The Assyrian Democratic Organization
Assyrian Democratic Organization
Political Bureau
Statement on “Damascus declaration
for national democratic change ”
The
“Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change” which was announced in a press conference in Damascus on 16/10/2005, is an important step forward en route to consolidating and unifying efforts of the democratic opposition in Syria for the sake of introducing genuine peaceful democratic changes in Syria. This is something that all Syrians, everywhere, have been looking forward to, away from the intimidations and external pressures and the authorities’ disregard to calls for reform. The Declaration has embodied a consensus, which all the patriotic forces, with their various national and political affiliations in the past five years, have agreed upon. The Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO) had been invited by the National Democratic Assembly, the initiator of this move, to take part in the negotiations that preceded the declaration, with an aim of signing it alongside the other patriotic forces. From the start, the ADO made some remarks on the method of invitation, and the way the Assembly’s commissioning committee conducted the preliminary discussion, with each party separately. In our opinion, such a method does not allow all the groups to weigh in their views and participate in creating a full developed vision. Moreover, the ADO made reservation about two main articles in the Declaration:
1- Concerning the religion: the Declaration stipulates that: “Islam, is the religion and the faith of the majority. It is considered the principle cultural component in the life of the people and the nation, with its noble aims, high values and tolerant Shari’a. Our Arab civilization has been formed within the framework of its ideas, values and morals in interaction with the other historical and national cultures in our society, through moderation, toleration and mutual interaction, away from fanaticism, violence and exclusion. However, with very special consideration for respecting the faiths, cultures and characteristics of others, no matter what their religious, doctrinal or ideological affiliations are, and being open-minded on fine and modern cultures.”
The ADO, being a secular organization, and to ward off any sensitivities and suspicions, did not see any need for introducing an article related to religion. Furthermore, the article was incomplete, since it is ignoring many components of the Syrian national identity and depending solely on one, which is Islam. This does not correspond with the truth and reality. Nevertheless, the ADO requested that if religion has to be included, then the declaration should also mention all the active forces in the society including the religious ones. Hence, it is necessary to refer to Christianity as well, being the religion of Syria in the pre-Islamic era. Further, it is from Syria that Christianity spread across the world carrying a message of peace and love. In addition to that, there are two million Christians currently living in Syria as well as several millions of Christian Syrian expatriates who live in other countries.
These people, together with their Muslim brothers and followers of other religions in Syria, have set an example of brotherly coexistence that has greatly enriched and strengthened the cultural diversity in Syria and served as a good message internally and externally. As a matter of fact, this article with its ambiguous wording contradicts with other articles in the declaration, and in our opinion, the present wording of the article deepens a state of discrimination amongst the people of one country, between the Muslims and the followers of other faiths, and establishes a kind of hegemony by one group over the others in the name of religion and eventually paves the way, in the future, for imposing Islamic Shari’a based on Islam being the religion and doctrine of the majority, since it could be claimed in the future that it had been previously agreed upon.
2- Our Organization has stressed the importance of mentioning and introducing the name of our Assyrian (Syriac) people in the article related to the minorities, not based on allocation, but as an affirmation of the rights of our people who are considered one of the oldest indigenous people in Syria. Also, our people have been subjected in the past to continuous and systematic attempts of melting and dissolution into the other cultures. In addition that, this would have been as a confirmation of pluralism and diversity as well as following the example of the case of the Kurdish people who were included in the article, “and this is a right.” Finally, it would have been as a means of preventing a situation of only single or dual national identities in the Syrian society at the expense of the other national ethnicities. In fact, our demand, had been met with the approval of the Declaration drafting committee, as well as a number of other signatories, but we were surprised to find no mention of our people when it was announced at the press conference!!!??
The Assyrian Democratic Organization, in spite of its reservation about some articles of the Declaration, finds many positive issues in it that could constitute a basis, in the future, for drafting a common national program for national democratic work, where all forces aspiring for a democratic change in Syria, would participate in it. Moreover, we see in this initiative a serious starting point towards creating a broad-based national coalition with an effective role in the process of peaceful democratic changes, which is something that all the Syrian people are looking forward to.
Hence, we confirm our positive cooperation with this initiative and our readiness to open dialogue and communicate with both, the signatories of the Declaration, and those who refused to sign it. However, we are aiming at reaching a more comprehensive and broad-base consensus that would eventually lay the foundation for building a homeland for all the Syrians, regardless of their political, religious or ideological affiliations.
– Syria, Oct .20 , 2005
