In the wake of the American-led intervention in Iraq in 2003, and, later, when the Syrian uprising turned into a civil war in 2011, the issue of Christian minorities in the Middle East has increasingly gained international attention resulting from the targeted violence they have experienced in both countries.
Faced with the migration of Christians from Syria and Iraq, Syriac Catholic bishops meeting in Lebanon for their annual synod called upon church members "scattered everywhere in the East and West" to cling to their faith with hope so they "can be witnesses to the joy of the Gospel wherever they are.
The Kurdistan Journalists' Syndicate has denounced the arrest of a journalist in Duhok after he published a report about Assyrian heritage preservation. The Syndicate said in a statement on Friday (June 21) that journalist Hurmiz Mushi Odisho posted a report about an Assyrian heritage site in Duhok province on his Facebook account on June 18, in which he called on the authorities to do more to...
Netherlands (AINA) -- A delegation from the Assyrian Confederation of Europe (ACE) visited the Dutch parliament and presented its latest report on the situation of Assyrians on 22 May. The delegation met with several MPs from the Christian Union party who have voiced concern for the future of Assyrians in their ancestral homeland Assyria which is carved up by Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran.
Qamishli, Syria (AINA) -- According to a report on Assyria TV, an internet Assyrian channel based in Stockholm, 15 Assyrian girls and boys have been abduction by members of the Syriac Military Council (MFS).
HIS NAME MEANT "true king," and Sargon of Akkad (unknown--2279 B.C.) took advantage of that presumed legitimacy to establish the world's first empire around 2330 B.C. in Mesopotamia, the fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. He and his successors bequeathed to the world a concept of power that involved more than military strength.
(AINA) -- Dr. Edmond Betmaleck, from Los Angeles, and Robert DeKelaita, from Chicago, recently discussed the situation of the Assyrians in the last few years. The two professionals have been active in Assyrian affairs for decades. Edmond Betmaleck has been an activist for the Assyrian cause most of his life and has served in various levels of directorships.
In around 1200 BC, the Near East was dominated by a group of interconnected complex states -- scholars refer to them as the 'Great Powers' Club'. Over the course of about 400 years, from 1500 to 1100 BC, this club variously included Egypt, Hatti (the land of the Hittites of Anatolia), Babylonia, Assyria, and Mitanni.
At a cost of $5 each, chicks are helping Iraq's Christian chicken farmers rebuild their livelihoods in the Nineveh Plains, a region historically home to Jesus' followers dating back to his time on Earth.
Pope Francis' visit to Iraq in 2020 is a source of "great joy and emotion" across the country. It is an event that unites "Christians and Muslims", this according to the Chaldean primate, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, who spoke to AsiaNews about the announcement the Pope made yesterday during the 92nd plenary assembly of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO).
I was discussing the sad plight of the Christians of the Middle East recently with a Lebanese friend, who recited the familiar refrain of the near extinction of the Christian communities of the Middle East. The basic reason, he insisted, was the Church teaching on "turning the other cheek.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said on Tuesday that his country would restore 15,000 ancient artifacts from the United States soon. "Iraq was and will always remain a cultural and historical center, and we must make use of this great legacy to build the present and future of the country," Abdul-Mahdi said during his visit to the National Museum of Iraq.
Netherlands (AINA) -- A delegation from the Assyrian Confederation of Europe (ACE) visited the Dutch parliament and presented its latest report on the situation of Assyrians on 22 May. The delegation met with several MPs from the Christian Union party who have voiced concern for the future of Assyrians in their ancestral homeland Assyria which is carved up by Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran.
Qamishli, Syria (AINA) -- According to a report on Assyria TV, an internet Assyrian channel based in Stockholm, 15 Assyrian girls and boys have been abduction by members of the Syriac Military Council (MFS).
(AINA) -- On May 4-5 the Salahaddin University in Erbil, Iraq and the French Institute of the Near East (IFPO) organized a workshop titled Christianity in Iraq at the turn of Islam. Its aim was to discuss important institutional changes for Christians in areas of the collapsed Persian Empire and retreated Byzantine Empire which were conquered by Muslims.
On January 2, 2018, Judge Goldsmith from the federal court in Michigan ordered the release of Assyrian (also known as Chaldean or Syriac) Christian detainees who had been held for deportation. In his decision, the judge cited that the country conditions in Iraq precluded the possibility of returning the refugees to their homes safely.
During the years of World War I 75% (750,000) of the Assyrian population in the Ottoman Empire was systematically murdered. That genocide of Assyrians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 is a fact, but it has largely been forgotten by the world.
(AINA) -- When speaking about the Ottoman Empire and Turkey today, it is not their contribution to civilization that comes to mind. Instead it is human rights violations, confiscation of land and property, genocide and genocide denials that are most frequently discussed in the public discourse. Today's Turkey is still far from being ruled by democratic principles.
HIS NAME MEANT "true king," and Sargon of Akkad (unknown--2279 B.C.) took advantage of that presumed legitimacy to establish the world's first empire around 2330 B.C. in Mesopotamia, the fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. He and his successors bequeathed to the world a concept of power that involved more than military strength.
In around 1200 BC, the Near East was dominated by a group of interconnected complex states -- scholars refer to them as the 'Great Powers' Club'. Over the course of about 400 years, from 1500 to 1100 BC, this club variously included Egypt, Hatti (the land of the Hittites of Anatolia), Babylonia, Assyria, and Mitanni.