As the Assyrian mass migration from the Tur Abdin Region unfolded during the 1970s--1990s, entire villages were left mostly emptied, leaving not only houses but also many agricultural and grazing lands abandoned. Meanwhile, Turkey launched a land registry and cadastre modernization project in the early 2000s as part of a broader effort to upgrade public services to European Union standard.
Under Iraq's 2005 constitution,[1] Islam is the official state religion and a "source of legislation". According to Article 2(1), nothing may contradict Islam, the principles of democracy, or constitutionally recognised rights and freedoms. Article 2(2) provides that the Islamic identity of most Iraqis and the religious rights of Christians, Yazidis, and Sabean-Mandeans are equally protected.
The ancient Assyrian capital of Nimrud is speaking again. From beneath a landscape fractured by modern war, archaeologists have uncovered what may be the clearest surviving image of Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war, etched into a star-shaped stone fragment buried in the ruins of her temple.
I was recently in Yerevan, Armenia, sitting among a crowd gathered for European Heritage Days 2025 and the Day of National Minorities in Armenia. The air was alive with color and music. On stage, the Assyrian folk group Atour performed three traditional dances--children and teenagers dressed in shimmering costumes, their movements rhythmic and proud.
Rome -- Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has released the 2025 edition of its Religious Freedom in the World Report, a comprehensive survey covering 196 countries and assessing the legal and social conditions affecting the practice of religion.
Social groups dominate public discourse. The news, social media, scientific reports, and everyday conversations all refer to groups of every kind: women, conservatives, Muslims, immigrants, Nigerians, lawyers, and a virtually endless list of others. In their own contexts, each of these categories makes sense. We know, roughly, whom each term describes.