For Immediate Release
On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, a horrific accident at an Assyrian wedding in Bakhdida,
Iraq took the lives of many Assyrians who were attending the event. On behalf of the
Assyrian Universal Alliance and Assyrians worldwide we express our deepest condolences
to the families of the victims, the Syriac Catholic Church and the Iraqi people.
We appreciate the efforts of His Excellency Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, the Prime Minister
of Iraq, for his swift action to designate a committee to investigate this accident. We thank
the Honorable Najim Abdullah al-Jubouri, the governor of Nineveh, for his immediate
response to assist the victims and their families.
We call upon the central government of Iraq to enforce the laws required for the safety of all
Iraqi citizens.
The Executive Board
Assyrian Universal Alliance
Monday, August 7, 2023
His Excellency Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani
Prime Minister
Republic of Iraq
His Excellency Mr. Al Sudani,
August 7 marks the 90th anniversary of the Semele Massacre, when in August 1933 thousands of unarmed innocent indigenous Assyrians, including children, women, and men were slaughtered by the newly established Iraqi Kingdom army. The Semele Massacre, targeting the Assyrians, was designed to destroy and dismantle the resettlement of the Assyrians on their ancestral lands in Northern Iraq. The massacre occurred despite the fact that Assyrians remained loyal to Iraq.
To honor the souls of the Iraqi Assyrians that were mercilessly murdered in that massacre, our request from His Excellency is as following:
I thank you for considering these items and acting on them. I will be more than happy to provide you with information in support of each of these items. I look forward to meeting you in person upon your availability.
Most respectfully,
Carlo K. Ganjeh
Secretary General
For Immediate Release:
On July 7, 2023, the President of Iraq, The Honorable Abdul Latif Rashid, issued a decree removing Cardinal Mar Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church Worldwide, from overseeing the endowment of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq. The Chaldean Catholic Church, one of the Assyrian Eastern rites of Christianity, has held control over church properties and other religious affairs, including but not limited to inheritance and marriage, for centuries.
The withdrawal of the 2013 executive order by President Abdul Latif Rashid is discriminatory against Assyrians, the true indigenous people of Iraq, and disrespects the long-standing tradition in the Islamic world of respect for the Assyrian people.
We call upon the President of Iraq to immediately restore the 2013 Executive Order made by his predecessor and ask the House of Representatives to immediately pass a law codifying the executive order to prevent such actions from being repeated in the future.
Assyrian Universal Alliance
Executive Board
His Excellency Abdul Latif Rashid
President
Republic of Iraq
His Excellency Abdul Latif Rashid,
We are writing to you regarding the recent changes to the Iraqi electoral laws that affect the
Assyrian voters, potentially disenfranchising them in this and future elections in Iraq. Assyrians,
who are indigenous people of Iraq and a remnant of the once great Assyrian empire encompass
varied ethnicities inclusive of Syriacs and Chaldeans, that reside in Iraq and the middle-east in
general. Currently, the Assyrians of Iraq are erroneously recognized as a religious minority by
the Iraqi constitution instead of a historical and indigenous component of the country.
While monitoring the Iraqi electoral process we have observed that prominent Iraqi political
entities in Baghdad and north Iraq have abused the five parliamentary quota seats allocated to
the Assyrians under the perilous Christian designation. This flawed system allows nonmembers
of the indigenous Assyrian people to vote for the representatives of Assyrians, disenfranchising
the Assyrian voters, delaying parliamentarian elections and disrespecting the electoral laws that
result in significant impairment of all Iraqi political processes.
We, respectfully, request that your office deliberate and enact the following changes to the Iraqi
electoral laws to address this flaw:
We look forward to observing fundamental changes in this regard under your prudent
leadership. In the meantime, we request a meeting with you to discuss this and other matters
pertaining to the Assyrians in person.
Respectfully
Carlo K. Ganjeh
Secretary General
Assyrian Universal Alliance
We, the Assyrian Universal Alliance, wholeheartedly condemn this incident and express our sincere
disgust at this appalling action alongside the entire Muslim community.
The incident in Sweden occurred under the protection of the Swedish police, suggesting the event
was permitted pursuant to unrestricted freedom of speech, and irrespective of other values. Indeed,
the individual freedoms, irrespective of judicial laws, are gifts from our creator. However, this does
not mean that anyone should insult the other members of the human family through denigrating
their faith and beliefs. It is unfortunate that our world has slipped into pockets of extreme ideologies
that give rise to such despicable actions.
Again, the Assyrian Universal Alliance expresses its utter repugnance with the inexcusable action
of this individual, and condemns all such vile acts.
Executive Board
Assyrian Universal Alliance
Tammuz First
Nationalism is a commitment to ideas among a group of people who share a common ethnicity, culture, language, history and territory. Using symbols and ceremonies to espouse such ideas, nationalist movements help bring people together to express the solidarity of a nation. For any group of people, the hope of survival is attached closely to a geographical territory.
Because of forced mass migration of Assyrians within the last century, the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) has recognized the need to strengthen our nation’s connection to our ancestral homeland of Assyria. At its 25th World Congress in Sweden, the AUA passed a resolution to recognize the First of Tammuz as Assyria Day in order to remind our scattered people that we as Assyrians cannot and should not forget the historic glory of our nation and must believe that one day Assyrians will again live in our ancestral homeland of Assyria in peace and harmony with our neighbors.
The historic Assyria is located in northern Iraq, stretching east to Lake Urmia in Iran, north to the Turkish Harran, Edessa, Diyarbakir, Lake Van and the mountains of Hakkâri, and west to Syria. Archeological sites confirm our claims to these regions. Until the beginning of WWI, the Assyrian population remained settled in these historic lands but because of targeted persecution and systematic massacres, Assyrians were forced to move to new areas. Within the last half century, mass migration of Assyrians to western countries has created a humanitarian crisis that no world government has yet aimed to resolve.
Today Assyria is occupied by people who do not share political or historical rights to the land. The government of Iraq has failed to recognize the constitutional right of indigenous Assyrians to establish a province for them on their ancestral lands in the northern territories of the country. To date Iraq’s government and those of neighboring states have failed to recognize the potential for peace and harmony the establishment of an Assyrian province could provide. Precious Assyrian archeological sites and pieces are being destroyed or stolen from the with minimal deterrence by states in an attempt to eradicate the centuries of historic claims Assyrians of Iraq hold to their ancestral lands.
Today we as children of Assyria have a responsibility to remember the beautiful homeland of our forefathers, the ultimate destination for our scattered nation.
Assyrian Universal Alliance
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We wish that the year 6772 will be a year of success for our beloved Assyrian
Nation. The Assyrian New Year is one of the oldest celebrations in human history. A
New Year is a new beginning for nature and our sole. We will put all the challenges
of the previous year behind us and will continue to build a stronger future for
Assyrians around the world and our beloved Assyria.
A New Year requires us to review our achievements and failures. It requires us to
learn from our mistakes, and it requires us to be humble in order to serve our beloved
Assyrian Nation.
Happy Assyrian New Year
Assyrian Universal Alliance
RE: Assyrian Martyrs Day
For immediate release
Each year on August 7th (SHAVA B’DTABBAKH ܫܒܥܐ ܒܛܒܚ) ܼܿ Assyrians worldwide honor those
who lost their lives in preservation of our culture and legacy; in Assyrian, we call this (YOMA
D’SAHDE ܝܘܡܐ ܕܣܗܕܐ) Martyrs Day, in recognition of their sacrifice.
August 7th was originally established for this annual observance in 1970 by the Assyrian Universal
Alliance (AUA) in memory of the 1933 massacre in Simele, Iraq. In the decades since, the observance
and honor given on Assyrian Martyrs Day has expanded to encompass not only those who perished in
Simele, but also the Assyrians who were martyred during the Ottoman genocide between 1915-1918
(SEYFO ܤܝܦܐ) and all those who have died defending the Assyrian heritage and identity, including
the Assyrians who continue to be martyred today.
To call (SHAVA B’DTABBAKH ܫܒܥܐ ܒܛܒܚ) a day of mourning or a day of remembrance is
incomplete; these characterizations do not fully express the anguish and weight of martyrdom nor the
deep reverence in which these brave, selfless men and women are held by their descendants and cultural
heirs.
In Assyrian, (SAHDA ܣܗܕܐ) means martyr and shares a root with the word for witness. Those who
died in defense of the Assyrian right to existence were martyred for the sake of future generations, and
their sacrifice bears witness to how dearly they held the Assyrian language, culture, ethnic identity,
community, and way of life. In turn, we must bear witness to their martyrdom and not allow the gravity
of their sacrifice to be diluted by calling (SHAVA B’DTABBAKH ܫܒܥܐ ܒܛܒܚ) anything other
than what it is: Assyrian Martyrs Day, a day to honor our martyrs.
Therefore, on behalf of Assyrians globally, the AUA unequivocally states that any references,
memorandums, documents, resolutions, or releases from any legislative, charitable, political, public,
or private entities worldwide relating to the celebration and recognition of Assyrian martyrs on August
7th shall refer to this annual observance by none other than its official name: Assyrian Martyrs Day.
Executive Board
Assyrian Universal Alliance