Assyrians in the Middle East: A Future in Limbo?

[TomSea]

Assyrians in the Middle East: A Future in Limbo?


Iraqi Christian Assyrians hold the Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa) flag, as they celebrate their New Year (Aketo), in the Kurdish city of Dohuk, some 430 km (260 miles) northwest of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on April 1, 2019. ( AFP)

In the wake of the American-led intervention in Iraq in 2003, and, later, when the Syrian uprising turned into a civil war in 2011, the issue of Christian minorities in the Middle East has increasingly gained international attention resulting from the targeted violence they have experienced in both countries.

Among these communities are the Assyrians who trace their history back to early Christianity in today's Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. According to Joseph Yacoub, sociologist and historian specialized in Eastern Christians, human rights and minorities, the denomination of 'Assyrians' raises several questions as the word is often used not only to encompass Assyrians but also Chaldeans and Syriacs. "If we include both communities living in the Middle East and the diaspora, we may consider that there are between 2 million and 3 million Assyrians, Chaldeans and Syriacs in the world. Yet there are no official statistics," he said.

Assyrians, Chaldeans and Syriacs (ACS) claim they descend from Assyria, one of the oldest civilizations in the world dating back to 2,500 BC in ancient Mesopotamia. The majority lives around their historical homeland in the Middle East. They also constitute an important community in the diaspora, in particular in Sweden (100,000), Germany (100,000), the United States (80,000) and Australia (46,000).

Read more at; http://aina.org/news/20190625182102.htm