In the past few days we have had the deaths of three prominent people – Christopher Hitchens, Kim Jong Il, and Vaclav Havel.  All will be remembered, for different reasons.  I am out of gas – more tomorrow…

I have posted stuff from Nina Shea before – she writes tirelessly about Christian minorities throughout the world.  Here is a scary round-up of recent events in Pakistan.

GMT 3-19-2011 19:10:6
Assyrian International News Agency

On behalf of Seyfo Center, Joseph Haweil sat down with Greek historian and researcher Stavros T. Stavridis to talk about the Assyrian Genocide and the worldwide movement for its recognition by the Republic of Turkey. Born to Greek parents in Cairo Egypt in 1949, Mr. Stavridis migrated to Australia with his parents in 1952. He took his BA from Deakin University having majored in political science and economic history. Between 1993-1998, Mr. Stavridis undertook a Masters program at Melbourne’s RMIT University.

His dissertation entitled The Greek-Turkish War 1919-23: An Australian Press Perspective was published by Gorgias Press in 2009. He has taught at both TAFE and University levels both in Australia and the United States, teaching a variety of subjects including economics, sociology, urban and business studies and Greek history. Mr. Stavridis’ latest publication is entitled The Assyrians in Australian Archives: Documents from the National Archives of Australia and the Australian War Memorial, 1914-1947 (co-authored with David Chibo) and is available through Gorgias Press.

When did you initially learn of the Assyrian Genocide and what sparked your interest in writing about it?

I learned about the Assyrians through passing references in British Foreign Office documents when I was writing my Honours and Masters Dissertations without giving it too much thought. What sparked my interest? In September 1999, I presented a paper at a genocide conference in Sydney about the Greeks of Asia Minor and it was here where I learned about the existence of an Assyrian Genocide. A Greek friend of mine in Sydney invited me in early 2000 to present a paper at an Assyrian conference that was staged at the University of Sydney in July of that year. I told him that I knew nothing about the Assyrians other than the introduction I had in September 1999. I presented my paper and the rest is history. Wilfred Bet-Alkhas” e-magazine Zinda proved a wonderful vehicle to publish my works on the Assyrians. Do you consider the genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks to be one genocide? If yes, how best can these three communities work together towards recognition?

Each community regards its own genocide as a unique event. The genocides of the Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians should be considered as a single event as each group suffered at the hands of the Ottoman Turks and Turkish nationalists led by Mustapha Kemal during the years 1914-1918 and 1919-23 respectively. The Young Turks and Kemalists were determined to drive all the Christians out of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and establish a state only for the Turks. I believe it is important that the 3 groups set aside their differences and work together as a united group in pushing for genocide recognition. How can this be achieved? This is an interesting question where I will offer three suggestions. Firstly, academic conferences should be arranged inviting top Assyrian, Greek and Armenian genocide scholars to present conference papers with the conference proceedings published either online or in book form. There is also a need to increase the rate of scholarly p ublications on the Greek and Assyrian Genocides which is seriously lacking. Armenian scholars receive generous funding through their community organizations or from wealthy Armenians to produce serious academic works regarding their Genocide. The Armenians have established research centres in North America to continue research into their Genocide and also host academic conferences. This is something that both the Greeks and Assyrians can adopt from our Armenian friends. Secondly, the Diaspora communities can form combined committees to lobby politicians and use the media to publicize the three Genocides to the non-Assyrian, Greek and Armenian audiences in their adopted homelands. Finally, we could learn from the Jewish community in our adopted homelands of how to establish our own combined genocide museums e.g. in New York or Sydney. In the face of intense ongoing Turkish denial, what approach should the Assyrian Diaspora take in working towards recognition?

The Assyrian Diaspora should operate on two levels towards genocide recognition. Assyrian organizations should work on a national and international level to publicize the genocide through media campaigns, letter writing campaigns to major newspapers, insertion of single page advertisement of Assyrian Martyrs Day in major newspapers and lobbying important politicians in adopted homelands. At an international level, Assyrian organizations should use the fora of the United Nations and its relevant agencies as well as the European Union to publicize its Genocide. It is also important to engage a public relations firm to help “promote” the Assyrian Genocide to the international community. The issue of reparations remains a contentious one. Do you think a demand for reparations by the victims should be part of the genocide recognition dialogue?

Reparations could form part of the genocide recognition dialogue with Turkey. However this will depend on whether any Assyrians had purchased insurance policies or held bank accounts and title deeds to family property during the last years of the Ottoman Empire. The Armenians have filed law suits against New York Life Insurance, Axa Insurance and Deutsche Bank trying to recover monies of their dead ancestors. So far New York Life and Axa have compensated Armenian descendants. Assyrian activists, like their Armenian counterparts, have sought to pressure Turkey by gaining recognition of the genocide by countries around the world. Do you think this approach is beneficial?

I find this a very good approach in gaining recognition by countries. It is a step-by-step approach which will yield results in time as more countries come to understand and recognize the Assyrian Genocide. As they say “Rome was not built in a day.” As I said, a step-by-step approach will win out in the long run. In light of ongoing persecution of Assyrians in the Middle East, what some have deemed modern-day genocide, some argue that focusing on Assyrian Genocide recognition redirects valuable time and resources away from addressing the current persecution. What is your response to this view?

Assyrians can focus on the current Middle East situation without taking an eye off the past. I hope that the Assyrians can use their present persecution to tell the international community that their suffering has continued almost non-stop from the early 20th century. It is important that the victims of the First World War are not forgotten and their memories are preserved for future generations. What is the likelihood of genocide recognition by the Republic of Turkey in the next decade?

The possibility of genocide recognition by Turkey within the next decade is difficult to predict. However I see some “hopeful” signs with the Armenian Genocide being openly discussed in Turkey which was a taboo subject not that many years ago. There are some brave Turkish scholars and journalists who have had the courage to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. I believe that the Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians have to engage with Turks who acknowledge our Genocides both inside and outside Turkey.

By Joseph Haweil

Thanks to George Stifo for the image and title.

Amir Taheri breaks down the situation in southern Sudan here.  This part of the Sudan has never gotten the same sort of mainstream news coverage that Darfur has, and certainly has not received the same celebrity attention.  It may have something to do with with the religious make-up of the areas – southern Sudan being largely Christian and animist, Darfur being majority Muslim, but I really have no idea.  Perhaps, as Taheri touches on, there is no convenient name for southern Sudan beyond, well, southern Sudan, whereas Darfur lends itself nicely to media.  In any case, it is a good read.  The situation in both areas deserves our attentiveness and prayers.

This is a horrible start to the new year – a bombing outside a church in Egypt.  I fired up the computer this morning to catch up on the news and loosen up with some yoga via one of the morning routines on youtube and the first thing I saw was this article.  I had been thinking about how church on New Year’s day – for the circumcision of the Lord and St. Basil – is generally sparsely attended – we will see how many show up today –  because people have been out late the night before, and then I saw the story.  The main point is of course the tragedy in Egypt, but news like this makes us realize how much we take going to church for granted – I wrote about this last week as well.   Pray for the Christians of Egypt and the whole Near and Middle East.

Friday night is Christmas eve, and we have service at 6:30pm.  I will leave my house around 5:30 or so for the easy minute ride to the church.  Once there, I will unlock the doors, turn on the lights, greet the early birds, and generally fuss around to make sure everything is alright.  At some point I will go play on the computer in the office and check Facebook, my blog, and my email.  By 6:15 I will be ready to rock and looking forward to a joyous night with thousands of parishioners attending the service.  Afterwards, we will have a nativity play on the soleas of the church with Sunday School students, including my lovely older daughter as one of the many little sheep, acting in the roles and doing the readings.  No doubt everyone will afterward go home or to friends’ and relatives’ places for further celebration.

Such is Christmas in Worcester, and indeed America, where life is good, despite whatever the latest problem out of Washington or the media is.  There is a cultural war on Christmas, but it is something in which we as Christians do not need to take part; a town can remove a creche or erect a “holiday” tree, but it has no effect on my faith and indeed probably makes my practice stronger.  This is America, our chosen land which has also chosen to welcome us.  It is not the same in many places for Christians, especially those, like me and my fellow Cathedral members, of the eastern persuasion.  My friend George posts updates everyday on Facebook about the status of Christians in Iraq, a cradle of Christianity where Christians now live under siege.  The following is a message from a bishop about the situation:

Baghdad (AsiaNews) – Midnight Christmas Mass has been cancelled in Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk as a consequence of the never-ending assassinations of Christians and the attack against Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral on 31 October, which killed 57 people. For security reasons, churches will not be decorated. Masses will be sombre and held during the day.

A sense of sadness and mourning prevails among Christians. There is much concern for the future of young people. For the past two months, they have been unable to go to university. The same is true for many families that fled north who now must plan a future without any concrete bases.

No one expects anything from the government as far as protecting Christians. Political leaders are too caught up in setting up a new administration.

Security is slightly better in Kirkuk than in the capital, but here too abductions and threats occur. For this reason, we have decided for the first time since the war began not to celebrate Midnight Mass. We shall simply not have any feast, period. Santa Claus will not be coming for the children; there will be no official ceremony with the authorities proffering their best wishes.

For the past six weeks, we have not celebrated Mass because of a lack of security, except late in the morning and Saturday afternoons. For now, we have also stopped teaching the catechism.

We do not have the right to put people’s lives in danger. All our parish churches have security guards, but when worshippers step outside the church and into the street, they become an easy target.

Yet, despite everything, we shall pray for peace this Christmas and help the poor families of Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah. So far, 106 families have arrived from Baghdad and Mosul.

In my homily, I am going to focus on such problems, on the clashes and on people’s fears but also on the fact that Christmas brings a message of hope. Of course, heaven and earth are two different realities. The Massacre of the Innocents followed Christmas. Thus, for us in Iraq, Christmas is a time of hope and joy as well as pain and martyrdom.

Peace is a goal that people of good will should make happen. If we Christians want to be Christian and welcome Christmas and its message, we must be peacemakers, and build harmony among our Iraqi brothers and sisters.

* Chaldean bishop of Kirkuk

This is from the Assyrian International News Agency.  You can also read it there.

(AINA) — A number of Melbourne’s Assyrian and Hellenic organizations issued a joint statement today condemning recent acts of vandalism against two Sydney memorials dedicated to the Assyrian Genocide and the Assyrian Levies (AINA 8-30-2010). The six signatories included two Greek federations and a number of Assyrian political, social and cultural organizations. The six signatories to the letter affirmed their opposition to all acts of vandalism and voiced a call for worldwide recognition of the Assyrian, Armenian and Pontian-Greek Genocide.

The statement follows:

We the undersigned Melbourne-based Assyrian and Greek organizations express our deep concern at recent events which have seen two Assyrian memorial sites vandalised. Sydney’s Assyrian Genocide Monument (recently dedicated by the Assyrian Universal Alliance) and the Assyrian Levies Plaque (dedicated by the Assyrian Levies Association) were both vandalised with physical damage and the painting of anti-Assyrian profanities in the preceding week.

Both the mentioned monuments stand in tribute to millions of Assyrians, Armenians and Pontian-Greeks who were ruthlessly murdered in a calculated campaign of extermination by the Ottoman Empire. Historians have termed this the first genocide of the twentieth century. The Assyrian-Australian community, like other communities residing in Australia, is entitled to remember these victims of genocide with dignity and without hindrance from vandals. We explicitly condemn the vandalism of the monument and memorial plaque and call upon the relevant authorities to investigate the matter hastily.

While the perpetrators of both these incidents are as yet unknown, and police investigations are continuing, it is clear from the content of the vandalism, on the Assyrian Genocide Monument in particular, that those involved hold a strong level of enmity towards the Assyrian people.

The struggle for the recognition of the Assyrian, Armenian and Pontian-Greek Genocide is a continuing one. The historical truth of the genocide is not in question, as suggested by the forces of genocide denial. The school of scholarly evidence is overwhelming. In fact, the world’s leading group of genocide scholars, the International Association of Genocide Scholars has affirmed that the Assyrian, Armenian and Pontian-Greek was indeed perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire during its dying days. This recognition is in addition to dozens of federal, state and local governments around the world who have also recognized the Assyrian, Armenian and Pontian- Greek genocide.

We renew our call for worldwide recognition of the Assyrian, Armenian and Pontian-Greek Genocide. In particular, we call upon the Australian federal government, in addition to state governments, to join their counterparts around the world and add their voice to truth and justice by recognising the genocide.

We the undersigned organisations extend our support to all organizations that have contributed to the Assyrian Genocide recognition movement, affirm our rejection of acts designed to insult the memories of those who were murdered and condemn any attempt to distort the truth of the Assyrian, Armenian and Pontian Greek Genocide.

Australian Assyrian Arts and Literature Foundation
Federation of Pontian Associations of Australia
Panepirotic Federation of Australia
Assyrian Democratic Movement
The Popular Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Council
Beth-Nahrin Cultural Club

By Joseph Haweil