When ISIS fighters burst into Father Afran Sony's monastery in northern Iraq in June 2014 wielding machine guns and knives, he and his brothers rushed to protect their most precious possessions. They weren't gold, relics or even their own lives, but some of the oldest surviving manuscripts in the Christian world.
Some 400 Iraqi refugees who sought refuge from Daesh terrorists in Iraq by going to neighboring Syria are set to return home with help from Turkey, Anadolu Agency reports. The move comes as a result of joint humanitarian diplomatic efforts of the Turkish and Iraqi foreign ministries along with the Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).
Top administration officials, including President Trump, scrambled this week to head off a Turkish attack against U.S. Kurdish allies in northern Syria, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced an imminent assault.
Basra, Iraq (Reuters) -- Security forces used live bullets and teargas on Friday to disperse protesters gathered in Iraq's southern city of Basra, but no injuries were reported. Around 250 people had surrounded a building used as temporary headquarters for the provincial council to protest against corruption and demand jobs and better public services.
ANKARA (Reuters) -- Iraq's foreign ministry on Friday summoned Turkey's ambassador in Baghdad to protest over what it called repeated airspace violations, after Turkish warplanes earlier carried out strikes against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the same day the legislation was signed by President Trump, US Bishops Conference (USCCB) "applaud" the enactment of the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act. Through this legislation, genocide victims in Iraq and Syria will receive humanitarian aid and perpetrators will be held accountable.
Hundreds of Coptic Christians on Thursday attended the burial of a father and his son who were killed by a police officer in Egypt's Minya province, amid cries for the state to provide more protection, reports Reuters. The Copts, who make up around 10 percent of the population, have long complained of discrimination.
Vienna (AINA) -- A delegation of three Patriarchs of Churches of Syriac tradition from Syria and Iraq visited the Austrian Federal Cancellor Sebastian Kurz on Wednesday, December 11. Cardinal Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako from Baghdad, (Chaldean Church of Babylon), Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II Karim from Damascus (Syriac Orthodox Church).
Turkey's threats to invade the east of the Euphrates is a danger to the existence of Christians in the north and east of Syria, the deputy head of a Christian party said on Thursday. "We don't consider these [Turkish] threats to be against Kurds only.
For centuries, angels have graced works of art with their ethereal presence. Appearing as ancient statues and adorning modern murals, these winged figures have become a fixture in art history spanning medium, culture, and time. While our contemporary idea of what an angel looks like emerged in the 4th century, the existence of angel-like figures in art can be traced back thousands of years.
BAGHDAD (AP) -- The Islamic State group's deliberate destruction of agriculture in northern Iraq has hindered the return of hundreds of thousands of residents, Amnesty International said in a report released Thursday. The New York-based rights group said IS fighters burnt or chopped down orchards and sabotaged wells by filling them with rubble, oil or other materials.
BAGHDAD -- Syrian forces have unearthed mass graves near the border with Iraq containing the remains of several hundred people executed by Islamic State, providing more evidence of the militants' reign of terror as they are driven out of territory they once controlled.
Vienna (AINA) -- A delegation of three Patriarchs of Churches of Syriac tradition from Syria and Iraq visited the Austrian Federal Cancellor Sebastian Kurz on Wednesday, December 11. Cardinal Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako from Baghdad, (Chaldean Church of Babylon), Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II Karim from Damascus (Syriac Orthodox Church).
(AINA) -- A national organization serving Assyrian youth has been established in the United States. The Assyrian Youth Federation of America will be an umbrella organization for youth organizations in various cities with Assyrian populations, including Boston, Yonkers, Flint, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Modesto, San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.
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.
Berlin (AINA) -- By an overwhelming majority, the German parliament (Bundestag) passed a symbolic and long overdue resolution on Thursday, June 2, 2016, recognizing the 1915 massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman government as a genocide.
(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.
(AINA) -- Much has been swirling around on social media about an EU Conference (AINA 2017-06-24) organized by Swedish MEP Lars Adaktusson alongside sponsors such as Demand For Action. No sooner had I heard about it did I also see that it had been boycotted by the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) and the Chaldean Church, together with various other Assyrian parties and organizations, including...
For centuries, angels have graced works of art with their ethereal presence. Appearing as ancient statues and adorning modern murals, these winged figures have become a fixture in art history spanning medium, culture, and time. While our contemporary idea of what an angel looks like emerged in the 4th century, the existence of angel-like figures in art can be traced back thousands of years.
The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates on 4 December St. Abgar, the First Martyr of the Church and the first king believing in Christ, qahana.am reports. According to the tradition St. Abgar [an Assyrian] was the first Christian king of the 1st century, the son of the Parthian king Arshakunie Arsham. He was also called "senior man" as he was the wisest of all and of genius.