PART I. ORIGINAL ESSAYS

ONWARD TO GOLGOTHA

In the modem history of the Assyrian people the First World War changed their fate very drastically revealing all the strives of a decaying nation. This catastrophe occurred in the background of an incredible upsurge of the national, cultural and spiritual revival. The patriotism and self-sacrifice of the masses seemed justified in the term of the great goal that the nation had put forward in pursuit of the restoration of the national integrity in the form of a state. We think we will have to look at this period again and again to analyze the pros and contras in the actions of our legendary heroes, the memory of whom is indelibly imprinted on our minds no matter how mistaken their decisions and actions could be after all. In this respect we would like to quote one event described by Joseph Mar Jukhanna in his memories.

In April 1918 the Turkish military command made a plan to seize the Tran Caucasus and accordingly demanded that the Assyrian leaders should allow the Turkish troops to pass through the territory of Iran under the Assyrian control. Therefore a convention of army, political and religious leaders promptly called. The emergency of the situation for the Assyrians was revealed in the address of the “Khayadta" Democratic Union spokesman who opposed the military confrontation and accused everyone else present of taking a side with foreign powers for a purpose or without a purpose as they spoke for the interests of their own nation:

"None of you wanted to describe the situation the nation happened to be in, I mean the iron ring that stiffens around us. We must find a way out on our own without hoping to secure some help from America, Great Britain or France. We just should not play it by ear. We are trying to defend their interests, but do you not see they need no support at all? We prefer to close our eyes not to see that our people are inside the rue ring that might easily burn them down to ashes. The question is do we have the right at all to sacrifice our own people for the sake of someone else's interest and domination in the history?

Some speakers denied the possibility of good relation with Muslim Turks. Is it a religious war indeed I Do two Christian nations not fight with each other, I mean British arid German? What does it all have to do with Muslims?

I Can it not be seen, that we must first of all save our own people from humiliation and annihilation and only then think of the great powers of the world."1

It should be stressed that today many Assyrian public and political organizations pursue their national policy in the wake of the Iraqi opposition policy or Kurdish National movement or even global ambition of the USA. This would hardly help our nation survive as a vital challenge of the time.

We decided to give to the attention of the readership some excerpts from two books on the past events since our Diaspora at large actually does not know these works.

The book by Rabbi Ljova (L. M. Sargisov) came out in 2,000 copies .in Erevan in 1979 in the Russian language we have mentioned a1r~ady the impressive scientific and historical contribution L. M. Sargisov made in his writing as we spoke of him in the previous section.

The Russian readers are familiar with the book by the remarkable Russian writer, scholar and essayist Victor ctor Shklovsky (born in 1893, died in 1984) entitled as "the sentimental journey". The book was first published in Berlin in 1923, when the author was in immigration and it did not come out in its full volume in Russia until 1990. As the writer Benedict Sarnov briefly describes Victor Shklovsky's works, "his language, his style without a compromise comes from his own personality, his inner world. In his art he expressed his unique talent to play with contrasting subjects, phenomena and conceptions. But he also exhibited a violent energy, passion, fluency in close readiness for something bright and bold in thought as well as unpredictable in action".

In February 1917 when the Russian Revolution swept across the country, V. Shklovsky was commissioned to go to the Caucasian front in Persia. Below here are the comments he made on the situation in Persia at that time:

"The February Revolution did not at all ease the situation in Persia. Above all we found ourselves tied up by treaties and other agreements with Great Britain for Persia was considered to be a part of the trophy. Besides, as the revolution basically destroyed the threat of Russian penetration into Persia, it just replaced one old offender in the shape of an inefficient but well organized state for smaller fits of Russian national violent will. The people of the offending state are the offenders themselves. If the deluge should happen in Persia and I should become the Noah and start to build the ship to rescue the clean and honest, simply fair and very scrupulous people, I would not want to create a large vessel". In his book V. Shklovsky speaks of the Assyrian people with love and devotion. His details and true fair attitude in his descriptions have a definitive importance for they support the opinion of many other eyewitnesses. As he wrote:

In the town of Urmia there were different religious missions at the time: Russian, German, French and American who were on the hunt for the souls of miserable Nestorians and undoubted pursued political objectives. The missions interfere in people's affairs and conflicts playing the role of the said offending state.

In the land of Urmia Aissors came to live a long time ago, as early as the 7th century. But presently Persians have very harsh disputes with them. The reason was the participation of Aissors in the war. Assyrians had a Persian brigade and they took our side. It was our mutual Christianity and their linking with the allies that brought us together. Assyrians have the energy of their own that helped them even travel to North America, where they published a national periodical. Once I remember being shown an Aissor who was walking down the street in his national outfit of patchwork pants and uncured leather shoes. They said he was a doctor of philosophy from an American University. Such were the people who went out to fight Kurds and Persians they had been hating for a thousand years or so.

We do hope to show Assyrians in their heroic deeds and strife’s .of the past in order to make us all believe that we once had the glory and the strength.

PUBLISHER

1 This speech was printed in the newspaper "Kokhva", issue dated from April 8th, 1918