As an ancient identity left stateless, Assyrians stand as the most concrete example of this reality. From Mesopotamia to the present day, Assyrians have been displaced by every storm, their culture left under threat. For Assyrians, the question remains clear: What can they build, and how, to ensure they are no longer rendered invisible?
Related: Brief History of Assyrians
In the Middle East, regimes fall, and borders are redrawn. Yet for peoples like Assyrians, the bearers of cultural memory, the only enduring reality is the struggle "to remain." In this land where elephants trample, it is time for the voice of the grass to be heard. From Mesopotamia to the present day, the tragedy of Assyrians--displaced by every storm and with their culture under constant threat--is not merely an echo of the past but a stark, overlooked reality of today. At every turning point in the Middle East, we face the same question: Is history a cycle for the oppressed, or is it a warning?
The Burden of Repeating History
Assyrians are one of the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia. Assyrians, Babylonians, and Akkadians were among the first civilizations of this land, and Assyrians are their inheritors. The Kingdom of Abgar in Edessa (today's Urfa) was one of the last political organizations of Assyrians. The fall of this kingdom marked the beginning of their statelessness. Since then, Assyrians, as an identity, have been condemned to be the "timeless witnesses" of the region.
With the spread of Islam into the region, Assyrians were considered dhimmi, or "people of the pact" according to the sharia law. They paid the jizya tax and were pushed to the lowest rank of the social hierarchy. During the Ottoman Empire, these pressures intensified. The jizya was not merely a tax but a price for existence itself. Assyrians were drained both materially and spiritually. This reality finds expression in Gramsci's concept of "hegemony," where dominant powers exert control not only through physical oppression but also via economic and cultural means, securing consent from the subjugated. For centuries, Assyrians were both the subjects and the silent victims of this hegemonic domination.
Related: The Assyrian Genocide
The 20th century marked a turning point for Assyrians. The Assyrian Genocide of 1915, left an indelible scar on their collective memory; hundreds of thousands1 of Assyrians were massacred or forcibly displaced within Ottoman territories. The diaspora became an inevitable destination in their search for their survival and identity. According to Arendt, "statelessness" not only deprives a person of their homeland but also severs them from their rights, identity, and recognition, rendering their existence almost invisible. In this process of being stripped of their statehood, Assyrians were transformed into "people without rights," rendered invisible by both history and law.
The Turkish Republican Era and the Construction of the Diaspora
Following the genocide of 1915, the lands of Anatolia became not a homeland, but a graveyard shrouded in silence for Assyrians. The stones of destroyed villages, the bells of ruined churches, and silenced languages were left behind as mute witnesses of history. The survivors of the massacre, carrying a past woven from pain, took to the paths of exile. Haunted by the ghost of their lost homeland, they were a people trapped between fear and displacement, pushed to the margins of history.
The founding of the Republic of Turkey did not signify a rebirth for Assyrians; instead, it opened the curtain on a new era of invisibility. The Turkish modernization project's motto of "one nation, one language, one religion" masked the cultural richness of these ancient lands with the imposition of homogeneity. Assyrians paid the price of preserving their existence quietly, under the pressures of assimilation and cultural annihilation.
In the official historical narrative of the Republic, there is no place for Assyrians. This absence is not merely a physical erasure, but also an epistemological void. While history is written by those in power, the stories of the oppressed are condemned to vanish in silence. Assyrians, at this very juncture, have been consigned to the ranks of the forgotten. However, the diaspora has emerged as a bridge to fill this void--as a carrier of the struggle to rebuild identity, language, and culture.
Carrying the profound trauma of the genocide of 1915, Assyrians were condemned to a silent and forced journey of migration throughout the Republican era. Torn from the stones of Mardin, the streets of Midyat, and the monasteries of Tur Abdin, they were scattered across the cold cities of Europe. Over time, this migration became a survival strategy. Yet, the diaspora eventually transformed from merely a refuge into a form of exile. Exile not only separates one from their homeland but also distances them from their identity, language, and memory.
The Collapse of the Syrian Regime and the Existential Dilemma of Assyrians
On Syria's battlefield, the flags of the victors may change, but the identity of the losers remains constant. Assyrians, as throughout history, stand today on the brink of erasure and abandonment. This time, however, they face not the hand of fate but the cold reality of a new reckoning. The most painful truth for them is that this destruction is no longer surprising. Every regime's collapse, every storm, places the same burden squarely on their shoulders.
Related: Timeline of ISIS in Iraq
Related: Attacks on Assyrians in Syria By ISIS and Other Muslim Groups
As the fall of Damascus brings the region's political map back to the negotiating table, Assyrians risk once again being reduced to a mere footnote on this map. For them, the boundary between existence and extinction is not just a geographic line but a profound chasm of identity and memory loss.
This is not merely a political crisis; it is poised to become the echo of a historical annihilation targeting a people's language, culture, and faith.
The rise of radical Islamist groups on the political stage has once again placed the security and freedom of this ancient people under threat. ISIS, by destroying Assyrian churches, silencing prayers, and setting villages ablaze, targeted not only the living spaces of a people but also their collective memory. Although groups like Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have not yet carried out such destruction, their ideological stance and authoritarian mindset continue to pose a persistent threat to Assyrians.
This is not merely physical destruction; it is the deepening face of cultural genocide. As Edward Said emphasized in his critique of cultural imperialism, erasing a people's identity, language, and culture is a far more enduring form of domination than occupying their land. Today, Assyrians are fighting for their existence not only to protect their land but also to preserve their language, culture, and history.
This plight of Assyrians not only robs a people of their future but also inflicts irreparable damage on the cultural and historical integrity of an entire region.
This tragedy is not just the suffering of one people; it is also the starkest reflection of the moral collapse and hypocritical silence of the modern world. Assyrians, seeking to escape the grip of war, radical Islamist ideologies, and political chaos, are once again forced to cross borders, scattering across Europe and America as they did in the past. While this forced diaspora serves as a new stage for cultural survival, it remains little more than a façade that conceals the injustices of the global system.
The regime changes in Syria once again highlighted the existential reality of Assyrians: as with every critical juncture in history, this ancient people find themselves facing the threat of being overlooked and dismissed in the power struggles of the mighty.
The deep conflicts of the Middle East once again compel a reevaluation of the existential reality of Assyrians. This reevaluation demands not only a political but also a cultural and intellectual confrontation. Arendt observed that statelessness deprives a person not only of land but also of rights and recognition. Today, Assyrians embody the starkest example of statelessness. They have been alienated from their own identity within their own lands.
Short and Long-Term Perspectives
In the face of this compounded injustice, Assyrians' struggle for existence must be supported not only with rhetoric but also with concrete political steps and strategic action plans. The political chaos of the Middle East has historically subjected the struggles of the oppressed to the harshest tests. The new order that will emerge with the collapse of the Syrian regime may represent a final opportunity for Assyrians. However, this opportunity is not merely about securing the rights of one people; it also involves reconstructing the multicultural memory of this region.
In this context, immediate steps carry vital importance for Assyrians, while long-term strategies must be viewed as an existential necessity.
Related: Assyrians Should Leave the Middle East
During the process of shaping a new regime in Syria, recognizing Assyrians as indigenous people with equal rights is a crucial step that must not be overlooked. Including Assyrian representatives in the decision-making processes of drafting the new constitution would not only protect a minority but also provide a meaningful contribution to building regional peace on a multicultural foundation.
Assyrian institutions and local political representatives must play an active role in this process, seizing the opportunity to voice their demands in a platform of dialogue. Such steps would not only secure Assyrians' existence but also strengthen the foundations of an inclusive and just order in Syria's future.
Assyrians are one of the indigenous and historical peoples of Syria and the ancient lands of Mesopotamia. Their presence constitutes one of the oldest cornerstones of this region's multicultural and multireligious identity. Over centuries, Assyrians have built a legacy of language, culture, and faith in these lands, offering historical examples of peace and coexistence.
Today, recognizing the demands and protecting the rights of Assyrians is not only essential for their pursuit of historical justice but also a moral and political imperative for rebuilding Syria's cultural diversity and social harmony. As in the past, Assyrians must play an integral and active role in Syria's reconstruction process as equal partners and contributors to the nation's future.
Ensuring cultural representation and safeguarding rights within the local administrations of a reconstructed Syria could be a fundamental step toward preserving Assyrians' existence. In alignment with the principle of equal citizenship, establishing a framework that enables Assyrians to freely sustain their schools offering education in their own language, cultural institutions, and places of worship would not only preserve the identity of this ancient people but also contribute to social harmony.
With the collapse of the Ba'ath regime in Syria, a new political era is opening for Assyrians. In this process, recognizing Assyrians as a people with equal rights and enshrining those rights in the constitution is a critical step not only for their community but also for the democratization of Syrian society as a whole.
The preparation of the new constitution should actively support the participation of Assyrian representatives. Such participation will play a significant role in establishing the legal framework necessary for Assyrians to freely sustain their school's providing education in their own language, cultural institutions, and places of worship.
Memory, Identity, and Existence
In the long term, it is a historical necessity for Assyrians not merely to survive but to establish their cultural and political presence on a permanent and robust foundation. Throughout history, the "voice of the oppressed" has often been silenced, yet it has always managed to find an echo. Today, strengthening this echo for Assyrians requires forging a solid and sustainable connection between the diaspora and their homeland.
The Assyrian diaspora in Europe and America can make significant contributions to revitalizing the communities in their homeland by mobilizing cultural and economic support in an organized manner. This is not merely a matter of solidarity but a shared responsibility to carry the historical legacy of Assyrians into the future.
The existential issue of Assyrians has deepened over time due to the pressures, migrations, and cultural erosion they have endured throughout history. This issue represents a multi-layered struggle that threatens their existence not only in their homeland of Mesopotamia but also in the diaspora.
For Assyrians to firmly secure their future, realistic solutions that address cultural, political, social, and economic dimensions collectively are essential. These solutions must aim to ensure their continued presence in their homeland while also preserving their identity in the diaspora.
In new political orders, it is vital to recognize Assyrians as equal citizens and ensure their active participation in political processes. This recognition must go beyond constitutional rights to include concrete guarantees, such as representation in local governance and the protection of their schools and religious structures.
The instability in the Middle East, the attacks by radical groups, and regime changes have forced Assyrians into continuous migration. It is essential to establish international guarantees to prevent their displacement and to create secure living conditions in their homeland. The international community must play an active role in this regard, implementing mechanisms that ensure the safety of Assyrians. Such steps are crucial for achieving a lasting solution.
In this context, the intellectual and cultural efforts of Assyrians can be seen as foundational to their struggle to rebuild their existence. As Camus emphasized in his philosophy, even in the face of meaninglessness and despair, humanity must demonstrate the will to persevere. Assyrians' efforts to preserve their cultural and political identity are a tangible expression of this search for meaning and existential resistance in an absurd world.
The existential struggle of Assyrians is not merely the resistance of a single people; it is a mirror held up to the conscience of humanity. This door opened against oblivion and denial is a bearer of hope that justice, even if delayed, will eventually prevail. Beyond this door lie the voices of the silenced, the traces of what was destroyed, and the seeds of a future that will bloom to rebuild an honorable existence.
Notes
1 Editor's note: 750,000 Assyrians, one million Greeks and 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the Turkish genocide of Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks between 1915 and 1918.
This is a shortened version of the article published in Turkish in the AGOS newspaper.
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