Stockholm- AINA — The Assyrian (also known as Chaldean and Syriac) community held a demonstration in Stockholm on Wednesday to draw attention to the plight of Assyrians in Iraq, who are, according to some reports, undergoing ethnic cleansing1. A large group of of demonstrators equipped with banners filled the …
Read More »Egypt Rejects UN Accusations of Discrimination Against Copts
Cairo- DPA — Egypt on Wednesday protested an International Labour Organization (ILO) report accusing the Muslim-dominated state of discriminating against the Coptic Christian labour force, newspaper reports said. The ILO is a tripartite United Nations agency which promotes social justice, labour rights and equal opportunities at the work …
Read More »Russia Supports the Political Demands of Iraq’s Christiansý
Moscow- AINA — On March 22 the Russian Assyrian Committee and Moscow Assyrian Ethno-Cultural Autonomy Organization received an official answer from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the establishment of an Assyrian autonomous region in North Iraq. The letter was signed by A. Kinshuk, Deputy Director of …
Read More »Mahdi Army Orders Christian Women in Baghdad to Veil Themselvesý
Baghdad- AINA — An undated letter issued by Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi army to Christians in Baghdad orders Christian women to veil themselves or face grave consequences. The letter, obtained and translated by AINA, states that the Virgin Mary was not unveiled and so Christian women should not be …
Read More »Iraq’s Assyrians Need Their Own Regioný
Baghdad- EasternStar News Agency — If a majority of the population in a country, where people with red hair are a minority, votes for a law that forces all people with red h! air to l et themselves be enslaved or be beheaded, is that democracy? This is …
Read More »Lebanon a Launch Pad for Al-Qaeda’s New Phase
By Martin Chulov Beirut- theaustralian.news — As the encircled Islamists in north Lebanon heralded their last stand this weekend, regional governments were coming to terms with a much broader battle – al-Qa’ida’s opening salvos in the western Middle East. From the Horn of Africa to the eastern shores of …
Read More »Turkish Operation in Northern Iraq: Division Through Invasion?
By Ihsan Dagi Ankara – EasternStar News Agency — A journalist close to military sources outlined Turkey’s strategic priorities as follow: to prevent the establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq, keep Kirkuk out of a Kurdish federal administration and fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). If …
Read More »Assyrian Craftsman Prefers Life in the Saddle
By Þeyhmus Edis Mardin, Turkey- AINA — Hamsih Uðurgel is the first Assyrian saddle maker in Mardin and has been plying his craft — taught to him by his father — since the age of 7. Despite a brief hiatus when he gave up his trade to try life …
Read More »Iraqi Government Offers Its ‘Full Support’ to the Persecuted Christians of Baghdad
Baghdad – AsiaNews — The Iraqi government has expressed its solidarity to the Christians of Baghdad and has pledged to protect them. In a statement in English reported yesterday by the AINA news agency, a spokesman for the Iraqi government said that the “Iraqi Cabinet addressed the issue …
Read More »France: International Community Wants Hariri’s Assassins Punished
Paris- AFP — France said Thursday the international community is determined to set up an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, on his first trip since assuming office less than a week ago, told …
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