Assyrian Post would like to wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year's. The simple and inspiring story of the birth of Jesus Christ fills our souls with gratitude and our hearts with joy, for the many blessings in our lives and promises that God's purpose is justice and His plan is peace. Christmas is also a time to give thanks to the Lord for His Love and Protection and a time to remember our duty to care for the vulnerable.
Our hope for all of us this Christmas is that the wonder of what happened at that unique birth in Bethlehem may recapture our hearts and imaginations, and that any lingering sense of hollowness may be replaced by an adoration that springs from the depths of thankfulness.
Monday, December 29, 2008
His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV's Christmas 2008 Greeting
Watch His Holiness Christmas Greeting:
http://www.maryosipparish.com/Christmas2008
http://www.maryosipparish.com/Christmas2008
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
A Day of Blessings: Elevation of His Grace Mar Meelis Zaia to Metropolitan
A DAY OF BLESSINGS
By Emmanuel Brikha
The Assyrian community of Australia and New Zealand, was this Sunday blessed by the presence of the Patriarch of the Assyrian church of the East His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV. He arrived in Australia last week for the elevation of His Grace Mar Meelis Zaia from his rank of Bishop to Metropolitan of Australia and New Zealand. The Metropolitan of Lebanon, Syria and all of Europe His Beatitude Mar Narsai Debaz along with metropolitan of India His Beatitude Mar Aprem Mooken and the newly ordained Bishop of California His Grace Mar Awa Rouel, all of who arrived in Australia for a two weeks of big events in the Assyrian church and community.
Assyrian faithful started to pack the church as early as 4am on the raining Sunday morning. By 6am more than 2000 people were ready to welcome the Patriarch, and by 7.30 there was huge crowds at the church as the clergy convoy entered the grounds of St Hurmizd Assyrian cathedral at Greenfield Park, Sydney.
More than 100 deacons, choir members and children formed an isle from the alter all the way to outside the church entrance doors. The Patriarch along with the metropolitan and Bishops entered the church doors with a welcome of prayers and roses which were thrown at his feet. Thousands of people were crying and cheering as the scene was to overwhelming for them.
As the clergy made there way up to the alter the ceremony began. His Grace Mar Meelis Zaia had read his oath and promise of loyalty to his church, Patriarch and ranks. He was then blessed with the laying of the hand and elevated to the ranks of Metropolitan. As soon as he was elevated the crowds clapped, screamed, and celebrated with cheers that their church leader was made Metropolitan.
More than 3700 people had attended this event many from interstate and from other countries. As food was being served outside the church hall people were greeted by the clergy before leaving to get ready for the evening dinner which was to follow.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
His Grace Mar Awa Bishop of California Consecrated November 30, 2008
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, peace be upon you all.
It is with great honor and joy that we announce the consecration of a new bishop, His Grace Mar Awa, Bishop of California. His Grace Mar Awa was the former Arch-Deacon David Royel. The consecration took place today, Sunday November 30, 2008 at Mar Zaia Church in Modesto, California by the Catholicos Patriarch, His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, with assistance of His Grace Mar Sargis Yousip, Bishop of Iraq, His Grace Mar Aprim Khamis, Bishop of the Western United States, and His Grace Mar Odisho Oraham, Bishop of Europe. This special, emotional and holy event left all who witnessed it and were fortunate to attend speechless.
His Grace Mar Awa was born on July 4, 1975 to his parents Koresh and Flourence Royel in Chicago, IL. His Grace is our first bishop ever ordained that was born in the United Stated of America. His parents should take great pride in raising such a wonderful and special son that will serve as our holy father.
His Grace Mar Awa was ordained sub-deacon in October 1991 and ordained deacon by His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos-Patriarch on January 1992 in Mar Gewargis Cathedral, in Chicago, Illinois.
Then he was ordained cor-bishop on July 2006 by His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, in Chicago, Illinois. He was recently ordained archdeacon by His Holiness on November 23, 2008 in Mar Yosip Khnanisho Church in San Jose, California.
Today, on November 30, 2008, he was consecrated bishop for the Diocese of California by His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV in Mar Zaia Cathedral in Modesto, California. We were also fortunate to have His Grace Mar Odisho, His Grace Mar Sargis, His Grace Mar Aprim and many of our priests and deacons joining us on this special day.
More than 2500 faithful members from California and Illinois were fortunate to witness this special ceremony. It was also broadcasted LIVE so people all around the world could also witness it.
His Grace Mar Awa is also highly educated. He holds a B.A from Loyola University in Chicago (1997), Bachelor of Sacred Theology from University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein (1999), License of Sacred Theology from Pontifical Oriental University in Rome (2001), and Doctorate of Sacred Theology from Pontifical Oriental University in Rome (2007).
The name 'Awa' means father. We are so fortunate to have His Grace Mar Awa to advise us with his fatherly guidance. God bless His Grace Mar Awa and may our Lord guide him on this journey. Our prayers are with him and with our Church.
More pictures of this historical event can be found in:
http://www.assyrianchurchnews.com/News/view/NewsID/44
Video coming up soon. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
More Sad News From Mosul
IRAQ: Christians had started returning to Iraq’s third largest city, but a militant attack on Thursday may continue to keep them away | Mindy Belz
(WORLD Magazine) Armed militants killed Iraqi Christians Lamiaa Sabih Saloha and her sister Walaa Thursday morning in Mosul. The shootings took place just as many believed that violence directed at Christians in Iraq’s third largest city was subsiding and up to 200 Christian families who fled in October had started to return.
According to an Italian press report, the armed men shot and killed one of the women while she waited to catch the bus to go to work in the northern Mosul neighborhood of al-Qahira. The attackers then stormed her house and opened fire on the family, killing her sister and injuring their mother. Assyrian sources in Mosul told WORLD the mother is seriously injured after the attackers stabbed her. They then set explosives near the house, which went off just as police arrived, injuring three policemen and destroying the family’s home.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
At least 14 Christians have been killed in Mosul since September, and many believe this latest attack will deter Christians who left the city in recent weeks from returning to their homes. Since the beginning of the war, kidnappings and murders have hit especially hard the church community in Mosul, the second-largest community of Christians in Iraq after Baghdad and located 250 miles north of the capital. The city under Saddam was dominated by Sunni Arabs and with Tikrit formed the heartland for the Baath Party. But Sunnis boycotted 2005 elections and Kurds now dominate both the governing council and the police force. That may change when provincial elections are held in January, but already many blame Sunni militants for trying to undermine security and Kurdish gains with the recent violence.
Source: WORLD Magazine
Published November 12, 2008
(WORLD Magazine) Armed militants killed Iraqi Christians Lamiaa Sabih Saloha and her sister Walaa Thursday morning in Mosul. The shootings took place just as many believed that violence directed at Christians in Iraq’s third largest city was subsiding and up to 200 Christian families who fled in October had started to return.
According to an Italian press report, the armed men shot and killed one of the women while she waited to catch the bus to go to work in the northern Mosul neighborhood of al-Qahira. The attackers then stormed her house and opened fire on the family, killing her sister and injuring their mother. Assyrian sources in Mosul told WORLD the mother is seriously injured after the attackers stabbed her. They then set explosives near the house, which went off just as police arrived, injuring three policemen and destroying the family’s home.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
At least 14 Christians have been killed in Mosul since September, and many believe this latest attack will deter Christians who left the city in recent weeks from returning to their homes. Since the beginning of the war, kidnappings and murders have hit especially hard the church community in Mosul, the second-largest community of Christians in Iraq after Baghdad and located 250 miles north of the capital. The city under Saddam was dominated by Sunni Arabs and with Tikrit formed the heartland for the Baath Party. But Sunnis boycotted 2005 elections and Kurds now dominate both the governing council and the police force. That may change when provincial elections are held in January, but already many blame Sunni militants for trying to undermine security and Kurdish gains with the recent violence.
Source: WORLD Magazine
Published November 12, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
MarYosip Parish: The 18th Annual “All Saints Night”
Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East
MarYosip Parish
Presents
The 18th Annual
“All Saints Night”
Jesus said: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder
them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”-Matthew 19:14
Bring your family and friends-Everybody is welcomed
Friday, October 31st, 6:00-8:00pm
Prizes, Food, Fun Games, & Astro Jump @ 680 Minnesota Ave, San Jose, Ca 95125
In order to create a wholesome family atmosphere, we ask that you please, not wear masks, devilish costumes, any type of weapons or
scary face painting
Iraq's Christians Flee 'Religious Cleansing,' and Arm Themselves
War is Boring: Iraq's Christians Flee 'Religious Cleansing,' and Arm Themselves
By: David Axe
World Politics Review Exclusive
In early October, news and rumors spread through the city of Mosul in northern Iraq that insurgents were targeting the area's Christian population. The attacks were apparently aimed at driving the Christians out of town -- a sort of "religious cleansing."
The anti-Christian campaign reportedly began in September, with "death threats through letters, SMS and e-mails," according to Mustafa Gundogdu, a researcher from the U.K.-based Kurdish Human Rights Project. (Iraq's minority Kurdish population, concentrated in self-governing Kurdistan, includes many Christians, although not all Iraqi Christians are Kurds.)
Gundogdu told World Politics Review that the threats were signed by a group calling itself "Al Mujahideen," a generic Arabic term for "freedom fighters." "After such threats, twelve Christian people were killed and three houses belonging to the Christian community were burned."
As panic flared, it became hard to tell fact from fiction. Several car bombs exploded in or near Christian neighborhoods around Mosul, but it wasn't clear if the bombs actually targeted Christians or were aimed at nearby soldiers. One woman told a reporter that men wearing the blue uniforms of the Iraqi police were killing Christians, echoing a trope that began at least four years ago with reports of police "death squads" in southern Iraq.
Amid intensifying rhetoric, an Iraqi general warned against "media exaggeration that gave rise to fear and horror among these families." Some foreign-based security analysts advised calm as they tried to sort truth from misinformation. One, Joost Hiltermann, from the New York-based International Crisis Group, said his sources in Iraq could not get close enough to Mosul to verify alarming reports.
By late October, as many as 13,000 Christians had fled Mosul, according to several news reports. The flight has exacerbated what Pary Karadaghi, an official at the U.S.-based Kurdish Human Rights Watch, calls an "epic" humanitarian crisis for Iraq's Christians.
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians have fled their homes in the five years since the U.S.-led invasion, some fleeing religious violence, others displaced by the ongoing insurgency. Thousands do not have access to food, water and shelter as the cold Iraqi winter approaches. Even those who do have basic necessities struggle to integrate into the predominantly Kurdish communities where they have sought refuge. Many Christians from the Mosul area do not speak the Kurdish language, so their children cannot attend school.
Christians have called Iraq home for more than 1,500 years. Today, the country's Christian population, probably numbering a little over a million, is divided between Chaldeans, who are formally associated with the Catholic Church, and Assyrians, who follow similar doctrine but have no formal ties to Rome. Assyrians claim to have one of the highest rates of martyrdom of any Christian sect: Some two million reportedly have died for their faith over the centuries. If the violence against Iraqi Christians indeed is religiously motivated, then today the martyrdom continues.
Hiltermann says U.S. forces are too focused on security in Baghdad to devote much effort to securing Mosul and other parts of Iraq where Christians are threatened. Defeating Mosul's extremists is a task that has fallen to the Iraqi army, a far less effective force that often endangers the very people it is supposed to protect. Early this year, the Iraqi army deployed tanks and other armored vehicles in operations around Mosul, and Christians got caught in the crossfire.
"There were also lots of raids going on in their communities," Karadaghi says of Mosul's Christians. "When the Iraqi government is looking for terrorist groups, they come to those neighborhoods. Their houses get searched. And once they get searched, terrorists see them as collaborators. So they are hit twice."
Now, instead of relying on Baghdad to protect them, some Christian neighborhoods are taking security into their own hands, forming unofficial militias that set up roadblocks to screen for weapons and strangers. Some of the Christian militias are getting support from the Kurdish Regional Government and its security forces, according to Karadaghi.
With refugee populations swelling and tensions mounting as Christians arm themselves, this year Christmas in Iraq will be "low key," Karadaghi says, instead of the traditional boisterous celebration.
By: David Axe
World Politics Review Exclusive
In early October, news and rumors spread through the city of Mosul in northern Iraq that insurgents were targeting the area's Christian population. The attacks were apparently aimed at driving the Christians out of town -- a sort of "religious cleansing."
The anti-Christian campaign reportedly began in September, with "death threats through letters, SMS and e-mails," according to Mustafa Gundogdu, a researcher from the U.K.-based Kurdish Human Rights Project. (Iraq's minority Kurdish population, concentrated in self-governing Kurdistan, includes many Christians, although not all Iraqi Christians are Kurds.)
Gundogdu told World Politics Review that the threats were signed by a group calling itself "Al Mujahideen," a generic Arabic term for "freedom fighters." "After such threats, twelve Christian people were killed and three houses belonging to the Christian community were burned."
As panic flared, it became hard to tell fact from fiction. Several car bombs exploded in or near Christian neighborhoods around Mosul, but it wasn't clear if the bombs actually targeted Christians or were aimed at nearby soldiers. One woman told a reporter that men wearing the blue uniforms of the Iraqi police were killing Christians, echoing a trope that began at least four years ago with reports of police "death squads" in southern Iraq.
Amid intensifying rhetoric, an Iraqi general warned against "media exaggeration that gave rise to fear and horror among these families." Some foreign-based security analysts advised calm as they tried to sort truth from misinformation. One, Joost Hiltermann, from the New York-based International Crisis Group, said his sources in Iraq could not get close enough to Mosul to verify alarming reports.
By late October, as many as 13,000 Christians had fled Mosul, according to several news reports. The flight has exacerbated what Pary Karadaghi, an official at the U.S.-based Kurdish Human Rights Watch, calls an "epic" humanitarian crisis for Iraq's Christians.
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians have fled their homes in the five years since the U.S.-led invasion, some fleeing religious violence, others displaced by the ongoing insurgency. Thousands do not have access to food, water and shelter as the cold Iraqi winter approaches. Even those who do have basic necessities struggle to integrate into the predominantly Kurdish communities where they have sought refuge. Many Christians from the Mosul area do not speak the Kurdish language, so their children cannot attend school.
Christians have called Iraq home for more than 1,500 years. Today, the country's Christian population, probably numbering a little over a million, is divided between Chaldeans, who are formally associated with the Catholic Church, and Assyrians, who follow similar doctrine but have no formal ties to Rome. Assyrians claim to have one of the highest rates of martyrdom of any Christian sect: Some two million reportedly have died for their faith over the centuries. If the violence against Iraqi Christians indeed is religiously motivated, then today the martyrdom continues.
Hiltermann says U.S. forces are too focused on security in Baghdad to devote much effort to securing Mosul and other parts of Iraq where Christians are threatened. Defeating Mosul's extremists is a task that has fallen to the Iraqi army, a far less effective force that often endangers the very people it is supposed to protect. Early this year, the Iraqi army deployed tanks and other armored vehicles in operations around Mosul, and Christians got caught in the crossfire.
"There were also lots of raids going on in their communities," Karadaghi says of Mosul's Christians. "When the Iraqi government is looking for terrorist groups, they come to those neighborhoods. Their houses get searched. And once they get searched, terrorists see them as collaborators. So they are hit twice."
Now, instead of relying on Baghdad to protect them, some Christian neighborhoods are taking security into their own hands, forming unofficial militias that set up roadblocks to screen for weapons and strangers. Some of the Christian militias are getting support from the Kurdish Regional Government and its security forces, according to Karadaghi.
With refugee populations swelling and tensions mounting as Christians arm themselves, this year Christmas in Iraq will be "low key," Karadaghi says, instead of the traditional boisterous celebration.
H.H. MarDinkha IV (10-19-2008) Anniversay Dinner in Chicago
32nd Anniversary pictures of H. H. MarDinkha IV in Chicago. It brought tears to my eyes. May the Lord abundantly bless His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV and sustain him and the faithful whom he serve with his gifts of wisdom, joy and peace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxUO2ex2fg0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxUO2ex2fg0
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Urgent Need for Assistance for Christians in Iraq
Below is extracts from a speech by His Grace Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia’s recent speech at the NSW Ecumenical Council-act for peace Iraq seminar (together with the NSWEC briefing paper for this years’s Refugee & Migrant Sunday)
Extracts from the speech by His Grace Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia
Australia’s role in Iraq’s growing Refuge Crisis held at Sydney University
No one has been untouched by grief either by personal loss or to see their country torn apart by violence. I believe that all Iraq desire peace and stability for their loved ones and lament the current situation.
You may have heard that there are minority groups in Iraq – the Yezides, Mandaean and Christians, who because of their small numbers have tended not to be mentioned in the media. As such, the extent of their plight in the current Iraqis situation is not fully revealed. Although I will focus on Assyrians from the Assyrian Church of the East, what I will mention applies equally to our brothers and sisters in the Chaldean Church and Syrian Orthodox Church, who have suffered a similar experience since 2003.
Brief overview of the Assyrians History
The Assyrians are indigenous to the lands between the two great rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. Descending from the ancient Akkadians, the Assyrians had formed a city-state by 2,000 BC which eventually grew into an empire that ruled for 1400 years, and came to an end in 612 BC. During this period, our ancestors were sophisticated pioneers in the fields of science, literature and law, and government administration.
When the Assyrians embraced Christianity in the first century AD, our Church infused new life into our nation. Through the Church of the East, we embarked on missions that spread the teaching of Christ peacefully to India and China. We established the University of Nisibis in the fourth century AD that became a centre of intellectual development in the Middle East. But with the rise of Islam, persecution of Christians increased, and by the end of the 15th century, had dwindled in number and many Assyrians were driven to the harsh mountains of Southern Turkey to survive.
From the late 1800s until the end of World War One, around two thirds of our nation was massacred in acts of genocide, conducted by the Ottoman Turks and Kurdish insurgents - who wanted to eradicate our Christian presence, and free our lands from any future claims. In 1933, a year after Iraq became independent, another massacre in the town of Semelli occurred, where over 3,000 Assyrians were brutally murdered by the Iraqi army. Such prejudice against Assyrians has continued throughout the decades.
Assyrian persecution today
Like their ancestors, today’s Assyrians value education and many of these refugees have obtained university qualifications and worked in various professions. Their departure has contributed to a brain-drain in Iraq, which can only make it harder for that country to rebuild itself. Those that have stayed to assist international agencies that are trying to help rebuild Iraq, have become the target of extremist groups. They are constantly sent threatening letters instructing them to desist from their work for Westerners, their homes are bombed and their family members are stalked and murdered.
Many of our churches have been bombed. Threatening fatwas have been issues against our communities. Christian families have received instructions to send their daughters to local mosques to marry Muslim men or face violent retribution. By 2003, Assyrians, including Chaldeans and Syriacs, were estimated to be around 3% of the Iraqi population. However, today they represent up to 40% of the refugee population living outside of Iraq. We are looking at figures of up to 500,000 Christians living in camps. The population of Canberra is only around 330,000.
The work of the Assyrian Church and the need for additional Assistance
The Assyrian Church has, through its relief program, spent tens of thousands of dollars assisting Assyrians who have been internally displaced and refugees living in camps in other Middle Eastern countries. These funds are at present modest, but add to the constant financial support provided by Assyrians in the West to their families in the Middle East. Often when refugees arrive in Australia, one of their first objectives is to financially assist their family members (such as elderly parents) who have remained behind.
To give you an example of how this affects our people, when an Assyrian refugee woman arrived in Australia, she quickly found a job as a process worker to send money to her orphaned niece in Syria. This woman had breast cancer, but had decided not to stop work for over eight months while the cancer developed, because her niece had no one else to support her. The support provided by our newly arrived refugees to their families in the Middle East is quite a burden and adds to their stress in Australia.
Currently the need for assistance far exceeds the capacity of our Assyrian Church to provide support to our refugees in the Middle East. The impact is across all aspects of life as issues such as education, health, affordable housing and food become exasperated.
International agencies can best assist Assyrian refugees by working with the Assyrian Church and its aid body ACERO (Assyrian Church of the East Relief Organisation).
Solutions for Assyrian Christians at risk
The UN program for refugees has three components: Firstly, the resettlement of refugees (for example to Western countries); Secondly, the relocation of refugees in countries of asylum and Thirdly, to repatriate refugees to their country of origin. With regards to resettlement, only 1% of the applications for visas are approved. Even when visas have been granted, family members are torn apart and sent to different locations around the world.
One 22 year old refugee woman remarked that “My family has become the united nations.” When asked what she meant by that statement, she replied that her family was living together as refugees in Syria, but now her father and brother live in Germany, her older brother lives in Sweden, her mother and younger sister have been granted migration to Canada, and she is here in Australia all on her own. This story is repeated in the tens of thousands, tearing family bonds across the globe. Because they lack the financial means, we have learned from experience that many Assyrian families will not be reunited again.
The resettlement program must increase the number of visa applications and places like Australia can do a lot more, and reap the benefit of increasing their intake of Assyrian Christians. The resettlement program can also work to ensure that family members are allowed to migrate together, to assist their settlement in their newly adopted country.
The Assyrian community has a lot to offer Australia. The Assyrian community in Australia is about 40 years old and predominantly made of refugees who migrated over the years. Yet this small community has, through its own resources, established sporting and cultural clubs; built cathedrals and established parishes in Sydney and Melbourne; it has members who are in local councils and politics. The Assyrian Church has also built a private primary school and is starting the building of a private High School.
The Second component of the UN program, to relocate refugees in the country of asylum, is simply not an option. Refugees cannot integrate and live freely in those societies. Their status is often acknowledged as “Guests of the country”, and they are constantly at risk of being returned to Iraq when their temporary permits run out. Assyrian refugees are Christians living in Islamic countries, and as a result their status is even more vulnerable. Also, these host countries simply do not have the infrastructure to sustain the large number of refugees.
Repatriation is a viable option -only if Assyrians are allowed to govern themselves. Much like the Kurds were given a safe haven and later established the Kurdish Regional Government, Assyrians must be afforded the same right to self-determination;
Call for Assistance
We need people to assist us in organising the campaign to raise public interest, to establish contacts with the media and to lobby the Australian government. And any one who applies his or herself to this worthy cause will make a difference. I would encourage you to contact our Assyrian Church to obtain more information and link up with our efforts. Thank you for taking the time to listen to the Assyrians case and may God bless you in all your good work done for humanity.
Helpful links for contact - http://www.assyrianrc.com
http://www.assyrianchurch.com.au
Source: http://www.churcheswa.com.au
Extracts from the speech by His Grace Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia
Australia’s role in Iraq’s growing Refuge Crisis held at Sydney University
No one has been untouched by grief either by personal loss or to see their country torn apart by violence. I believe that all Iraq desire peace and stability for their loved ones and lament the current situation.
You may have heard that there are minority groups in Iraq – the Yezides, Mandaean and Christians, who because of their small numbers have tended not to be mentioned in the media. As such, the extent of their plight in the current Iraqis situation is not fully revealed. Although I will focus on Assyrians from the Assyrian Church of the East, what I will mention applies equally to our brothers and sisters in the Chaldean Church and Syrian Orthodox Church, who have suffered a similar experience since 2003.
Brief overview of the Assyrians History
The Assyrians are indigenous to the lands between the two great rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. Descending from the ancient Akkadians, the Assyrians had formed a city-state by 2,000 BC which eventually grew into an empire that ruled for 1400 years, and came to an end in 612 BC. During this period, our ancestors were sophisticated pioneers in the fields of science, literature and law, and government administration.
When the Assyrians embraced Christianity in the first century AD, our Church infused new life into our nation. Through the Church of the East, we embarked on missions that spread the teaching of Christ peacefully to India and China. We established the University of Nisibis in the fourth century AD that became a centre of intellectual development in the Middle East. But with the rise of Islam, persecution of Christians increased, and by the end of the 15th century, had dwindled in number and many Assyrians were driven to the harsh mountains of Southern Turkey to survive.
From the late 1800s until the end of World War One, around two thirds of our nation was massacred in acts of genocide, conducted by the Ottoman Turks and Kurdish insurgents - who wanted to eradicate our Christian presence, and free our lands from any future claims. In 1933, a year after Iraq became independent, another massacre in the town of Semelli occurred, where over 3,000 Assyrians were brutally murdered by the Iraqi army. Such prejudice against Assyrians has continued throughout the decades.
Assyrian persecution today
Like their ancestors, today’s Assyrians value education and many of these refugees have obtained university qualifications and worked in various professions. Their departure has contributed to a brain-drain in Iraq, which can only make it harder for that country to rebuild itself. Those that have stayed to assist international agencies that are trying to help rebuild Iraq, have become the target of extremist groups. They are constantly sent threatening letters instructing them to desist from their work for Westerners, their homes are bombed and their family members are stalked and murdered.
Many of our churches have been bombed. Threatening fatwas have been issues against our communities. Christian families have received instructions to send their daughters to local mosques to marry Muslim men or face violent retribution. By 2003, Assyrians, including Chaldeans and Syriacs, were estimated to be around 3% of the Iraqi population. However, today they represent up to 40% of the refugee population living outside of Iraq. We are looking at figures of up to 500,000 Christians living in camps. The population of Canberra is only around 330,000.
The work of the Assyrian Church and the need for additional Assistance
The Assyrian Church has, through its relief program, spent tens of thousands of dollars assisting Assyrians who have been internally displaced and refugees living in camps in other Middle Eastern countries. These funds are at present modest, but add to the constant financial support provided by Assyrians in the West to their families in the Middle East. Often when refugees arrive in Australia, one of their first objectives is to financially assist their family members (such as elderly parents) who have remained behind.
To give you an example of how this affects our people, when an Assyrian refugee woman arrived in Australia, she quickly found a job as a process worker to send money to her orphaned niece in Syria. This woman had breast cancer, but had decided not to stop work for over eight months while the cancer developed, because her niece had no one else to support her. The support provided by our newly arrived refugees to their families in the Middle East is quite a burden and adds to their stress in Australia.
Currently the need for assistance far exceeds the capacity of our Assyrian Church to provide support to our refugees in the Middle East. The impact is across all aspects of life as issues such as education, health, affordable housing and food become exasperated.
International agencies can best assist Assyrian refugees by working with the Assyrian Church and its aid body ACERO (Assyrian Church of the East Relief Organisation).
Solutions for Assyrian Christians at risk
The UN program for refugees has three components: Firstly, the resettlement of refugees (for example to Western countries); Secondly, the relocation of refugees in countries of asylum and Thirdly, to repatriate refugees to their country of origin. With regards to resettlement, only 1% of the applications for visas are approved. Even when visas have been granted, family members are torn apart and sent to different locations around the world.
One 22 year old refugee woman remarked that “My family has become the united nations.” When asked what she meant by that statement, she replied that her family was living together as refugees in Syria, but now her father and brother live in Germany, her older brother lives in Sweden, her mother and younger sister have been granted migration to Canada, and she is here in Australia all on her own. This story is repeated in the tens of thousands, tearing family bonds across the globe. Because they lack the financial means, we have learned from experience that many Assyrian families will not be reunited again.
The resettlement program must increase the number of visa applications and places like Australia can do a lot more, and reap the benefit of increasing their intake of Assyrian Christians. The resettlement program can also work to ensure that family members are allowed to migrate together, to assist their settlement in their newly adopted country.
The Assyrian community has a lot to offer Australia. The Assyrian community in Australia is about 40 years old and predominantly made of refugees who migrated over the years. Yet this small community has, through its own resources, established sporting and cultural clubs; built cathedrals and established parishes in Sydney and Melbourne; it has members who are in local councils and politics. The Assyrian Church has also built a private primary school and is starting the building of a private High School.
The Second component of the UN program, to relocate refugees in the country of asylum, is simply not an option. Refugees cannot integrate and live freely in those societies. Their status is often acknowledged as “Guests of the country”, and they are constantly at risk of being returned to Iraq when their temporary permits run out. Assyrian refugees are Christians living in Islamic countries, and as a result their status is even more vulnerable. Also, these host countries simply do not have the infrastructure to sustain the large number of refugees.
Repatriation is a viable option -only if Assyrians are allowed to govern themselves. Much like the Kurds were given a safe haven and later established the Kurdish Regional Government, Assyrians must be afforded the same right to self-determination;
Call for Assistance
We need people to assist us in organising the campaign to raise public interest, to establish contacts with the media and to lobby the Australian government. And any one who applies his or herself to this worthy cause will make a difference. I would encourage you to contact our Assyrian Church to obtain more information and link up with our efforts. Thank you for taking the time to listen to the Assyrians case and may God bless you in all your good work done for humanity.
Helpful links for contact - http://www.assyrianrc.com
http://www.assyrianchurch.com.au
Source: http://www.churcheswa.com.au
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Assyrian Church of The East Relief Organization (ACERO) Provides Assistance to Christian Refugees From Mosul
Our people everywhere are greatly upset about the hardship that our people in Mosul have had to endure. The Assyrian Church of the East Relief Organization (ACERO) is donating an initial $10,000 and in the process of donating more. This humanitarian aid is to help with shelter, supplies, and food.
Assyrian Church of the East and its monasteries have their doors open for all those refugees that are seeking sanctuary. Also, in these time of great need, any help that can come from the fellow Assyrians is greatly appreciated and needed. Please make this donation through your local Assyrian Church of The East parish.
Our prayers are with our Christian people in the homeland in such difficult times.
Assyrian Church of the East and its monasteries have their doors open for all those refugees that are seeking sanctuary. Also, in these time of great need, any help that can come from the fellow Assyrians is greatly appreciated and needed. Please make this donation through your local Assyrian Church of The East parish.
Our prayers are with our Christian people in the homeland in such difficult times.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Dr. Sargis Aghajan Welcomes the Christians Fleeing from Mosul to Nineveh Plains
Following the sad news that Christians from the city of Mosul in Iraq, were fleeing because they were being killed for refusing to convert to Islam, Dr. Sargis Aghajan has come to their rescue. Dr. Sargis Aghajan who is an Iraqi Assyrian politician who was appointed Minister for Finance and the Economy in the cabinet of Iraqi Kurdistan, has asked members of religious and national institutions in our homeland to come together and cooperate with them, while tirelessly working to make every effort possible for providing all of the necessary supplies and places to stay for the needed and displaced families.
Thank you Dr. Sargis Aghajan for all your hardwork and dedication to our people in the homeland. You truly are a great Assyrian hero. May God's blessings be with you always.
We pray, Lord our God, for all those who suffer from acts of war. Please accept our prayers, so that by your goodness, peace may return to all peoples. Lead everyone along the path of reconciliation and peace. Lord, hear the supplications of all who call to You in sorrow and affliction, day and night. Merciful God, let their lives not be lost, we pray You, hear us and have mercy. Amen.
IRAQ: Christians Flee Mosul
It is indeed heartbreaking to see our nation improvished in this poorly managed war. Please join me in praying for the safety of our beloved Assyrian Christian families of Iraq.
Latest report from Baghdad, Iraq:
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- At least 900 Christian families have fled Mosul in the past week, terrified by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists ordering them to convert to Islam or face possible death, officials said Saturday.
Christians protest in Mosul last month ahead of elections. An official says protests may have led to the attacks.
Deputy Gov. Khasro Goran said 13 Christians have been slain in the past two weeks in Mosul, about 260 miles (420 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Fleeing Christians have sought refuge in monasteries and churches and with family members in other towns, an Interior Ministry official said.
The attacks began after hundreds of Christians took to the streets in Mosul and surrounding villages and towns, seeking greater representation on provincial councils, whose members will be chosen in the local elections.
Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula, Nineveh's governor, told The Associated Press that the exodus was "a major displacement."
"Of course, al Qaeda elements are behind this campaign against Christians," Kashmoula told AP.
The Interior Ministry official said the homes of three families were destroyed with explosives Saturday after the occupants left. No injuries were reported.
A week ago, leaflets were distributed in several predominantly Christian neighborhoods, threatening families to "either convert to Islam or pay the jizyah or leave the city or face death," said the Interior Ministry official.
Historically, jizyah is a tax paid by non-Muslims in exchange for protection.
Goran said that a few days after the leaflets were passed out, gunmen set up checkpoints in parts of Mosul, stopping vehicles to inspect identification papers, searching for Christian names or other signs of religious affiliation. Many of the Christians killed were targeted in this way, he said.
Bashir Azoz, 45, told AP he fled his Mosul home after gunmen warned a neighbor to leave or be killed.
"Where is the government and its security forces as these crimes take place every day?" asked Azoz, a carpenter who is staying with his wife and three children in a town about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Mosul, according to AP.
The Rev. Bolis Jacob, of Mosul's Mar Afram Church, told AP he couldn't understand the attacks.
"We respect the Islamic religion and the Muslim clerics," he said. "We don't know under what religion's pretexts these terrorists work."
Goran said police have set up security checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods.
In response to the violence, Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qader al-Obaidi visited Mosul on Saturday morning, conducting meetings with local authorities and military commanders.
His spokesman, Mohammed al-Askari, said that in addition to ordering more checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods, al-Obaidi ordered more troops deployed, additional security patrols and an increase in aerial surveillance of Christian areas.
Al-Obaidi also ordered more guards for Christian clerics, al-Askari said.
Source: CNN.com
Latest report from Baghdad, Iraq:
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- At least 900 Christian families have fled Mosul in the past week, terrified by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists ordering them to convert to Islam or face possible death, officials said Saturday.
Christians protest in Mosul last month ahead of elections. An official says protests may have led to the attacks.
Deputy Gov. Khasro Goran said 13 Christians have been slain in the past two weeks in Mosul, about 260 miles (420 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Fleeing Christians have sought refuge in monasteries and churches and with family members in other towns, an Interior Ministry official said.
The attacks began after hundreds of Christians took to the streets in Mosul and surrounding villages and towns, seeking greater representation on provincial councils, whose members will be chosen in the local elections.
Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula, Nineveh's governor, told The Associated Press that the exodus was "a major displacement."
"Of course, al Qaeda elements are behind this campaign against Christians," Kashmoula told AP.
The Interior Ministry official said the homes of three families were destroyed with explosives Saturday after the occupants left. No injuries were reported.
A week ago, leaflets were distributed in several predominantly Christian neighborhoods, threatening families to "either convert to Islam or pay the jizyah or leave the city or face death," said the Interior Ministry official.
Historically, jizyah is a tax paid by non-Muslims in exchange for protection.
Goran said that a few days after the leaflets were passed out, gunmen set up checkpoints in parts of Mosul, stopping vehicles to inspect identification papers, searching for Christian names or other signs of religious affiliation. Many of the Christians killed were targeted in this way, he said.
Bashir Azoz, 45, told AP he fled his Mosul home after gunmen warned a neighbor to leave or be killed.
"Where is the government and its security forces as these crimes take place every day?" asked Azoz, a carpenter who is staying with his wife and three children in a town about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Mosul, according to AP.
The Rev. Bolis Jacob, of Mosul's Mar Afram Church, told AP he couldn't understand the attacks.
"We respect the Islamic religion and the Muslim clerics," he said. "We don't know under what religion's pretexts these terrorists work."
Goran said police have set up security checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods.
In response to the violence, Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qader al-Obaidi visited Mosul on Saturday morning, conducting meetings with local authorities and military commanders.
His spokesman, Mohammed al-Askari, said that in addition to ordering more checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods, al-Obaidi ordered more troops deployed, additional security patrols and an increase in aerial surveillance of Christian areas.
Al-Obaidi also ordered more guards for Christian clerics, al-Askari said.
Source: CNN.com
Mar Yosip Parish - Third Annual Tea Time
On Sunday September 28th, 2008 Mar Yosip Parish of San Jose celebrated its 3rd
Annual Tea Time. The Tea Party was held at Mar Yosip Parish Church Hall. The
Ladies Auxiliary of the parish and other church members helped organize this successful event. A portion of the proceeds of the Tea Party will benefit all the Assyrians in need in our homeland, particularly the needy Assyrian children.
The event turned out to be a major success, with over 500 ladies in attendance.
Upon entering the hall, everyone was in awe at how elegant and beautiful everything looked. Each of the 53 tables were decorated in a different theme. All of the ladies had an amazing time and knowing that they were supporting a great cause, made the event more enjoyable for all.
Father Cor-Bishop David Royel first blessed the event with a prayer. Then we had the Guest Speaker for the event, Rosie Malek-Yonan, who gave a beautiful speech regarding "The Assyrian Woman" and all the hardships that our Assyrian Women have endured.
Sincere gratitude to all our beloved Mar Yosip Parish Ladies, for all their hardwork and effort in organizing this event. Also, our appreciation goes to all the ladies that supported this event and took part of this beautiful and memorable event. We look forward to the next upcoming Tea Time Party that Mar Yosip Parish hosts in the near future.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Patriarchal Visit of His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos Patriarch to the Diocese of Europe
Our Patriarch, His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, visit to the Diocese of Europe -
On Sunday, August 17th, His Holiness offered the Holy Mysteries of the Eucharist in the newly constructed Urhai Hall of the Mar Tomah Parish of the Assyrian Church of the East in Stockholm. A large number of people gathered to greet His Holiness.
A banquet was hosted in the evening by the Mar Tomah Parish in honor of His Holiness, giving the faithful sons and daughters a blessed opportunity to see His Holiness and receive blessings from His right hand. Also, the newly constructed Urhai Hall was officially opened and blessed by His Holiness.
While in Stockholm, the following dignitaries from other Christian denominations came to greet and meet His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV:
- His Beatitude Mar Julius Abdulahad G. Shabo, Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Diocese of Sweden and Scandinavia accompanied by Parish Priests, Deacons and members of the Church Council.
- His Holiness also met with His Beatitude in the Bishopric of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Mar Jacob parish.
- Reverend Father Maher Malko, Reverend Father Fadi Eesho, Deacons and members of the church council from the Chaldean Church, St. John's Parish in Sodertalia.
- Primate of the Lutheran Chruch in Sweden, H.E Anders Harald Wejryd.
Many Assyrian political and social parties in Stockholm also met with His Holiness.
His Holiness also visited our Parishes in Sweden, and offered the Holy Eucharist.
On Wednesday, September 3 2008, His Holiness, along with His Grace Mar Odisho, departed Sweden and continued His Patriarchal trip to other European countries, beginning with Denmark. Other countries such as Norway, Holland, Germany, Belgium and London were also visited by His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV and His Grace Mar Odisho Oraham.
Source: AssyrianChurchNews.com
On Sunday, August 17th, His Holiness offered the Holy Mysteries of the Eucharist in the newly constructed Urhai Hall of the Mar Tomah Parish of the Assyrian Church of the East in Stockholm. A large number of people gathered to greet His Holiness.
A banquet was hosted in the evening by the Mar Tomah Parish in honor of His Holiness, giving the faithful sons and daughters a blessed opportunity to see His Holiness and receive blessings from His right hand. Also, the newly constructed Urhai Hall was officially opened and blessed by His Holiness.
While in Stockholm, the following dignitaries from other Christian denominations came to greet and meet His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV:
- His Beatitude Mar Julius Abdulahad G. Shabo, Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Diocese of Sweden and Scandinavia accompanied by Parish Priests, Deacons and members of the Church Council.
- His Holiness also met with His Beatitude in the Bishopric of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Mar Jacob parish.
- Reverend Father Maher Malko, Reverend Father Fadi Eesho, Deacons and members of the church council from the Chaldean Church, St. John's Parish in Sodertalia.
- Primate of the Lutheran Chruch in Sweden, H.E Anders Harald Wejryd.
Many Assyrian political and social parties in Stockholm also met with His Holiness.
His Holiness also visited our Parishes in Sweden, and offered the Holy Eucharist.
On Wednesday, September 3 2008, His Holiness, along with His Grace Mar Odisho, departed Sweden and continued His Patriarchal trip to other European countries, beginning with Denmark. Other countries such as Norway, Holland, Germany, Belgium and London were also visited by His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV and His Grace Mar Odisho Oraham.
Source: AssyrianChurchNews.com
Former Bishop Soro Finally Admits His G-Plan
After years of denials, the former bishop Soro, finally admits to having been planning the Roman Catholicization of the Holy Apostolic Assyrian Church of the East for 20 years. This came in an interview with EWTN TV on Friday Sept. 19th. Although, this was not a surprise to most of us, the fact that he was denying his plan for years, put a rest on the case.
Please stay tuned: More to come.
Please stay tuned: More to come.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
His Grace Mar Meelis Zaia Presents Lecture on the Patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East
This important lecture was organized by the Youth Association of the Assyrian Church of the East in Sydney to present the Patriarchal Seat and Succession within the history of the Assyrian Church of the East, as well as its sacred doctrines, rites, rituals and practices. The lecture took place on Sunday, July 13th, 2008 at Edessa Hall.
For more on this memorable lecture, please refer to:
http://www.assyrianchurchnews.com/News/view/NewsID/22
For more on this memorable lecture, please refer to:
http://www.assyrianchurchnews.com/News/view/NewsID/22
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The Words of Wisdom Video: Our Patriarch, His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV
The link below provides this video, which is a strong and holly message from His Holiness regarding the words of God, life, character, love, fighting sin, praying and the strength of soma:
www.theassyrianchurches.com/
www.theassyrianchurches.com/
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Defrocked Bishop's Ultimate Plan in Joining the Catholic Church In Progress
This is a report translated from Ankawa.com which proves the intentions of the defrocked bishop to become one with the Chaldean Catholics. In the past, he has repeatedly denied this ultimate intention, but his actions and the latest "declaration of intent" under his new church called "Apostolic Assyrian Catholic Diocese" further proves otherwise.
The translated report states:
[Ashur Soro] and his supporters declare their determination to join the Catholic Church --- [Ashur Soro] and his supporters announced in a statement sent to the site Ankawa.com their determination to join the Catholic Church after a meeting held in California their "declaration of intent". Their establishment of the diocese of their own, called "The Assyrian Catholic Diocese Apostolic" (ACDA), was determined and their hopes have been that this will lead to opening the way to enter negotiations with the Chaldean Catholic Church to agree on a formula for unity.
The Press Release states:
On Thursday, January 17, 2008, and known as the "Day of Thanksgiving" of the Rogation of the Ninevites, for which the Bible says "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Amen, Amen, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you". (John 16:23), the Clergy Conference of the Assyrian Catholic Apostolic Diocese (ACAD) met in the city of Dublin, California to discuss the current situation and consider future plans for re-establishing communion.
The attendees unanimously voted for "declaration of intent" in which they expressed their determination "to engage fully with the Catholic Church" and "the resumption of unity with the Chaldean Catholic Church." As a result of this declaration, they expect the preface to enter into negotiations with the competent ecclesiastical authorities to identify coherent model of this unit...
The original and full post of this report can be found in:
ankawa.com
The translated report states:
[Ashur Soro] and his supporters declare their determination to join the Catholic Church --- [Ashur Soro] and his supporters announced in a statement sent to the site Ankawa.com their determination to join the Catholic Church after a meeting held in California their "declaration of intent". Their establishment of the diocese of their own, called "The Assyrian Catholic Diocese Apostolic" (ACDA), was determined and their hopes have been that this will lead to opening the way to enter negotiations with the Chaldean Catholic Church to agree on a formula for unity.
The Press Release states:
On Thursday, January 17, 2008, and known as the "Day of Thanksgiving" of the Rogation of the Ninevites, for which the Bible says "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Amen, Amen, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you". (John 16:23), the Clergy Conference of the Assyrian Catholic Apostolic Diocese (ACAD) met in the city of Dublin, California to discuss the current situation and consider future plans for re-establishing communion.
The attendees unanimously voted for "declaration of intent" in which they expressed their determination "to engage fully with the Catholic Church" and "the resumption of unity with the Chaldean Catholic Church." As a result of this declaration, they expect the preface to enter into negotiations with the competent ecclesiastical authorities to identify coherent model of this unit...
The original and full post of this report can be found in:
ankawa.com
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Assyrian Post's Christmas Message
Assyrian Post would like to wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year's. The simple and inspiring story of the birth of Jesus Christ fills our souls with gratitude and our hearts with joy, for the many blessings in our lives and promises that God's purpose is justice and His plan is peace. Christmas is also a time to give thanks to the Lord for His Love and Protection and a time to remember our duty to care for the vulnerable.
Our hope for all of us this Christmas is that the wonder of what happened at that unique birth in Bethlehem may recapture our hearts and imaginations, and that any lingering sense of hollowness may be replaced by an adoration that springs from the depths of thankfulness.
Our hope for all of us this Christmas is that the wonder of what happened at that unique birth in Bethlehem may recapture our hearts and imaginations, and that any lingering sense of hollowness may be replaced by an adoration that springs from the depths of thankfulness.
Igarta of His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV for Christmas 2007-2008
His Holiness Mar Dinkha's "Igarta" can be viewed by clicking on the link below:
http://maryosipparish.com/Igarta.htm
http://maryosipparish.com/Igarta.htm
January 2008 Church Calendar
Jan. 2, Dukhrana d’Mar Zaia
Jan. 4, Dukhrana d’Mar Maryam
Jan. 6, Eada d’Dinkhe d’Maran
Jan. 7, Baoota d’btoolateh
Jan. 10, Dukhrana d’Mar Youkhanan Zarooqa
Jan. 11, Dukhrana d’Mar Youkhanan Maimdana
Jan. 14, Baoota d’Ninwaye
Jan. 17, Thursday of Thanksgiving
Jan. 18, Dukhrana d’Malpane Atouraye o’Younaye
Jan. 24, Dukhrana d’Mar Youkhanan Bar Malke
Jan. 25, Dukhrana d’Mar Estapanos and Mar Awa Catolichos
Jan. 27, Dukhrana d’Sahda Mar Benyamin Shimmon
Jan. 4, Dukhrana d’Mar Maryam
Jan. 6, Eada d’Dinkhe d’Maran
Jan. 7, Baoota d’btoolateh
Jan. 10, Dukhrana d’Mar Youkhanan Zarooqa
Jan. 11, Dukhrana d’Mar Youkhanan Maimdana
Jan. 14, Baoota d’Ninwaye
Jan. 17, Thursday of Thanksgiving
Jan. 18, Dukhrana d’Malpane Atouraye o’Younaye
Jan. 24, Dukhrana d’Mar Youkhanan Bar Malke
Jan. 25, Dukhrana d’Mar Estapanos and Mar Awa Catolichos
Jan. 27, Dukhrana d’Sahda Mar Benyamin Shimmon
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