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T H I S   W E E K   I N   Z I N = D=20 A
The=20 Lighthouse Special Zinda Reports on:
Sydney Genocide Conference
Symposium=20 Syriacum VIII
Good=20 Morning Bet-Nahrain Disagreements at the INC Meeting in = London=20
Turkoman Consultative Council = Communiqu=E9
News=20 Digest Khatami Receives Assyrian Delegation =
Maronite Patriarch Says Syria Must = Withdraw
Surfs=20 Up "Greetings from Israel"
Surfers=20 Corner Census 2000 Demonstration in Fresno =
AAASJ Press Statement on Genocide Conf. 2000 =
The Coming Issue of JAAS
Literatus M E of Ancient Sumer
Pump=20 Up the Volume Event & Period
Back=20 to the Future Aramaic Language and the Terror in the=20 Mountains
This=20 Week in History Surmi Khanom
Calendar=20 of Events July-September = 2000

All blue=20 links throughout this issue are hyperlinks to other sections on this = page or=20 featured websites.=20

THE LIGHTHOUSE=20

SPECIAL ZINDA REPORT ON THE = SYDNEY GENOCIDE=20 CONFERENCE
Held = on 2 July=20 2000
Sydney,=20 Australia

The Centre for Comparative = Genocide Studies=20 held its inaugural biennial conference, "Portraits of Christian Asia = Minor", at=20 Macquarie University, on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th September, 1999. = This=20 unprecedented conference had Assyrian, Armenian, Greek and even Turkish = speakers=20 attend from all parts of the world.=20

Applying diplomatic pressure on = the=20 organisers, the Turkish consulate had managed to convince them to allow = one of=20 their speakers to also present his paper at the conference. The = conference=20 organisers had agreed to allow the Turkish speaker to present his paper = provided=20 he remained purely educational. This still didn't stop an anonymous bomb = threat=20 days before last year's conference, warning of a bomb that would be = exploded at=20 the University. When the conference began last year it was obvious that = the=20 Turkish speaker had fully prepared himself for the day, having members = of the=20 'Grey Wolves', a Turkish Kemmalist group, as supporters in the crowd. = The=20 intimidating tactics that they along with Dr. Sonyel applied, however, = were no=20 match for a cool headed Dr. Abdul Maasih Saadi who calmly referred to = the=20 historical evidence as a frustrated Dr. Sonyel shouted emotional = outbursts at=20 Dr. Saadi. At this point a Jewish member of the audience then arose and = then=20 told the Turkish sponsored Dr. Sonyel how frustrating it was that the = Turkish=20 government had still not made peace with its past. She gave the example = of the=20 German government who had acknowledged its past atrocities committed = against the=20 Jews, and grown stronger for it.=20

Thus ended last year's genocide = conference=20 setting the stage for this year's conference which would be dedicated = solely to=20 the Assyrian people. Titled 'Assyrians After Assyria', the conference = would be=20 held by the Macquarie University Centre for Comparative Genocide = Studies, in=20 conjunction with Sydney University's Department of Semitic Studies on = Sunday 2nd=20 July at Sydney University.=20

Sydney's Turkish Embassy = consular=20 authorities began early and applied diplomatic pressure on Professor = Abeid to=20 stop the conference, as well as applying pressure to close down = Macquarie=20 University's genocide section altogether. According to the consular = officials=20 the conference was "not educationally motivated, but politically=20 motivated".=20

Failing in their attempts to = stop the=20 conference the consular authorities then requested permission to have = one of=20 their speakers present a paper on the day, and were promptly refused, by = the=20 main sponsors and organisers of the conference. According to one = organiser, who=20 wished to remain anonymous, "We along with our sponsors, had paid a = large amount=20 of money to organise this event. The last thing we wanted was for a = Turkish=20 speaker to stand on the podium and deny what the Turkish government had = done to=20 our people during World War 1".=20

Meanwhile in Melbourne, the = Greek groups=20 were busy trying to ease some of the diplomatic pressure. The 6th Annual = Australian Hellenic Council Conference was held in Melbourne on the 26th = June,=20 2000. Amongst the many guests that attended the function were = Australia's=20 Federal ministers of Education and Foreign Affairs, Kemp and Downer. = Many points=20 were raised by the Council, but one of the main points raised by the = Council,=20 with both ministers, was the repeated harassment and pressure that was = being=20 applied by the Turkish consular authorities, stationed within Australia, = on=20 Australia's Universities.=20

According to Panayiotis = Diamadis, a member=20 of the Hellenic Council of New South Wales, "We requested that the = foreign=20 ministry inform the diplomatic guests that interference in Australia's=20 Universities was unacceptable". Both ministers left the conference = vowing to=20 send the Turkish authorities in Australia and Ankara strong letters of = protest=20 requesting that they stop their political interference in Australian=20 Universities.=20

News of the Melbourne = conference eased some=20 of the tension faced by the organisers but two days before the scheduled = day of=20 the 'Assyrians After Assyria' genocide conference Macquarie University = received=20 yet another anonymous bomb threat warning of a bomb that would be = exploded at=20 the University.=20

With this type of build-up, it = was quite=20 understandable that the opening of the conference was quite tense. It = was held=20 on Sunday 2nd July, and the 250 strong, mainly Assyrian audience, were = on the=20 edge of their seats, on the cold winter morning. The tension was not = helped when=20 half-way through the reading of the first speaker's paper (Gabriele = Yonan's=20 lecture) the automated lighting system shut-down plunging the entire = lecture=20 theatre into darkness, and causing people in the audience to turn around = and=20 curiously ask their neighbours "Mudeeyli Braya?". It was promptly reset = by a=20 University technician, as Gabriele Yonan, continued her talk=20 unphased.=20

After all was said and done, = the threats,=20 intimidation and pressure had actually served to pack the lecture = theatre with=20 many more attendees than would have otherwise been present. With a = peaceful and=20 calm setting the conference was conducted quite professionally = reinforcing the=20 fact that it was purely "educational", contrary to Turkish claims. The = 250=20 strong audience left the event with a sense of having gained something = unique=20 from the speakers who had presented their papers, on the day. Unlike = last year,=20 the denialists, such as the Grey Wolves along with their Turkish = speaker, did=20 not make an appearance, interfering in the proceedings. Perhaps they had = had a=20 premonition of Professor Colin Tatz's introductory speech to the = conference in=20 which he stated "As much as we hate denialists; denialists in a = perverted sense=20 keep it alive".=20

David Chibo =
Zinda Magazine
Australia

 

SYMPOSIUM SYRIACUM VIII & = THE ASSYRIAN=20 GENOCIDE SEMINAR
Sydney=20 University - Australia
26 June = 2000 =96 2=20 July 2000

The Eighth International Congress for Syriac Studies = (Symposium=20 Syriacum VIII) saw over 120 eminent scholars from all over the world = gather at=20 Sydney University (Australia) between 26 June 2000 and 1 July = 2000.  This=20 was followed by a seminar on the Assyrian Genocide entitled =93Assyrians = After=20 Assyria=94 that also took place at Sydney University on Sunday 2 July = 2000.=20

The Symposium Syriacum VIII was organised by = Professor Rifaat=20 Obied, Head of the Semitic Studies Department at Sydney = University.  The=20 Assyrians After Assyria Seminar was organised by the Centre for = Comparative=20 Genocide Studies at Macquarie University, in conjunction with Sydney = University=20 and The Assyrian Australian Academic Society (TAAAS).  TAAAS was = also one=20 of the major sponsors of the Symposium, as well as being the financial = steerer=20 and co-organisor of the Seminar.=20

Academics, professors, students and guests gathered = to discuss=20 topics revolving around the Syriac language in antiquity and its = survival into=20 the present day. The opening of the Symposium included the Choir from = the Holy=20 Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East singing hymns written by = Mar=20 Ephrem and Mar Narsai, and conducted by Maestro Shura Michalian. This = was=20 followed by 4 days of lectures including such topics as =91Hymns of the = Syriac=20 Church=92, =91Early Christian writings and manuscripts in the Aramaic = language=92 as=20 well as the =91Relationship of the Syriac Church with the Coptic = church=92 of=20 Alexandria and the Maronite Church in Lebanon.=20

Among the more interesting lectures included a report = on the=20 project of creating an encyclopedia of Syriac heritage, given by Dr. = George A.=20 Kiraz. This project was started in 1993 during Dr. Kiraz=92s time in = Cambridge.=20 Originally, the encyclopedia was meant to be computer based database, = but it was=20 later decided that it would be published into a book. Gathering over = 1200=20 entries in 2 years, the team consists of Kiraz himself, along with Dr. = Sebastian=20 Brock, Dr. Coakley, Dr. Witakowski and Robert Kitchen, all scholars of = Syriac=20 Studies.=20

This encyclopedic dictionary which is yet to be = edited and=20 published, is aimed at scholars, members of the Syriac tradition and = graduate=20 students of Syriac studies. It will include pictures, maps, diagrams and = tables.=20 In an effort of what Kiraz referred to as =91de-latinisation=92 of = popular terms,=20 the encyclopedia will contain Syriac proper nouns in an effort to = preserve=20 history and language. Instead of using =93Saint Matthew=92s monastery=94 = for example,=20 the term =93Deyr d=92Mor Matay=94 will be used. Any differences between = the East=20 Syriac and West Syriac will also be accommodated for. Both forms will be = used=20 for neutral terms, eg. mimro/ mimra, and the West Syriac will be used = for=20 Western entries and East versions for eastern entries. When using names = of=20 cities and villages, the Syriac name will be used, as well as the modern = day=20 version. The main aim for creating this encyclopedia according to Kiraz = is for=20 Syriac knowledge to enter the encyclopedic community and an easy-to-use = resource=20 for students and scholars alike.=20

Other lectures mainly focused on Church history and = literature,=20 dating as far back as the 4th centuries. It was interesting to see and = hear=20 academics from Germany, Holland, Sweden, Poland, India, England and the = USA (to=20 name only a few) proficient in the study of the Syriac language, the = language of=20 our ancestors as well as the language spoken by many hundreds of = thousands of=20 Assyrians today.=20

Dr. Gabriele Yonan spoke about Theodor Noldeke=92s = Unpublished=20 New Aramaic/ Syriac materials. She describes this German scholar's work = as a=20 =93landmark on new Syriac studies=94.  Noldeke in 1868, through = using U.S.=20 mission materials from the Urmia and Hakkiari regions in Beth-Nahrain, = wrote one=20 of the first versions of Syriac grammar, which Dr. Younan believes, = heralded the=20 =93real beginning of Syriac studies as a modern language=94.=20

Dr. Edward Odisho, an Assyrian linguist and = phonetician from=20 Chicago in the United States spoke about the orthographic impact of=20 gutturalisation on the transliteration of loan-words in Aramaic. He = highlighted=20 the problems of transliterating the Syriac language into English, where = more=20 often than not many of the sounds produced become lost. For example, the = letter=20 =93qop=94, =93 =91ein=94, =93teth=94, =93khet=94 have no equivalent = English translation and this=20 can prove to be problematic when considering the language is distorted = when=20 transliterated into other languages. Dr. Odisho suggests that we begin = to use=20 international phonetic standards in order to translate languages in = order for=20 their pronunciation not to be lost for future generations.=20

Dr. Robert Hoyland gave a lecture assessing early = Syriac=20 writings on the prophet Muhammad. Dr. Erica Hunter spoke about the = conversions=20 of Turkic tribes. Dr. Sebastian Brock, whilst unable to attend, had his = paper=20 read by Dr. Coakley discussing the important manuscripts of Mushe of = Nisibis.=20 Reverend Dr. Anthony Vallavanthara from India=92s Church of the East = spoke about=20 the Saint Thomas Christians and east Syrian missionary activities in the = early=20 and middle ages. Rabbi Tarmida Hathem Saed, from the Mandaen tradition = lectured=20 on the Christian and Mandaen perspective on Baptism and Mr. Robert = Gabriel from=20 Lebanon spoke (albeit in French) about Syriac Relations with Crusaders = in the=20 12th and 13th centuries.
The treasure of = information=20 discussed at the Symposium was interesting enough, however the = opportunity to=20 meet and greet with the various scholars proved even more fruitful. It = was=20 encouraging to see Assyrians and non-Assyrians present at the Symposium. = Every=20 evening there was a function of some sort, whether a dinner, = presentation or=20 Church service. There was also an opportunity to see Dr. George = Kiraz=92s new=20 video documentary on his and Dr. Sebastian Brock=92s visit to the old = Assyrian=20 churches and monasteries in Turkey as well as the seat of the Syrian = Orthodox=20 Patriarchate in Damascus, Syria.=20

Dr. Abdul Massih Saadi stated that it was a =93great = conference=94.=20 However he also stated that he would like to see =93our own people (i.e. = Assyrians) produce such scholars and present these materials for the = purpose of=20 revival=94. Whilst the topic was the Syriac language and tradition of = the church,=20 only a handful of scholars were actually Assyrians-Suryoyo.=20

This Symposium, being held outside Europe for the = first time in=20 32 years (and to be held next in Lebanon in 4 years=92 time), was a = fantastic=20 opportunity to gather the world's most eminent scholars on the history = of the=20 earliest Christian Church and its language =96 Aramaic. More than 150 = people were=20 present at the conference.=20

Many were colleagues and have worked on projects = together=20 before. Many were meeting each other for the first time and used their = personal=20 research to suggest new ways of approach as well as newly found = historical=20 evidence to help improve the quality of information. Truly it was a = valuable=20 source of information and highlighted the important role the Syriac = language and=20 early Christian churches played in the Middle East, India and = China.=20

The Seminar presented on Sunday July 2nd, entitled = =93Assyrian=20 After Assyria=94 proved a fantastic event. Over 250 people, mostly = Assyrians,=20 packed the lecture theatre, and after 8 hours of lectures and discussion = not one=20 person had left. The youth attendance was very high (as was female = involvement),=20 the significance of this resides in the fact that many of the younger = Assyrian=20 generations do not know about the history of Assyrian people after the = fall of=20 the empire, however our youth are developing an interest and a passion = to learn=20 more about our own history.   It was also very encouraging to = see over=20 60 scholars (non- Assyrians) amongst the participants.=20

The Seminar was opened by the Bishop of the Church of = the East,=20 His Grace Mar Meelis Zaia, who stated that the reason for the conference = was so=20 that =93history cannot repeat itself=94. He stated that the aims of the = Genocide=20 Seminar were =93not to pursue vengeance, but to awaken the present = generation=94. He=20 highlighted the importance of spreading information, and educating the = world=20 about what happened to the Assyrian people not to promote violence or = racial=20 hatred, but to =93discover ways and means for healing and = prevention=94.  In=20 his words the =93truth will unite us and set us free=94.=20

Professor Colin Tatz, the Director of the Centre for=20 Comparative Genocide Studies at Macquarie University, welcomed the = crowd. A=20 member of the Jewish tradition himself, he has also been touched by the=20 devastating effects of Genocide on a people, and for this reason has = included=20 the study of the Assyrian Genocide on the course syllabus. He stated = that=20 contrary to popular belief, =93Genocide and its aftermath is alive and = well=94 in=20 the modern world, and this is precisely the reason he helps teaches the = course=20 not only at Macquarie University, but also at UTS (University of = Technology=20 Sydney) and at University of Western Sydney (UWS).=20

He reminded us that the state of Israel has made the = decision=20 to teach the Armenian Genocide in their high schools, much to the = chagrin of the=20 state of Turkey (with whom they have close diplomatic ties). The lack of = Turkish=20 presence at the conference (as opposed to last year's conference) was = met with=20 mixed reactions from the audience. However Professor Tatz commented that = those=20 who deny historical fact do the rest of the world of a service, through=20 reminding others that these events did take place.=20

In Australia, the Democrat party has put forward a = Bill to=20 Parliament to pass laws denouncing the act of Genocide. So far no law in = Australia (and I'm sure this is the case in many other countries) states = that=20 the act of Genocide is illegal. Through the efforts of the Aboriginal = national=20 movement (the indigenous of this country who have also faced attempted=20 extermination of their people), the word Genocide has become part of = popular=20 political vocabulary.=20

The Australian native people (Aboriginal people) = suffered=20 physical extermination when faced with white invaders in the year 1788. = They=20 were killed by advanced ammunition of the Europeans, as well as by = poisoning,=20 rape and new diseases the Europeans brought with them. However, later = than that=20 (and up to the mid 1970=92s), Aboriginals were denied the right to = citizenship (no=20 voting rights), denied the right to practice their spirituality and = language,=20 and had their children forcibly removed from their ancestral homeland = and put=20 into white Christian mission schools. These acts can also, and only be = described=20 as Genocide. These acts that the Assyrian people were also made to = endure in=20 their indigenous homeland.=20

 Mr. Panayiotis Diamadis, also from the = Macquarie=20 University Centre for Comparative Genocide Studies, defined what = constitutes=20 Genocide and allowed the audience, not through emotion, but through = analysing=20 factual data, to determine whether what the Assyrians went through in = the years=20 1890-1933 and even later did indeed constitute Genocide. The United = Nations=20 Convention on the Prevention of Genocide (created after the = extermination of=20 more than 6 million Jews after World War I) stated that:  = =93Genocide is a=20 crime whether committed during peace or wartime, with the intent to = destroy,=20 whether in part or whole, a national, ethnic or religious = group=94.=20

So how does Genocide occur? Firstly an ancient, = usually ethnic=20 or religious hatred must exist between peoples. Genocide occurs when the = means=20 and opportunity exist to execute the plan (in this case under cover of = World=20 War), as well as the superior technology to execute it. The actual = killing,=20 physical or cultural occurs soon after it has been made it into a state = or party=20 policy. Intent is obviously the hardest thing to prove.=20

He believes the Crimean war in 1853-1856 played a = significant=20 role in stirring Muslim versus Christina hatred, as it was fought with = the=20 pretext of the control of the Holy Land in Jerusalem. After the Young = Turks coup=20 in 1908, Christians were prevented from owning or purchasing land. In = Diamadis=92=20 words, there was a state policy of =93Ottomanisation of all Turkish = subjects=94,=20 even if the subjects were not of Turkish ancestry. He read a few = examples of=20 statements made by leaders at the time who spoke of =93clearing the land = from=20 undesirable weeds=94, i.e. the non-Turks or non-Muslims. This hate = literature=20 incited many to join the war effort against the Christian people that = included=20 not only Assyrians, but Armenians and Greeks as well.=20

In 1914, the population of Asia Minor was 12 million = of which 5=20 million were Christians. By 1918, over 2 million Christians had been = murdered or=20 forcibly converted to Islam. This persecution was continued in 1933 by = the Arab=20 governments in Simel where 3,000 Assyrians died in the first month = alone.=20

Diamadis is quick to point out that these events do = not remain=20 isolated in history. As recent as 1988 in Anfa in Turkey, 250 Assyrians = and=20 Yezidis (Assyrians who never converted to Christianity but remained = pagans=20 following the ancient religion) were called to the local police station, = arrested and never seen again. Diamadis described the =93terrorism=94 of = the Turkish=20 regime as it is witnessed in the destruction of Christian churches, the=20 prohibition of teaching the Syriac language and the forced changing of = Assyrian=20 names into Turkish or Arab ones, practices which continue up until this = present=20 day.=20

Dr. Gabriele Yonan, a German scholar who was once = married to an=20 Assyrian man and speaks the eastern dialect of the Syriac language, has = devoted=20 over 30 years to the study of the history of Christianity and the = present=20 situation of the Assyrian people in their homeland. Her lecture revolved = around=20 German involvement in the Assyrian Holocaust, and the impact German = state=20 policies had on the crushing of the Christian presence due to the = Turkish-German=20 alliance in the years of World War I.  She believes it is truly a = shame=20 that the west only recognises the Armenian Genocide during these years,=20 forgetting the Greek and Assyrian victims.=20

The Genocide began in December of 1914, and the peak = moments of=20 the murderous acts occurred in January and April of 1915, the year = Assyrians=20 refer to as the =93Year of the Sword=94 (Saypa/ Sayfo). Lord Curzon, the = British=20 Foreign Secretary at the time, put the Assyrian question to the = Parliament and=20 the press during the Paris Peace Conference. However, the case of the = Assyrian=20 Genocide was deemed unimportant and thrown into the rubbish heap of=20 history.=20

In 1989 the Turkish Government stated that it would = open the=20 Ottoman archives, however the world is still awaiting this reality. Dr. = Yonan is=20 positive that there will be masses of information detailing the massacre = of=20 almost two thirds of the Assyrian population.=20

Her talk however was highlighting the culpability of = the German=20 government in this period. The =93shared guilt=94 is one that is never = talked about,=20 and the 2 million Christian deaths are blamed solely on the Turkish = state.=20 Whilst the German government never played a direct role, it did maintain = an=20 attitude of silence, publicly denying the holocaust ever took place. = Gabriele=20 Yonan=92s paper revealed never before released evidence proving that the = Germans=20 of WWI not only incited their allies, the Turks into a Holy War against = the=20 Christians but also helped finance and organise the propaganda machine = that=20 sparked religious hatred in the Muslim population. As Dr. Yonan pointed = out=20 their plans for a Muslim empire led by the Turks, who would be used = against the=20 allies, backfired as the Turks concentrated a considerable part of their = war=20 effort to the annihilation of the indigenous and Christian populations = of Asia=20 Minor.=20

Dr. Racho Donef=92s lecture on =93Assyrians in the = Turkish=20 Republic=94 confirmed a lot of the evidence of persecution, oppression = and=20 attempted Genocide of not only the Assyrian people themselves, but also = their=20 culture.=20

Dr. Edward Odisho from Chicago in the U.S.A. spoke = about=20 linguistic and cultural Genocide. Due to 'Arabisation' and = 'Turkification'=20 policies, as well as the mass exodus of Assyrians to Europe and the = West, the=20 language is in great danger of becoming extinct. He spoke about = broadening the=20 definition of Genocide to include a socio-cultural definition, and the = policies=20 that denied Assyrians from practicing their language can also be claimed = to be a=20 form of cultural or linguistic Genocide. Language erosion, according to = Dr.=20 Odisho=92s calculations, occurs in 3 generations where the language is = not=20 practiced or is not taught. Many Assyrians have experienced a functional = loss of=20 the language, and are unable to communicate about everyday matters. = Usually we=20 have just retained the ceremonial language, using it as a way to greet = others or=20 sing certain songs.=20

Assyrians, due to being a minority people, are = usually rarely=20 monolingual. Most of us can speak 3 or even 4 languages. Dr. Gabriele = Younan=20 firmly stated that the =93Genocide is still continuing=94 and Dr. = Odisho=92s lecture=20 came as a warning not to self-perpetuate the crimes committed against = our people=20 by refusing to practice our ancient language ourselves. He praised the = efforts=20 of building Assyrian public schools, and teaching all subject matter in=20 Assyrian. A living example of this is the school built in the North of = Iraq,=20 where students are surely going to improve the language for at least the = next=20 three generations.=20

Dr. Fuat Deniz, an Assyrian sociologist from Sweden = spoke about=20 the maintenance and transformation of ethnic identity. Many writers = believed=20 that humanity would transcend ideas of identity with the coming of = modernisation=20 and globalisation. However we have actually seen the opposite occurring = in the=20 last 100 years. Many indigenous and minority groups around the world = have begun=20 the process of claiming recognition and self-autonomy. Woodrow = Wilson=92s 14 point=20 plan on self-determination made headlines when delivered at the League = of=20 Nations following World War I, however these have hardly been = implemented in=20 anywhere around the world.=20

It has only been in the last century that the modern = world has=20 seen the creation of nation states. Even the concept of nationalist = movements is=20 a relatively new one, the Ottoman Empire for example, being a = conglomerate of=20 many different ethnicities and religions. Nationalist groups sought to=20 homogenise their states, and in many cases this led to the = non-recognition,=20 assimilation or annihilation of ethnic or religious minorities. The = destruction=20 of an ethnic group can also be referred to as =93ethnocide=94.=20

Dr. Deniz believes that we cannot understand = ethnicity without=20 understanding the process of nation and state building. Many nations can = exist=20 within one state. A nation is one people with a common origin and = ethnicity=20 (language, culture and tradition) who are self-determined. An ethnic = group does=20 not always comprise a national one. This happens only when the ethnic = group=20 aspires to have a state of its own.
As a = minority=20 people, we cannot ignore the human cost of nation building. In the = building of=20 the new state of Turkey, diversity was seen as a threat to the integrity = of the=20 new state, and thus occurred the slaughter and assimilation of millions = of=20 Christians =96 Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians alike.=20

These persecutions and massacres have resulted in a=20 =93stigmatised identity=94, the belief and the subconscious fear of = further=20 persecution and discrimination. This stigma has resulted in many ethnic = groups=20 accepting the fact that they are second hand citizens without the same = rights as=20 others. Through the persecution of the Assyrians in the Middle East, Dr. = Deniz=20 believes we have developed strategies not to argue or to express our = identities=20 due to a lack of self-confidence. However Assyrians not living in the = homeland=20 have experienced a change of status from an indigenous community to a = migrant=20 community. This has in many cases resulted in an increased consciousness = about=20 ethnic belonging and identity.
Because Dr. = Deniz=20 believes that the construction of identity is relational, whether to = others, to=20 history or to politics, I asked him whether he believed the fear and = traumas=20 experienced by Assyrians at the hands of their Muslim neighbours has = resulted in=20 a =91revenge=92 or =91victim=92 mentality. Dr. Deniz responded with the = answer that we=20 need to open ourselves to new ideas. We must transform and re-invent old = schemes=20 and concepts that are no longer relevant in the new countries. I brought = this=20 question up due to encountering young generations that have never lived = in the=20 Middle East speaking of Muslim hatred and Kurdish rivalry, without = having ever=20 experienced it themselves.=20

Ethnic identity is something that is both maintained = and=20 transformed. It can be defined primarily by what others believe you to = be, but=20 it is primarily constructed from the self. Life for Assyrians in the = Middle East=20 has seen them tenaciously cling onto their identity as oppression and = prejudice=20 has been a constant reminder of who they are. It is in the west where we = must be=20 careful of assimilation. We are given more freedoms and have equal = rights in=20 western countries, however, this may prove fatal to the maintaining of = our=20 ethnic identity.=20

Stavros Stavrides spoke about nation building and the = politics=20 of oil between the years 1914-1926.
Our very = own=20 Nicholas Al-Jeloo spoke on =93Who are the Assyrians=94 (his paper will = be included=20 in the next issue of Purely Academic).=20

Dr. Abdul Massih Saadi=92s talk was entitled =93From = Survival to=20 Revival: The Aftermath of Genocide=94. He spoke of the several names = that our=20 people call themselves =96 Assyrians, Arameans, Chaldeans and Suryoyo. = He stated=20 that these groups all share the same language (albeit with differences = in=20 dialects), same socio-cultural cohesion, same history and same fate. = Aramaic was=20 the franca-lingua for a long time until the Ottoman scythe cut off the = people=20 from their ancestral homelands.=20

He believes that it was their faith in God that = helped the=20 Assyrian Christians survive the 2500 years of persecution, famine and = war. When=20 Sultan Abdul Hamid in 1894 started the Genocide against the Christian = people,=20 the Christians remained defenseless. Dr. Saadi stated that =93those that = fled (eg=20 in Hakkiari) nor those that stayed escaped Ottoman tyranny=94.=20

Dr. Saadi advocated the creation of a unified = Assyrian front.=20 He spoke of the technological revolution and especially the Internet as = a source=20 of information and identity retention. =93We must play a part in the = information=20 boom=94 he stated =93or we might face another Genocide =96 that of = assimilation. No=20 matter how dire our situation may seem, we must prove our competence in = the=20 survival of our nation=94.=20

Seminar was closed by Professor Rifaat Obied=92s = closing address,=20 Dept. of Sematic Studies the university of Sydney.=20

TAAAS hosted a closing dinner following the Assyrian = Genocide=20 Seminar on Sunday evening at the Ninveh Club which was sponsored by the = Assyrian=20 Australian Association and Nineveh Club to honor the Assyrian language = academics=20 and history scholars who were attending the Symposium Syriacum VIII and = the=20 Assyrian After Assyria Seminar.=20

On Sunday 9 July, TAAAS also held a seminar in = Melbourne titled=20 =93Assyrians After Assyria II=94.  Presenters at this Seminar were = Dr.=20 Gabrielle Younan and Dr. Fuat Deniz.  This was followed by a = screening of=20 TAAAS=92s Genocide video the =93untold Holocaust=94.  More than 90 = Assyrians and=20 non-Assyrians attended this seminar, amongst these were a number of = academics=20 from the Melbourne University.=20

The Symposium Syriacum and the Seminar on the = Assyrian Genocide=20 both proved very fruitful for our community in Australia.  The = Centre for=20 Comparative Genocide Studies at Macquarie University and also Sydney = University=20 were very impressed with the Assyrian contribution and = participation. =20 Also, with the quality of presenters and the administration of the = Seminar, to=20 the extent that TAAAS has been invited again to actively participate in = next=20 year=92s Genocide conference.=20

The community support and response was immense and = for that the=20 organisers are truly grateful.  Our thanks and appreciations to the = following organisations for their generosity and sponsorship:=20

Conferences such as this remain important in the Assyrian = struggle for=20 recognition. The importance of academia and the work that TAAAS does in = the=20 community is for more information and study to be carried out on our = people.=20 Through creating written discourses, Assyrian demands and pleas for = equal human=20 rights and self-determination in the homeland can at least be = substantiated by=20 evidence and academic proof of systematic persecution and = massacres.=20

I urge all of our readers to research, write and = speak out on=20 Assyrian language, culture, literature, history and the modern political = situation. Our national struggle is primarily one of RECOGNITION and=20 SELF-DETERMINATION.=20

Majidi Ann Warda =
Chairperson of the Publication=20 Committee
The = Assyrian=20 Australian Academic Society
 =20

=20

GOOD MORNING BET-NAHRAIN=20

DISAGREEMENTS IN INC MEETING IN = LONDON

Courtesy of "al-Quds al-Arabi" Newspaper, = London=20

(ZNDA-BBC)  The = Central Council=20 of the opposition Iraqi National Congress [INC] held its meeting in = London=20 Friday, 7 July, in the presence of Frank Ricciardone, US coordinator for = change=20 in Iraq.  The announcements to boycott the meeting continued until = just a=20 few hours before its convocation.  On 9-10 = July Iraqi=20 opponents belonging to the Iraqi National Congress met in London, but = failed to=20 agree on many occasions over the composition of the Provisional Command = and the=20 so-called Central Council. There were sharp verbal exchanges at the = meeting that=20 was held in a London hotel and many members of the Central Council = walked out of=20 the meeting after a bitter dispute to win more seats in the command and = the=20 council.  The conferees decided to set up a committee entrusted = with=20 contacting the [London-based] opposition Iraqi National Accord movement, = which=20 suspended its membership of the National Congress two weeks ago and = boycotted=20 the London meeting.  The committee consists of Abd-al-Khaliq = Zankanah,=20 Shaykh Muhammad Muhammad Ali and three Iraqi Kurds.=20

It appears that the discussion = of the Iraqi=20 National Accord movement's withdrawal from the National Congress = dominated the=20 meeting's agenda. The absence of the National Accord movement from the=20 opposition group might prompt the US administration to reconsider its = financial=20 support for the group, he added.   One member called for = discontinuing=20 links with the United States on the grounds that it is behind all the=20 afflictions that hit the Iraqi people. Members of the Islamic Trend, who = took=20 part in the meeting, called for increasing their share of seats in the = Command=20 and the Council to one-third of the seats total. Meanwhile, Jamal = al-Wakil,=20 secretary of the so-called Islamic Accord Movement, addressed the = meeting,=20 asking that the movement be allocated a seat in the Command body. His = request=20 was met with utter rejection by Ahmad al-Chalabi who seemed to dominate = the=20 meeting, which prompted some people to call the gathering Al-Chalabi's=20 conference. Observers said that the Islamists, who participated in the = meeting,=20 were confined to Shi'is who are unknown inside Iraq because they do not = belong=20 to any party.=20

A leading source had affirmed = to 'Al-Quds=20 al-Arabi' that a decision was made for a representative of the Turkman = Front to=20 join the Command committee on the condition that an Assyrian chair the = Central=20 Council to achieve a balance between the two bodies. Meanwhile, a = statement by the INC denies that any promises were made to Aziz Qadir,=20 representative of the Turkmen Front in London, to join the temporary = leadership=20 instead of Iyad Allawi, leader of the withdrawing Accord Movement. The = statement=20 says that the choice of the leaders falls strictly within the powers of = the=20 Central Council.=20

Observers noted that the = absence of Frank=20 (Ricciardone), the US coordinator on change of government in Iraq, from = the=20 meeting, reflects the sensitive US stand. The United States, they add, = seems to=20 be ready to officially acknowledge the collapse of the organization of = the Iraqi=20 opposition, which will make it impossible for the United States to = support the=20 opposition under a law on the liberation of Iraq.=20

The Central Council intends to elect a "new" = leadership, which=20 would automatically exclude the Accord Movement representative in its=20 meeting.  In addition to Dr Ahmad al-Jalabi, who is practically in = control=20 of the leadership, the new leadership will include=20

A Central Council member, who preferred to remain = anonymous,=20 has said that the current conflicts revolve around the US funds, which = are to be=20 disbursed as soon as the congress has formed its bodies. The funds = amount to=20 approximately 13 million dollars. The member added that the exclusion of = the=20 Accord Movement has opened the way before others to benefit from a big = part of=20 the funds.=20

The following is a list of the Assyrians in the = Central Council=20 members:=20

1. Fawzi al-Hariri.
2. = Yunadam=20 Yusuf.
3. Emanuel Qutyr=20

Mr. Yusuf Tuma, another Assyrian member, is a = representative of=20 the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the Central Council.  The total = number of=20 members is 65.=20

=20

TURKOMAN CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL = ISSUES=20 COMMUNIQUE

Courtesy of British Broadcasting = Corporation;  June=20 20, 2000, Tuesday=20

(ZNDA:  BBC)   = The Turkoman=20 Consultative Council held its seventh periodical session in Arbil from = 7th to=20 9th June 2000. The meeting studied the Iraqi Turkoman Front's regional = and=20 international activities. It discussed the subjects included on the = session's=20 agenda. New members for the Turkoman Consultative Council were elected = and new=20 and important decisions were taken in order to increase the Turkoman = Front's=20 activities and work.=20

The final session adopted the = following=20 main aims and decisions: After reviewing the broad lines of the Turkoman = Front=20 policy, the session decided to find democratic and peaceful solutions. = Necessary=20 measures and strategies were enhanced to overcome the problems and = difficulties=20 that face the Turkoman Front. The session reaffirmed that the front will = not=20 participate in Iraqi opposition activities unless the basis has been = defined by=20 the front.=20

The meeting also emphasized the = need to=20 support the Turkoman Front representation by all possible means and to=20 continuously introduce the Turkoman cause to the world and to defend it = within=20 international circles.=20

The meeting decided to take = urgent measures=20 to draw the attention of international organizations and democratic = countries to=20 the Turkoman people's sufferings in order to end them as soon as = possible. The=20 consultative council appealed to our Palestinian brothers - who the = Iraqi regime=20 attempts to settle in the areas of the Turkomans who are displaced from = Kirkuk -=20 not to become a tool in the hands of the Baghdad regime and carry out = its plans.=20 The meeting demanded the regime to stop practicing national melting and = ethnic=20 cleansing policies. The meeting referred to the necessity of finding = urgent=20 solutions to the obstacles that face the Turkoman people regarding = education in=20 their mother tongue, rent, and housing. It stressed for enhancing an = atmosphere=20 of tolerance and harmony between the Turkoman, Kurdish, Arab, and = Assyrian=20 peoples, and on consolidating Turkoman relations with the fraternal = Kurdish and=20 Assyrian parties.=20

NEWS=20 DIGEST=20

KHATAMI RECEIVES ASSYRIAN=20 REPRESENTATIVES

Courtesy of Iranian News Agency IRNA; Tehran, 4 = July=20 2000=20

(ZNDA:  BBC)  Iranian = President=20 Hojjat ol-Islam Mohammad Khatami on Tuesday, 4 July 2000, said that = followers of=20 several religions had throughout the history peacefully coexisted with = each=20 other in Iran and stressed their contribution to the development of the=20 Iranian-Islamic civilization.=20

President Khatami who was = meeting the=20 deputies of the religious minorities in the Iranian Parliament or = Majlis,=20 recalled that "revelation" was the common element of all divine = religions and=20 observed that Islam puts great emphasis on peaceful coexistence with = followers=20 of all religions.=20

The Iranian president said that = the status=20 of affairs in Iran and its fate equally affected all its nationals, = regardless=20 of their religion, and highlighted the need to prepare appropriate = living=20 conditions for the followers of all religions.=20

Khatami underscored the heavy=20 responsibility of Majlis deputies who represent religious minorities and = expressed hope that all Iranian minorities would cooperate to deal with = their=20 own affairs. In the meeting, the Assyrian delegates presented Khatami a = report=20 of the current status and problems of the Assyrians in Iran.  They = also=20 expressed support for the reform programs and the comprehensive = development=20 plans of Khatami's administration.=20

 

MARONITE PATRIARCH SAYS SYRIA = MUST=20 WITHDRAW

(ZNZT:  Beirut)  In = keeping with=20 U.N. Resolution 520, Mor Nasrallah Sfeir, Maronite Patriarch of Lebanon, = appealed to his compatriots to unite in opposing Syria's continued = military=20 presence in the land of cedars.  "We claim a free, independent, and = sovereign Lebanon, the Patriarch said, and denounced the effort to = "conceal" the=20 1982 U.N. decision, which obliged the Syrian army to withdraw from=20 Lebanon.=20

With little time left before = legislative=20 elections, the lists of candidates do not seem to reflect the will of = the people=20 but, rather, foreign interests, the Patriarch of Maronite Christians=20 lamented.

 

SURF'S UP!

=93God bless you for a job well done.  = khayeetoon.=94=20

George Gindo=20


=93Thank you for noting the forthcoming = publication of=20 my book, THE MODERN ASSYRIANS OF THE MIDDLE EAST, now already out. I had = meant=20 to bring it to your attention when you invited ZINDA readers to write = and=20 comment on what, in their opinion, were the major developments or events = in the=20 modern history of our people. I am sure that it is not too late for me = to=20 comment on the subject now, especially when the subtitle of my book sums = up, as=20 I see it, the major highlights of our history: ENCOUNTERS WITH WESTERN = CHRISTIAN=20 MISSIONS, ANTHROPOLOGISTS, AND COLONIAL POWERS.=20

I write at this particular time = also=20 because of the perceptive letter that Ashour Yadegar had in a recent = issue of=20 ZINDA on the confusion caused by our varied names. Mr. Yadegar speaks = for many=20 of us; I myself was in that state of bewilderment as a young graduate = student.=20 At that time, some 50 years ago, Western authors often referred to us as = "The=20 so-called Assyrians." Indeed, during my teens, long before I came to the = United=20 States in 1946, some of our own people in Baghdad raised serious doubts = about=20 our Assyrian ancestry. All this led to a serious study of the subject in = the=20 opening chapter of my THE NESTORIANS AND THEIR MUSLIM NEIGHBORS, now = revised and=20 expanded.=20

The issue of our names = continues to agitate=20 and confuse the community. "When I hear all these different references = about my=20 assyrian background," wrote young Yadegar, "I feel like I am not what = all these=20 years I thought I was. This becomes extremely harder when there is no = proof=20 attached to these references, so I don't know what to believe." He = proposed that=20 your esteemed journal start a weekly forum for all reader's = participation to=20 discuss the matter and give it some direction and historical focus. = Should you=20 decide to launch such a discussion, I will be glad to participate in it, = and to=20 answer all questions directed to me. The questions addressed to me, = however,=20 should be raised only by those who have either read the book--its text = as well=20 as its citations--or read those parts of it that ZINDA might choose to = reproduce=20 on its pages, a few in each issue, inviting the readers to raise their=20 questions.=20

As you have undoubtedly = noticed, a few=20 people--usually those who have not read my book--have been savaging me = on=20 Assyrian websites for expressing my opinion in their debates. I am sure = that=20 with your involvement, the freedom to discuss some of the most important = issues=20 of our history, will not be debased and abused the way they have so far=20 been.=94=20

Prof. John Joseph =
Pennsylvania


=93Greetings from Israel, where the splendid Zinda magazine has = quite a few=20 readers.=20

It may well be interesting to your readers, that in = Israel we=20 have about 20,000 Jews who speak various modern Assyrian dialects, = according to=20 their place of birth in Bait Nahrain. Recently Mr. Nisan Aviv, born in = Urmi, has=20 produced 14 wonderful songs in his native Assyrian dialect, which is = quite=20 distinct from the standard Urmi Assyrian. These songs are available on = either CD=20 or cassette, and 2 of these songs are accompanied with English=20 translation.=20

For purchase, please contact Miss Hadassa Yeshurun,=20 h2901@netvision.net.il=20

pooshun bshena,=94=20

Khezi Mutzafi =
Israel
=20

SURFERS CORNER=20

CENSUS 2000 DEMONSTRATION IN=20 FRESNO

The Assyrian National Congress = (ANC),=20 Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party (BNDP), Bet-Nahrain, Inc. and Assyrian = People are=20 planning to hold a peaceful demonstration in front of the court house in = Fresno,=20 California on July 24, 2000 after 10:00AM.=20

This demonstration is to = support the ANC=20 law suit AGAINST the Census 2000 category change from "Assyrian" to=20 "Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac". Please plan to show your support to stop the = category name change by attending this demonstration, if you are able to = attend.=20 The buses are scheduled to leave
Bet-Nahrain organization for Fresno.=20

For more information listen to = BNDP Radio=20 Network (BRN): Click=20 Here.=20

Ninous Bebla =
California

 

AAASJ PRESS STATEMENT ON = GENOCIDE=20 CONFERENCE 2000

The press statement of the Assyrian American = Association of=20 San Jose
On the occasion of = the=20
Assyrian Genocide and Persecutions Conference=20 2000

On the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the = Assyrian=20 Genocide the Assyrian community of San Jose is organizing the Assyrian = Genocide=20 and Persecutions Conference 2000 in San Jose, California. =
The Assyrians share the suffering of the Armenian and the = Greek=20 Christians who also lost millions of lives in what was to be known as = the first=20 Genocide of the Twentieth Century, and a historical precedent to Germany = and=20 Hitler=92s justification of the =93Jewish = Holocaust=94.    We are=20 deeply disturbed by the lack of concern in the Western media for the = injustice=20 committed by the government of Turkey from 1915 to 1923 against its own=20 Christian population and other Islamic countries against their Christian = minorities today.  In 1915 the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey) = began a=20 genocidal war against its own Christian population.  Hundreds of = thousands=20 of Christian Assyrians, Armenians, and Greeks were forced to flee their = homes=20 and villages while millions were tortured and killed in one of = history=92s least=20 recognized criminal acts.=20

The Genocide Conference will be held on August 5, = 2000 at the=20 Hayes Mansion & Conference Center in San Jose.  The focus of = this=20 conference will be to discuss the historical, political, and social=20 circumstances surrounding the massacres of the Assyrian people during = the last=20 century.=20

Since ending religious persecution in the Middle East = merits a=20 high profile in US foreign policy, we encourage the members of the press = and the=20 local government officials and the Congressional representatives to = begin=20 serious discussion on the condition of the non-Islamic religious = minorities in=20 the Middle East, beginning with the 1915 Genocide.   Let us = not forget=20 that such religious intolerance is still perpetuated against the = Christian of=20 Southern Lebanon, the Copts in Egypt, and the Christians in Southern=20 Sudan.=20

We also call on the local churches and religious = organizations=20 to support the Assyrians for an end to religious persecution, economic = injustice=20 and political oppression against the Christians of the Middle East and = around=20 the world.=20

Please join us on this important day as we work to = advance the=20 regional, national and international interests of the oldest = civilization in the=20 world.=20

For further information, please feel free to contact = Mrs.=20 Jacklin Bejan at (408)218-7129 or by e-mail at = jbejan@kemsafe.com.=20

The Assyrian American = Association of San=20 Jose
San Jose,=20 California=20

To register:  Click Here=20

Zinda Magazine is a major sponsor of the = "Assyrian=20 Genocide and Persecution Conference 2000".

 

THE COMING ISSUE OF=20 JAAS

The Journal of the Assyrian Academic Society, Volume = 12, No. 2,=20 2000 is scheduled for publication and distribution by August 31, 2000. = The=20 forthcoming issue will have a new look--complete with a cover that = brings=20 Assyrian historical images to life.=20

The Journal of the Assyrian Academic Society (JAAS) = is a=20 bi-annual publication that is devoted to an interdisciplinary study of = research=20 on Assyrians. Its scope is wide-ranging. To date, JAAS publishes a broad = range=20 of issues related to Assyrian history, ethnography, linguistics, poetry, = and=20 oral history. Areas of research interest comprise varying fields such = as:=20 cultural studies, comparative and cross-disciplinary historical = literature,=20 national and religious diversification. The main objective of JAAS is to = encourage intellectual diversity of ideas and research questions by = expanding=20 the scope of the Journal to facilitate stronger linkages between=20 multi-disciplinary fields of academic research topics.=20

Future issues of JAAS will include a section in = Arabic, making=20 the Journal a leading periodical on Assyrian history, language and = culture in=20 three languages--English, Assyrian and Arabic. The JAAS Editorial Board = welcomes=20 three new editors and two advisory members to its staff: Raman Michael=20 (Technical Editor); Shamasha Namrood Sheba (Assyrian Language Technical = Editor);=20 and Saad Saadi (Arabic Language Editor).=20

Abdul-Massih Saadi and Robert DeKelaita are JAAS = Advisory board=20 members.  Below is a list of articles to appear in JAAS, Volume 12, = No. 2,=20 2000 issue.=20

English Section: John Ameer, Simmons College = "Flight"=20

Simo Parpola, University of Helsinki "Assyrians After = Assyria"=20

Abdul-Massih Saadi, Lutheran School of Theology "The = Scythe of=20 the Ottomans and the Decimation of the Assyrian Nation Walid Phares, = Florida=20 Atlantic University "Minority Christians in the Middle East"=20

Assyrian Section: Zaia Kanon, JAAS Assyrian Language = Editor,=20 Assyrian Academic Society "R'wakha ou' R'wasa [The use of two vowels, O' = and U'=20 in Assyrian]=20

Oraham Yalda Oraham, JAAS Assyrian Language Editor, = Assyrian=20 Academic Society "Lit Katawa b'shima 'wakhli' ou' la 'barwakhli', ya = katawan=20 myaqrae [The misinterpretation of a word for a proper name, 'wakhli' and = 'barwakhli'] Khoshaba P'nuel, Independent Researcher "Siqlat breeta" = [The=20 Adornment of the Universe] Samir Jonah, Loma Linda University, = Department of=20 Oncology "Kha shobea R'qeemayeh ou' maplakhtea gow shula ou' boosayah = asyaya"=20 [Computers and their use in Medical Practice and Research] Abraham = Nuoro,=20 Independent Researcher (Syria and Lebanon) "Shlamalakh Urmia" [Hello=20 Urmia]=20

Robin Bet-Shmuel, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, = Iraq "Zowna=20 dim Zabanta" [The Selling Era]=20

Gabriel Gawrieh, Friends of the Syriac Language = Association=20 (Syria) "Ubah d'ema" [The Mothers Embrace]=20

Gawrieh's article in Syriac. He translated the poem = from Arabic=20 written by: Rashid Salim al-Khuri (Syriac Maronite Poet). The Arabic = version is=20 entitled: "huthun" al-Umm"=20

Nadia E. Joseph =
Editor
=20

LITERATUS=20

ME of  ANCIENT=20 SUMER

In the intellectual world of the Sumerians no = concepts would=20 seem to be more distinctive and fundamental than the associated ideas = of =20 n a m and m e.  The first has the approximate force = of our=20 "essence" and "destiny" combined.  The other has no suitable = analogue in=20 the world of ideas with which we are familiar, for m e appears to = be the=20 activating feature appropriate to each n a m and required for its = proper=20 functioning. Every essential element of nature and society has its = individual=20 m e.  Cosmic rule and kingship on earth, qualities and = emotions=20 noble as well as base, arts and crafts - these and many others become = dormant=20 when their special m e is absent.=20

No rendering of such an intimate cultural term can be = more than=20 a rough approximation.  We may choose "norm" or "decree", "dynamic = force"=20 or the like.  We may go on to point out that the m e was = endowed=20 with esoteric and enduring properties.  Yet, for all our efforts, = we find=20 ourselves unable to evoke the meaning inherent in the native term.  = It is=20 in the nature of distinctive civilizations that their distinguishing = features=20 cannot be lifted intact our of their context.  Neither can their = original=20 designations be translated into words stemming from a foreign source and = based=20 on alien experiences.=20

E.A. Spier =
"Ancient Mesopotamia" =
From the book: "The Idea of History in = the Ancient=20 Near East" by R. C. Dentan
=20

PUMP UP THE = VOLUME
ENGLISH
MODERN=20 ASSYRIAN
GENDER
 Event
qa/wam/ta
 Feminine
 Period (time)
 zo/na
 Masculine

BACK TO THE=20 FUTURE

BC (8th Century)=20

Aramaic language by this time was quickly spreading = as a spoken=20 language where Akkadian (ancient Assyrian) had formerly held sway.  = It was=20 some centuries later that Aramaic replaced Akkadian as the main spoken = language=20 in either Assyria or Babylon.  Akkadian cuneiform continued to be = used down=20 to the Seleucid era.=20

Babylonians, Saggs


AD (June 1896)=20

Mar Gabriel, Bishop of Urmi, Qasha Dinkha, the = archdeacon of=20 the Marran, two priests, three deacons and several others are attacked = and=20 killed by Kurds in the mountains near the Turkish border.  In a = funeral=20 held for these men of God a message of condolence was read from the = Archbishop=20 of Canterbury=20

The Foreign Doctor, R.E. Speer = (1911)=20
=20

THIS WEEK IN=20 HISTORY

July 21, 1919:   Surmi Khanom, sister of Mar Benyamin = Shimmun -=20 Patriarch of the Church of the East- travels to London to appeal for = support of=20 the Assyrian people and troops in Bet-Nahrain.=20

CALENDAR OF=20 EVENTS

Jul = 26-30
PORTLAND,=20 OREGAN
38TH=20 ANNUAL SYRIAN ORTH ARCHDIOCESES = CONVENTION

The Syrian Orthodox Archdioceses in Canada and = United=20 States
Led by His Holliness Patriarch = Ignatius=20 Zakka I
Hosted by St. Ignatius Church,=20 Portland
Marriot in Portland=20

Agenda:  Review of the past 50 years of = history of=20 the church in North America to identify and cement the strengths = and work=20 on improving
weaknesses. =20

In addition to a spiritual and cultural = festival, a=20 cruise on the Columbia River, a bus trip to Cascade Range, etc. = are=20 planned. Click=20 Here

Jul = 28-31
BEIRUT=20
SYRIAC UNIVERSAL = ALLIANCE=20 MEETING

Speakers include = representatives from=20 the Office of the President of Lebanon
Mass celebrated by His = Holliness=20 Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I
Performances by a Maronite University musical = group=20
Art Exhibition: Art = works from=20 artists of our community throughout the world =
Dance party for the youth = attending the=20 conference
Book=20 Exhibition
Suryoyo=20 singers and folkloric dances
A visit to Zahle
Banquet in honor of the Patriarch =
A special concert performance by = George Badro,=20 Suryoyo musician from Canada.=20

For more = information:=20
Daghelian Bldg. - Bloc A = - 2nd Floor=20 - Jdeideh Blv.
P.O.=20 Box: 55414 - Tel: 961-1-884810 / 961-1-884811 =
Fax: 961-1-884812 - E-mail:=20 sua@lebmail.com

Aug 30 = - =20
Sep = 4
CHICAGO=20
ASSYRIAN AMERICAN = NATIONAL=20 CONVENTION

Hilton Hotel &=20 Towers
720 = South=20 Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60605  =
1-312-922-4400, Fax:=20 1-312-922-5240 =20

Phone:  = 312-922-4400  or=20 1-800-HILTONS
To=20 obtain the convention rate refer to the AANF = Convention=20
Location Map:  click = here
Directions=20 from Airports: click=20 here
AANF=20 Convention 2000 Information: click=20 here



SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH = READERS IN 50=20 COUNTRIES BY INCLUDING ZINDA MAGAZINE IN YOUR COMMUNITY OR = ORGANIZATION'S=20 MAILING LIST.
SEE OUR=20 MAILING ADDRESS BELOW.

ZINDA Magazine is published = every=20 Tuesday.  Views expressed in ZINDA do not necessarily represent = those of=20 the ZINDA editors, or any of our associated staff.  This = publication=20 reserves the right, at its sole discretion, not to publish comments or = articles=20 previously printed in or submitted to other journals. ZINDA reserves the = right=20 to publish and republish your submission in any form or medium. All = letters and=20 messages  require the name(s) of sender and/or author. All messages = published in the SURFS UP! section must be in 500 words or less and bear = the=20 name of the author(s). Distribution of material featured in ZINDA is not = restricted, but permission from ZINDA is required.  This service is = meant=20 for the exchange of information, analyses and news. To subscribe, send = e-mail=20 to: z_info@zindamagazine.com.=20

Zinda Magazine
P.O. Box 20278   San Jose, = California  =20 95160   U.S.A.
Voice:      (408) = 918-9200=20
   = Fax:      (408)=20 918-9201

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