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Israel Audo
Who made the East- Aramean Nestorians known as "Assyrians"?
SUA/WCA and allowing terrorism
Aramean history, culture and language, a six partite interview
2-5-2016: After the Turks come Kurds.... Arameans, Gog and Magog......
17-7-2015: Turkey, Syria and Iraq: Arameans, the downfall of an indigenous nation, part II
30-5-2014: Turkey, Syria and Iraq: Arameans, the downfall of an indigenous nation: Part 1
21-1-2013: Iraq: Aramean teacher and student killed in Mosul
22-2-2012: Iraq: We have left behind a "sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq"
19-8-2011: Iraq and Arameans: The usual ritual, blowing up their churches
7-6-2011: The uproar in the Middle-East and the future of the Aramean nation
29-4-2011:
“Liberation” of
23-11-2010: Aramean blood continue to flow in Iraq: Two Aramean brothers killed in Mosul
11-11-2010: An Aramean spiritual leader makes a dramatic appeal: Leave Iraq
1-11-2010: Bloodbath among the Arameans of Baghdad: Something like this never happened
17-5-2010: Iraq: The 19 years old Aramean girl Sandy Shabib Hadi Zahra succumbs to her injuries
10-3-2010: Exodus Arameans from Mosul: According to recent UN report more than 5000 Arameans have left Mosul
27-2-2010: Council of Churches in Iraq appeals to the government to protect the Aramean people in Mosul, Iraq
26-2-2010: The Arameans of Mosul: A new Exodus and Ethnic cleansing is going on
18-2-2010: The Arameans of Iraq again victim of killings and bloodbaths:
24-12-2009: A Christmas “message” for the Arameans of Mosul: Four Aramean Churches attacked and one Aramean killed
1-9-2009: Arameans of Iraq: The East- Aramean Chaldean bishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk sounds the alarm bell
29-8-2009: Totally unfounded or has it a grain of truth in it? Greater- Israel and the ethnic cleansing of the Arameans of Mosul and surroundings in Iraq
13-7-2009: Seven Indigenous Aramean Churches in Baghdad (Iraq) attacked by car bombs
4-5-2009: Aramean blood continues to flow in Iraq…
15-11-2008: Iraq: The bloodshed of Aramean people and bombardment of churches continues undiminished
27-10-2008: Attempt of ethnic cleansing Mosul: The Aramean Srebrinica. Who is responsible and why?
2-9-2008: Again two Arameans killed in Iraq
Killing of Priest Yusuf Adel Abudi
4-5-2008: Again a Aramean spiritual leader is killed in Iraq. This time: The West- Aramean Syrian orthodox priest Yusuf Adel Abudi in Bagdad
11-4-2008: Through all the misery: Miracles happens in Iraq
6-4-2008: Funeral of the West- Aramean Syrian Orthodox Priest Yusuf Adel Abudi
Killing of Mgr. Faraj Raho
1-3-2008: East- Aramean Chaldean bishop of Mosul, Mgr. Paulus Faraj Raho was abducted on 29-2-2008 in Mosul.
13-3-2008: The East- Aramean Chaldean bishop Paulus Faraj Raho killed in Mosul
14-3-2008: Friday 14-3-2008: Funeral of Mgr. Faraj Raho in St. Addai Church in Karemlesh
16-3-2008: Mgr. Paulus Faraj Raho: A Great Spiritual Leader and a Worthy Sheppard in Charge of Jesus Christ
23-2-2008: Aramean centre for art and culture has been opened in Ankawa, northern Iraq
7-1-2008: Aramean Churches and institutions in Iraq under Attack
Killing of Priest Ragied Aziz Gannie
25-5-2007: Terror against Arameans (including "Assyrians" and Chaldeans) of Iraq. Ethnic cleansing of the Indigenous people of Iraq
Killing of Isoh Majeed Hadaya
22-11-2006: The West- Aramean Isoh Majeed Hadaya killed by terrorists in Iraq
Killing of Priest Paulus Iskandar
12-10-2006: Aramean priest Iskandar beheaded in Mosul (Iraq) |
Aramean people: Aramean people (not to be confused with ‘Armenians’) speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Abraham, Moses and Jesus. They are the indigenous people of what was called in ancient times Aram- Nahrin, in our days it is called ‘Mesopotamia’. Some Arameans today identify themselves with “Assyrians”, because of the spiritual colonial hate generating activities of the Western missionaries and diplomats in the Middle-East in 16th and 19th centuries. Other Arameans became known as “Chaldeans”. However all of them are Arameans. In Turkey, the Arameans are called: Süryani. In Arabic they are called Al- Suryan.
Arameans of Aram-Naharaim Organization and the Aramean Democratic Organization sent a letter to Iraqi Government and ask for recognition of Aramean people.
Nr.: 2016-09-22/1
Netherlands, Sweden, 22nd of September 2016
Subject: Article 125 of Iraqi Constitution, exclusion of the Aramean nation and ID Card.
President of Iraq: His Excellency Dr. Fuad Masum Prime Minister of Iraq: His Excellency Dr. Haider Al-Abadi Speaker of Parliament of Iraq: His Excellency Dr. Saleem Al-Jubouri Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq: His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafari
Your Excellencies;
We, the undersigned, the Arameans of Aram-Naharaim Organization and the Aramean Democratic Organization write you to ask for your help to include the Aramean (not to be confused with 'Armenian') indigenous nation of Iraq in the Constitution.
In the preamble of Iraqi Constitution we read: "We, the people of Mesopotamia, the homeland of the apostles and prophets, resting place of the virtuous imams, cradle of civilization, crafters of writing, and home of numeration."
We wholeheartedly concur and are proud of Iraq being the "Cradle of Civilization." The question is: How did the Cradle of Civilization took shape in the course of history?
A world- renowned (emeritus) Oxford University Scholar, Professor Sebastian Brock, a specialist on Aramaic (Syriac) and Hebrew, wrote about Aramean people and their language: “Almost all societies are dependent upon the use of writing, but very few peoples realise that the great majority of the world’s scripts can be traced back to a common ancestor, an alphabet invented in the Middle East four thousands years ago, which was subsequently refined by the Phoenicians and the Aramaeans who spread it throughout the known world. It is thus without doubt one of the greatest gifts of the Aramean peoples to world culture.” [1] “…Nevertheless it is undeniable that the simple Aramaic alphabet of 22 letters has had the most extraordinary impact on the development of alphabetic writing systems throughout the world. Indeed, it is very hard to imagine how human culture and scientific learning could have progressed without (the Aramaic language).” [2]
" the greatest gifts of the Aramean peoples to world culture " and to the progress of " human culture and scientific learning " is unfortunately neither recognized nor rewarded by the Iraqi Constitution, for the Aramean indigenous nation is excluded from article 125: “This Constitution shall guarantee the administrative, political, cultural and educational rights for the various nationalities, such as Turkmen, Chaldeans, Assyrians and all other components. A law shall regulate this”
The exclusion of our people prevents them from attaining their minimum fundamental social, human, cultural and political rights. It means practically that they are outlawed.
Iraq has been the home of Aramean nation since thousands of years. This is amongst others confirmed by the term "Beth-Aramaye". [3] In the era of early Christianity, an important part of today's Iraq was called "Beth- Aramaye", meaning "the house/home of Arameans." It was called "Beth- Aramaye" because of overwhelming presence of Arameans in this region.
How sad is it to observe today that the Arameans are excluded and not recognized in their own house. They have become strangers in their indigenous lands, unknown to the world and perhaps even unloved or unwanted.
Because the Arameans of Iraq are not recognized as distinct ethnic minority, they are now forced to choose a name on their ID Card which is not theirs. This is undesirable, for it not only violates the fundamental human rights, but will also marginalize them and on long term lead to their cultural extermination.
There are in Iraq six Aramean Christian denominations such as Syrian (Orthodox/ Catholic), Melkite (Orthodox/ Catholic), Chaldean Church and Assyrian/ Nestorian Church. All the ancient scholars/ church fathers of these churches testify of their Aramean origin. [4] These church fathers/ scholars had access to the original sources and many of them have excelled in their wisdom and knowledge in comparison with their contemporaries and enlightened the world of their time, not only with theological knowledge but also with the regular science. [5] The works of some of these famous scholars are still taught/ studied at renowned universities worldwide.
When in 2005 the draft Iraqi Constitution was presented, on 30th of September 2005 we sent a letter, together with our bishops in Iraq, to the American Embassy in Baghdad about the exclusion of the Aramean nation. [6] On 29th of august 2007 we sent a letter to the Iraqi government together with our bishops in Iraq and the Aramean Democratic Organization and requested for the inclusion of our people in the Iraqi Constitution. [7] When the former Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Zakka Iwas became aware of the exclusion of the Aramean nation from the Iraqi Constitution, he sent a letter in 2005 to the Iraqi government and asked for the inclusion of the Aramean people in the Constitution. On 21st of October 2015, four Aramean bishops in Iraq sent a letter to the Iraqi government requesting the inclusion of Aramean nation in the Constitution. When Patriarch Afrem Karim of the Syrian Orthodox church visited Iraq in March 2016, he requested the Iraqi authorities to include the Arameans in the Constitution.
Unfortunately, all these attempts to include our people in the Iraqi Constitution have been so far in vain. Some dignitaries blame certain "christian" politicians in Iraqi Parliament for the exclusion of Aramean nation from the Iraqi Constitution. [8]
Request Your Excellencies,
In order to be able to attain their minimum fundamental human rights, social and cultural rights, to preserve, maintain and promote the genuine Aramean heritage and to do justice to the historical facts as well as to the testimonies of the revered scholars of the church of Antioch, it is of utmost importance to include the Aramean indigenous nation in the Iraqi Constitution. This will help to remove them from their current anonymity and help them to be recognized as an important part of Iraq.
We wish to conclude this letter by hoping that your Excellencies have noticed our sincere concerns regarding the exclusion of the Aramean nation and will seriously consider our small but urgent request towards improving the situation of our people in Iraq.
Respectfully Yours,
Footnotes:
[1] Hidden Pearl volume I: Page 27 [2] Hidden Pearl volume I: Page 58) [3] http://www.aramnahrin.org/English/Interview_Chairmain_Aram-Naharaim_26_6_2007.htm [4] Synonymy Aramean/ Syrian: English/Arabic http://www.aramnahrin.org/English/Testimonies-Aramean-scholars.htm [5] http://www.aramnahrin.org/English/Interview_Chairmain_Aram-Naharaim_28_6_2007.htm [6] Letter to the American Embassy in Baghdad concerning the exclusion of Aramean nation from draft Iraqi constitution. http://www.iraqichristians.info/English/Letter_US_Embassy_30_9_2005.htm [7] Letter to the Iraqi government: President, Prime Minister and Minister of foreign Affairs http://www.iraqichristians.org/English/Letter_Iraqi_Government_29_8_2007.htm Arabic version: http://www.iraqichristians.org/Arabic/Arabic_Arameans_Iraq_29_8_2007.htm [8] On 13th of September 2016, there was a live interview by Al Sharqiya Tv with the Aramean bishop Athanasius Toma Dawod from London on the exclusion of the Arameans/ Syrians from the Iraqi Constitution. https://www.facebook.com/sharqiyatv/videos/vb.303228633100596/1146680468755404/?type=3&theater Mgr. Athanasius Toma Dawod heavily criticizes (timeline: 34:32) certain "christian" politician in the Iraqi Parliament.
Copyright © Aram-Naharaim Organisation.
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Letters to governments and international institutions
Aramean Spiritual/ Physical Genocide
Fake News on the Aramean nation:
1-12-2009: Aramean Organizations sent a letter to the new elected president of the European Union
10-14 August 2009: Aram-Naharaim attends the annual meeting of the UN Expert Mechanism On the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Statement on the situation of the Aramean people in Syria, Turkey and Iraq
25-4-2008: Aramean Organisations ask for protection of Aramean spiritual leaders in Iraq
22-8-2007: Aram-Nahrin sends a letter to President George Bush, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Gordon Brown
31 July - 4 August 2006: Aram-Naharaim attends the 24th session of the Working Group on the Indigenous Populations
* Aramaic language in danger: Shall the language of Abraham, Moses and Jesus disappear?
* Proposal: Media Ombudsman for Indigenous Peoples.
* Report of Aram-Naharaim: A great success for the Aramean cause …. the Arameans and the UN…..
20-10-2005: Aram-Naharaim in action for the Arameans in Iraq
18-22 July 2005: Aram-Naharaim attends the 23rd session of the Working Group on the Indigenous Populations: A statement on “Spiritual Colonialism and the decline of the Indigenous Aramean people of Aram-Nahrin”
19-23 July 2004: Aram-Naharaim attends the 22nd session of the Working Group on the Indigenous Populations. Statement: The exclusion and discrimination of the Indigenous Aramean people of Mesopotamia (Aram-Naharaim)
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