Assyrian Patriotic Party Office in Nineveh Attacked

(ZNDA: Mosul) According to unconfirmed reports from the Cultural and Information Bureau of the Assyrian Patriotic Party in Mosul, the office of the Assyrian Patriotic Party (APP) in Mosul came under attack on Thursday, 26 February at 9 in the morning.

According to this report Mr. Stephen Markhai Slivo was injured during this attack. He was taken to a nearby hospital. The attackers apparently used hand grenades.

Security Concerns Prevent Iraqi Christians in Syria from Returning Home

By Laurie Kassman
Courtesy of the Voice of America
24 Feb 2004


(ZNDA: Damascus) Many Iraqis who fled to Syria for safety before, during and just after the war in Iraq say they still are afraid to go home.

Nearly a year after the war in Iraq, Seita Daoud sits in a sparsely furnished, badly heated apartment in a poor neighborhood of Damascus. She says she is afraid to go home. "It was not easy to leave my country," she says. "I was born in Iraq. I raised my children there. But it is too hard and too uncertain there now."

A few days after Baghdad fell to U.S. forces, Seita Daoud packed up her family of nine and headed for safety across the border in Syria. She had already sold off most of their possessions, keeping only a few family photos, including a portrait of her husband who had died years before.

Speaking the ancient language of her Assyrian Christian community, Seita says she is still not sure what to do. "I am ready to go back," she says, "but first I must be sure of security to raise my children. They all left their schools and their jobs. What will we find when we go back," she asks.

Seita is not alone. She says most of her Assyrian Christian neighbors, several hundred families, are here in Damascus with her. "Some," she says, "have arrived in the past few months. They say Iraq is too unstable for religious minorities."

Her son Yvan is blunt. "We number fewer than two-million," he says, "with no strong tribal leaders or big politicians to protect us."

U.S. officials and members of the Iraqi Governing Council insist ethnic and religious minorities, which make up about three-percent of the population, will be legally protected by any future government.

Yvan is not convinced. He says minorities suffered under Saddam Hussein and he does not want to see it happen again.

He acknowledges that Iraq's majority Shiite Muslim community was harshly persecuted by Saddam Hussein. Now, he worries how Christians and other religious minorities would be treated if strict Islamists gain control of a future government.

His mother worries more about the violence and lack of jobs. "Where would we find work," Seita asks. "You need a connection to get work with the Americans." But she shakes her head. "And, those who do work with the Americans are afraid," she says, "because the Americans are targets and Iraqis working with them are too."

For 26-year-old Taygor, the decision to leave was easy. Like other university students, he says he had to sign up for military training and he did not want to fight to defend Saddam Hussein. He left school and Iraq well before war began. "Saddam ruined our lives. He ruined our society," Taygor says. "Everything that is happening now is a result of what he did when he was in power.

Taygor cheered when the U.S.-led coalition took control of his country, but he says he has no desire to go back even now that Saddam Hussein is gone.

Neither does 33-year-old Anwar Deriyawish, another Iraqi Christian from Baghdad. The former welder lived in a rented house with his wife and children. "I have nothing there. Why should I go back," he asks.

Anwar has applied for a visa to Australia, but speaks no English and is not optimistic he will ever go there.

In contrast, Seita Daoud has no doubts she and her children will return to Iraq one day. She just cannot say when that day will come.

Attacks Could Mean Exodus for Basra's Christians

Courtesy of AFP
6 February

(ZNDA: Basra) A campaign of violence targeting Christians in Iraq's main southern port of Basra could succeed in driving the minority from the city as a series of assassinations blamed on religious extremists begins to hit home.

The recent attacks have badly shaken the city's tiny Christian community, with gunmen systematically killing off traders linked to alcohol sales, which were tolerated under the mainly secular regime of ousted president Saddam Hussein.

Newly-powerful Muslim Shiite leaders, released from the oppression they suffered under Saddam, have ordered the closure of some 200 liquor stores across Basra and ushered in a new era of fear for the Christians, many of whom now say they will flee the city.

"There was no reason for him to be killed, he wasn't selling alcohol any more," said Jinan Butris Habeeb, 45-year-old mother-of-seven, whose husband Basheer Toma Alias was shot dead while shopping for vegetables at Christmas.

"How can we live in Basra now? There is no security at all, we are terrified and we have no money to live," Habeeb, dressed in black robes, told AFP.

Basra, which has been under control of British troops since the US-led invasion of Iraq early last year, has largely escaped the violence blighting much of the rest of the country.

But although the mixed faith community has always enjoyed a friendly co-existence in the city, 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of Baghdad, the recent spate of attacks has prompted many Christians to think of getting out.

"Most of the Christians have had these thoughts about leaving, anyone with relatives elsewhere or money to leave the country will not hesitate to go," said Muwafaq Butris, Habeeb's brother, speaking at their home next to a mosque.

Archbishop Gabriel Kassab, who presides over Basra's estimated 1,150 Syrian Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Chaldean Christian families, also warns of an exodus.

"Before, under the previous regime, there was security, there were no big problems. Now at least six people have been killed from our community," he said.

"There are some Muslim radicals who see the Christians as feeble. My people are now afraid, some of those with family outside are leaving."

Kassab, originally from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, said he was optimistic the situation would improve, blaming the attacks on non-Iraqis and insisting that relations between Basra's religious communities were still strong.

"The trouble that comes here is not coming from Basra's citizens. We have good cooperation here, at Christmas all the Muslims came here and now it is Eid I am visiting all the mosques," he said, referring to the Eid al-Adha feast of the sacrifice.

At one Basra Christian household, hit by a grenade blast on Tuesday which blew out windows and sent shards of shrapnel flying through the building, Kassab's optimism is not shared.

"Before they were just attacking us in the street, now we are not safe in our own homes," said the head of the household, another former alcohol vendor, who requested not to be identified.

"I would leave Basra if I could, but I cannot afford to as I am putting my children through college, and I have nowhere else to go. Instead, we must stay up all night guarding the house and worrying about another attack."

The man said he had even sought help from Shiite political groups in the city, asking them to endorse a statement in which he denounced alcohol sales and begged forgiveness. He said he would circulate copies to other Shiite leaders.

"Somebody sent us a warning note telling me we were being attacked because I sold alcohol. But I haven't been selling for a long time. My shop was looted during the war and then someone took it, so now I do nothing," he said.

"No one can say things under Saddam Hussein were good in Iraq, but now with the situation we are in now, we look back on them as perfect."

Freedom for All in Iraq

By Angela J. Phelps (Washington, D.C.)

To the glee of Iraq’s religious minorities and women alike, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq, Ambassador Paul Bremer suggested on Monday that he would block any interim constitution that would make Islam the chief source of law, as some members of the Iraqi Governing Council have sought.

Article 4 of the Interim Constitution of Iraq calls for Islam to be the official religion of the state and that Islam shall be considered “a source of inspiration for the law” – but not the main source for that law.

Until now, many women and religious minorities in Iraq feared for their future and have been frantically calling upon their U.S. allies to give them a voice on this issue. In a press conference on Capitol Hill last week, sponsored by Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Iraqi Americans representing Christians and women of Iraq had an opportunity to express their concern over the language set forth.

“Even though on the surface, this provision appears to be reasonable, in the hands of an extremist majority, this provision can easily be exploited to use Islamic Sharia as a primary source for legislation,” said Joseph Kassab, president of Michigan’s Chaldean National Congress. “This is problematic and dangerous, not only to other religious groups that may find the laws of Sharia unwillingly imposed on them, but also to the protection of the rights of women, other ethnic groups and even other Muslim sectarian groups who may interpret various aspects of Islam differently.”

This week’s declaration by Bremer was likely the result of courageous efforts by various Members of Congress in recent weeks. Earlier this month, 45 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed a letter to President Bush urging him to act quickly to preserve women’s rights in Iraq. They wrote, “It would be a tragedy beyond words if Iraqi women lost the rights they had under Saddam Hussein, especially when the purpose of our mission in Iraq was to make life better for the Iraqi people.”

In recent letters to Ambassador Paul Bremer and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, signed by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), each articulated how Article 4 could be interpreted as a negation of the bill of rights, and urged that the language also specify other basic sources of law, particularly “the principles of democracy, pluralism, rule of law, and individual human rights.”

In the letter to Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the Senators pointed out that by omitting the key concept of individual rights to religious freedom, it jeopardizes freedom for women, dissidents, and religious minorities.

For instance, without this individual right, a Muslim woman’s basic legal rights could be determined by her family’s imam. They wrote, “Despite the provision in the draft guaranteeing gender equality, Iraqi Muslim women may not have the right to opt out of Islamic dress codes, or discriminatory inheritance and marriage structures.” Islamic law also allows for polygamy and often permits marriage of girls at a younger age than secular law.

The letter also explained how the section on “other religions” or non-Muslims provides only for the communal practice of their rites. This provision may allow for members of congregations to attend worship services, but could prohibit them from carrying a Bible, wearing a cross, or operating a religious school or hospital. This is of particular concern to Assyrian Christians, the indigenous people of Iraq. Assyrians lived under relatively peaceful conditions under Saddam since one of his top aides, former Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, was himself an Assyrian Christian. However, according to Willeam Warda, head of the Culture and Information Department of the Assyrian Democratic Movement in Iraq, “a number of Assyrian Christian churches have begun to receive threatening letters and leaflets -- and the threats appear to be credible.” "All the churches now are paying attention to these kinds of threats, and they are changing the time [of their services]. Even churches which used to hold meetings for youth and things like this are postponing them and neglecting some lectures for youth and for women." It is likely that these threats are coming from Muslim radicals and insurgent groups who link Christians with the U.S. led coalition, and targeting them for their support of the troops, however under this proposed language, Christians and other religious minorities will be relegated to second-class citizens are they are in many Muslim countries.

Equally important and quite essential to democracy in Iraq is how the language could silence or even threaten the lives of reformers and dissidents. The Senators wrote, “Reformers and dissidents from prevailing orthodoxies would be vulnerable to state blasphemy prosecutions if they do not have individual protections for freedom of belief.” “Apart from the plight of these individuals, it is a matter of America’s own security interests to ensure that reformers are afforded the political space to identify, debate, and develop the more tolerant principles within the religion of Islam.”

As last week’s press conference, advocates stressed that women and religious minorities in Iraq need to see a clear separation between state and religion. They agreed that there should be a proper recognition and respect to Islam as the religion of the majority of Iraq, but at the same time include strong guarantees of freedom of religion for all individuals and especially for all other religious groups.

Individual freedom to think and to believe are two of the most basic human rights that each person on the planet possesses. As President Bush said in his State of the Union address on January 28, 2003, “Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of every person and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity.”

[Zinda: Angela J. Phelps is an Assyrian American whose mother is a native of Baghdad, Iraq. Phelps is the producer of Concerned Women for America's national radio program Concerned Women Today.]

The Fabled History

By Fred Aprim (California)

I read the report of Vanessa Denha on the new The Chaldean Times, posted on Zinda Magazine (issue of 16 February 2004) under title "An Ancient People in Modern Times, Chaldeans: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" with great concerns.

As true Christians, we must follow God's commandments and what Jesus Christ teaches us. Truthfulness and honesty must be the foundation of our leaders' activities, whether religious, civic, or political.

Some four years ago, and while preparing for the U.S. Census 2000, few members of the Chaldean Catholic Church headed by Mr. Ghassan Hanna Shathaya, claimed that the Chaldeans were the descendents of the ancient Chaldeans and that they were a separate group than the Assyrians. With specific scholarly-based articles, we proved that such claim was false and that the modern-day Chaldeans could not be the descendents of the ancient Chaldeans.

Soon after, a shift in tactic slowly began to shape up. His Grace Bishop Sarhad Jammo, having realized that they have absolutely no case with the above claim, modified their claim and began to claim that the modern-day Chaldeans were the descendents of all the ancient people of Mesopotamia (Iraq). Bishop Jammo states, as the above article puts it, quote: “The Chaldeans of Beth Nahreen, once known as Mesopotamia, present day Iraq, east Syria, and south east Turkey, are a living continuation of all the indigenous people of that region, regardless of their tribal names,” unquote. With this, the Bishop speaks in general and under vague terms that it is hard to challenge because the argument proves that Chaldeans belongs to no specific ancestry and that their origin is lost in history. There is no other way to describe it. When people say that their ancestry is, for example, a mix of Arab, Persian, and Turk, they in reality have no idea where they belong.

His Grace Bishop Jammo brings the issue that the Chaldeans speak Aramaic. This fact on its own does not prove anything, especially if we keep into consideration what his grace' is trying to prove. Language on its own merit proves nothing. The Chaldean congregation predominantly speaks Arabic as well, does that prove that the congregation is Arab? The Chaldeans speak Aramaic because they are simply Nestorian Assyrians who speak Aramaic (or a dialect of it) for 2,750 years. The Mandeans of southern Iraq speak Aramaic as well; therefore, I suggest that his grace takes the Mandean name then since the presence of Mandeans in Iraq is reported much earlier than the modern Chaldeans. It is interesting that the Mandeans who live in the exact region where the ancient Chaldeans lived and speak the language of the ancient Chaldeans, do not call themselves Chaldeans; however the Catholic Assyrians who always lived 300 – 400 miles to the north do! I have asked Mr. Shathaya repeatedly and for over four years now to provide specific references where they indicate clearly that ancient Chaldeans, and under this specific name, migrated to Assyria; however, I am still waiting.

Vanessa Denha claims in the above article that His Grace Bishop Sarhad Jammo is a historian with a doctorate degree. I need to correct the writer and assert that his grace is not a qualified historian; his degree is in theology, i.e. religious matters. He is not qualified to make such claims when he is not providing serious scholarly material to back up his claims. What his grace provides is very general information that any other group in Iraq can provide. Some of today's Arab Moslems in southern Iraq specifically can claim that they are the descendents of the Sumerians, Babylonians, Arameans, Chaldeans, and Kassites; but what does that prove when they speak a language; live a culture; and practice a religion that are completely different from that of the groups mentioned above. At least Assyrians speak a language that in certain ways is linked to ancient Assyrians; practice certain cultural practices that have pre-Christian traces; and most importantly, they lived in the same land uninterruptedly.

Vanessa writes later, quote: "It was not until 1552 that a large number of people came back to union with Rome. In order to distinguish them from the rest of the church that remained separate, the term 'Chaldean Catholic Church' was given," unquote. I am not sure if this quote is for His Grace Bishop Jammo or it is hers, either way, the quote contains many false statements. There are many known facts, attested by many qualified scholars and historians. Here are some of them that are in contradiction with the above quote:

1. The Vatican did not give this name Chaldeans to the Nestorians of Mosul in the beginning. In fact, it gave it to the Nestorians of Cyprus first who converted to Catholicism in 1445.
2. It was in 1553, that the Vatican gave that title to Youhanna Sulaqa, who did not return to Mosul rather to Diyar Bakir in Turkey.
3. Those who joined Rome and became Chaldeans in Diyar Bakir, were not large group in (1552). In fact, almost all of those who became Chaldeans later returned to the Nestorian fold.
4. It was only in 1830 that the Chaldeans (Catholic Nestorians) began to find foothold in Mosul with the conversion of Youhanna Hurmiz, who became the first patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church.
5. To distinguish those who followed Rome from the original Nestorian body (Church of the East), Rome did not only establish the Chaldean Catholic Church, but gave the congregation the name Chaldeans as well.
6. All historical and church records show clearly that until early 1800s, there, for all practical purposes, were no Chaldeans or any Chaldean bishops in Mosul.
7. The censuses, official and estimated, clearly indicate that it was only on the eve of World War I (1914 – 1918) that the numbers of Chaldeans and Nestorians were almost identical. Records indicate that it was post World War I that the Chaldeans began to surpass the Nestorians in numbers. This was because of many reasons including: The greater numbers of Nestorians that perished in the Great War; the protection offered by the French monks; greed for money; and various support services that the Vatican monks were providing at the time for the Catholics. I am not suggesting that the Catholics did not suffer loses during the war; however, comparatively, the Nestorians lost much more than the Chaldeans.

The reader can read (only for example) the figures provided by the following historians, scholars, and theologians who prove the above:

1. David Wilmshurst, "The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East: 1318 – 1913." In Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium. Vol. 582. Tomus 104. (Lovanii: Peeters, 2000.
2. Rev. George Percy Badger, "The Nestorians and their Rituals." vol. I, Darf Publishers Limited, London, 1987, first published in 1852.
3. Attwater, Donald. The Christian Churches of the East. Vol. 1: Churches in Communion with Rome. Second Printing. 1935. Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1948.
4. Sarah D. Shields. "Mosul Before Iraq: Like Bees making Five-Sided Cells." New York: State University of New York Press, 2000.
5. H.L. Murre-Van Den Berg, “From Spoken to a Written Language.” Leiden, 1999.

The article tries next to explain why these Nestorian Assyrians were Chaldeans and states, quote: "They were not Romans, Medes, Turks, Mongols, or Macedonians. Therefore, the name Chaldean has come to bear national significance with its linguistic, cultural and religious connections," unquote. The above explanation is poor and scanty; it means nothing in a scholarly argument. Imagine if a Korean stated: Well, I am not Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, or Hindu; therefore, I am Korean. How would the reader evaluate such statement?

Then the article brings Mary C. Sengstock, Ph.D. professor of sociology, to say few words. Sengstock of course wrote her piece from the sociologist point of view (nothing to do with real history) to support the group of the separatist Chaldeans who started the Census 2000 mess. A sociologist cannot prove the historical background of any people. A sociologist (who in certain cases is paid by a certain group to conduct a study about that group) interviews people and observes their lives and then draws conclusions based on the people's testimonies and statements. Well, how can a sociologist prove who the modern Chaldeans are truly by simply speaking to people who are bias about the issue and most importantly do not have the appropriate education to make a sound decision; people who are greatly influenced by Church!

The rest of the article is general information about Iraq that bares no relation of proving how or why these Chaldeans should be called as such.

I need to remind Venassa Denha that while she is embarking on this project, she should try to gain some credibility for her publication by providing the people with solid information; this is the moral obligation of a true journalist. Today, we are living in the 21st century and many educated people find it offensive when such nonsense is being published in newspapers. I ask His Grace Bishop Sarhad Jammo in humbleness and in Christian spirit to concentrate on his religious duties and leave such issues to those qualified in the field to address. I support the POLITICAL decision in Iraq that our people have agreed upon, i.e. using the term Chaldo-Assyrians, because I understand the importance of unity today and in these crucial circumstances. However, that does not mean that I will accept fable history to be propagated. The Nestorians and Chaldeans are one people; they are the indigenous people of Assyria and not from any other region. It is in Assyria where they have always resided from times immemorial; they are the descendents of the ancient Assyrians.

War for Souls

By Bill Berkowitz
Courtesy of AlterNet.com
20 February

Last March, in anticipation of a quick U.S. victory, several U.S. Christian evangelical organizations set their sights on delivering bandages and Bibles to Iraq. More than eleven months later, concerned that the window of opportunity will soon be slammed shut, evangelical groups are still hustling about the country. Ironically, while these U.S.-based Christian missionaries are struggling to convert Muslims, the country's Christian community – numbering less than one million out of a population of 23 - 25 million and made up of mostly Assyrian Catholics – is under ongoing attack.

Most Iraqi Christians are Assyrian Catholics, known as Chaldeans. There are also followers of other Catholic rites, Orthodox believers, and smaller numbers of Protestants.

In the face of the increasing persecution of Iraqi Christians, conservative U.S. evangelicals have been silent, columnist Glen Chancy charged in September of last year. In a piece entitled "Christians in Iraq," Chancy wrote that evangelicals have not vigorously protested "the inability/unwillingness of U.S. forces to protect Iraqi Christians ... [and] their cause has not been championed by any of the televangelists." Evangelicals haven't made "Christian persecution in post-Saddam Iraq ... a centerpiece article in any of the Evangelical magazines," Chancy noted.

The London Telegraph reported in late December that "American Christian missionaries have declared a 'war for souls' in Iraq ... [and] are pouring into the country, which is 97 percent Muslim, bearing Arabic Bibles, videos and religious tracts designed to 'save' Muslims from their 'false' religion." Evangelical groups were organizing "in secrecy, and emphasizing their humanitarian aid work."

Leading the evangelical onslaught is the International Mission Board, the missionary arm of the Southern Baptists.

In a December appeal, John Brady, the IMB's head for the Middle East and North Africa, pointed out that "Southern Baptists have prayed for years that Iraq would somehow be opened to the gospel," but he expressed concern that the "open door" for Christians may soon be shut. "Southern Baptists must understand that there is a war for souls under way in Iraq," his bulletin added, listing Islamic leaders and "pseudo-Christian" groups also flooding Iraq as his chief rivals.

"In public," the London Telegraph report noted, "the largest groups put the emphasis on their delivery of food parcels and their medical work. However, their internal fund-raising materials emphasize mission work. One IMB bulletin reported aid workers handing out copies of the New Testament and praying with Muslim recipients. Another bulletin said Iraqis understood 'who was bringing the food ... it was the Christians from America.'"

On December 9, the IMB announced that it wanted to send more missionaries to Iraq but it lacked financial resources and volunteers to do so, the ASSIST News Service reported. "We've been asking and praying for years for God to open the doors into Iraq so we can do something. And now that it's happened we just have a handful of workers" said the IMB's Mike Creswell. "We're scraping for money to be able to really take advantage of the opportunity there."

Glen Chancy elaborated on his charges that US evangelicals were not interested in the plight of Iraqi Christians in a mid-January e-mail exchange with TomPaine.com: While "I am happy anytime anyone is willing to give food, blankets, and medicines to the victims of war ... I do have concerns about the presence of Evangelical's in Iraq," Chancy wrote.

"Evangelizing Muslims is difficult work, not the least because convincing a Muslim to change his religion can get missionaries killed. ... Historically Evangelical missionaries operating in situations such as Iraq have focused on a far safer mission field. That is – converting Christians to Christianity. No one gets violent if a Roman Catholic Assyrian becomes a Protestant fundamentalist. If the current situation runs true to historical form (Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Egypt, etc), then the Evangelicals will end up making a fair number of converts among the indigenous Christians, and almost none among the Muslims."

Ironically, as Chancy points out, converting Assyrian Catholics could have a deleterious effect on that community because "Evangelical missionaries sow dissension and form rifts. It is its unity and community spirit that have allowed the Assyrian community to survive in a hostile environment, by making converts among them, Evangelicals make them more vulnerable."

As in his September article, Chancy pointed out that from the beginning "the announcements of relief efforts in Iraq did not focus on Iraqi Christians. Rather, they played up the opportunity to help Muslims. In fact, there is a major dearth of conservative media/Christian media coverage of the plight of Iraqi Christians ... there just aren't many people talking about the Assyrians.

"If the Evangelical power structure truly cared about Assyrians, then they would be busy demanding that the U.S. administration under Paul Bremer do something to protect them, or at least clamor for our withdrawal before we radicalize the place to the point that we get them [Assyrians] all killed."

Conditions for Iraqi Christians continue to deteriorate. A recent Reuters report pointed out that "More than 400 liquor stores run by Christians, the only community allowed to sell alcohol under the former Baathist government, were forced to close in the immediate aftermath of the US led occupation of Iraq."

In addition, Christians have expressed fears that "Shiite religious parties now wield power [in Basra] and seek to impose strict moral regulations, similar to Iran."

"Alcohol selling has changed from Christians to Muslims. Now it's Muslims who sell after taking the trade from us," Joseph Hanna, a Christian property developer and hotel owner who blames militant Shiite groups for the killings, told Reuters. "We fear for our lives and our interests from the extremist Shiites who are targeting us as Christians," said Misak Victor, another liquor merchant.

Armed Shiite groups – God's Vengeance, God's Party and the Islamic Bases Organization – "roam the streets to chase mobsters, drug addicts and prostitutes, exacting their brand of what they call God's law," according to Reuters. "The number of parties carrying Islam's banner is a force to reckon with in the post-Saddam political order, holding sway in local councils and competing with a beleaguered police force in imposing order in the unruly streets."

In December, the Boston Globe, pointing out that that attacks against Christians had reached Baghdad as well, said that "radical Shiite Muslims have begun tacking up leaflets in Christian neighborhoods [in Baghdad] warning women to cover their heads in Islamic fashion, threatening death to anyone wearing a cross in public, and boasting that Iraq, like neighboring Iran, will become a religious dictatorship with no tolerance for those who refuse to proclaim Mohammed as the true prophet."

More than 2 000 families in Basra – out of a community of some 100,000 Christians – have already left the city, going to the northern cities of Mosul and Baghdad. "If this situation continues there will not be one Christian in Basra," said goldsmith Naji Ahanyous.

In mid-February, the U.S. military confirmed that Iraqi gunmen had murdered John Kelley, the pastor of Curtis Corner Baptist Church, an independent Baptist church in South Kingstown, R.I., as he was riding in a taxi outside Baghdad. According to Baptist Press News, Kelley "was traveling with about 10 other ministers who went to Iraq on a two-week trip to explore the possibility of starting a church there."

Anti-Zowaa Meeting Fizzles!

By Rev. Kenneth Joseph Jr. (Iraq)

A. The Meeting

Tuesday, February 17 saw a strange gathering at the Sheraton Ishtar Hotel in central Baghdad.

Situated across the street from the more well known Palestine Hotel, the Sheraton is the scene of daily meetings of various groups in Iraq and is the home to many in the US Military and others.

An Assyrian Meeting to discuss the Constitution and the future of the Assyrian Cause called. Called by five political parties essentially the `anybody but Zowaa` group the meeting fizzled.

Out of 72 attendees an amazing 38 were Muslims and among the Assyrian Community many who received a very expensive Gold Lettered invitation the day before - some the night before the meeting was perceived not only as anti-Zowaa but Kurdish Funded.

The word in the community is of a mysterious four member shadowy group of Kurds who seem to fund various groups within the Assyrian community to divide and weaken it.

Notable absences were those from the Church, any government or other leaders of the Assyrian Community.

The 2 hour meeting focused on the upcoming Constitution and ways and methods of Assyrian unity but with the attendees themselves not representing the community it appears that this last attempt by the `anyone but Zowaa` groups who have previously held meetings in Baghdad among them a late summer gathering in which about 20 met in an abandoned building it appears to be the end of the road.

B. The Issue

While among the Assyrian Christian community in Iraq there is no fierce love and loyalty to Zowaa otherwise known as The Assyrian Democratic Movement who many feel works more for themselves than for the Assyrian Community, at the end of the day it is clearly the only game in town.

With the Assyrian Church of the East who has historically led the Assyrian People abandoning its role of such leadership with the arrival of its leader Mar Dinkha still `delayed` the community has only ADM to turn to.

For all its faults, and they are many, including lack of effective leadership, trained experts and a group of people who for all their fierce loyalty and energy are clearly a rag tag army of the willing it has nonetheless accomplished much that those who criticize it simply cannot match in either word or deed.

A huge multi acre compound in central Baghdad across the highway from the headquarters of the Assyrian Church of the East, a TV Station, Radio Station, Newspaper, Yonadam Kanna as an actual leader serving on the Governing Council, a Woman's and Student Group ADM has accomplished much on the ground.

While the `anyone but Zowaa` groups had their final Hurrah on Tuesday in an embarrassing show of failure the fate of the Assyrian people is far from secure.

The greatest need as can be clearly seen not only from Tuesdays meeting but from the general movement on the ground in Iraq is an urgent need for professional assistance in the form of lawyers, Bankers, historians, effective negotiators and those for whom English is their first language.

For all its accomplishments and they are huge, ADM clearly is out of its league fighting such well armed professionally organized forces as the American Administration in the form of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the huge and well organized Kurdish leadership, the Shiites and others.

With only four months left until the planned handover the only hope for the Assyrian Community is for an immediate abandonment of the foolishness that the conference at the Sheraton showed and a prompt joining of four forces - Zowaa, the `anyone but Zowaa` groups in Iraq, Assyrian Organizations overseas and the Church.

A joint effort putting aside the foolish attempts at grandstanding as was seen on Tuesday should be immediately initiated to provide a common voice and a clear message.

C. The Plan

The goal is quite simple but must be made and done effectively on two fronts - first on the ground with effective, professional and experienced negotiations with the parties involved which ADM clearly is not capable of doing by itself. Frankly, many of its leaders are not proficient in English well enough to handle such negotiations with various authorities who do this all in English and a very clear lack of understanding of democratic principles, the rule of law and constitutional frameworks.

Second and this is where the Assyrian Christian Movement has completely failed is in communicating the message. An abysmal ability to handle the media has hampered all efforts at negotiating even the proverbial `crumbs from the table` for the Assyrians. Until fairly recently most media outlets in Iraq itself did not even know who the Assyrians were left alone their role in Iraq.

A clear and understandable message presented by various leaders coordinated to have one voice.

The following is a last ditch plan that with Gods help can fulfill the dream of generations of Assyrians.

I. Operation Nineveh!

First, the restoration of the leadership of the Assyrian Church of the East. One of the tragic sides of the rise of ADM is that it has usurped the historic authority and role of the Church in the Assyrian Community. Instead of going to the Church as the central part of the community Assyrians in Iraq go first to Zowaa for help.

At this time of confusion and attempts to grab power the only organization that is capable of exercising authority and organizing the various groups together is clearly the Church.

A demand by Assyrians living throughout the world for His Holiness, Mar Dinkha to immediately return to Iraq and take charge of the Spiritual Leadership of the Church along with Mar Addai of the Ancient Church of the East and the issuance of a a joint declaration of a `Day of Prayer` for the Assyrian vision. A clear message to the Assyrian People that the only hope for the people is an Act of God and for all parties to stop their grandstanding, political intrigue and join forces in a spiritual battle for the future of the Assyrian People.

This is not simply a spiritual excursive but a clear acknowledgement of the total failure to attain even one goal of the Assyrian people in the current situation and a realization of history - that the only victories for the Assyrian people have been when they returned to God and sought His intervention.

An immediate `Call for a day of Prayer and fasting` by his holiness Mar Dinkha, Mar Addai and other Church Leaders.

II. Operation Emergency Committee

Second, a joint `Emergency Committee` under the leadership of The Assyrian Church of all parties involved in the struggle and a clear mandate through Yonadam Kanna, the political leader of the Assyrian People in Iraq to demand the minimal rights of the community,

A demand that as representative of the Assyrian People on the Government Council Yonaddan Kanna truly represent the interests of all the Assyrian People, immediately stop the `crumbs from the table` mentality of current negotiations and demand without apology the following minimum demands.

1. Cancellation of July 1 - An immediate demand that the July 1 handover of power be stopped.

2. Constitution - An immediate demand that the Assyrian Community will settle for nothing less than a secular constitution in which there is NO MENTION OF ISLAM, however gracefully done based upon the clear decision of the Constitutional Committee.

3. Elections - A system of elections that will grant to the formerly persecuted minorities special provision to reflect their past situation and allow them to retain power in their former regions. Immediate Voter Registration of all Assyrians living within Iraq and outside and a system of absentee voter registration coordinated to win elections in all major districts of Nineveh and Dohuk Provinces.

4. Autonomy - A clear form of absolute autonomy and local self government for the regions of Nineveh and Dohuk regardless of how any other area is granted. Autonomy and local self government are absolutely essential for the future of the Assyrian Community in Iraq.

5. Bank - Immediate Creation of an Assyrian Bank to fund the purchase of homes for any Assyrian desiring to live in either Nineveh or Dohuk Province and to buy up as much property en masse as financially possible for other needs of the community.

III. Operation Return!

Third, an immediate return to Iraq of all talented Assyrians living abroad to help with the current emergency to provide immediate assistance to the `Emergency Committee` in the form of professional assistance at Iraqi Governing Council Meetings, discussions with the UN and other bodies and in drafting laws, constitutional frameworks and all other needs of the community.

IV. Operation Communicate!

Fourth, Operation Communication to immediately arrange for Assyrians living overseas and in Iraq to speak in the International Media of the above Demands of the community and the clear danger to the future of Iraq and the Assyrians if they are not accomplished in a clear and unified voice.

D. Conclusion

As the failed Sheraton meeting showed, the only hope for the future of the Assyrian People is what can best be termed humble, intelligent unity.

An immediate call is to the Church Leaders to come together and declare a day of prayer and fasting as the Assyrian People did at the call of Johan to repent. To call the people together to repent of their sin and come back to God.

An immediate gathering in Baghdad to facilitate under the leadership of the Church a committee to move forward with the demands of the community and a clea4r message to ADM that the community will no longer tolerate the `crumbs from the table` mentality and lack of professionalism that exists and `hat in hand` begging will no longer be the way of the Assyrian People.

Is it possible? In this late hour can the tide be turned? Yes it is but the future rests clearly on one man - His Holiness Mar Dinkha. Can he at this time, along with Mar Addai in Baghdad and other Church leaders restore the leadership of the Assyrian People from ADM to the Church and do the only thing that can provide a last minute miracle - call the people to a day of prayer and fasting for God to intervene.

If His Holiness Mar Dinkha can rise to the challenge, return and provide the spiritual leadership to lead the Assyrian People back to the only source for victory at this crucial hour it is possible.

`If My People Who Are Called By My Name Will Humble Themselves and Pray and Seek My Face And Turn From their wicket ways then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will return their land.`