Party)
=97 Mr. Pnoel Hormiz = (Bet=20 Nahrain Democratic Party)
=97 Dr. Emanoel Kambar (Assyrian = Committee of=20 Eight=97Iraqi Opposition) (Excused)
=97 Mr. Shimun Khamo (Bet = Nahrain=20 National Alliance)
=97 Mr. Abgar Maloul (Assyrian Democratic=20 Organization)
=97 Dr. Ron Michael (Assyrian American = League)
=97 Mr.=20 Moshe Moshe (Assyrian Liberation Movement)
=97 Senator John = Nimrod=20 (Assyrian Universal Alliance)
=97 Mr. Kaldo Shmoel (Assyrian = Patriotic=20 Party)

Civic Participants: = (Alphabetically)
=97 Mr.=20 Robert DeKelaita, Esq. (Legal Counsel)
=97 Mr. Atour Golani = (Assyrian=20 American National Federation)
=97 Mr. Shiba Mando (Assyrian = National=20 Council of Illinois)

Report prepared by Bishop Mar Bawai = Soro
15 May=20 2003
Chicago

U.S. TROOPS VANDALIZE ANCIENT CITY OF = UR=20

Courtesy of the Observer (18 May); by Ed=20 Vulliamy

One of the greatest wonders of = civilisation, and=20 probably the world's most ancient structure - the Sumerian city of = Ur in=20 southern Iraq - has been vandalised by American soldiers and = airmen,=20 according to aid workers in the area.
They claim that US forces = have=20 spray-painted the remains with graffiti and stolen kiln-baked = bricks made=20 millennia ago. As a result, the US military has put the = archaeological=20 treasure, which dates back 6,000 years, off-limits to its own = troops. Any=20 violations will be punishable in military courts.

Land immediately adjacent to Ur has been chosen by the Pentagon = for a=20 sprawling airfield and military base. Access is highly selective, = screened=20 and subject to military escorts, which - even if agreed - need to = be=20 arranged days or weeks in advance and carefully skirt the areas of = reported damage.

There has been no official response to the allegations of = vandalism -=20 reported to The Observer by aid workers and one concerned US = officer.

Ur is believed by many to be the birthplace of the prophet = Abraham. It=20 was the religious seat of the civilisation of Sumer at the dawn of = the=20 line of dynasties which ruled Mesopotamia starting about 4000 BC. = Long=20 before the rise of the Egyptian, Greek or Roman empires, it was = here that=20 the wheel was invented and the first mathematical system = developed. Here,=20 the first poetry was written, notably the epic Gilganesh, a = classic of=20 ancient literature.

The most prominent monument is the best preserved ziggurat - = stepped=20 pyramid - in the Arab world, initially built by the Sumerians = around 4000=20 BC and restored by Nebuchadnezzar II in the sixth century BC.

The Pentagon has elected to build its massive and potentially = permanent=20 base right alongside the site, so that the view from the peak of = the=20 ziggurat - more or less unchanged for 6,000 years - will be = radically=20 altered.

Each hour, long convoys of trucks heave gravel and building = materials=20 through checkpoints and the barbed wire perimeter extends daily. =

There are reports that walls have been damaged by spray-painted = graffiti, mostly patriotic or other slogans, and regimental = mottos. One=20 graffiti reads: 'SEMPER FE' - Always Faithful - the motto of the = Marines,=20 who stormed through this region on their way to Baghdad, and form = a=20 contingent at the base.

Other reports by groups who cannot be named for fear of losing = access=20 to medical patients being treated on the base say there has been=20 widespread stealing of clay bricks baked to build and restore the=20 structures at Ur.

GILGAMESH RIDES AGAIN IN = EPIC

Courtesy of Variety.com (17 May); by = Cathy=20 Dunkley

(ZNDA: Los Angeles) Michael Madsen, Omar Sharif, Billy Zane and = Robert=20 Davi have inked to star in a production of the classic tale = "Gilgamesh"=20 for Stonelock Pictures.

Pic, budgeted at $12.5 million and financed through Ben = Atoori's Dutch=20 bank Abn Amro, is skedded to start shooting Sept. 20 in Morocco. =

Roger Christian ("Battlefield Earth") is directing from = Mitchell=20 Cohen's screenplay. Atoori will produce with Sabrina Atoori = co-producing.=20

Epic action-adventure follows the story of the warrior king = (Madsen) on=20 his quest to find the answers to happiness and immortality. Other = cast=20 members approached for roles include Dennis Hopper and Peter = O'Toole.

Madsen stars in "Blueberry" and Miramax Films' "Kill Bill." = Sharif=20 completed his role in "Return of the Thief of Baghdad." Zane was = recently=20 in "Sea Devils" and "The Kiss." Davi most recently starred in = Disney's=20 "Hot Chick."

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

SACRIFICING A PEOPLE = FOR THE=20 SAKE OF RELIGIOUS FANATICISM

There is a historic tendency of self=20 destructiveness among the Syriac speaking people which = accounts for=20 the unending tragedies that our people have lived through. In = the Acts=20 o Martyrs written during the early centuries of christianity = in=20 Mesopotamia we read about christians rushing into the burning = churches=20 supposedly to hasten their entering into heaven or bravely=20 volunteering to be executed for the sake of their = religion.

The declaration of the Chaldean Bishops Sarhad Jammu and = Abraham=20 Abraham to divide our people ethnically based on who goes to = what=20 church seems to flow from the same destructive mentality. The = Bishops=20 are ready to sacrifice the collective interest of our people = in Iraq=20 so that they can glorify their church and pretend that its = name=20 denotes not only a religious denomination but also the ethnic = identity=20 of its members.

They knowingly make false statements to further their = unholy=20 crusade to fool the unsuspecting novice. In their Memorandum = under the=20 heading of the =93Chaldean Ethnic and Cultural Identity=94 = they write:=20

=93Since 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.....=94

The name =93Chaldean=94 was given by the Pope Julius III to = a Church=20 established in 1553 by John Sulaga in union with the Catholic = Church=20 (see =93Chaldean Catholic CHurch=94, New Catholic = Encyclopedia, second=20 Edition Vol.. 3 , 2003 pp. 366-369). Almost a century earlier = the same=20 name was bestowed on the Nestorians of Cyprus who had no = ethnic=20 connection to Mesopotamia other than their being Nestorian = which=20 proves that the term Chaldean was intended as a religion = identity and=20 not as ethnic origin. Furthermore from the 16th century to mid = 18th=20 century the chaldean church existed as a small minority mostly = in=20 Diarbekir and Amedia in today=92s Turkey. In fact unlike = Bishops Sarhad=20 Jammu and Abraham Abraham members of the Chaldean church from = that=20 region have proudly acknowledged their Assyrian ethnicity as = evidenced=20 by the =93Chaldean Assyrians of France=94 .

The Chaldean church gradually grew in population as more = Assyrians=20 joined the new church during the 19th and the 20th century . = It is=20 preposterous to claim that those who joined it rather than = embracing a=20 religious denomination did so to trade their Assyrian identity = for=20 something else. Even the Chaldean website=20 =93http://www.chaldeansonline.net/church.html=94 under the = title: =93=20 HISTORY OF THE CHALDEAN CHURCH OF THE EAST=94 states that the = Assyrian=20 inhabitants of the villages in the Plain of Nineveh became = known=20 religiously as Chaldean after mid 18th century when they = joined the=20 Catholic church.

In the section titled, =93 Catholicism in the Plain of = Nineveh =93 we=20 read: =93As can be seen, Catholicism started spreading in the = plain of=20 Nineveh around the 18th century, however, with the beginning = of the=20 19th century most of those villages were turned Chaldean.=20 Consequently, most of those who kept their old faith left = their=20 ancestral villages to further north to the mountains where the = "Nestorian" Patriarch had his domain. They fled fearing = persecution by=20 the Mosul Ottoman Governors who were encouraged by the = Catholic=20 missionaries who were hoping that such persecution will help = their=20 Catholic conversion efforts.=94

In fact it was not only the Catholic Missionaries but also = the=20 leaders of the newly established Chaldean Church in the plain = of=20 Nineveh who made life impossible to live for those who = remained loyal=20 to their ancient faith. With the help of the Catholic = Missionaries,=20 the pope, the influence of France and the power of the Ottoman = government the new denomination confiscated the church = properties, the=20 wealth, the land and prevented the followers of the Church of = the East=20 from even burying their dead in the graveyards where their = forefathers=20 were buried for thousands of years. Some accounts tell of = Kurds being=20 employed to terrorize the priests of the Church of the = East.

Rassam who was from a prominent Catholic family in his book = =93Ashour=20 and the land of Nimrud=94 writes: =93the Nestorians of Shakh = told me that=20 the Chaldean Catholics of Jezeerah, who were their = co-religionist,=20 [before joining the Catholic church] had always tried through = their=20 influence with the local authorities to bully them into = submission to=20 the Pope." (Rassam, p.389)

The Bishop=92s Declaration is a continuation of the same = destructive=20 religious fanaticism which has served to undermine the unity = and the=20 strength of our people by wasting our precious resources on = wrecking=20 havoc on our common national identity by confusing their = church=20 identity with ethnicity. They claim to he leaders of a = Christian=20 denomination but they preach discord and divisiveness which is = contrary to the teachings to Jesus Christ who wished for peace = and=20 brotherly love among men .

Contrary to the Bishops=92 = claim that=20 belonging to the Chaldean church means being ethnically = Chaldean most=20 members of that church consider themselves ethnically = Assyrians. Even=20 his beatitude Mar Bidaweed Patriarch of the Chaldean church = has stated=20 on several occasions that members of the Chaldean Church are=20 exclusively of the Assyrian descent. In an interview on the = Lebanon=20 Radio Station on Feb 2001 he stated:

" The Catholic church gave us the name 'Chaldean' with = respect to=20 those wise-men who went from Mesopotamia to Bethlehem. [who = were=20 called Chaldean or magi which meant astronomers].. My = ethnicity is=20 Assyrian but my sect is Chaldean, but we shouldn't mix = ethnicity with=20 the church=94

At a time when the Shiite extremists threaten to terrorize = the=20 Christians of Iraq and the Kurds for the first time have = established=20 foothold in the Christian villages near Nineveh the two = bishops are=20 busy provoking petty quarrels within our people and dividing = us=20 according to who goes to what church. What our people needs = now more=20 than any time before is to unite under one name and work = collectively=20 to find a solution to the new problems which if left = unresolved=20 threaten to undermine the survival of our people in the land = of their=20 forefathers. Any attempt to divide us by attributing = conflicting=20 identities to our people serves to confuse our friends and = help our=20 adversaries who wish to pit one group against the other.

William = Warda
California

THE ASSYRIAN REPRESENTATION: = LEGALITY,=20 OBLIGATION, QUALIFICATION, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Last week in Chicago, a series of = meetings took=20 place. Among the participants were Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV of = the=20 Assyrian Church of the East, who in fact called for these = meetings,=20 Mar Bawai Soro, and several Assyrian leaders, representing = various=20 political and civic organizations. Many Assyrians have been = demanding=20 for such meetings in order to unify the Assyrian stand, = especially=20 after the outrageous declaration of the two bishops of the = Chaldean=20 Catholic Church, Mar Sarhad Jammo and Mar Ibrahim Ibrahim = (Read last=20 week's issue of Zinda). Days have elapsed since those meetings = and we=20 have yet to hear anything from these leaders. Does the public = has the=20 right to know what went on and what was decided?

Assyrians, who participate in any meeting, whether on the = national=20 or international level, do so as representatives of the = Assyrian=20 people obviously. They all claim that they represent the = Assyrian=20 people in one way or another, whether they were elected, have = imposed=20 themselves on the scene due to particular circumstance, or = have been=20 involved in the political and national affairs and through = their=20 diligent work throughout the years have earned the status of=20 representing the Assyrians. I am not here to question who is = legally=20 in position to represent the Assyrians and who is not; it is = not the=20 right time to address that now in details, I simply wanted to = point to=20 it here.

Therefore, if these "representatives" were representing = Assyrians=20 truly, as they all proclaim, then they naturally owe the = Assyrian=20 people certain obligations. Now I understand that the = Assyrians are in=20 the middle of an environment that is influenced by various = factors,=20 some of very sensitive natures. Still, there are certain basic = requirements or obligations that these representatives must = abide by,=20 whether of legal or moral nature; withholding information from = the=20 public is not one of them.

It seems to me that as long as we do not adapt certain = rules of=20 holding these "representatives" accountable for their actions, = we will=20 never live to witness real progress. Issues dealing with = international=20 affairs demand capable individuals. The Assyrians are in the = middle of=20 the international scene today; therefore, the presence of = qualified=20 individuals in the middle of such demanding scene is = essential. Let us=20 face it; some, if not many, of the Assyrian "representatives," = have=20 limited capabilities when dealing with qualified world = negotiators and=20 politicians. In addition, if these "representatives" were = meant to be=20 there, for whatever reasons, then communications between these = "representatives" and other Assyrians could be of valuable = experience=20 for both sides. Additionally, these "representatives" cannot = carry the=20 affairs of their people and decide their faith without certain = consent=20 from the general population. Yes, I understand that our = affairs,=20 especially those national in nature, are primitive because of = the lack=20 of an organized system or structure that control such = activities.=20 Still, that does not mean that these "representatives" cannot = report=20 to the people what steps they are taking and in so doing keep = the=20 public aware of where they stand. There are many means through = which=20 the public can participate in the decision making process and=20 ultimately in its own future, one of these is through the many = media=20 sources. These meetings decide the future of millions of = people and=20 not individuals; this is not the issue of an individual = gambling with=20 his/her own money.

In my opinion, the public cannot continue being so passive = from the=20 inefficient and nonproductive process of "inadequate and = non-inclusive=20 representation." It seems to me that as long as there persist = the lack=20 or none existence of accountability in our affairs, Assyrians = will=20 continue to suffer setbacks in their road to better future. = The=20 "Assyrian representatives" are part of society and since they=20 represent that society, they must learn how to perform as = such, i.e.=20 represent the people. They cannot continue to be so alien from = the=20 public at large.

If a century from today, history was to blame Assyrians for = failing=20 or succeeding in accomplishing their national dreams, let = Assyrians as=20 a whole then stand courageous or proud in taking that blame or = credit.=20 We tend to be so passive from our cultural, national, and = political=20 affairs yet turn around quick enough to point our fingers at = Assyrian=20 representatives for our failures or take credit for our = success. Who=20 gives us the right to do so when we chose not to demand our=20 involvement in the national affairs? Who gives us the right to = blame=20 these "representatives" when we "the people" chose not to be = in the=20 middle of the political and national scene? We must find, set, = and=20 execute basic guidelines of holding any Assyrian = representative=20 accountable for his/her actions and of any consequences = stemming from=20 their behaviors?

Let me remind our representatives and leaders that this is = not the=20 era of World War I and the following dark years in the = Assyrian=20 history when certain individuals jeopardized the Assyrian = national=20 dream in Iraq and where the public remained unaware of them = for so=20 long. Not today. The clouds will soon dissipate from the Iraqi = skies=20 and the good, the bad, and the ugly will be exposed to all = Assyrians.=20 I guarantee you.

Fred Aprim
California

[Z-info: Mr. Aprim=92s article was submitted to Zinda = Magazine=20 before the receipt of the Press Release which appears in this = week=92s=20 NEWS DIGEST.]

A RESPONSE TO THE CHALDEANS=92 = POSITION AND=20 ROLE IN THE NEW IRAQ

Unauthorized Translation from the = Arabic
The=20 Arabic article is at
http://www.el= aph.com.:9090/elaph/arabic/index.html

Few days ago, certain venerable = bishops from=20 the Chaldean Catholic Church in the United States issued a = declaration=20 that was published on "al-nahrain" and other sites regarding = the=20 position and role of the Chaldeans in the new Iraq. Based of = the=20 principles of freedom of press and mutual respect, I found = myself=20 obligated to express my own opinion from this "infamous" = declaration.=20 I do not subscribe to those who are involved in the name = debates, but=20 at the same time I believe that those who agitate this issue = in this=20 particular time have special interest and questionable agenda. = Perhaps=20 this agenda was represented in the plans to undermine what has = been=20 accomplished for Iraqis in general and Assyrians in particular = after=20 the disappearance of Saddam's regime.

The declaration of the bishops begins by stating that, = quote:=20 "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." Unquote. By this, Bishops = Sarhad=20 Jammo and Ibrahim Ibrahim needed to buy up and monopolize = Mesopotamian=20 civilization and ascribe and relate it to Chaldeans solely and = presented it as the sole legitimate heir to that civilization. = In=20 doing so, the two bishops went against history by = intentionally=20 distancing Assyrian cultural influence in the region, knowing = that=20 there is no difference between the two terms from the cultural = and=20 linguistic perspective.

In his book, "al-Kaneesa al-Suryaniya al-Sharqiya," the = Dominican=20 Jean M. Fiey states that after all these were known in their = language=20 as Athurayeh (Athuriyeen), and this name meant Assyrian = (Ashuriyeen)=20 according to "ahil al-Mosul" (The people of Mosul), a tenth = century=20 lexicon by al-Hasan Ibin Bahlol. Then came the 1910 = publication of=20 Wigram's "Ancient and Modern Assyrian", in which he states = that the=20 Assyrian is the present Chaldean and Nestorian, who represent = the=20 aromatic mixture of the ancient Assyrians and are the = descendents of=20 Sargon and Sannacherib.

In fairness, the language used by the Ashuriyoon Kaldan = Suryan was=20 always known, and until this moment, as Surith or Suraya, or = Suroyo,=20 or Suryoyo, where all originate from Assur or Ashur, hence the = Assyrian language (or Syriac as a modification or = transformation from=20 Assyrian). I have no idea how the two bishops boasted and = spoke=20 affectedly about their Aramaic language, culture, and = heritage. In my=20 personal opinion, the Chaldean title is one of the ancient = titles for=20 the Assyrians, but this name was not mentioned in historical=20 references after the fall of the Assyrian Empire. The Chaldean = title=20 was mentioned though in the modern era when a segment of the = Assyrian=20 people embraced the Catholic faith. It was used in order to=20 distinguish between Catholicism and the Church of the East of = the=20 Assyrians despite of our pride in many professionals who = served the=20 Assyrian nation whether they were Ashuri, Kaldani or Suryani. = In=20 addition, and more recently, it is interesting to know that = those who=20 insist that they are Chaldeans and not Assyrians pay no = attention and=20 are not enthusiastic towards the national and political = aspects of=20 life. They reached the point where they even gave up their = language.=20 Their interest is solely and still is in learning how to pray = and=20 recite hymns even if in other languages. This was to the = degree that=20 many of them began to refer to themselves as Arabs or Kurds = (with my=20 respect for the Arabs and the Kurds).

Accordingly, I emphasize that any step to achieve the = aspirations=20 of our people in existence and freedom, is surely a step = forward;=20 regardless to under whose name that step is undertaken, = because it is=20 a gain for all of us without distinction. The distinction and=20 separation propagated by these bishops will not succeed. Their = efforts=20 in this direction will not be but an endeavor in the wrong = direction=20 because our people, with all their different denominations, = have=20 surpassed the sectarian thought and are keener towards the = nation's=20 higher benefits.

The said declaration signed by the two bishops then = continues=20 towards disintegration and fragmentation. It states that, = quote:=20 "=853.5% Chaldeans, 1.0% Syriacs, 0.5% Assyrians," unquote. I = believe=20 that the multiplicity of these names in the modern era and the = attempts of these bishops to sanctify it as the reality on the = ground=20 is no longer an issue of concern in the Assyrians' modern = history.=20 Because our people and our political organizations have become = very=20 much aware of the sectarian divisions that occurred throughout = history=20 and have succeeded lately to confine and end the name = multiplicity=20 issue. This they have accomplished through the presentation of = flexible formulas in order to take that opportunity away from = all=20 those weakened souls who want to conspire against this nation. =

Presently, we must accept and liberate the name Assyrian = when=20 issues are dealing with our political and cultural rights. Our = case=20 has been known under this name in the files of all = international=20 treaties, whether old or new. What is happening today in Iraq = is only=20 a reflection of those efforts. On the local level, the = Assyrian home=20 is ours, whether Ashuriyeen, Kaldan or Suryan. Throughout = history,=20 there has been no problem from identifying the one people by = multiple=20 names. Allow me to mention some examples in order to explain = what I=20 stated. The Arabs, were known once as Quraysh, then under the = Islamic=20 Kingdom as ruled by The Guided Caliphs, the Umayyad, the = Abbasid, and=20 religious titles as Sunni and Shi'aa but they were Arabs after = all.=20 The Jews were known as Hebrews, Israelites, offspring of Zion, = sons of=20 Jacob, and the same with the Persians and others.

In conclusion, I would like to remind the eminent bishops = that what=20 you mentioned in your declaration is nothing but an attempt = for=20 fragmentation on your part to divide our one people. You = should=20 re-examine the teachings of Jesus Christ in order for you to = repudiate=20 this division. You must give up stands that propagate the = superiority=20 of one sect over the other because there exist many formative = ethnic=20 elements that bind these sects together like language, = history, and=20 sentiments =85 aren't these elements of one nation?

Aziz Touma

WAKE UP CHALDEANS!

There has been a surge lately in the = myth of=20 "chaldeanism" among some of the Catholic Assyrians, and the = last of=20 the calamities of this complex was a letter which was sent to = the=20 American president by former Baathists (Chaldean National = Congress,=20 Chaldean Federation, both bishops Ibrahim Ibrahim and Sarhad = Jammo)=20 and some members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (the posse = of Abd=20 al-Ahad which is called The Chaldean Democratic Alliance).

Then on Friday night May 09,2003 I was surprised when I = read and in=20 shame, the latest declaration from the "Church's devils" who = are still=20 trying to fragment the Assyrian people while the sincere = Chaldeans in=20 the United States are watching and not daring to silence those = two up=20 in any way...Even though these fore mentioned groups which = don't=20 represent the Chaldeans because their reputations are = doubtful, but=20 we're not going to write about that at this time, especially = that the=20 educated class of Chaldeans are the prime supporters of the = Assyrian=20 people in and outside of Iraq, and this group also is and will = continue to be the prime supporter of the Assyrian Democratic = Movement=20 and moreover our Honorable Patriarch Mar Raphael Bidawid has = clarified=20 the Chaldean identity in a suitable way and I urge my brethren = in The=20 Church of The East to carefully evaluate his words and urge = the clergy=20 of The Church of The East to collaborate with this Patriarch = seriously=20 and not only as a courtesy.

Since, I'm faraway from that posse which is in the United = States, I=20 have seen that it's my duty to at least write this letter in = the hopes=20 that it may be posted in all the Assyrian sites (Chaldean, = Eastern=20 Assyrian, Syriac) especially in my hometown Telkef, which is = also the=20 home town of the Assyrian hero Yousif Malek, and its environs = in the=20 plains of Nineveh where the Assyrian flag was raised high = after the=20 demise of the tyrant from our beloved Iraq.

My brethren in Church and nationality, a historian I am = not, nor am=20 I an author or a theologian, my domain is in communications=20 engineering, residing presently in Cairo. My father God rest = his soul,=20 had immigrated to Cairo from Baghdad when he was a young man = in=20 1932,when the indications of a massacre against the Assyrians = had=20 begun to appear in the Iraqi newspapers and in the Friday = Sermons in=20 Mosques. My father was a naive simple man who had been deluded = by the=20 Church, but despite that he used to tell me that he had left = Iraq=20 because Muslims wanted to slaughter the "Surayeh" and all that = he knew=20 was that the "Surayeh" were the owners of the land from = ancient times.=20 I insisted myself to discover those "Surayeh" so I put = together a=20 personal library containing some of the most expensive books = about the=20 history of Mesopotamia which I didn't notice in any of them = the word=20 "Chaldean" except in writings of our clergy and some French=20 clergy(being Catholics like us) at the end I realized the loss = of our=20 forefathers for over 150 years. I urge you to read and that's = when you=20 will realize the extent of our Church's malice towards our = nationality=20 throughout history.

My brethren in Church and nationality, in order to get the=20 protection of the Catholic missions whose duty was that of = spying=20 rather than a religious preaching one, and whose main goal was = competing against the English missionaries (the English spies) = to=20 fragment the Assyrian people into several denominations so = that they=20 would have a foothold in the region under the pretext of = "protecting"=20 their flock, this was admitted by some of the well known = missionaries=20 and English officers after their retirement. Thus we the = Assyrians=20 followed these denominations, and this should be explained to = the=20 coming generations so that they wouldn't fall like we did.

The English missions benefited from bringing over the = Assyrians of=20 Urmia (in Iran) and in its deceptive relation with the = Patriarchs of=20 The Church of The East(erroneously known as Nestorian) but at = the same=20 time it helped that group of the Assyrian people to preserve = its=20 language and name. Today, we notice that the Assyrians who = followed=20 the English missionaries didn't neglect their historical name, = rather=20 they attached it to their religious denomination, whereby = their Church=20 is known as the Assyrian Evangelical Church, so we can clearly = notice=20 how they preserved their national name and became the pioneers = of the=20 Assyrian culture and thought.

As to the Catholic Church which we belong to, it was more = generous=20 towards us, the Assyrians of the plains (North of Iraq and = Diyar=20 Bakir...) and it was more risk taking at protecting us from = our Muslim=20 neighbors(Arabs,Kurds,Turks) when these Catholic missionaries = would=20 buy the conscience of their clergy and chiefs (especially = Kurds and=20 Turks) then the same Catholic missionaries would instigate the = Muslims=20 to persecute the followers of The Church of The East = (erroneously=20 known as "Nestorian",Ashouri,Athourie). This is confirmed by = the=20 famous explorer Layard who discovered the city of Nineveh when = he=20 passed by the village of Bibozeh near Amadiya middle of the = 19th=20 century and he saw the "chaldeanism" of the Assyrians for = himself.=20 What did Sir Austin Henry Layard say??

"We saw a Chaldean village called Bibozeh, resting at the = top of a=20 high mountain with ten homes overlooking a deep valley, the = homes=20 looked as if they were hanging, the people we poor, but they = received=20 us with great hospitality. They are Assyrian Nestorians who = had been=20 forced yet again to embrace the Catholic rite...(Layard = continues...)=20 I visited the little village Church, and saw on its walls few = pictures=20 of saints and The Virgin in ugly colours with Latin = inscription=20 beneath them, not suitable to this place. I asked: "Do you = know what=20 these pictures mean"? They answered: "No, after the death of = our=20 priest, a bishop Yousif the Catholic came here and he was the = one who=20 hung the pictures and asked us to kneel before them. However, = we=20 removed the pictures off the walls of our Church, that's when = Mahmoud=20 Agha the chief of the Mezori Kurds came and he gathered our = village=20 chiefs and ordered their beatings until the canes were broken = on their=20 feet, then they hit us as well, that's why we left the = pictures on the=20 walls as the catholic left them, and because the Kurds have = sold=20 themselves in return of forbidding any "Nestorian" priest from = coming=20 to the village, we are obliged to listen to the sermons of the = catholic bishop who comes to the village under the protection = of the=20 Kurds". [Searching for Nineveh - (Arabic edition) page = 18].

With these "heavenly" methods most of the Assyrians of the = plains=20 joined the Catholic Church, which is known for numbing the=20 nationalistic feelings within the wretched groups that belong = to it=20 allover the world.

The Catholic missions didn't stop at that, rather they = deliberately=20 called the Catholic Assyrians "Chaldeans" in order to drive = them=20 further away from other Assyrians, even though the ancient = Chaldeans,=20 who don't belong to the region, never inhabited the areas = inhabited by=20 Catholic Assyrians (So-called Chaldeans).

Naturally, these events influenced this society which was = named=20 "Chaldean" after being forced to abandon its inveterate = inheritance=20 after resorting to the "Catholic" empire with all its power,=20 financial, and cultural vanities...No one can blame the simple = villagers whom we see today holding on today to the "Chaldean" = name=20 which we are proud of, but what about our clergy(of all = denominations)=20 who hide behind their beards and crosses when their rotting = hearts=20 didn't hesitate one day from breaking up the Assyrian people. = Till=20 when will the Chaldean clergy continue to delude their simple=20 parishioners whom despite all that I have mentioned still = identify=20 themselves as "Suraya" and their language as "Sureth" without=20 recognizing the true meaning of the words, because the "beard = growers"=20 don't explain the meaning during their trivial sermons.

Dear brethren let's for once in our history stand proudly = in the=20 face of Catholicism which numbed us, let's stand to face the = posse=20 (the groups which were mentioned at the beginning of the = article)=20 which is an agent to the Arabs and Kurds because this same = posse is=20 playing today the same dirty role which was played before them = by the=20 missionaries.

Majdi Qarana
Egypt

[Z-info: The translation from Arabic by Mr. Ashor = Giwargis who=20 lives in Beirut, Lebanon.]

DEAR BISHOP IBRAHIM AND BISHOP = JAMMO

I write to you today without = criticism,=20 disbelief or degradation. I write to you today regarding the = recent=20 article I have come across that involves an enormous blow to = our=20 heritage, culture, and possibly, the future outcomes of our = children.=20 The recent article intended for distribution to Washington = will=20 greatly impact the way we live in this great country God = created,=20 America and the World. It also demonstrates the poor = communication we=20 have with one another. This will neither help the Assyrians = nor the=20 Chaldeans. This will make both suffer even more. It is a true=20 testament to the way we have been living for the past 2500 = years. Why=20 should God ever let us live in peace with one another? Why = should God=20 allow us to have liberty in our homeland and promote our ways = of=20 living so that others may prosper amongst us?

When we degrade one another, or say we are not the same. = Trust and=20 loyalty is fore mentioned and integrity is questioned. With = the=20 article sent to Washington, our credibility is decreased and = as a=20 result less can be accomplished. The closer we are together = the more=20 will be done. In a sense, others such as the Kurds, Turkomen = and Arabs=20 will have the upper hand in the game with the United States = backing=20 them. While we argue about points such as this, others proceed = and=20 move forward and we as a group divided remain in the dust and = continue=20 to do so. As you will see nothing will come of this, as it has = been=20 proven for the past 2500 years. I guess this is a way of = saying that=20 God is punishing us for the ignorance we continue to portray. = What=20 good is our great language and culture if we as a whole are = idle in=20 our positions in the world? Eventually we will continue to = blend into=20 the nations we have become apart of, and as it=92s been = proven, we will=20 eventually diminish in thi s world and become no more, unless = we unite=20 and join as one in an organized manner.

This controversy has been going on long enough. However, I = just=20 wanted to share my opinion on this matter. In case your = history needs=20 refreshing, Ashurbanipal and Chaldo were brothers, from one = father and=20 one mother. They are of the same bloodline and your statements = in the=20 article point back in history and fume up dispositions that = have been=20 created by the same two people, Ashur and Chaldo, during the = year 652=20 B. C. The argument these two great individuals had continues = to grow=20 with us and our children. We need to put an end to this 2500 = year=20 argument that continues to divide us. I hope that you will = find it in=20 your hearts to start the mending process.

Bishop Ibrahim and Bishop Jammo, the Assyrians, the = Chaldeans and I=20 beg you to put a stop tearing us apart. We need to compromise = and come=20 to a conclusion on this matter immediately. We cannot say that = we are=20 different from one another when we are both the same. We = should be=20 working to make things better for the both of us for we are = one.

In closing, my wife is Chaldean Daughter of Janan Sawa = Mansour and=20 Monaira Akeed and I am Assyrian son of Benyamin Ora Younan and = Surma=20 Gewargis Khawshaba. We have two daughters, Jasmyne Nicole = baptized at=20 St. Ephrem's Church (Chaldean) in Chicago, IL and Alexys = Natalia was=20 baptized at Mar Gewargis (Assyrian) in Chicago, IL. With this, = I hope=20 that others will follow in our footsteps to unity. I hope that = we can=20 influence you on your decision making process the next time = this=20 subject arises. We are one. We will live and die as one.

Michael Benjamin=20 Younan
California

ASSYRIAN RALLY AT THE LOS ANGELES = FEDERAL=20 BUILDING

As I watched Assyrians assembled at = the Federal=20 Building, in Los Angels screaming, shouting, and rejoicing to = the=20 great opportunity that our brothers and sisters in our = homeland might=20 finally be able to enjoy this freedom that is freely God-given = to us=20 in this country of ours; I recalled the First Amendment = =93Congress=20 shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or=20 prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the = freedom of=20 speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably = to=20 assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of = grievances.=94=20 Unfortunately, dark forces=97created either by outdated = obscurantism or=20 by the alienating myths of single-minded beliefs=97have = endeavored in=20 recent years to multiply verbal, legal and even physical = onslaughts=20 against Assyrians of thought whose only fault is to believe=20 differently or to represent relative minorities.

It is high time for all nations to stop the practice of = signing=20 international documents with one-hand, while the other hand = repudiates=20 them with the utmost illegality and immorality. It is high = time for=20 the ordinary Assyrians to realize that their rights on the = basis of=20 basic of human needs and desires. One day will come, when a = rally=20 similar to this one is assembled in Bet-Nahrain guided by a = different=20 noble goal similar to this one.

The Gospel summons =93woe unto those through whom offenses = come.=94 The=20 offense is not that there are groups which believe differently = from=20 ours, struggling for our specific identity. The offense is = that=20 intolerance should covertly or overtly attempts to destroy our = spiritual freedom or to reduce it of conscience to a very = narrowly=20 delimited arena. No more, we will never let this happen.

O Lord, God [Nehemiah 1:4-6] of heaven let your ear be = attentive=20 and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying = for=20 Assyrians to live comfortably with injustice=96keep calling us = to=20 justice! Often we pursue our own self-interests, closing our = eyes to=20 the suffering of others=96move us to mercy! We fail in our = efforts for=20 community. Empower us through the Holy Spirit to persevere and = be=20 obedient to you! Have mercy on Assyrians-Representatives = especially=20 when they act from motives other than love. Please change them = by your=20 grace into faithful and loving people-servants! May they hear = and=20 share your guidance that brings about abundant transformation = in=20 Jesus! Amen.

Shamasha Dan = Daniel
California

Surfer's=20 Corner

ASSYRIAN STATE = CONVENTION OF=20 CALIFORNIA
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

For More Info, Please contact the Assyrian American Association = of=20 Modesto @ 209-551-1746
Hotel Discounts: Red Lion ( 1612 Sisk = Rd.,=20 Modesto , Tel. 209-521-1612)
Ramada Inn (2002 W. Orangeburg = Ave.,=20 Modesto, Tel. 209-521-9000)
For updates to this schedule visit: = http://www.auoc.org/sta= te_convention.htm

INTERNET CONFERENCE AT THE CALIFORNIA = STATE=20 CONVENTION

Nineveh On Line is organizing a small gathering during the = Assyrian=20 State Convention in California. Assyrian internet activists and = web=20 masters and anyone interested in promoting and supporting Assyrian = presence on the net are invited.

The main objective is to exchange ideas, discuss future plans = on what=20 we can do to better promote our Assyrian heritage, culture, = language and=20 identity on the net.

When : Sunday, May 25th,
Time : 1:00 PM to 2:30 = PM
Location :=20 DoubleTree Hotel in Modesto

No registration is required, but please inform us of your = attendance in=20 advance.

Web Masters are invited to give a short 5 minute presentation = on the=20 progress of their work. To date, the following web sites have = confirmed=20 their participation:

Assyria On Line
Nineveh On = Line
Peshitta.org=20 (via Video Conferencing or Pal Talk from Chicago)
Zinda=20 Magazine

We hope to see you at the Internet Meeting next weekend in = Modesto.

Albert Gabriel
Nineveh On=20 Line
www.nineveh.com

COMMEMORATION OF A MOST UNIQUE = MIGRATION=20 VENTURE

In 1903 an unprecedented event happened that is unique in the = history=20 of present-day Assyrians: there was a mass migration of Assyrians = from=20 Urmia region to Canada. The descendants of the pioneer generation = still=20 live in the original location, North Battleford, and invite all=20 Assyrian-Americans and particularly the descendents of the pioneer = generation who now live in the United States, to participate in = this=20 historical centennial celebration, which will take place during = the last=20 week of September, 2003.

The descendents of the pioneer generation who later moved to = the United=20 States are the families of Isaac, Joseph, and Abraham Adams, the=20 descendents of Odishoo Backus, Michael George, the Lazars, Shabaz = , Jacob,=20 and the Tamraz families. The majority of these families live in = California=20 now.

Let=92s Celebrate New Lamps For Old (1903-2003)
100th = Anniversary of=20 the Arrival of Assyrians in Canada

A =93Homecoming Weekend=94 for all Assyrians & their=20 families
September 26, 27, 28th in North Battleford, SK

Please fill in the online registration form at: O= nline=20 Registration Form.
Group rates for airfare and=20 accommodation can be arranged

NEWS RADIO BROADCASTS IN=20 ASSYRIAN

Listen to the following Assyrian radio interviews and programs = on SBS=20 Radio:

His Holiness Mar Adai Escaped Looters Attack In Baghdad
Bet = Nahrain=20 Democratic Party Report From Baghdad
Mosul Interim Government=20
Assyrian Representitives In The Civilian Administration =
Severe=20 Acute Respiratoray Syndrome
Iraqi War Day 12
Iraqi War Day = 12

Visit: http://203.15.102.140/news/languageGroup/lgCurDisp.php3?vlang=3D= Assyrian

Wilson Younan
Program Director
SBS = =96 Assyrian=20 Language
Australia

Literatus

ASSYRIANS AFTER DECADES = IN EXILE,=20 WANT TO REBUILD THEIR NATIVE VILLAGE

Courtesy of Sonntagszeitung (18 May): by = Susanne=20 Guesten

(ZNDA: Kafro-Turkey) Looked at from the roof of the church in = the=20 evening sunlight, it all seems possible. The velvet-green hills = roll off=20 into the distance, the birds chirp in the stillness, and even the = ruins=20 are picturesque in the warm light of the setting sun. In this = light, one=20 can even believe that history can be overcome, and that a new = beginning is=20 possible.

The people who have gathered on the roof of the 1500-year-old = ruined=20 church in Southeastern Anatolia believe this. They speak to one = another in=20 Aramaic, the language once spoken by Jesus, which had almost been = doomed=20 to die out. They have come back to Kafro from Zurich and = Truellikon, from=20 Augsburg and Goeppingen, in order to save their culture, a = millennium and=20 a half old, from dying out, and to try for a new beginning in = their=20 original homeland.

They need a firm faith, for the soft light is deceptive. The = houses=20 have been destroyed by war and plunder, the vineyards burned down, = and the=20 fields taken over by weeds. And it is still, because no human = being has=20 lived here for a long time. =93My father was one of the last to = leave,=94 says=20 Bedros Demir as he points toward a ruined house downa below. = =93There, that=20 was my parents=92 house.=94 Only the foundations of the walls can = be seen, but=20 Bedros and his companions are able to fill in out of memory what = is no=20 longer there. They speak of the 17 different types of grapevine = that once=20 grew here, of the oak forests that surrounded the villages, and of = fig and=20 almond trees.

=93Certainly rebuilding things will be difficult,=94 says = Bedros, a=20 shoemaker by trade. Even so, the 40-year-old wants to give up his = secure=20 life in Zurich, plant is wife and four children here, and invest = his life=20 savings in the reconstruction of the village. Just like the other = people=20 assembled on the roof of the church.

It is almost a miracle that they are back. In 1995, the last = three=20 families in Kafro got the order from the military to leave the = area. The=20 Christians of the area of Southeast Anatolia known as Tur Abdin = were=20 caught between the two sides in the war between the Turkish army = and=20 Kurdish separatists. Yet that was, after hundreds of years of = torment,=20 only the final blow for the =93Suryanis=94, who are also referred = to as=20 Assyrian, Aramaean, or Syrian-Orthodox Christians, and who have = lived in=20 Tur Abdin since the 5th Century.

Scorned as Unbelievers and Treated as Second-Class Citizens =

Scorned as infidels by their Kurdish neighbors, and treated by = the=20 Turkish state as second-class citizens, many Suryanis emigrated = [to=20 Europe] as guestworkers in the 1970s. Today over 150 000 Suryanis = live in=20 Western Europe, while hardly 3,000 still live in Tur Abdin.

In the nearby monastery of Mar Gabriel the Bishop of Tur Abdin = and a=20 few monks and nuns held out even though the years of the war. = =93Our prayers=20 have been heard,=94 says Malfono (Master) Isa Gulten from Mar = Gabriel today.=20 The war ended, Turkey is trodding the path toward the European = Union, and=20 so return now beckons to the Suryanis.

=93If we don=92t come back then soon there will be no Suryanis = left here;=20 then our 1,500-year-old culture will die out,=94 says Bedros, who = has lived=20 in Switzerland for almost 25 years, has a Swiss passport, and = speaks=20 excellent German. On Tuesday, there will be a celebratory = groundbreaking=20 for the rebuilding effort. By the coming spring, the =93Kafro = Development=20 Association=94 wants to have the village in a livable condition = once again.=20 More than als 70 Suryanis, most of them families with children, = want to=20 return to the village from Switzerland and Germany.

In a less-mild light, the project would seem hopeless. The = wells of the=20 village have long been sealed up, the electricity for the = construction=20 work will have to be provided with temporary cables, and only a = dirt track=20 leads to Kafro. =93We won=92t be able to return without making = sacrifices,=94=20 says Bedros. =93But my grandfather and my father built the village = three=20 times over in any event. Now it=92s my turn.=94 There are Return = Associations=20 in Western Europe for other Suryani villages as well. If the = return to=20 Kafro succeeds, thousands of Suryanis will follow the pioneers and = return=20 to Tur Abdin, says Malfono Isa Gulten.

=93Sergeant Mehmet, there are strange flocks of sheep on our = land.=94

Not all observers share this confidence, but the initial signs = are=20 encouraging, as Turkish officialdom is showing itself to be = cooperative.=20 The returnees even try to have good relations with the = paramilitary=20 gendarmerie. =93Hello, could I speak with Sergeant Mehmet = please?=94 says=20 Bedros, speaking in Turkish on his cell-phone with the local = barracks.=20 =93Sergeant Mehmet, there are some strange flocks of sheep on our = land;=20 could you please send a couple of men over?=94

Sergeant Mehmet himself soon arrives hurriedly in a jeep, = greets the=20 Suryanis with a handshake, and sends his troops after the Kurdish=20 shepherds. The Kurds in the area have taken over use of the fields = and=20 meadows of Kafro in the intervening years, and they do not want to = give=20 them up. Recently, as two young Suryanis from Goeppingen were = shoveling=20 sheep manure out of the village church, built in the 5th Century, = and=20 working to repair a ruined house in order to stay temporarily in = Kafro,=20 they were set upon by shepherds from a neighboring Kurdish village = and=20 beaten to the point of requiring hospitalization. The returning = Suryanis=20 are not being welcomed by everyone.

Yet the returnees are not letting themselves be intimidated. = =93We have=20 to trust the Turkish authorities; they promised us their = protection,=94 says=20 Yahko, who has come from Truellikon, near Zurich. Temporarily, = however,=20 the Suryanis go into the monastery at night, and only go to the = ruined=20 church in the daytime to work out their plans. Kafro is to get a = sports=20 field, and then perhaps even a small hotel, explains Yahko to the = Turkish=20 sergeant. The young soldier looks a bit skeptically at the field = of ruins=20 out of which a prosperous village is supposed to grow.

You have to have the right light in order to be able to see all = of that=20 -- as well as strong faith.

RESETTLEMENT OF DIASPORA CHRISTIANS = THWARTED BY=20 KURDISH MUSLIMS

Diaspora Christians who were forced to flee from the south-east = of=20 Turkey in the last 30 years because of persecution by the Muslim = Kurds and=20 who try to settle back in their villages are again persecuted by = the local=20 Kurds.

On April 19, 2003, Nuri Demir and Garabet Demir were busy = working in=20 their native village of Kafro, which was deserted in 1995 and is = now=20 empty, when they were attacked by nine men from the Kurdish = village of=20 Barmunes armed with axes, clubs and stones. Garabet Demir was = immobilised=20 and beaten by four Kurds. Nuri Demir was beaten by the other five = Kurds=20 and injured at his head but he managed to escape, grab a gun, = shoot and=20 injure two of his assailants. Due to the turn of events, the = aggressors=20 fled from the village. The victims of the attack called the = military=20 commander of Midyat who immediately sent the injured to hospital. = Nuri=20 Demir and one of the assailants were arrested while the others = were=20 released. Later on, the same aggressors destroyed the window panes = of Nuri=20 Demir=92s house. A criminal procedure has been initiated.

Nuri Demir, now a German citizen but a native of Kafro, went = back to=20 his village two years ago to start its reconstruction. To this = end, he and=20 others created an association called "Development Association = Kafro". This=20 association plans to organise the return home of nineteen = Christian=20 families living now in Germany and Switzerland but in 2002, the = local=20 mayor issued a decree forbidding foreigners to use the village = Kafro.=20 Since then, Nuri Demir has been prohibiting the non-authorized = grazing of=20 cattle, sheep and goats in and around Kafro by the neighbouring = (Muslim)=20 population.

Garabet Demir, also a German citizen and a native of Kafro, = went back=20 home in 2002 to restore the damaged house of his parents. He was = also=20 mandated by the "Development Association Kafro" to start the = construction=20 of new houses.

The Archbishop of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the monastery = of Tur=20 Abdin, Timotheos Samuel Aktas, was informed about the incident and = contacted a lawyer to defend Nuri Demir.

The president of the "Development Association Kafro", Yahko = Demir, has=20 written to the German embassy in Ankara to complain about this = aggression=20 against two German citizens who try to implement the resettlement = project=20 backed by the Turkish and German governments.

It is obvious that this event is the logical continuation of a = process=20 of ethno-religious cleansing which started at the end of the 19th = century,=20 reached a peak during WW I with the mass killing of two million = Armenian,=20 Assyrian and Greek Christians and led to the massive emigration of = Christian minorities until the 1990s

Willy Fautr=E9
Human Rights without=20 Frontiers
Belgium

AGATHA CHRISTIE'S LOVE FOR IRAQ = WAS NO=20 MYSTERY

Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune (13 May); = by Paul=20 Salopek

(ZNDA: Mosul) Almost no one remembers Dame Agatha anymore. This = is=20 understandable, given the painful realities of modern Iraq. = Survival=20 focuses the mind on the present, not the past. Agatha Christie = knew this.=20 She used it as a device in dozens of her mystery novels.

The best-selling British author of "Murder on the Orient = Express" lived=20 here once, in a rambling stone house with vaulted ceilings in the = historic=20 district of Mosul. Today the old place is crumbling.

A few neighbors--poor people, hawkers of rubber sandals and = menders of=20 worn clothes--still can point it out. But that's only because the = BBC=20 stopped by before the war and filmed a documentary there.

"Only a small number of educated Mosulis really know about = her," said=20 Saba Shidfa al-Omari, a curator at the looted Mosul museum. "But = it makes=20 us very proud. She loved us so much, they say."

Christie--unquestionably the most popular whodunit writer in = history,=20 with a staggering 66 novels and such enduring characters as = inspector=20 Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple--did love Iraq.

She first visited as a tourist in 1928. She met her future = husband, the=20 distinguished archeologist Max Mallowan, while exploring the = ancient city=20 of Ur. And over the next three decades, the couple returned again = and=20 again, enjoying made-for-movie lives that cry out for the talents = of Meryl=20 Streep and Robert Redford.

There were Model-T journeys across Iraq's harsh deserts. There = were=20 camp dinners with eccentric archeologists and Orientalists. And = there were=20 steam train stops at exotic outposts of the waning British Empire: = Basra,=20 Baghdad and Mosul.

Christie mined her Iraqi experiences to produce two books, = "Murder in=20 Mesopotamia" and "They Came to Baghdad."

"I fell in love with Ur, with its beauty in the evenings," she = wrote in=20 her autobiography, "the ziggurat standing up, faintly shadowed, = and that=20 wide area of sand with its lovely pale colours of apricot, rose, = blue and=20 mauve changing every minute."

She last traveled to the ancient, sun-scorched nation in the = 1950s,=20 about 20 years after its independence. She died, very old and = highly=20 honored as a Dame of the British Empire, in 1976, three years = before=20 Saddam Hussein rose to power.

Little of the Iraq she knew is left.

In Mosul's old city, where some houses date from the Middle = Ages,=20 entire streets are collapsing slowly into boggy land near the = Tigris=20 River.

American Humvees zip down trash-strewn highways on their own = secret=20 detective missions: trying to find remnants of Hussein's alleged = arsenal=20 of banned weapons of mass destruction. And the biggest whodunit of = all--whether Hussein is alive--is a question that could frustrate = even the=20 fastidious Hercule Poirot himself.

"All I know about Agatha Christie is that she was an = archeologist's=20 wife," said Awad Omeri, 47, a guard at Nimrud, a stunning Assyrian = ruin=20 near Mosul that was excavated by the couple half a century = ago.

Omeri showed the way to a remote "dig hut" where Christie and = Mallowan=20 had lived, unearthing treasures under bottomless blue Iraqi = skies.

Even that humble building was ersatz; the original structure is = gone,=20 replaced with cinder block. Yet as Omeri stood there in his = flowing=20 djellaba, contemplating the vast Mesopotamian plain spangled with = dying=20 wildflowers, it was almost possible to hear the faint ticking of = an=20 old-fashioned typewriter.

Bravo

ROSEMARY YONAN HONORED AS MOTHER OF THE=20 YEAR=20

(ZNDA: Turlock) The Assyrian-American Civic Club of Turlock has = named=20 Rosemary Yonan - Mother of the Year.

Yonan is the mother of four and grandmother of nine. She = received the=20 surprise honor at the AACC on May 9, the day before Mother's = Day.

She was married for 45 years to Babajan "Bob" Yonan, a Turlock = jeweler=20 who died last August. She was born in Iran, emigrated to Chicago = in 1974=20 and moved to Turlock a year later.

Yonan is a 28-year member of the civic club and has been active = in the=20 Women's Auxiliary at St. Thomas Assyrian-Chaldean Catholic = Church.

PARTICIPANTS AT THE WALKATHON RAISE=20 $7,000

On 10 May at the Human Race Benefit Run/Walk held in Mountain = View,=20 California, Ms. Jermaine Soleymani won an award for the largest = team=20 present. Ms. Soleymani and her team of more than 70 Assyrians = raised=20 $7,000 to provide emergency services and support for the Assyrian = families=20 in Iraq.

Calendar of=20 Events

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

Thank=20 You!

Zindamagazine would like to = thank:

Jude Calvillo
(California)

Ashor=20 Giwargis
(Lebanon)

Dr. Arianne Ishaya=20
(California)

Petr Kubalek
(Czech = Republic)

George=20 Atoraya Simonov
(California)

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

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

NUMBERS OVER = NAMES

RETURN TO THE HOMELAND = OF=20 ASHOURFACT OR FANCY?

SPECIAL MEETING CALLED = BY HIS=20 HOLINESS MAR DINKHA IV

SACRIFICING A PEOPLE = FOR THE=20 SAKE OF RELIGIOUS FANATICISM

ASSYRIAN STATE = CONVENTION OF=20 CALIFORNIASCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

ASSYRIANS AFTER DECADES = IN EXILE,=20 WANT TO REBUILD THEIR NATIVE VILLAGE

RETURN TO THE HOMELAND = OF=20 ASHOUR
FACT OR FANCY?

ASSYRIAN STATE = CONVENTION OF=20 CALIFORNIA
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES