The Assyrian Democratic Organization
Holland – ADO — On Sunday 23 December the Assyrians in the Netherlands commemorated the murder of the Assyrian sociologist Dr Fuat Deniz at the Sunday mass in the eight churches of the Syriac Orthodox Church.
Together with a thousand faithful, the Archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church in the Netherlands, Mor Polycarpus Augin, participated in the mass at the Mor Kuryakos Church in Enschede. In his sermon he spoke about the great loss of Dr Fuat Deniz, as one of the first community members who reached high academic achievements in the lands of diaspora.
Mor Polycarpus noted: “We notice that there are still dark powers that want to hurt our people and that want to make an end to its enlightenment. This does not occur only in our ancestral homelands but also in the lands of diaspora; in the lands of freedom and democracy. The late Fuat Deniz, was a senior lecturer at Örebro University.
People who have wanted to stop his speech, put a knife on his throat and took away his blood and that of Suryoyutho. The dark powers expected to silence Fuat through putting a knife on his throat – not knowing that his voice will only strengthen that of his brothers among future generation Assyrians/Syriacs.” Following these words, Mor Polycarpus expressed his trust that the younger generation Assyrians/Syriacs will continue in the footsteps of Dr Fuat Deniz.
After the mass, hundreds of people gathered in the hall of Mor Kuryakos church where Mor Polycarpus, together with Christian Democrats Parliamentarian Pieter Omzigt and Sabri Atman (director Seyfo Center) spoke to the audience. In relation to Fuat’s murder and the fear following from that, Mr. Omzigt said that the murder may have a political motive. He therefore urged on the people present to report to the police if they had ever been intimidated or threatened, in order to be able to problemize this aspect politically in the Dutch Parliament.
Mr. Atman stressed Fuat Deniz’s efforts in support of creating a democratic society and a society where people care about each other. For Atman, ‘caring for each other’ is therefore a precondition in order to follow in Fuat Deniz’s footsteps.
Friends of Fuat Deniz, Netherlands
