The Assyrian Democratic Organization
Piro, who frequently travels to the Middle East for business and personal purposes, told a group of Turlock Rotarians Tuesday that Arab people are upset with Americans because of the government’s support of Israel, but people in Iraq are pleased with the U.S. presence. Even so, Iraqis are concerned about getting their country back in order, he said.
“Most people in the United States don’t exactly understand what is going on over there so it is good to have someone visit the Rotary Club who does,” said Sharon Silva, CEO of the Turlock Chamber of Commerce.
Piro was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1942 and came to the United States in 1979 with his wife, Francia. He studied business administration and began his career marketing and selling health products. He speaks English, French, Arabic, and Assyrian. He started Piro Trading International in Turlock during 1984 which specializes in dental and health care (which he exports internationally). Piro is the owner of the local franchise for Strings Italian Cafe and has been a resident of Turlock for 25 years.
He told Rotary members how he thought the U.S. should begin a democratic Iraq and gave an overview on the Middle East.
“Most of the people in Iraq agree that the people of Iraq must establish their own government and control,” Piro said.
“The region is divided into three different areas. The arbitrary boundary lines have been drawn over many years and battles have caused grief, anger and political problems,” Piro said.
As president of the Assyrian National Council, a coalition of 21 religious, social and civic organizations in Stanislaus County, Piro said he wants to promote the social, cultural and spiritual welfare of the Assyrian people in Stanislaus County. Stanislaus is home to over 20,000 Assyrians people who are direct descendants of the indigenous people of Iraq so many of the city’s residents have relatives in Iraq, particularly in Northern Iraq and Baghdad.
He recently wrote a letter to President George W. Bush about the law of administration for Iraq regarding the Assyrian people to be reconsidered as a nation – not a community – in Iraq. A major concern of the council is that the law gives the regional government the territory which includes the northern part of Iraq. This includes Neneves which used to be the capitol of the Assyrian empire but this land was given to the Kurds instead.
“We were the indigenous people of Iraq so we would like to get a voice,” he said.
The Assyrian and Armenian genocide that took place more a hundred years ago, in which many people were murdered because of their beliefs. The Assyrians and Armenians were among the first Christian peoples. In present times they have the right to practice their religion, but this was not always a freedom that they could enjoy. Even though a great number of people were killed, it is not widely known or spoken about.
In the Bible, Mesopotamia was where present-day Iraq is located ,so religion has always been a big part of the culture. The Middle East is the birth place for three major religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Religion is a strong part of the culture in Iraq, so people have a clash of different values and different points of view, he said.
Because there is a mix of religions in the area, democracy in Iraq will take years.
“It is very difficult to put a democratic government in Iraq,” Piro said.
