On November 17th, Mr. Henry Hyde, the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International Relations, met with Assyrian American constituents and supporters in Chicago. In response to a question regarding the anticipated next phase in the American war on terrorism, Mr. Hyde asserted that he believed a confrontation with Iraq would likely be next. Mr. Hyde pointed out that grave American concerns regarding the possible reconstituted ability of Iraq to develop weapons of mass destruction had been heightened since UN arms inspectors had been expelled from Iraq three years ago. Mr. Hyde's comments echoed a growing chorus of similar statements by other US administration officials and preceded a renewed call by President George Bush for Iraq to allow UN arms inspectors back into Iraq on November 26.

Assyrians remain deeply concerned about their situation in Iraq. With estimates of 1.5-2 million Assyrians, including Chaldeans and Syriacs,  living in Iraq, Assyrians constitute the third largest demographic group in the country. Yet, despite a rich and distinct heritage that predates the Arabization of the region, Assyrians in Iraq are still not recognized constitutionally as a people; rather, the Iraqi constitution only officially recognizes Arabs and Kurds as inhabitants in Iraq. Consequently, Assyrians are recognized only as a Christian religious minority and are referred to as "Christian Arabs." Those Assyrians promoting greater awareness suffer intense persecution by the government while the community as a whole suffers oppression1 with suffocating restrictions on cultural, linguistic, and religious expression. In the 1960's and 1970's, the government in Baghdad executed a campaign to ethnically cleanse Assyrians from northern Iraq by destroying over 200 villages in the north. Dozens of churches were also destroyed, some of which were veritable ancient historic treasures in their own right.

Regrettably, the treatment of Assyrians by the self- described democratic Iraqi opposition has not been significantly better. The Iraqi opposition including the Iraqi National Congress (INC) has consistently failed to adequately address Assyrian calls for respect and fair representation (AINA, 9-25-1999, 11-9-1999, 12-18-1999). The Assyrian community in the northern UN Safe Haven have faced a terror campaign by the Kurdish paramilitary organizations occupying Assyrian areas. Although Assyrians have successfully fought for greater political expression and for the formation of Assyrian language schools in northern Iraq, Assyrian organizations as well as human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have documented extensive abuses against Assyrians including assassinations of Assyrian political leaders and extensive land expropriations. Unarmed Assyrian villagers continue to face terror campaigns and abductions designed to drive them from their homes and further ethnically cleanse the region of Assyrians. Since the Gulf War, most of the 200 Assyrian villages razed by the government have been illegally occupied by Kurdish tribes tied to the ruling paramilitary parties while another 50 villages have been occupied in whole or in part by Kurds. These 250 villages must be returned to their rightful Assyrian owners.

For their part, Assyrian political organizations are poised to launch a major diplomatic campaign to assure constitutional recognition and representation of Assyrians in anticipation of any future Iraqi governmental reforms. As one Assyrian political analyst noted, that the Assyrians, including Chaldeans and Syriacs, are one indigenous ethnic group in Iraq is self-evident, but constitutional recognition of this fact is by no means a trivial metaphysical concept, and carries profound implications. "All other rights-whether they be political or cultural- are founded first and foremost on constitutional recognition." With official constitutional recognition, other Assyrian concerns can be appropriately legally and politically addressed including greater cultural expression, religious freedom, teaching of the Assyrian language, and preservation of historically Assyrian lands. Even the fundamental issue of the return of expropriated Assyrian villages begins first with official constitutional recognition.

Having suffered persecution and disenfranchisement by both the government and Iraqi opposition, Assyrians have also determined that a carefully delineated Assyrian Safe Haven established in the environs of historically Assyrian areas is absolutely necessary to the security and survival of the Assyrians in Iraq. The establishment of an Assyrian area would allow greater local Assyrian administration within the context of an integrated, sovereign Iraqi state. An Assyrian area would entail greater Assyrian political, educational, linguistic, religious, and cultural expression while serving to safeguard Assyrians from continued terror campaigns aimed at cleansing the region of Assyrians. 

Throughout the last two decades of war and turmoil in Iraq, Assyrians in Iraq  have remained steadfastly loyal to the people of Iraq. Yet, ironically, during this same time, the Assyrians among all of the other peoples in Iraq have suffered perhaps the greatest persecution and oppression -- most dramatically highlighted by the malicious lack of constitutional recognition. Till now, Assyrians wish to live in peace with their neighbors in an atmosphere of mutual respect.  Assyrians wish to contribute to the nurturing of greater tolerance and diversity in a sovereign, democratic and secular Iraq. The litmus test for the realization of a genuinely free, democratic, and pluralistic Iraq deserving of international support remains a simple one: the fair constitutional recognition of Assyrians, including Chaldeans and Syriacs, as a distinct indigenous ethnic people in Iraq.

¹ Click here for information on the persecution of Assyrians: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. See also the following human rights reports: AINA Report on Assyrian Human Rights, Amnesty International report on Assyrian Human Rights.