The Assyrians: A Minority Between Genocide, Fear and Terrorism

By Marianne Brückl   

Baghdad, Iraq – pressemitteilung — How can it happen, that people ignore the signs of history, where minorities always were hunted, tortured and murdered? This is a question concerning everybody on our globe. To Islamists, Christians, Buddhists, and all the other religious groups. “Human Rights” is a word, that is indirectly defined in each religious dogma, no matter if it is the Bible, the Koran or another one.

But this would mean acceptance and tolerance between the majorities and minorities, no matter what kind of religion (if they have one) they practice. History has shown, that people did not learn from the cruel things that happened in human history, and all the troubles that came over these, who lost one or even more of their family. In consideration of the cruel deeds that happened in North Iraq, it is unbelieveable that this is a fact of our present time: “A 2 month old infant kidnapped, beheaded, roasted and returned to its parents on a bed of rice.

14 year old Ayad Tariq decapitated because he is a “dirty Christian sinner” A 14 year old boy crucified in his own village in Mosul Fr. Paulos Iskander (Paul Alexander) kidnapped, beheaded and dismembered 5 priests were kidnapped and released after ransom was paid. 5 priests and 3 deacons were murdered, for a total of 12. 6 of these occurred in Baghdad, 7 in Mosul. 52 churches were attacked or bombed since June, 2004: 33 in Baghdad, 13 in Mosul, 5 in Kirkuk and 1 in Ramadi. At least 13 young women were abducted and raped, causing some of them to commit suicide.

Female students were targeted in Basra and Mosul for not wearing veils; some had nitric acid squirted on their faces. Elders of a village in Mosul were warned not to send females to universities. Mahdi Army personnel circulated a letter warning all Christian women to veil themselves. Al-Qaeda moved into an Assyrian neighborhood and began collecting the jizya and demanding that females be sent to the mosque to be married off to Muslims. Assyrian businesses were targeted. 95% of liquor stores were attacked, defaced or bombed.

500 Assyrian shops in a Dora market were burned in one night. Property was confiscated by Kurds in the north and Shiites in Baghdad.” (Source: Report of Assyrian International News Agency, by Peter BetBasoo, June 20, 2007) The Assyrians are such a minority in their own territories, but not enough is known about their real situation. On the one hand they ignore this community, because they are not involved in the really deadly problems of this minority group with regard to the distance or the failed imagination of the cruelties and their origin, on the other hand in view of the origin, when these refugees come to Europe.

Most of these people who refuse to know details about the suffer of the Assyrian refugees should be frequented with detailed questions: “Perhaps people forget their origin? Do you forget that we all are human beings? That these refugees have the same roots and the same blood? What about your own children, sisters, brothers, parents and other members of your families, if this cruelty and terrorism would concern yourself? Wouldn’t you also be thankful for each hand and help to be protected?” Instead of helping these minorities, such as the Assyrians, to be secured and protected in their motherland, to get back their territories that are claimed by cruelty and terrorism through extremists, there exist propositions from some politicians to an immigration to Europe, and this only for a certain time and not forever.

Is this a way to solve the problems for the Assyrians? No, because they always feel foreign. Most Assyrians want to return to their countries but there’s no way for a future, neither for their children nor for themselves. These measures are rather qualified to submit racism, discrimination, war and last not least: again further genocide as it happened during the First World War.

And terrorism against the Assyrians and other religious groups by Islamic extremists will encrease more and more, this not only in North Iraq, Turkey or Europe, but everywhere. History has shown, that hate, jealousy and vengeance are bad advisors in a world of intolerance against religions in each form. The acceptance to believe in God or Allah, without the fear to be discriminated, tortured or murdered, should be self-evident.

And in considering all the messages that are content of the different dogmas of religion, the maintenance of diversity must be the first aim of the world-population. It must be able to bring into action all its forces for the consciousness of the peoples, that genocide will be finished but not continued. Minorities have the same blood as the majorities, and this should be graved in the heads and hearts of the world-population.

International Governments are responsible to make it possible for these minorities, not to be attacked by extremists and to keep their houses as everybody in the so called “civilized countries”, and this in their own maternal territories. Without genocide, fear and terrorism. Therefore, there exist an urgent necessity to create a zone of defense for the protection of the assyran people in all the territories, where they have their origin.

Promises, such as “Human Rights” and “Protection” may not be exhausted in empty words!