Although the Middle East existed for centuries as a majority-Christian region, many now commonly call it "the Muslim world." Its Christian past, as well as its indigenous non-Muslim communities, are often ignored. One such community is the Assyrians, also known as Syriacs. Ancient Mesopotamia was home to a number of different groups of peoples and civilizations.
Munich -- The Higher Regional Court in Munich has convicted an Iraqi couple, both former members of the Islamic State (ISIS), of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes for their role in the enslavement and torture of two Yezidi girls from Shigur (Sinjar / Shengal) during ISIS's control of territories in Iraq and Syria. The court sentenced the husband, identified as H. S.
Israel has suspended a planned parliamentary vote that would have formally recognized the Assyrian Genocide 1915, which acknowledges only the Armenian victims, delaying a decision that many had viewed as a historic shift in Israeli policy and prompting renewed calls for equal recognition of the Assyrian and Pontic Greek genocides.
Assyrian communities across Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia) and the diaspora celebrated the annual Nusardil holiday -- also known as the Feast of God and the Apostles -- with religious services, cultural festivities, and traditional water-splashing celebrations, bringing together families and children in an atmosphere of joy and fellowship.
A carved stone slab standing roughly six feet tall and bearing royal inscriptions from ancient Nineveh has given researchers new material to reconstruct how Neo-Assyrian kings built, marked, and later dismantled their monumental architecture.
Beirut -- Lebanese architect, historian and author Dr. Amine Jules Iskandar, president of the Maronite Union-Tur Levnon (Mount Lebanon), is calling for a renewed commitment to the Syriac language, arguing that its preservation is inseparable from safeguarding Lebanon's historical identity, Christian heritage and cultural continuity.