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As we notified before Moscow hosted in May 1995 an international scientific conference on "Islam and Ethno confessional Understanding in the Changing World". This venue was held under the auspices of UNESCO in the framework of its general program "Cultural dialogue" as well as in line with UNO and UNESCO declaration of "The 1995 year of tolerance." Here, below we bring to your focus a speech made by Mr. Roland Bidjamov at the conference.

We know of a 14 century long history of relations between Muslims and Christians in the Near East. There were times when tolerance and prosperity dominated and times when misunderstanding and hatred, armed clashes, plunder and persecution prevailed.

Over the centuries of sharing one land both Muslims and Christians have gained a tremendous experience of coexistence and harmonious interaction between the two largest religious systems in the world.

The dialogue between Muslims and Christians, which has been publicized at large was started with the inception of Islam as a religious movement. As a matter of fact, this dialogue evidently was stimulated by the origin of both religious systems. Christians along with Muslims have lived in one land. They both have done much to it indeed. Therefore it would be inappropriate to conclude that there is only one adverse scenario for their cultural interaction, as programmed at nothing else but conflicts and strife's. In this connection the special focus should be placed on non- Islamic minorities, Christians in particular, in the Islamic surroundings.

Coming to grips with this problem the closer observer would inevitably have to deal with scarce, inconsistent and even unbiased information. More than on one occasion he faces misrepresented facts, glossing over harsh reality in terms of one- time political interests and wishful thinking tendencies as well. In other words, we have to handle this extremely scarce information supplied by two conflicting parties. On the other hand, this information is enriched with facts presented with highly emotional attitudes. People in the East and in the West take on their own stereotypes and deeply rooted prejudices which taken altogether would hinder separation of the grain from the chaff. It is commonly known that Christianity in the Near East practically in Upper Mesopotamia has remained in ethno- confessional groups which maintained a self-contained psychological and cultural enclave in the Islam influenced territory . Traditionally Christians always held a very high proportion in the population of Northern Mesopotamia divided among Turkey, Syria and Iraq. With one exception for Armenians most Christians use the Aramaic language or at least they used to be Aramaic before. They all fall into the following confessional groups, Chaldeans (Uniats from Nestorians), Syro-Orthodox (Jacobites), Syro-Catholics (Uniats from Jacobites), Roman Catholics, Evangelists, Adventists and other Protestants. Apparently most Christians in Turkey and Syria are Syro-Orthodox whereas in Iraq Chaldeans prevail. But in the whole region Christians coexist with Kurds mainly and with Arabs in some places. Christians inhabited the province of Tur-Abdin (in Turkey) and the province of Khaseke in Syria until recently. In Iraq they occupy the so-called" Assyrian triangle" contained between the northern border of Iraq with Turkey and Tiger and Great Zab rivers. Dr. Sabbakh Kabouti, Yale professor in the USA, wrote in his work "Federation for all three republics is the best solution for Iraq" 1 that" Assyrians and Chaldeans make a third larger nation in the country except Arabs and Kurds. According to Christian clerical statistics they make up to 2,000,000 people including immigrants. The Iraq government holds to a different opinion. They attribute Chaldeans and all the Chris- vans as the author asserts to Arabs so that they are deprived of the right to be united under the Assyrian national flag. Assyrians before Kurds demanded an independent state to them in Northern Iraq on the eve of its proclaimed independence. Assyrians had an experienced army formation, flag and anthem. However England as it was before kept no promises and treacherously betrayed the Assyrian cause when they teamed up with the royal dynasty regime they had set up in Iraq."

Another Arab writer, Syrian Muhammad Califa, assumes that after the war conflict in the Persian Gulf a favorable condition came around to look at the problem of minorities in the region especially in case of Assyrians. He notes that "obviously the Assyrian issue is one of the principle components of the general Iranian crisis, but Assyrians cannot be ignored for they are one of the basic components of the Iraqi nation. Besides, the Assyrian political movement has been a branch of the Iraqi opposition for 2 years now."2

In fact, the Persian Gulf conflict, the creation of the allies controlled zone in Northern Iraq and other changes make many analysts turn to look at the issues related to national and religious minorities in the region especially in terms of political aspects of their struggle for the political and civil rights.

Marking the position of Iraqi Christians a prominent leader of the Iraqi communist party (ICP) Tuma Thomas (Abu-Joseph) who heads armed brigades of the party said, "it is a state where the whole nation suffers from a confessional split, exile and immigration."

It is noteworthy that among Christians of Mesopotamia there is a challenge to select a proper name both universal and integrating. It so happens that since the first half of the 20th century the term " Assyrians" referring to one ethos but comprising several ethno confessional groups, has been in use. This term is very popular among immigrants. The organizations of Syro- Christians in the world claim accepting this term by the hierarchic Christian leaders in the Near East. Only Nestorians have~ responded positively so far .The Nestorians Church was turned into Assyrian Church of the East. In other confessions (Jacobites and Chaldeans in some way) differences in the opinion stirred the so- called "struggle for the self name".

This situation benefited some time ago the Iraqi baathies who denied the presence of modern Assyrians in the world attributing them to a form of religious community. This attitude was furthermore traced in the N~201 resolution of the Iraqi revolutionary issued April 16th 1972 and entitled as "On granting cultural rights to Syrian-language Assyrians, Chaldeans and Syrians." It was done in the framework of the Iraqi political maneuvering on the part of national minorities in the early 1970s. This policy was followed up during the 1977 nationwide census when Iraqi Christians were not al- lowed to identify themselves with Assyrians. They were all identified with Kurds or Arabs. We note that this policy brought about a counter measure on the part of the Assyrian minority. Different political organizations were set up in Iraq ( the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) in 1979 and the Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party (BNDP) in 1974) as well as outside Iraq in pursuit of secured equality of rights within the unified Iraqi state. ADM or ZAWA has made great success. This movement actually takes part in the Kurdistan Front and once upon a time delegates its representative along with other front representatives to Washington, D.C. in September 1991. Moreover in the spring of the following year ADM people won four ballot tickets out of 5 granted to Assyrians to participate to the parliament of Kurdistan in Iraq . ADM adheres to the progressive national ideology and pursues elimination of all troublous confessional and regional disputes. ZAWA have been standing in a combat fight along the Kurds since 1983 assuming the role of all Christians defender in the recent events including the Persian Gulf war and counteraction against the central Iraqi Government's attempt to suppress its own people, though it aggravated the latter day adverse situation where Christians very few in numbers happened to be on the either side of the defacto border line between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraq at large.

According to the statistical report of the London-based organization "Human rights commission for Iraq " violence to Christians has been steadily escalated. The activists said the Iraqi government takes every measure to oust Christians.

The report also suggests there should be a certain plan under way to make Assyrians leave the country especially those who have relatives (up to the fourth degree of relation) who belong to the opposition or live permanently outside Iraq. These measures may take up to summons to the con- trolling agencies, detention or even prosecution, etc. Therefore the people in question will have to flee, accordingly, in 1992 eighty thousand people (now they mount to 15,000) were enlisted for a visa in Jordan. Nearly eight thousands stay in Turkey, three thousands in Syria, several thousand refugees in Greece, in Cyprus, in Bulgaria and in Russia. Besides, Iraqi ministers of oil industry and education alike were instructed to layoff workers with Osman or Iranian citizenship. Among them Christians prevailed.

Actually these and some other measures alongside UNO economic sanctions as well as lack of enthusiasm for future and prosperity urge Iraqi Christians flee. Today the Christian population in Iraq has gone down to 600,000.

Some experts reckon that 50 to 150 thousand Christian Assyrians inhabit the Iraq Kurdistan, a territory deserted by Assyrians in 1960s and 1970s towards Baghdad, Mosule and Basra in a flight from continuous dispute between Kurds and the Metropolitan government. As a result over 200 Assyrian settlements were pulled down along manuscripts and monuments scattered in dust. The territories were evacuated, in particular, the so-called "safety belt" zone. Christians at the time had to take a side, for staying out was almost impossible. There- fore the bulk of the nation extremely loyal to the government had to leave the country just not to face discrimination. However the current situation in the Iraqi Kurdistan remains tense and unstable. Abraham Shapira, the writer in the Arab press, takes to the point, "despite participation of Assyrian in the political game and in democratic institutions and also despite pledges of major " political forces of Kurdistan to secure Assyrian rights, their suffering has not ended as provocation and assault still go on."

Shapira then points to the policy of "kurdization" of Assyrian-populated areas in the form of land annexation and Kurdish settling in Assyrian villages. This policy is gaining the momentum in Kurdistan3now. The leaders of Christian minority are being terrorized and even assassinated. The most striking events were the assassination of Fransis Shabu, a Chaldean ADM deputy, on the first of July 1993, and that of Lazar Mikhu, an Iraqi communist party activist on the 17th of June, the same year .It is no doubt that such acts of terrorism were schemed to end the Assyrian political presence in the region. Some parties of the conflict put the blame on Baghdad, which allegedly seeks disaccord between Christian and Muslim communities. This assertion can be true indeed, but there is a more reasonable assertion that inside the forming civil society in Kurdistan there is some ground for mutual misunderstanding and there is also great temptation to find out who is the main and more powerful and influential ex-partner in the common struggle for sovereignty. There is an opinion that this policy is designed to diminish the political role of ADM as the most authoritative and legal representative of Christians in the region. Needless to say that the overwhelming success of ADM in the parliamentary election would mean loss of prestige and popularity of some Kurdish parties as well as of the Iraqi communist party where Christians always were highly influential.

A series of bloody political assassinations, annexation of many in 198 recently demolished Christian villages, extensive violation of human rights in the region all arouse much worry of the part of the world and nationalistic political and religious organization of Iraqi Christians. In the international organizations there is a strong belief that the authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan have missed a chance to stabilize the economy. This loss of grip on the economy has reached a dangerous level so that the Assyrian minority and Christians at large could easily be victimized in the course of political strife’s inside the Kurdish majority. At the same time the political elite of the 3 million strong Kurdish majority must now give their opinion about human rights for national and religious minorities rather than just make another promise or even declaration which once drew many minority representatives onto the orbit of Kurdish national movement. Christians would hardly be reassured if the leader of the Kurdish patriotic front (PFK), Mr. Jalal Talabani declared, II in my strong belief all the villages inhabited by Assyrians in the 20th and even in the 19th centuries must belong to their owners. In some special section of the PFK program we deliberately point out II Assyrians must return to where they once belonged..." I believe in the right of our brotherly Assyrians to regain their territories in Khakkjari, Barvari-Bala and other places they inhabited some 20, 50 or even 100 years ago. It is their natural right to it and every honest Kurd must have a wish for that. Otherwise he cannot be either a true democrat or progressively thinking individual. Some time ago I stated that in terms of law and justice the Kurdish movement is entirely dependent on how far we are ready to go in our support and encouragement of Assyrian and Turkmen rights. Actually I stand for realization of all their rights including the rights to autonomy. Why should not they? This is their natural right indeed.”4

And yet many problems are left undone, in particular the problem of the voluntary seizure of the territories, and the violation of the rights to the native language education.

France Press said that in over 100 villages in Northern Iraq Kurds have disputes with locals. Christians blame Kurds for seizure of their homes in the places demolished by president Saddam Hussein soldiers and for not letting them return to restore. Only Christians inhabited the village of Kanimasi near the Turkish border before it was demolished back in 1987. But now many Kurdish families came to find shelter among the ruins. The priest Peter PoIlus of Zakho reckons, "the core of the problem as it lies in the fact Kurds seize the Assyrian homes and prevent them from coming back to their native land."

Kurds say they do not have any choice as Arslan Akhmad, head of 30 Kurdish families who had seized the village of Kanimasi pointed out, " we climbed down from a village high in the mountains because our homes were demolished and we knew nobody would ever want to restore them." And he added, "so we are going to stay where we are until help arrives."

But those allegations are never enough to lift the doubts among the remaining Christians in the village. One of them wanted to conceal his name when he said, "I know" they will stay here forever for the land once they left is no better than ours." The minister of labor and housing in Kurdistan Yunadam Kanna, an Assyrian by birth and the ADM leader, estimates those villages at 100 and reckons that this problem is more complicated as the Iraqi government expropriated the lan"d before 1991. Though the villagers were formally compensated somehow for the loss of property but quite few have received it so far.

One hundred and twenty five Kurdish families from Masud Barzani clan settled down in Sarsang Casa. They came to live on the lands that had been expropriated from Christians before. As a matter of fact the owners received the so-called compensation from the central government. It should be just said that expropriation as conceived was a violation act against the legatine land owners, both Kurds and Assyrians. Therefore the reference to the compensation as the reason to deny the right of the owners to be back in their homes is never convincing. In terms of education the parliament decreed that Assyrians have the right to teach their native language, but nobody in the government seems really concerned. When the parliament of autonomy was in session to ratify the public education ministry act, the Assyrian proposal on setting up the Assyrian language branch inside public education ministry was declined.

Another issue that worries Christians very much is participation in general administration, executive power levels and law regulation, for it is known that ADM is in charge for administration of the region, and yet some ADM leaders assert that they wish to participate to lower levels of authority as well.5It is noteworthy that in the following four years after the March 1970 agreement with Kurds was signed and up to the early 1980s the Iraqi powers de- spite numerous justified accusations tried to keep up with the principle of proportionality of ethnic groups and assigned Assyrians to some top authorities in the territories where Christians prevailed. Today ADM has to admit that the level of their participation in the regional administration leaves much to be desired as they only hold minister of housing who lacks the authority to restore at least one of 198 demolished villages in his words or a church or complete the building of the Assyrian cultural center in the town of Dohuk, where he placed a brick stone on 28th of March 1993 to set about the construction.

Security of Assyrian parliamentarians leaves much to be desired as well besides the assassination of Shabu and Mikhu someone also attempted on Fransu Khariri's life in July 17th a year ago. He was a prominent public figure who spent a life- time to struggle for rights in the ranks of Arab and Kurdish patriotic and democratic movements.

All these events happen in the back- ground of a chronic economic slump in Iraq proper and in its northern part there- fore the Christian minority suffers as hard as the rest of the nation. But at any rate it is unjust to solve a problem by infringing upon the rights and interests of the minority.

It is urgent that the Kurdistan authorities take no time to make proper legislation including issuing of a special decree on land property in Assyrian villages demolished in the war conflict in the past few decades or deserted or where people were relocated by the central government. But the same government in its honor never infringed upon their land property right although the new authorities in Kurdistan denied this right. Therefore as long as Christians live in this autonomy, there will be ground for activity of the Assyrian dele- gates in the parliament. It should be noted that recently Christians have been seeking a political unity in the whole region. Despite the acts of terrorism against political leaders, intellectuals and ADM activists, and on the other hand, a strong tendency to immigration, the Iraqi Christians still stand on firm to declare the principle of staying in their homeland and of adherence to struggling for national and human rights.

In September 1993 a group of intellectuals in Dohuk called for a united political front which will be a useful instrument to support the minority. As the authors of this initiative presume, the current level of the national identity of Iraqi Christians have already brought them over to the idea of teaming up with various political parties and organizations. Today their collective consciousness calls them to implement the ideas of the United Front. On the whole Iraqi Christians participate actively in the Iraqi opposition under the Assyrian national flag above all in the Kurdistan front (ADM), in the free Iraq council headed by S.S. Jabre with inclusion of the Assyrian National Congress, headed by Dr .S. Dadesho, and also in the Iraqi National Congress (INC), headed by A. Chalabi, where the Assyrian delegate A. Yalda was elected a member of the 26th local executive council with INC.

This form of political cooperation makes it possible to break the deadlock over many issues brushing away contradictions that may occur in a joint struggle for democracy. The Christians of Iraq are aware of the situation ,and never seek political identity as they see their future in a strong democratic and united Iraq.

Now let us look at the South-East of Turkey, where we shall find the Turabdin region. The majority of the population a long time ago was Syro-language orthodox Jacobites. In the 1960s there were about 250,000 Assyrians. The situation changed in the 1970s when the war came into this Assyrian densely populated region. The Christians suffer harder than any other nationality as they are persecuted by either side of the conflict. In its November 173 issue in 1992 the Swedish magazine "Khouyada" published an editorial entitled as "Turabdin " .It said, " Assyrians are still being killed by Kurds in Turabdin for their loyalty to Turkey. This ferocity is very harmful and absurd and cannot be forgiven for Kurds must be aware that in this situation people cannot have a policy now, nor fight against the government just the way it is with WPK (the Working Party of Kurdistan), and other parties of the conflict. The sons of our people have no wish to live to see the disintegration of Turkey. Nor they have a special interest in WPK struggle. They only seek peace and brotherly relation between all nations in the region".6 Assyrians produce a lot of sharp criticism towards the government of Turkey for inability to secure peace and security of citizens. In the West, the problem of immigration and assimilation is very acute. Today we can conclude that the Assyrian national minority in Turkey almost has vanished. It occured in the country where official policies always brought local minorities to the brink of survival as it happens with a 14 million strong Kurdish Muslim minority. Kurds until recently were not allowed to use their native language and wear the national costume. Therefore what Assyrian Christians should expect after all. The last typical event of this kind occurred in the village of Khassane, which was demolished and the residents were relocated. At the end of the 20th century we happen to witness almost forced immigration, violence, deportation of the whole nations. Almost all 250,000 residents still inhabit 36 villages.

Turabdin is filled with government sup- ported "Khezbolla" and "rural security squads", local residents are reported to have been blackmailed or even threatened. We read a letter from some organization called "Islamic jihad." It contained a threat to re- peat what was done to Dr. Jacoub Yunatan on may 25th 1992. This 55 year old man was assassinated on the doorstep of his home.7 There is more to it, some witnesses said local areas were also raided by the Turkish regular army in a joint effort with "Khezbolla" and rural security squads. Such was an attack on the village of Miden back in July 21st 1992. The residents were all stripped naked. After this accident the residents of Turabdin would find in the mail a note with a threat to clear Turabdin in two month. Actually the same actions were undertaken in different places in Shamak. "Khezbolla " which recruited both Turks and Kurds is the major threat to the local Christian world. According to Asis Said, a Turabdin born Assyrian and chairman of Assyrian Federation of Germany and Central Europe (AFGCE) "Khezbolla" seeks to oust Christians from Turabdin (based on his lecture in Einschede, Holland)8. Alongside "Khezbolla" there are rural security squads filled with pro-governmental Kurds. The gunmen are real professionals armed with modern types of weaponry and communication. The Turkish army leaders are in control of such squads. Therefore it is the government alone that holds the responsibility for the escalation of religious intolerance especially in the wartime and a 4pm curfew. According to the poll taken in 22 Turabdin villages by AFGCE delegation where 2,242 respondents said 23% of them wanted to leave their homes immediately, 8% decided to stay on firm, 66% wished to immigrate only to their relatives. The delegation discovered that only 3,082 residents still live on in the region. Most respondents said that there is no immediate threat from WPK but as they feel any Islamic organization could be dangerous to them. Although WPK has organized several crimes (four people died in Banibal, the murder of Mr. Jerjis of Killet). Therefore Turkey saw an exodus of Christians. Whatever be, but to stop it would not be easy. 90% of the immigrants have fled to Europe. Yet a large community was set up in Stamboul. However nostalgic, Christians will never return to their homes.

The same process is going on in Syria though the conditions for Christians there are more favorable. Over a million Christians live in Syria now. Among them there are about 50,000 Assyrians who inhabit 34 villages on the upper Khabur River. They are decedents of the Assyrians who had fled from Iraq after the 1933 massacre and then some 6,000 settled down in Tel-Tarnar . Assyrians felt more comfort and peace in the French mandated Syria than in the Nearest(: Iraq. When Syria won independence from France in 1946, it entered ¥ unstable period bringing about some instants of religious intolerance and discrimination. Parents, for example, were not allowed to give Assyrian names to their children, and so on. The situation drastically changed when president Khafes Assad came into office. The Syrian population gained a lot from it, especially in the education sphere. Immigration process hardly touched upon local Christians. They live in peace (Jnd respect with the authorities and only one restriction is top level administration of the country (Bashir Saadi, a deputy in the Syrian parliament). Preservation of their own language and culture is the Assyrian issue in Syria. But the national and religious minority policy of Syria is just one lucky exception. But anyway this fact shows that Assyrians and others can live together peacefully in the near East on condition that governments should secure them their fundamental human rights.

At the current phase the role of international charity funds and amnesty organization in the world increases very high. It is a very good sign as they can be very influential and instrumental. Many Christian organizations actively participate to this work in the Diaspora. It suffices to remember that in the Diaspora the Christians of the East fall into up to seven million Lebanese, one million Copts and 1 million Assyro-Chaldeans and at least 1 million adherents to Syro- orthodox and Greek orthodox churches and Protestants of the East.

Thus, about 25 amnesty and national organizations among those are "International organization of lawyers", "The agape international”, ”American association of Copts", "Christians amnesty", "The voice of Christians in Pakistan", ” Bet- Nahrein party", "Egyptian agency of mutual aid", "Organization for belief and mutual understanding", "International research center of Islam and Christianity", "St. Stefan society", Trinity believers, "World Lebanese Organization", Zvemer institute of Islamic research, "Dorkis aid", etc. came into coalition to win human rights for Christian minorities in the Islamic surroundings in October 1993. The counseling body of the coalition gathered in Washington D.C. on 2nd of October 1993 to make a declaration of support and encouragement of the peaceful process in Israeli -Palestinian affairs (Gasa -Jerichon agreement). The counseling body reckons that final peace in the Near East can be feasible only if all the nations in the region will enjoy equal rights. The coalition called the United States of America and other powers of the world to join and use peaceful tendencies more actively to break the deadlock over the problem of African Christians in Southern Sudan, Assyrians in Iraq and Copts in Egypt. The declaration focuses on "constant process of ousting Christians from their native lands shows that the governments of some Muslim states obviously do no intend or fail to establish a plural society".

In the same vein there is the committee of Christians of the Near East or" Al Mechrik". Among activists of this organization put on in Washington D.C. the 26th of July 1992 are the Assyrian National Congress (Dr .S. Dadesho), Coptic Association of America (Dr. Karas Shawki) and the World Lebanese Organization (attorney Walid Phares). These organizations chose the coalition form of activity in their own pursuit and above all in order to let the world public know of non-Islamic minorities in the Near East. The second meeting of the committee was put on in October 1993 to discuss the problem of violation of human rights of Christian and non-Muslim minorities in Arab countries. The main focus was placed on regional contacts and ties with various political parties or organizations. which really want to work for democracy in the Near East. The committee called leading world powers to secure the legitimate right to self-determination for Assyrians in Iraq, Copts in Egypt and Christian Aramaic people in Lebanon. The committee reckon that time has come to take an urgent measure in the solution of Christian non-Arab problems just the way these problems have been tackled for Kurdish Muslim minority and Palestinians. The committee came out with a proposal to enlist Copts, Assyrian and Lebanese representatives for a regional dispute negotiation and to arrange their participation in meetings and consultations. The participants to the second meeting of " Al Mechrik" believe that justice and peace must challenge everyone without any exception. Therefore no treaty or agreement even signed would be de facto until discrimination of million non-Arab, and non-Muslim people is over. At the same time the churches of the East have been trying recently for the first time over the centuries to find contact. Some other organizations come to grips with problems of Christians in the above said region. In particular , there is unrepresentative Nations and People Organization (UNPO) where Assyrians is one of its 43 members and where former US senator J .Nimrod was reelected vice-president at its 4th Congress. And the UNPO activity gives us all a hope.

1. Christianity is still living in its hearth, in the Near East, in separate ethno confessional groups. Their specific problems remain unsettled in many spheres.

2. There is a steady tendency to immigrate in proportion that depends on pressure the minority holds from the government of majority.

countries are willing and capable to create actual models of the plural society which will be based on the great principle: "Religion for God's sake but homeland for all!"

4. In a big way their national, religious, legal and cultural prospects as well as their role in the world civilization will depend on how close they can be ethnically, politically and religiously in an effort to survive or remain identical and gain economically and culturally in ethno confessional under- standing of their neighbors in the home- land, Muslims above all.

1 Sabbakh kabouti. "Assyrian guardian", Nov. 1993 (with reference to Lebanon newspaper "Beirut Times").

2 Muhanunad Califa. Assyrians and their issive in Iraq. "AI-Khaya" (in Arabian), dated from August 11th, 1993.

3 "Ash-Shark AI-Aussat" dated from June 16,1993. 1

4 "Bet-Nahrain". Nov.1993. 2

5 "BARA" N~3. November 1983. 3

6 "Khouyada" N~173, November 1992. 14

7 "Shemsho"'.N229. September 1992 (Holland) B "Shemsho".N232. January-February 1993 (Holland).

8 "Shemsho", No32, January-February 1993 (Holland)