Gregorios John Bar Hebreaus

 

Testimonies of the brilliant historians of the Syrian Church of Antioch on the Aramean origin of our nation, Synonymy: Aramean/Syrian.

 

 

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Question: Who were the ancient Assyrians? Were they simply one ethnicity or a composition of many nations/ tribes?

 

Who made the East- Aramean Nestorians known as "Assyrians"?

 

SUA/WCA and allowing terrorism

 

Arameans of Syria.

 

Arameans of Turkey

 

Arameans of Iraq.

 

Aramean history, history, culture and language, a six partite interview

 

Colonialism, “Assyrianism”, terrorism, occultism, downfall of the Aramean nation in the Middle-East and their Diaspora.

 


 

21-1-2013: Iraq: Aramean teacher and student killed in Mosul

 

22-2-2012: Iraq: We have left behind a "sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq"

 

26-10-2011: “Liberation” Iraq: Extermination Aramean Christians. “Liberation” Egypt: burning churches and slaughtering of Coptic Christians

 

19-8-2011: Iraq and Arameans: The usual ritual, blowing up their churches

 

7-6-2011: The uproar in the Middle-East and the future of the Aramean nation

 

29-4-2011: “Liberation” of Iraq: Extermination of Arameans of Iraq “Liberation” of Syria…..?????..

 

23-11-2010: Aramean blood continue to flow in Iraq: Two Aramean brothers killed in Mosul

 

11-11-2010: An Aramean spiritual leader makes a dramatic appeal: Leave Iraq

 

1-11-2010: Bloodbath among the Arameans of Baghdad: Something like this never happened

 

5-10-2010: Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns in strong words the terrorist attack on the Aramean Catholic church in Baghdad

 

17-5-2010: Iraq: The 19 years old Aramean girl Sandy Shabib Hadi Zahra succumbs to her injuries

 

10-3-2010: Exodus Arameans from Mosul: According to recent UN report more than 5000 Arameans have left Mosul

 

6-3-2010: Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch condemns the attacks on the Aramean Christians of Mosul

 

3-3-2010: Exodus of the Arameans of Mosul continues undiminished: According to UN report already 720 Aramean families (4320 people) have left Mosul

 

1-3-2010: Peaceful demonstration on Sunday 28th of February 2010 by the Aramean Orthodox and Catholics in Baghdeda (Qaraqosh), northern Iraq

 

27-2-2010: Council of Churches in Iraq appeals to the government to protect the Aramean people in Mosul, Iraq

 

26-2-2010: The Arameans of Mosul: A new Exodus and Ethnic cleansing is going on

 

18-2-2010: The Arameans of Iraq again victim of killings and bloodbaths:

 

24-12-2009: A Christmas “message” for the Arameans of Mosul: Four Aramean Churches attacked and one Aramean killed

 

26-10-2009: Exactly one month and one day after the dramatic appeal of Iraqi President to the United Nations, two car bombs were detonated in the neighborhood of the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq

 

1-9-2009: Arameans of Iraq: The East- Aramean Chaldean bishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk sounds the alarm bell

 

29-8-2009: Totally unfounded or has it a grain of truth in it? Greater- Israel and the ethnic cleansing of the Arameans of Mosul and surroundings in Iraq

 

14-7-2009: The Special UN envoy to Iraq, Mr. Ad Melkert, wants extra protection for the Aramean Christians in Iraq

 

13-7-2009: Seven Indigenous Aramean Churches in Baghdad (Iraq) attacked by car bombs

 

4-5-2009: Aramean blood continues to flow in Iraq…

 

15-11-2008: Iraq: The bloodshed of Aramean people and bombardment of churches continues undiminished

 

27-10-2008: Attempt of ethnic cleansing Mosul: The Aramean Srebrinica. Who is responsible and why?

 

14-10-2008: Aramean indigenous nation of Iraq: Removal of article 50, exclusion, killings, persecutions, displacements and ethnic cleansing in Mosul erea

 

2-9-2008: Again two Arameans killed in Iraq

 

Killing of Priest Yusuf Adel Abudi

4-5-2008: Again a Aramean spiritual leader is killed in Iraq. This time: The West- Aramean Syrian orthodox priest Yusuf Adel Abudi in Bagdad

 

11-4-2008: Through all the misery: Miracles happens in Iraq

 

6-4-2008: Funeral of the West- Aramean Syrian Orthodox Priest Yusuf Adel Abudi

 

Killing of Mgr. Faraj Raho

1-3-2008: East- Aramean Chaldean bishop of Mosul, Mgr. Paulus Faraj Raho was abducted on 29-2-2008 in Mosul.

 

13-3-2008: The East- Aramean Chaldean bishop Paulus Faraj Raho killed in Mosul

 

14-3-2008: Friday 14-3-2008: Funeral of Mgr. Faraj Raho in St. Addai Church in Karemlesh

 

16-3-2008: Mgr. Paulus Faraj Raho: A Great Spiritual Leader and a Worthy Sheppard in Charge of Jesus Christ

 

23-2-2008: Aramean centre for art and culture has been opened in Ankawa, northern Iraq

 

7-1-2008: Aramean Churches and institutions in Iraq under Attack

 

22-8-2007: AINA: The international lie- and hate machine and the cause of killing, persecution and decline of the Arameans of Iraq

 

Killing of Priest Ragied Aziz Gannie

3-6-2007: East- Aramean Chaldean priest Ragied Aziz Gannie brutally murdered in Mosul along with three deacons by Muslim extremists

 

25-5-2007: Terror against Arameans (including "Assyrians" and Chaldeans) of Iraq. Ethnic cleansing of the Indigenous people of Iraq

 

Killing of Isoh Majeed Hadaya

22-11-2006: The West- Aramean Isoh Majeed Hadaya killed by terrorists in Iraq

 

Killing of Priest Paulus Iskandar

12-10-2006: Aramean priest Iskandar beheaded in Mosul (Iraq)

Aramean people: Aramean people (not to be confused with ‘Armenians’) speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Abraham, Moses and Jesus. They are the indigenous people of what was called in ancient times Aram- Nahrin, in our days it is called ‘Mesopotamia’.

Some Arameans today identify themselves with “Assyrians”, because of the spiritual colonial hate generating activities of the Western missionaries and diplomats in the Middle-East in 16th and 19th centuries. Other Arameans became known as “Chaldeans”. However all of them are Arameans.

In Turkey, the Arameans are called: Süryani. In Arabic they are called Al- Suryan.


The Aramaic Democratic Organisation (ArDO), Aram-Naharaim Organisation and the three bishops of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Iraq sent a letter to the Iraqi government.

 

Dutch Version

 

On 29 of August 2007, the Arameans of Aram-Naharaim Organisation together with the Aramaic Democrtaic Organsiation and the three bishops of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch in Iraq sent a letter to the Iraqi government to ask for their attention to the situation of the Arameans of Iraq. The letter has been sent to President Calal Talabani, Prime Minister Nuri Kamel al- Maliki and the minister of foreign affairs Hoshyar Zebari.

 

Please find below the letter which has been sent along with a historical survey on the Iraqi Christians (the same letter has been sent to Calal Talabani and Hosyhar Zebari).

 

A modified version of this letter we also sent to the Kurdistan Regional Government, namely President Mashud Barzani and Premier Nechirvan Barzani.

 

(http://www.iraqichristians.org/English/Letter_Kurdistan_Regional_Government_29_8_2007.htm)


 

Nr.: 2007-08-29/17

 

Iraq, Baghdad: 29th of August 2007

 

Subject: 

1. Request for inclusion of the Indigenous Aramean Christian people of Iraq in the constitution

2 .  Our position on the so-called “Safe haven” for Christians.

3 .    Help protect our people to stay in Iraq.

 

To the Most Honorable Mr. Nouri Kamel al-Maliki

Prime Minister of Republic of Iraq

The Greene Zone

Baghdad, Iraq

 

Your Excellency:

 

The Arameans of Aram-Naharaim organisation is an international cultural and human rights organization to defend worldwide interests of the indigenous Christian Aramean (not to be confused with Armenians) people of Mesopotamia who have been present in the Cradle of Civilization for thousands of years. This ancient Semitic people, now divided into several denominations and spread throughout the Middle East, amount to approximately 8 million people worldwide.

 

The three archbishops of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch in Iraq write you this letter together with the Aramaic Democratic Organisation (ArDO) and the Arameans of Aram-Naharaim organisation to make you aware of the indigenous Christian Aramean people in Iraq and ask your sincere help to include them in the new Iraqi constitution. Secondly, we wish to present our views concerning the so-called “safe haven” for Christians as proposed by some people. And finally we ask for your help to protect our people to stay in Iraq.

 

In order to introduce our people in short to you, we have prepared a historical overview about the indigenous Aramean people including the testimonies of the brilliant historians of both the West-Syrian and the East-Syrian Church of Antioch. The historical overview discusses the Aramean origin of the various denominations which, today, are labelled with exotic names because of the intervention of the Western missionaries in the 16th and 19th centuries.

 

Your Excellency, as it may be known to you, the Aramean Indigenous people have made significant contributions to world civilizations, in particular through their Aramaic language, spoken by Abraham, Moses and Jesus Christ. This is perhaps best summarized by an eminent scholar from Oxford University who says, “…it is undeniable that the simple Aramaic alphabet of 22 letters has had the most extraordinary impact on the development of alphabetic writing systems throughout the world. Indeed, it is very hard to imagine how human culture and scientific learning could have progressed without it…”[1]…… It is thus without doubt one of the greatest gifts of the Aramean peoples to world culture. [2]

Unfortunately, the contribution of the Aramean people to world civilization is not recognized in the new Iraqi constitution, for they are presently excluded from it. In Article 124 we read, “This Constitution shall guarantee the administrative, political, cultural and educational rights for the various nationalities, such as Turkmen, Caldeans, Assyrians and all other components. A law shall regulate this

 

The second issue which we wish to bring to your attention is the so-called “safe haven” for Christians.

It came to our attention that some individuals (in the West) are talking about “safe haven” for Christians in Iraq in the Nineve- Plan, without our knowledge, approval or consultation with us. These individuals present themselves as being the “spokesmen” for all the Iraqi Christians, which is simply not true. In addition they label our nation with strange identities, which are not ours!

 

Our position in the matter of the “safe haven” is this one: We the three archbishops of the West- Aramean Syrian Church of Antioch, representing around 80.000 adherents, reject categorically the creation of a so-called “safe haven” for Christians. The reason is: Taking into account the present fragile situation of Iraq, this “safe haven” would certainly not be appreciated by some groups who oppose democracy and would seize every opportunity to create more chaos and anarchy, for they may consider the so-called “safe haven” as a threat. In addition they could use this as an excuse to commit atrocities against our nation, churches and other significant buildings. Such further fragmentation of Iraq will only contribute to more chaos, anarchy and problems in the country.

 

What we need in Iraq is peace, unity, stability and further implementation of democratic process and human rights, and such a “haven” for Christians would, to our view, not contribute to the realization of these important goals.

 

Our wish is that Iraq should remain united so that all the Iraqi people, regardless of their ethnicity and religion, can live together on the basis of love, respect, dignity, peace, brotherhood and mutual understanding. These are the principals we stand for!

 

Furthermore, these individuals present themselves with strange names invented and imposed by the outsiders, for political and religious reasons, who came to the Middle-East in the 16th and 19th centuries [3] and fragmented our nation in various sects to weaken us. Many of these people live in the relative luxury West, meaning they are far removed from the people they claim to represent and they do not have the slightest idea about the present situation in Iraq.

Their actions only make the situation worse for our people. Therefore, please ignore these individuals who certainly do not represent the Aramean indigenous nation of Iraq.

 

As to us, your Excellency, we wish to remain faithful to our forefathers who all testify of the Aramean origin of our nation, as explained on page 5-12 of the Historical Survey, and don’t want to be labeled by strange names[3] invented by the outsiders who were unaware of the Aramean Heritage of at least 3000 years (as recently recorded in the Multimedia project the Hidden Pearl).[1] Our church fathers and scholars have excelled one by one in their wisdom and knowledge in comparison with their contemporaries and enlightened the world of their time, not only with theological knowledge but also with the regular science. [4]

 

Those who do not truly remain faithful to the roots of their forefathers will, to our view, not be able to fully understand and cooperate with other nations on the basis of love, respect, equality and dignity.

 

Request

 

The Aramean people are peaceful minded, living according to the ten commandments, showing respect, dignity and love to their neighbours and always respecting the law of the countries in which they reside. They show others the example of love and brotherhood. In contrast to other peoples they never resorted to the path of intolerance, fanaticism and violent uprising. On the contrary their motto has always been: loving and respecting your neighbour like yourself!

We finally hope that you have noticed our sincere concern regarding the situation of our people in Iraq and humbly request the following:

The saying, “Unknown, Unloved” is very well applicable to the situation of our nation, for many people are not familiar with the Aramean nation of Iraq, because they are excluded from the Iraqi constitution.

 

Therefore, in order to be able to attain their minimal fundamental human rights in new Iraq, to preserve, maintain and promote the genuine Aramean heritage and to do justice to the historical facts as well as to the testimonies of the revered scholars of the church of Antioch, it is of utmost importance to include the Aramean indigenous Christian people in the new Iraqi constitution. This will help to remove them from their current anonymity and help them to be recognized as an important part of the new Iraq.

 

The abduction and beheading of our beloved and peaceful minded brother Rev. Paulus Iskandar on October 11, 2006 has shocked and paralysed our nation entirely. To our dismay, on 22nd of November 2006 Mr. Isoh Majeed Hadaya, the president of Syriac Independent Movement Assembly (SIMA) in Iraq, was brutally killed in Baghdeda. On June 3, 2007 again our nation was shocked by the killing of the East- Aramean Chaldean priest Ragied Aziz Ganie along with three deacons. This shows to us that the perpetrators of these horrible acts are not familiar with love, brotherhood and respect. Therefore we forgive them and pray for them so that the Lord God may put His love in their hearts and open their eyes to learn what real love means.

We are convinced that the vast majority of Iraqi people want peace, love, stability and respect for everyone. Therefore we believe that the perpetrators do not represent the view of the peaceful minded Iraqi nation, but rather may be influenced by outsiders who have no interest in a stable and prosperous Iraq with basic human rights values and standards.

 

On the other hand we also believe that the exclusion of our nation from the Iraqi constitution may have contributed partly to these shocking events. The last worrisome point which we wish to bring to your attention is that our people are fleeing from Iraq because of insecurity, threats and confiscation of their hearth and home by those who have no interest in a stable and prosperous Iraq. In this way, Iraq is slowly but surely being cleaned of its original inhabitants, who have been living for thousands of years in this part of the world, which also became known as the cradle of civilization.

 

We pray that the Lord God may increase your wisdom, strength and insights in order to lead Iraq through these difficult times.

We hope and pray that under your leadership and that of your colleagues, Iraq may become beacon of human rights, democracy, prosperity, equality and mutual understanding between all Iraqis and a shining example throughout the Middle-East.

 

Respectfully yours;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gabriel Sengo

President

Arameans of Aram-Naharaim Organisation, P.O. Box 178, 7550 AD, Hengelo(Ov.) ; Netherlands

 

 

Endorsed and approved by:

 

The three archbishops of the West- Aramean Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch in Iraq, representing around 80,000 adherents:

 

 

Mgr. Saverius Jamil Hawa, Metropolitan of Baghdad and Basra Archdiocese

Mgr. Gregorius Saliba Shamoun, Metropolitan of Mosul Archdiocese and environs,

Mgr. Timotheos Mousa Al- Shamani, Metropolitan of Mor Matta Archdiocese and the most

 

 

 

The Aramaic Democratic Organisation (ArDO)

Mr. Gaby Gallo

President

 

 

 


 

 

Footnotes:

 

[1]       Multimedia Project: The Hidden Pearl, Volume I, Page 58

The Hidden Pearl covers Three thousands years of Aramean history, culture and faith. http://www.aramnaharaim.org/English/film_arameans.htm

If you are interested in a copy of the Hidden Pearl please let us know, we would be honoured to                                              provide you with a copy

[2]       Idem [1]; page 27

[3]       The Western missionaries and the division within the Aramean people:

http://www.aramnahrin.org/English/Aramean_Spiritual_Genocide.htm

[4]       Page 5-12 of the Historical survey. These testimonies are also available online:

https://www.aramnahrin.org/English/Testimonies-Aramean-scholars.htm

 

 


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Letters to governments and international institutions

 

Arabic Translations: 

 الترجمات العربية

 

Aramean Spiritual/ Physical Genocide

 

Fake News on the Aramean nation:

 Arameans in the Media

 


 

27-10-2012: Iraqi Aramean leader mourns on languishing away of Aramean presence… unseen hand… our concerns … the New World Order (NWO)… Paradigm Shift… Petrus Romanus…..

 

29-12-2010: Arameans of Iraq: persecutions, massacres, plundering and ethnic cleansing. Who is reaping profit from this bloodshed? Who is responsible for this? The real murderers of the Arameans of Iraq.

 

23-3-2010: Aramean Organizations sent a letter to the United Nations and ask for the protection of the Aramean people of Iraq

 

14-1-2010: Aramean organizations sent a letter to the President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, His Excellency Juan Evo Morales Ayma

 

1-12-2009: Aramean Organizations sent a letter to the new elected president of the European Union

 

24-8-2009: Cardinal Emmanuel Delly of the East- Aramean Chaldean Church of Babylon in Iraq denounces the proposed fake name "Chaldean- Syrian- Assyrians"

 

26-11-2008: Aramean Organisations sent a letter to President-elect Barack Obama: Help the persecuted Aramean people of the Middle-East, focusing on Iraq

 

31-10-2008: Aramean organizations’ appeal to the United Nations: Help to prevent ethnic cleansing Iraq of its Aramean indigenous nation

 

28-10-2008: Patriarch Emmanuel Delly of the Chaldean Church of Babylon in Iraq affirms the Aramean origin of the Iraqi Christians

 

10-14 August 2009: Aram-Naharaim attends the annual meeting of the UN Expert Mechanism On the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Statement on the situation of the Aramean people in Syria, Turkey and Iraq

 

10-5-2008: Aramean Organisations ask United Nations for help to protect the Aramean clergy and Aramean Indigenous people of Iraq

 

25-4-2008: Aramean Organisations ask for protection of Aramean spiritual leaders in Iraq

 

29-8-2007: The Aramaic Democratic Organisation (ArDO), Aram-Naharaim Organisation and the three bishops of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Iraq sent a letter to the Iraqi government

 

28-8-2007: The Aramaic Democratic Organisation (ArDO), Aram-Naharaim Organisation and the three bishops of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Iraq sent a letter to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)

 

22-8-2007: Aram-Nahrin sends a letter to President George Bush, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Gordon Brown

 

19-4-2007: The three Archbishops of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch in Iraq, together with the Arameans of Aram-Naharaim Foundation and the Aramaic Democratic Organization (ArDO) in action for the Aramean people in Iraq

 

31 July - 4 August 2006: Aram-Naharaim attends the 24th session of the Working Group on the Indigenous Populations

 

* Aramaic language in danger: Shall the language of Abraham, Moses and Jesus disappear?

 

* The situation of Aramean people in the complex conflict of Iraq: They are excluded from the Iraqi constitution.

 

* Proposal: Media Ombudsman for Indigenous Peoples.

 

* Report of Aram-Naharaim: A great success for the Aramean cause …. the Arameans and the UN…..

 

20-10-2005: Aram-Naharaim in action for the Arameans in Iraq

 

30-9-2005: Letter sent to the US Embassy by the three Archbishops of the Syrian orthodox Church of Antioch in Iraq and the Arameans of Aram-Naharaim Organization

 

18-22 July 2005: Aram-Naharaim attends the 23rd session of the Working Group on the Indigenous Populations: A statement on “Spiritual Colonialism and the decline of the Indigenous Aramean people of Aram-Nahrin”

 

19-23 July 2004: Aram-Naharaim attends the 22nd session of the Working Group on the Indigenous Populations. Statement: The exclusion and discrimination of the Indigenous Aramean people of Mesopotamia (Aram-Naharaim)