August 18, 2003

Zinda Says

THE NEXT CHALDEAN CATHOLIC PATRIRACH

The exalted role of the patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church is without question one of the most influential positions in the Assyrian churches, politics, and Christian world in general. Let’s face it: a Chaldean-Assyrian is more likely to obey the wishes of her patriarch on issues concerning the political welfare of her people than the compromises made by any other Syriac-speaking political or civic leader.

As press time a synod of twenty one Chaldean Catholic Church bishops is discussing the election of the next Patriarch in Baghdad. One from among these heads of the Chaldean diocese will be elected as the successor of Patriarch Raphael Bidawid.

Each bishop is an accomplished scholar and is deeply committed to the Church. Of course some already feel that the mantle should go to them. One in particular has been aggressively campaigning for this position since the death of Mar Bidawid on July 9. Still many will be quite content to pass on the accountability to another fellow bishop.

The election of a patriarch has never been an act of furthering spiritual awakening of the people. As in all important church affairs, this one is the most notable political act undertaken by its leaders. Indeed, the first Chaldean patriarch of the 21st century will have very big shoes to fill, succeeding the ever-popular Mar Bidawid.

Firstly, the next father of the Chaldean Catholic Church ought to be a powerful communicator and be able to both spiritually and politically commune with every segment of his world-wide congregation. Consequently, Archbishop Jacques Ishaq, the current director of the Babylon College in Baghdad may not be able to serve his Church as well as a few other senior bishops on our list (see Group 1). Only one bishop escapes our predicament, namely Archbishop Dalley who is also born in Telkaif, and is thus moved to Group 5.

The bishops whose jurisdiction or authority reside outside of Iraq may not be as desirable for the conduct of the Church in lieu of the current situation in Iraq. The two bishops who successfully broke off from this list are the Telkaif and Baghdadi born bishops in America (see Group 2).

Name	Title	Diocese	Birth Place	Birth Year
Group 1: Very Senior in Age
Stephane Babaca	Archbishop Emeritus	Iraq – Arbil	Karemless – Iraq	1919
Andre Sana	Archbishop	Iraq – Kirkuk	Araden – Iraq	1920
Abdul-Ahad Sana	Bishop Emeritus	Iraq – Alqosh	Araden – Iraq	1922
Yacoub Denha Scher	Archbishiop	Iraq – Arbil	Shaqlawa – Iraq	1934
Group 2: Jurisdication Outside of Iraq
Michel Kasarji	Bishop	Lebanon – Beirut	Zahle – Lebanon	1956
Paul Karatas	Archbishop	Turkey – Diarbekir	Harbole – Turkey	1934
Ramzi Garmou	Archbishop	Iran – Tehran	Zakho – Iraq	1945
Thomas Meram	Archbishop	Iran – Urmia	Telkaif – Iraq	1943
Hanna Zora	Archbishop	Iran - Ahwaz	Batnaya – Iraq	1939
Andraos Abouna	Aux. Bishop	Europe	Zakho - Iraq	1943
Group 3: Non-Syriac Speakers
Antoine Audo	Bishop	Syria – Aleppo	Aleppo – Syria	1946
Group 4: Non-Telkaif/Baghdad Iraqi Bishops
Jacques Ishaq	Archbishop Emeritus	Iraq – Arbil	Mosul – Iraq	1938
Paulos Faraj Rahho	Archbishop	Iraq – Mossul	Mossul – Iraq	1942
Rabban Al-Qaq	Bishop	Iraq - Amadiyah	Komane – Iraq	1946
Petros Hanna Issa al-Harboli	Bishop	Iraq – Zakho	Zakho – Iraq	1946
Mikha Pola Maqdassi	Bishop	Iraq – Alqosh	Alqosh – Iraq	1948
Group 5: Position Seniority
Sarhad Y. Hermiz Jammo	Bishop	U.S. – West	Baghdad – Iraq	1941
Shlemon Warduni	Aux. Bishop	Iraq – Baghdad	Batnaya – Iraq	1943
Group 6: Iraqi Bishops from Telkaif & Baghdad
Emmanuel-Karim Delly	Aux. Bishop Emeritus	Iraq – Baghdad	Telkaif – Iraq	1927
Ibrahim Namo Ibrahim	Bishop	U.S. – East	Telkaif – Iraq	1937
Djibrail Kassab	Archbishop	Iraq – Basra	Telkaif – Iraq	1938

The next patriarch should have a mastery of the Syriac language to fully represent the Chaldean intellectual tradition. This quickly eliminates Bishop Antoine Audo, an Aleppo, Syria-born bishop (see Group 3).

The birthplace of the next patriarch is an important political factor in this year’s election process and the town of Telkaif is most likely the location of choice. The reason is purely political again. It is as important as electing a non-Italian pope in 1981 from the former Communist nations to help destroy Communism in his homeland and in Russia.

The non-Telkaifi bishops are isolated in Group 4, which leaves us with Archbishop Emmanuel-Karim Delly and Bishop Ibrahim Namo Ibrahim, Archbishop Djibrail Kassab, and Bishop Jammo.

The seniority of a bishop as an act of respect within the holy circle may play an influential role. Two bishops, Bishop Sarhad Yawsip Hermiz Jammo and Bishop Shlemon Warduni have less than 2 years of experience as bishops of this Church (see Group 5).

But perhaps the most important responsibility of the next Patriarch will be to offer a strong moral stand on defending the rights of the Assyrian-Chaldeans and all other Assyrian denominations in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. The next Patriarch should be committed to Chaldean-Church of the East ecumenism and work extensively in uniting the three segments of the Church of the East, prior to the 16th century breakup. The future Patriarch must also stress the Syriac identity of the Church, while detaching the Chaldean Catholic Church from an Arab Christian character promoted by the Baathists in the past 30 years.

Bishop Kassab of Basra may be seen as a liability due to his close relation with the previous regime in Baghdad. Furthermore, he has never defended the rights of the Assyrian people, either in the context of the Christians of Iraq or as a Syriac Oriente Church.

Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim is considered a controversial figure in America, yet he may be one of the two strongest contenders for the position of the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. However, his jurisdiction is outside of Iraq and the likely person to be elected to the Patriarchy may be Archbishop Delly in Baghdad. He was born in Telkaif, is the least controversial figure in the Church today, and is liked by the Vatican and other Iraqi bishops alike.

Should Archbishop Delly be consecrated as the next Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, due to His Eminence’ old age a successor may be elected again within a short few years. At that point, the Chaldean faithfuls may look outside of Iraq, to the U.S. and the West for guidance. The Vatican-ordained Bishops Jammo and Abouna and surely Bishop Ibrahim will offer their bishopric colleagues in the Middle East a formidable challenge.

The next Patriarch should have a proven record of activity in support of the Syriac-speaking people of the world. His vision of the Chaldean Church should be global, multi-cultural, and he should strive for unity within all Syriac-speaking churches. Social justice and human dignity for the Christian minorities in the Middle East must be on top of the next patriarch’s agenda. Both Bishop Ibrahim from the United States and Archbishop Delly are likely to be asked this week to fill Mar Bidawid’s big shoes. The challenges put forth before them are daunting. Let us hope that the election of the next Patriarch is not so much a political act, as it is an act of solemn desire for divine guidance.

WHY MEET IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR ZONE?

This week the top United Nations envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, was killed when terrorists blew up the UN headquarters in Baghdad, killing at least 19 others and injuring dozens more. The 55-year-old UN envoy was also the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Among others killed were Rick Hooper of the United States, Ranillo Buenaventura and Marilyn Manuel of the Philippines, Jean-Selim Kanaan of Egypt and Fiona Watson of the United Kingdom. The Programme Coordinator for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Iraq, the 32-year-old Canadian Christopher Klein-Beekman, also died.

Iraq and Baghdad in particular are not a safe and secure place, unlike what the Assyrians returning from their brief visitations claim. Every day one or more U.S. soldier is killed on the streets of Baghdad and even the Assyrian military personnel are not immune from the wrath of Saddam’s faithful hired guns. Presently the anti-American assassins are targeting civilians.

At a meeting last Friday in San Jose, California, the Assyrian Democratic Movement’s representative in North America, Mr. Rommel Eliah confirmed that very soon invitations for an important conference in Baghdad will be extended to all major Assyrian organizations. The date of this meeting is set for September 20th.

In less than a month every major Assyrian political leader, possibly religious heads, and even media representatives are expected to come together in one place to discuss the current political and cultural climate in Iraq and agree on a single political name to identify the Syriac-speaking people in Iraq and possibly abroad. When not even the officers of the United Nations can expect decent security from the American military personnel present in Baghdad, should the Assyrians be hopeful of a better treatment?

The confluence of our major political parties in such critical times is essential; however, the choice of location remains pithily undesirable. The Assyrian Democratic Movement and the Assyrian Democratic Organization are taking an important first step to bringing greater recognition for the Assyrian issues in Iraq by calling for this assembly of all Assyrian political, cultural, media, and religious groups. Their effort must be fully supported by maximizing the attendance of all invited participants. The September 20th meeting should be moved to a more benign spot outside of Iraq, possibly in Amman or Beirut, better yet in Europe.

Four months have passed since the end of the war, yet electricity is available to less than 40 percent of Iraqi homes. Telephone communications are practically non-existent. There are 9 million unemployed Iraqis. That’s more than one-third of the entire population of this country. Economic constraints are forcing kidnappings and daylight muggings in the streets of Baghdad. The situation is so bad that people no longer venture out of their homes after evening hours and women stay off city streets. Every day we are reminded of the deplorable breakdown of law and order in Iraq when pictures of the dead U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians appear across our television screens.

Unless the Assyrian Democratic Movement is hoping for minimal participation at this momentous meeting from outside of Iraq, it would be to the advantage of the organizers and all other invited parties to consider a more suitable location for the gathering on September 20th.

Wilfred Bet-Alkhas
Editor

The Lighthouse

THE CHALDU HOLOCAUST

Historically we generally encounter the name of Chaldu in three areas:

There are a few random indications as if a clan living in marshes of Southern Mesopotamia engaged in astrology and witchcraft. Also, indication is made that part of a group who dominated Babylon as a result of alliance with nomadic hordes of Medes in the East and the Scythian in the Northern boundaries, who by their sheer force of the number made a concerted fatal attack on Assyria.

But there are not any academic historical documents to indicate that there has been the existence of a people who have been functioning like a nation state in the name of Chaldean.

The second one is “Chaldu Made in Bible”, referred to as a nickname to indicate that the part of the dominating group of Babylon was a group of Chaldu witchcraft astrologists blamed for the deportation of the Jews to Babylon.

The third is “Chaldu Made in Vatican”, to name the Assyrians who have been chopped away from their national body church tragically converted to Roman Catholic denomination. Then why did Vatican christen its spoil… Chaldu as witchcraft astrologers?!

The chopping of the Assyrians did come when their “Cultural and Spiritual Empire” (ACSE) had its first fatal blow by the Turk and Mongol invasions of fourteenth century A.D; and later at the time when they were constantly under a series of attacks by Turks and Kurds, and the Roman Catholic on its expansion course along the general expansion of Europe and the East.

The conversion of the determined faithful Assyrians, who had demonstrated to be unbeatable and with unique characteristics in their miraculous accomplishments, did never come that easily. It took centuries, employing the cruelest tactics and atrocities (such as throwing of clergymen in large frying pans), collaboration with and instigating their adversaries for plundering and setting them on fire. All these made in steps and in two major blows.

The first blow did come on Assyrian small brother church denominationally called “Syrian Orthodox Church”. The second blow came a century later on Assyrian big brother church, the “Assyrian Church of the East “, nicknamed due to the Western controversial rivalry as the Nestorian Church.

In the second chopping, the attacker had been more experienced in its tactics to convert and to secure its spoil. That is to change the national name to Chaldean and to avoid the mistake made in the first one who had left unchanged the name Syrian. The attacker had concluded that the change name would make it far difficult for the converted to revert to their original faith in case of a coming opportunity.
In addition to changing the national name, the attacker annihilated their handwritten Scriptures invalidating their creed together with literary, scientific and historical documents and any other motifs produced in and preserved for millennia. The objective was to uproot their root material to ensure non-reversion to their origins.

Moreover, to secure its spoil on one hand and to use it as a foot hold for further expansion upon their Muslim neighbors, the attacker used a double edged sword.

The chopper squeezed its pray and put in a condition to change the national name and the language to one of their Muslim neighbors. To fulfill this devilish trick, as a prerequisite, they were stripped from their proud identity and self esteem. The image of an Assyrian was portrayed as a resentful idenity.

Such was the process of reversing the inspiring message of the Assyrian national emblem, Lamassu or the Winged-Bull. It was stated that God loathed Assyrians and turned their king to a bull. It was also said that to marry a Muslim is better than to marry an Assyrian. The victims were told to keep away their cattle from those of the Assyrians to avoid blasphemy.

The assimilation of name and language to that of the Muslim neighbors made it difficult to return to the past. It gave an impression to the Muslim neighbors that the Chaldu Catholics, ethnicwise are the same as themselves. The only difference then would be the religion.

The Tragic Consequences of Chopping

Along with the subsequent political, social and economic Chaldu holocausts, there is the “cultural and the identity holocaust.”

Culture or identity (a product of the genetics and the environment), which is “a tool of how to survive plus how to benefit the best of life”, is different for each specific group and nation.

Developing on its accomplishments, each nation can be specified by its own level of culture in pyramid of cultures. Starting from base for zero accomplishers, up to top for maximum one.

The level of culture or identity is the most effective for each nation or parents to inspire their people or children to keep up to their standard for a successful fulfilling struggle.

It is the decisive effect of the culture level, which makes the nations squabble hard to enhance their level in the cultural pyramid. And the longer the duration of their history the sounder and more unquestionable is their identity. Long duration means that your accomplishment s are not a product of chance, rather of varying circumstances. You have made your achievements regardless of varying conditions.

Luckily, Assyrians are blessed with an academically proven endless list of accomplishments to inspire their people and children for highest achievements.

Assyrians can tell their children about the immense written material left by their political empire to be unearthed and examined in the next four centuries! The exhilaration that they have created at academic level, summarized by Professor Kirk Grason, the Canadian world reknown Assyriologist, as “Resurrection of Ashur”! As if there is the Assyrian Empire present, doing its wonders shadowing every other matter.

Assyrians can tell how their civilization made their language to be the lingua franca for couple of millennia since the late second millennium of B.C.

Assryians can show how their miraculous “Cultural and Spiritual Empire” of A.D. covered all of Asia, functioning like a watch, dotted with educational centers, exactly with the same characteristic of political Empire, accomplished a long list of academic and spiritual wonders. Assyrians can also show that:
they did not obstruct scientific development but, on the contrary, they established the first universities in the fourth century A.D.

That they did not stick to exploiting and taxing faithful to collect wealth, rather managed all their educational centers, monasteries all over the Asia to function self-sufficiently, and even to help those in financial need.

That they did not have accomplice in slaughtering of people for political ends but saved Europe from eradication and numerous people from catastrophe through their cultural influence on Turk and Mongols in their volcanic eruption of early second millennium A.D.

That they did not prevent literacy to succumb to dark ages but instead initiated an alphabet for many ethnicities and advanced literacy.

When the Spanish ships arrived in the Philippines Islands, they found that the inhabitants were more literate than of their homeland, Spain, due to the Assyrian efforts as everywhere else.

The three fundamental languages of written communication, the sounds of the alphabet; mathematics, musical notes were all created by the Assyrians without which there would not have existed at present the written material in alphabet, the science and music.

The above are just a hint to endless list. What in face of just the above part of the our chopped brethren who had been kept unaware of their inspiring identity had their children to be inspired with?

The Present Prickly Strikes of Chaldu Holocaust

The chopping effects are almost negligible in the intelligentsia’s laity or clergy. As it has been an ongoing trauma for them, this has worked as a further incentive to be active in struggling for nationalism, such as Yousef Malik, a laity or Mar Tooma Odoo, a clergy who are of a long of activists which have had fundamental accomplishments. The same is at present who are part of forerunners, of our nationalism synergy power.

Furthermore, part of this class for the emancipation of our people in opportunistic political circumstances, for the achievement of their objective did resort to Marxism Utopia, as it was one of three approaches (the two other being: nationalism and assimilation, where the nationalism approach did overcome the two other absurd ones) that the Jews had resorted to for the emancipation of their people in mid 19th century.

Thanks God, in contrary to Marxism stricken people of Eastern Europe, the brilliance of our intelligentsia did make them long before the collapse of Communism, do realize the absurdity and uselessness of the ideology. At present, they are a big asset of our movement because of their political background.

There is a small part of common people who have been kept unaware of the Chaldu Holocaust. They have now two huge motivating forces behind them. The tragic consequences of Chaldu holocaust stricken with and their unique proud inspiring Assyrian identity and standard. That shortly due to ongoing process of our nationalism movement we will see them constituting a major part of our enthusiastic movement core.

Finally, there is a few of laity of clergy who are retained and supported by Baathists’ petrodollar, a few non-pragmatic Kurds’ smuggling funds, and as well as Vatican’s faithful taxing funds (my God, money flowing from three directions, very tempting ha?) who are commissioned in hampering in our movement.

Few clergy promoted to higher positions, thorough their influential positions trying hard to strike, to create a brand new nation! There is the belief that God created nations with different languages and intelligence. And Assyrian as his rod to punish the guilty. Now it seems that few Chaldu holocaust refuse Jenie clergy can create nation!

A few of laity, recently nationalist in disguise do strike in encouraging animosity between us and our neighbors, as well as among our organized bodies of Mesopotamia and of diaspora where all the original ones to follow the leadership of ADM; negating the opportunity arose for our people, obscuring our crystal clear goal of building the “Assyrian National Unity Synergy Power” to meet our triad needs: materialistic, intellectualistic as well as political security, whose political arm is run by ADM.

The conspiracy is performed through publishing books, articles in personal name but originally prepared deftly by Baathists establishments, arranging conferences, generating multiple new names, organizations and parties.

What Shall Be Done?

1. We must rehabilitate patiently the part of our chopped brethren who have been kept unaware of their cultural standard, to retrieve them from the level zero destructive identity of Chaldu and of their m…..and to raise them high up to their original proud inspiring Assyrian identity. For this, to concentrate to shower them through any possible means with endless academic factual list of our nation’s accomplishments.

2. All the civilization advancement bodies, Assyriology and ACSE’logy (the study of “Assyrian Cultural and Spiritual Empire” legacy) academic institutions, human sciences respective bodies to urge Vatican to take action urgently in following matters:

a. To acknowledge to and to apologize for chopping of our two churches and inflictions made on us by uncoverable holocaust effects.
b. In our chopped away two churches of Chaldu Catholics and Syrian Catholics the following functions immediately to be stopped:

i. Encouragement and christening of our children in other than Assyrian National names.
ii. Any liturgy in writing and vocal to be used other than in Assyrian language.

c. To remove the present few clerics who have used their position to obstruct the present Assyrian National emancipation movement.

The civilization respective bodies are requested, as they have done in other wrong doings cases of Vatican: that is the obstruction of science development accomplice in slaughtering South Americans – the stopping the prevented action of Catholic priests (to present just 500 priests accused of sexual scandal), and as well in other matters, to follow up urgently the Assyrian Chaldu holocaust case because in addition to its harms in the past it is still and ongoing case destroying our people.

The blessed Anglican Church, when it did find out about the history and unique accomplishments of our church, and distinctive characteristics of its people, its numerous scholars since mid 19th century on, did predict that this people will regain its glorious status. Thus in contrary to other missionaries they did not destroy our church, but did help in critical times.

Assyrian do want that the Anglican Church in fulfillment of their scholars aspiration do urge their diplomats in following their historical role for protection of civilization to safeguard our movement, the one of civilization asset, from perilous effects of Chaldu Holocaust.

Alfred Dooman
Canada

GOOD MORNING BET-NAHRAIN

CHALDEAN SYNOD IN IRAQ AIMS TO ELECT NEW PATRIARCH

Courtesy of Zenit News Agency (19 August)

(ZNDA: Baghdad) A synod of the Chaldean Catholic Church opened in Baghdad on Monday, with an eye toward electing a new patriarch . The 22 participating bishops must appoint the successor of Patriarch Raphael Bidawid, who died on July 7.

"After years of marginalization and absence from social life, the Chaldean Catholic community, under the guidance of the new patriarch, wishes to contribute to the future of Iraq," Vatican Radio explained, when reporting on today's event.

Some Christians fear that radical Shiites are exerting pressure to establish an Islamic theocracy in postwar Iraq.

The See of the Chaldean Patriarchate and the largest Chaldean community are in Baghdad, numbering more than 350,000 faithful. The Chaldean Church is dedicated particularly to catechesis, education and aid to the Christian and Muslim poor.

The official language of Chaldean liturgy is Aramaic. There are Chaldean communities of the diaspora in America, Europe and Oceania. In 2000, a representation of the Chaldean Church before the Holy See was instituted in Rome.

CHRISTIAN DELEGATION MEETS WITH SHIITE LEADERS IN NAJAF, IRAQ

(ZNDA: Najaf) On Tuesday 12 August the holy city of al-Najaf al-Ashraf witnessed a historic meeting between the Christians and Shiite Moslems of Iraq.

An ethnic and religious delegation visited the city of al-Najaf and met with several high ranking Shiite clerics in that city. The delegation consisted of:

1. Mr. Yonadam Kanna, Secretary General of the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM)
2. Mr. Adeeb Koka, Secretary General of the ChaldoAssyrian National Congress
3. Mr. Nimrod Baito, Secretary General of the Assyrian Patriotic Party (APP)
4. Mar Shlemon Warduni, Auxiliary Bishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq
5. Mar Giwargis Sliwa, Archbishop of the Assyrian Church of the East in Iraq
6. Mar Avak Asadorian, the religious head of the Armenian Orthodox community in Iraq
7. Mar Matti Mattoka, guardian of the Syrian Catholic Archdiocese in Baghdad
8. Fr. Yonan Alfred, guardian of the Rum (Latin) Orthodox Church in Iraq.
9. Fr. Ni'mat al-Khouri Benyamin, a clergy of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Baghdad
10. His Excellency Sheik Sattar Jabbar Hillo, Worldwide Spiritual Leader of the Mandean people

The al-Najaf Mayor Haydar Mahdi Mattar and other city dignitaries welcomed the delegation at the outskirts of the holy Shiite city.

After a short break, the delegation met with His Eminence the Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Sa'eed al-Hakim. The meeting addressed the Iraqi situation and ways to unify all Iraqis irrespective of their ethnic and religious background.

Mar Shlemon Warduni delivered a short speech in which he expressed the delegation's great pleasure in this historic meeting. He stressed the important role of the clerics in preaching to the believers and teaching them the principles of forgiveness, honesty, tolerance, faithfulness, friendship, and dedication.

The delegation then met with His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who welcomed the delegation and expressed his happiness for this meeting. The two sides expressed their concern that new Iraqi constitution must reflect the conscious and will of all Iraqis.

Mr. Kanna, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council, delivered a speech in which he expressed his understanding for the suffering of the Shiite in Iraq through the last few decades under the dictatorship regime. Mar Matti Mattoka conveyed the delegation's happiness with this meeting.

He stressed that with this visit the delegation is affirming their readiness for brotherly cooperation to rebuild Iraq and channel all energies to serve the Iraqi people equally without distinction.

Later, the delegation met with His Eminence Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim, President of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). Mar Giwargis Sliwa delivered a speech reflected on the great impression that the meeting is going to have on the future rapprochement, respect, cooperation, and sympathy between the Christians and Moslems of Iraq, who share a mutual Iraqi identity and goal, which is to build a democratic, multitude, and united Iraq.

After the meeting, a short news conference was organized. His Eminence Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim answered a combined question by Ashur TV/Radio and Bahra newspaper, the official organs of the Assyrian Democratic Movement, about ethnic rights in the new Iraq.

His Eminence stated that it is vital to implement and accomplish justice for all Iraqi people: justice with all its dimensions and levels, whether political, economical, cultural, and civic. Therefore, all Iraqis must be treated equally with respect to rights and duties, whether they belong to a minority or not.

At the end of the visit, the delegation visited the Mayor's office and thanked him for the wonderful reception. At the conclusion of these meetings, the delegation attended a luncheon given by the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq in their honor.

Chaldean-Assyrian Appointed to Constitution Committee

(ZNDA: Baghdad) This week the Assyrian Democratic Movement confirmed the news of Professor Hikmat Hakim’s appointment to the 25-member Constitutional Committee of the Iraqi Provisional Authority. Prof. Hakim has a Ph.D. in Political Science and Constitutional Law and according to the ADM Information Office, will be representing “the Assyrian Chaldean Christians of Iraq in the Constitutional Committee.”

Professor Hakim was born in the town of Telkaif and is an active supporter of the Assyrian Democratic Movement. Prof. Hakim’s appointment was made by Mr. Yonadam Kanna, Secretary General of the Assyrian Democratic Movement.

On Monday President Ibrahim Jaafari, the current interim president of the Iraqi National Council, stated that a new constitution is expected to be in place within six months.

"We have started receiving draft versions of the constitution and then it will be put to the Iraqi people," council President told Reuters in Abu Dhabi emirate.

The council, set up in July to help the U.S.-led administration run Iraq until a full sovereign government takes over, is supposed to work out a constitution leading to an elected, internationally recognized Iraqi government able to take over from the council and end the military occupation.

The body, whose members reflect Iraq's sectarian and ethnic mix is expected to name cabinet ministers this month to work alongside U.S. officials.

CHRISTIANS IN BAGHDAD BATTLE EXTORTION

Courtesy of Christianity Today (30 September); by Kevin Begos

(ZNDA: Baghdad) Father Habib Hermiz of the Saint George Chaldean Church in Baghdad says Christians are becoming targets of extortion as the country's security situation continues to unravel.

In July, a band of criminals threatened to kill members of Saint George unless the church paid $10,000. The church refused and American forces sent extra patrols, but officers told Hermiz they couldn't provide 24-hour security. Despite offers of help from a local mosque, Hermiz began advising church members to move out of Baghdad to safer ground in northern Iraq.

This summer street crime in Baghdad has gone from bad to worse, for Muslims as well as Christians. Mel Lehman is a veteran of seven trips to Baghdad in his ministry, the Children of Iraq, associated with the Mennonite Central Committee.

"Back in the old days when Saddam was in power, I had no trouble whatsoever walking along the streets at night," Lehman told CT. Lehman said he was shocked by the dangerous situation during a July fact-finding mission. Now he is thinking of calling off an effort to bring in a team of doctors.

Mark Smith of Convoy of Hope, a faith-based group from Springfield, Missouri, was in Iraq in May and again in early July. He said the security situation has forced his group to make adjustments.

"We have been warned by security people within the larger [humanitarian aid] community that it appears to possibly be a significant risk" for any Westerner, said Smith. So Smith's group is pushing ahead with projects using Jordanian and Iraqi nationals. Smith is telling inexperienced American church volunteers to hold off.

"At this point we're just saying, 'It's not the time to come yet.' And we're not sure when that time will be," Smith said.

Christians enjoyed relative freedom under the violent and cruel regime of Saddam Hussein. Baghdad's churches are distinguished and well-kept buildings in the heart of the city. They operated for decades with no special security or restrictions on who came or went.

Some members of the minority Christian community publicly identified with Saddam's brutal reign. "Many Christians were members of the Baath Party," Hermiz said, including Tariq Aziz, the foreign minister familiar to many Westerners.

Ikram Mehanni, a senior pastor of the John Calvin Presbyterian Church, said many people, including his own daughter, signed up solely for the economic and social benefits. Then there were those who were "born into the party," he said. "They can never be changed. Even if they ask for forgiveness, deep down they will stay a Baath member."

"None, so far" have spoken to him of repentance, Hermiz said. "Maybe alone, with themselves, they have done it. We need repentance."

Mehanni said Iraqis are casting out religious officials linked to Saddam's regime. He said all of the Muslim clerics he knew in Baghdad who held power during that period have been removed.

Among those recently ousted is one of Iraq's most prominent church leaders. Georges Hormis Sada, 63, former chairman of the Assembly of Evangelical Presbyterian Churches–Iraq and a former air vice marshal in Saddam's air force, was dismissed from leadership, although he remains a member of the John Calvin Presbyterian Church (also known as National Presbyterian Church).

Mehanni and several church members said Sada, who was also church president, was dismissed because he went abroad for eight months, and thus missed three consecutive meetings of the church council, a violation of church bylaws. Sada has relatives in the United Kingdom. Church leaders declined to elaborate on the reasons for Sada's dismissal. Sada was unavailable for comment.

Sada maintains a good reputation outside Iraq. In June, Coventry Cathedral in England named Sada one of two winners of its 2003 Coventry International Prize for Peace and Reconciliation.

A cathedral spokeswoman said in a press release, "In the first Gulf War [Sada] had responsibility for prisoners of war but was eventually thrown into prison by Saddam Hussein for refusing to kill them. He is also working fervently for the rebuilding of a democratic Iraq."

Sada is scheduled to receive the prize in Coventry on November 14.

Baghdad's Christian leaders are also worried about the growth of new independent churches, potentially aggravating relations with Muslims.

Saddam forbade group meetings in private homes—a ban that applied to grassroots church meetings. The regime also prohibited building two churches of the same denomination in any one neighborhood.

Mehanni said thousands of new, small churches may open in Iraq, and "many people in America might be happy about that." But he worries that the Christian community will lose clout as it diffuses into the countryside. There are only a relative handful of official churches in the country.

"I believe it's better to support existing churches, and make them an umbrella" for Christian work, said Mazim Yousif, a John Calvin church council member. Yousif said competing for members "is like stealing other people's sheep."

Some Americans who have visited Baghdad in recent months have attended the grassroots church services that worry Christians such as Mehanni. Held in private apartments packed with joyous people, they are organized by Iraqi Christians who want something different from the established church order.

The word is spreading in ways unimaginable under Saddam. Amid the vast, decadent opulence of one of the dictator's presidential palaces, U.S. Army Chaplain Ron Prosise preached in front of a huge mural showing missiles roaring into the air and under a domed ceiling about 40 feet high.

Prosise also discussed his faith over lunch with an Iraqi Muslim who works in the Ministry of Education. He hopes many such low-key conversations will lead Muslims there to convert to Christ.

"It wasn't a planned thing," Prosise said. "We were talking about God and life and beliefs. We both really enjoyed that opportunity to exchange ideas."

Convoy of Hope's Smith, however, acknowledges that Iraqis will have to shoulder much of the evangelistic burden.

"Now, you may hear certain groups say, 'We've had some victories here, some victories there.' But in the long run, I think it's got to be Arab to Arab," Smith said.

A group of Egyptian Christians visiting Iraq on a medical relief mission said they're very hopeful about the future. One of them, Maher Fouad of the Arab World Evangelical Ministers Association, said he sees a spiritual awakening throughout the Middle East.

"I can tell you yes, for sure, the coming days will be better spiritually," Fouad said. "We are expecting a kind of spiritual revival in the coming days. There is a big spiritual vacuum in the hearts of people all over. People are looking for God.

"When people know about Jesus, they come," Fouad said. "I think for Iraq, the churches begin to awake, and move ahead."

Hermiz pointed out that Christians in Iraq have weathered many storms over the years—and will continue to do so.

"Don't worry about the Christians in Iraq," he said. "We've been here 1,800 years."