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Opposition fails to stop strong war memorial support

 بیوگرافـــــــی شــــــاهین نــــــــجفی

Tribute to Assyrian veterans

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Archdiocese of Australia and NZ: Ordinations in Sydney diocese

Agassi's redemption song

Enduring a rocky relationship with an overbearing father, Mike Agassi, a former Iranian Olympic boxer of Armenian-Assyrian descent, the future champion was

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فلسفه اي زيبا در مورد ادبيات و سياست هست که مشتاق هستم قدري براي خوانندگان بازش کنم ، اگر ما در هر دوره و هر قرن و يا در هر کشور و يا تاريخي که مطالعه کنيم افراد با خردي را در راستاي ادبيات و همچنين استادان و سياستمداران بزرگي را خواهيم شناخت و خواهيم خواند که اغلب شعرا از سياست مردان بزرگ جهان بوده اند براي مثال کشور ايران را مورد برسي مي دهيم و شعراي نامي ايران زمين  چون فريدون فرخزاد و ملک الشعراي بهار و احمد شاملو و فروغ فرخزاد و  در آشوريان مي توان دکتر فريدون آتورايا را مثال زد و هزاران استاد ديگر  که درد ملتشان را بر قلمشان فشار دادند و قلب کاغذ را دريدند و هيچ قدرتي نتوانست صدايشان را ساکت کند بلکه در نهايت  سرشان ، جانشان و خونشان را در راه ملت و عقايدشان دادند و تا به امروز نيز يادشان زنده است و افکارشان گرانبها در خاتمه نگاهي کوتاه به نوشته هاي دوستي عزيز در اين خصوص خواهيم کرد   آقاي  مجید نفیسی  ميفرمايند : سیاست این روزها بین ما بی اعتماد شده است. در میهن خود تجربه ی خونینی را از سر گذرانده ایم و در صحنه ی جهانی شاهد فرو ریختن توهمات سیاسی خود هستیم. از سیاست قدیم خسته ایم ولی تاب پرداختن به سیاستی نوین را نداریم. این است که در برابر هر نمایش سیاسی رو ترش می کنیم و به هر اقدام گروهی با بی اعتمادی می نگریم. با این وجود سیاست ما را رها نمی کند. واقعیات تلخ جامعه همچنان پابرجاست و خاطرات گذشته نیز ما را راحت نمی گذارد. در چنین فضایی است که من می خواهم از رابطه ی بین سیاست و شعر سخن بگویم و به عنوان شاعری که سیاست او را رها نمی کند به بررسی شعر سیاسی بپردازم . شعر سیاسی چیست؟
در کنار انواع مختلف شعر چون عروضی و آزاد و منشور و سبکهای متفاوت آن چون هندی و سمبولیسم و اشکال گوناگونش چون غزل و قصیده، شعر را می توان از لحاظ موضوع نیز رده بندی کرد و حماسه و مدیحه و مرثیه و شعر عاشقانه و اخلاقی و فلسفی و سیاسی و مانند آن را تشخیص داد. شعر سیاسی پدیده ی نوینی است که با پیدایش دولت مدرن به وجود می آید و سابقه اش در ایران از سالهای انقلاب مشروطیت فراتر نمی رود. وقتی که حافظ از می ترس و محتسب خورده حرف می زند و مسعود سعد از بند بلند نای می نالد، یا سعدی اتابک را نصیحت می کند و فردوسی به زنده کردن پارسی می بالد ما هنوز با شعر سیاسی سروکار نداریم و از قلمرو مدح و ذم و اندرز و حماسه فراتر نرفته ایم. در سابق شاعر ناچار از تکیه به این دیوان و آن دربار بود ولی اکنون شاعر می تواند مستقیما قدرت دولتی را مورد سئوال قرار دهد و شعر خود را مخفی یا آشکار به دست مردم برساند.
منظور من از سیاست معنای خاص این کلمه است یعنی هر آنچه به قدرت دولتی مربوط می شود. وگرنه من هم شعار هر "امر شخصی یک امر سیاسی است" را شنیده ام و معترضم که سرودن شعر عاشقانه مرا از واقعیات جامعه جدا نمی کند. بنابر این شعر سیاسی شعری است که در آن قدرت دولتی مورد سئوال قرار می گیرد مثل شعرهای لویی آراگون و پل الوار در فرانسه، هاینریش هاینه در آلمان، والت ویتمن در آمریکا، مایا کوفسکی و یوگنی یفتوشنکو در شوروی، پابلو نرودا در شیلی، ناظم حکمت در ترکیه، محمود درویش و نزار قبانی در فلسطین و در ایران از تصنیف ها و هجویات دوران انقلاب مشروطیت گرفته تا "مرغ آمین" و "هست شب" نیما و از "زخم قلب آبایی" شاملو و "کسی که مثل هیچ کس نیست" فروغ و "سرود مهاجرین" مانی و "چارپاره ی یک سوگ" خودم 

و اما ديديم که شعرا از درد ملت اشعار سياسي سرائيدند و حتي یکی از شیوه‏های ابراز نظر در مورد قدرت و نظام سیاسی در دوره پهلوی دوم، سرودن شعر بود. از آن جایی که اختناق‏حاکم بر جامعه اجازه اعتراض و اظهار نظر صریح را نمی‏داد، بسیاری از افراد با استفاده از صنایع ادبی، چون کنایه وایهام و... در قالب شعر، مخالفت خویش را با وضعیت موجود اعلام می‏کردند و در آشوريان نيز چنين بود آقاي فريدون آتورايا يا همان دکتر فريدون بت اوراهيم که از هنگام کودکي در دوره ابتدائي مدرسه شروع به نوشتن اشعار خود کرد او عضو بسیار فعال یک جنبش سیاسی بود دکتر آتورایا - رابی بنیامین ارسنوس و دکتر به به بت فرهاد جهت تاسیس یک حزب سیاسی ملی با هم همکاری کردند و نام آنرا " حزب سیاسی آشوری " نهادند. پس   از رنج تو مي گويم اي هموطن اي آشوري اي تو که قدرت جهان بدي امروز آواره کشوران اي عاشق خاک وطن اي کاشف کاشفان اي طبيب اي منجم اي قانونگذار اي قدرتمند اي که باز بدست خدا بلند خواهي شد و مجددا چون چوب تنبيه ملل استفاده خواهي شد چننچه اشعيا نبوت کرد از تو براي تو به خاطر تو مي نويسم رنجت را ظلمي که بر تو است را در عالم فرياد مي زنم  تا ابدالعاباد

Assyrian Church keeps the faith after fire

 TARZANA - They had survived a millennium of religious persecution and the exodus from the Middle East.

But on the first Sunday after a raging fire tore through the Tarzana sanctuary that many considered their second home, members of the San Fernando Valley's largest Assyrian church said they will do as they have always done: stand strong in their faith.

"We lost all of it - but we did not lose our hope," said Ramona Youhanna, 25, of Northridge, one of hundreds who celebrated Mass on Sunday in a makeshift sanctuary at St. Mary's Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East.

"We are going to start from zero, but we will make it better than it was. This is God's house, Jesus' house."

The church caught fire at 6:35p.m. Friday at 5955 Lindley Ave., sending flames 150-feet from its soaring stained glass windows into the darkening sky.

Although some parishioners were attending Bible and Aramaic study classes that evening, and worshippers had been arriving for services, no one was injured in the blaze, firefighters said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

On Sunday, hundreds of parishioners filed past what had been their church - its white brick facade now a gaping black hole; its pews, velvet drapes, vestments and choir robes now ash and charred remains.

Many wiped away tears as they entered the incense-filled banquet hall to recite ancient chants, pray and hear words of comfort by the Rev.George Bet-Rasho, the pastor of St. Mary's Parish

"We have faith," said Helen Bet-Rasho, the pastor's wife. "As Assyrian people, we are used to things like this. They kill our people, we come out stronger. They burn our churches, we rebuild them better."

In recent years, St. Mary's has seen more members come from war-torn Iraq, as Christians from their ancestral homeland continue to escape heightened insurgency that has destroyed their churches.

"It is heartbreaking," Helen Bet-Rasho added. "But we really believe when one door closes, another great door opens. We're looking forward to seeing what's behind the new one. God is good."

Before the service, a dozen Los Angeles firefighters from Tarzana Station 93 chopped holes in the scarred church roof to inspect the remains.

One firefighter said that, despite the potential for arson, investigators had yet to find evidence of foul play.

But a spokesman with the Fire Department said the House of Worship Task Force continues to investigate, and may know the cause of the blaze, as well as cost of the damage, in the next few days.

The task force was formed in 1996 after several houses of worship in the Southeast part of the nation burned as a result of arson. Concerned about the trend, the Fire Department's arson investigation section launched a task force in Los Angeles with various law enforcement agencies.

Some Assyrian church members were incredulous that anyone in America would want to harm their church.

"We were raised in the church since childhood. I felt like my mother was on fire," said Benyamin Khamis, 63, of Encino, a native of Iraq.

"If there is somebody who did this, it's for no rhyme or reason."

Assyrians are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia, presently Iraq, where the last and largest concentration of Aramaic-speaking people in the world have lived for thousands of years. Those who follow the Church of the East trace their origins to 33 A.D. when it was founded by Saint Thomas the Apostle as well as Saint Mari and Saint Addai.

Since the Valley congregation moved to its Tarzana location from North Hollywood 12 years ago, the church has served hundreds of Assyrians and was the first to open a school and host the Valley's first Assyrian festival.

For the community, the church also helps to preserve the Assyrian language and culture that some worry could become extinct.

What's important is not the fire that destroyed their sanctuary, St. Mary's Parish members said. It's the unity of the church.

"Sadness and happiness, because we are all gathered together, we will all stand together," said Gladis Barko, 62, of Granada Hills, a choir member.

"It is very emotional, seeing our God's house burning. But to have faith - we are the church."

Tarzana church heavily damaged by fire

Fire and law enforcement officers today were investigating a fire that heavily damaged a church in Tarzana, a Fire Department spokesman said.

The blaze broke out around 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, 5955 Lindley Ave., said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Firefighters saw smoke and flames through stained-glass windows, and eucalyptus trees in front of the church were engulfed.

It took 92 firefighters less than 30 minutes to extinguish the fire, as dozens of parishioners gathered to watch. There were no injuries, but the church was heavily damaged, Humphrey said.

As in all such fires, members of a House of Worship Task Force will investigate the cause, which was still unknown today. 

Yonathan Bet kolia,The Secretary General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance

Bet Kolia, who is also the Assyrian representative in the Iranian Parliament, met with with Iyad al-Samarrai, the Speaker for the Iraqi Council of Representatives, to discuss the precarious and deteriorating condition of the Assyrians of Iraq. Attacks, kidnappings, murder and church bombings continue unabated (report). It is estimated that nearly 50% of Assyrians have fled the country to Jordan and Syria, and a large percentage have been internally displaced from Baghdad to North Iraq.

Mr. Betkolia sent a letter to Mr. al-Samarrai outlining actions that Iraq should take to protect the indigenous Assyrian population of Iraq.

The text of that letter follows:

The Hon. Iyad al-Samarrai
Office of the Speaker
Iraqi Council of Representatives
Baghdad, Iraq

Dear Mr. Speaker,

I am writing this letter on behalf of the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) requesting your attention and urgent intervention regarding the prevailing situation of Assyrians of Iraq. As a matter of urgency and importance, the Assyrian Universal Alliance calls on the Iraqi government to consider the prerequisite demands of our people as follows:

1. As the indigenous and original people of Iraq, and as promulgated under article 121 of the Iraqi constitution, the Assyrian people of Iraq are entitled to an Assyrian autonomous region or an Assyrian province encompassing the Assyrian ancestral lands, located between the Greater Zab and Tigris rivers with international borders to the north and west, as an integral part of the Federal Republic of Iraq. This newly created Assyrian region shall be administrated and protected by the Assyrians under the jurisdiction of the central government of Iraq.

   Establishing this autonomous region will have many benefits for Iraq including, but not limited to, the following:

   1. Provide direct economic assistance for all necessary and sufficient reconstruction aid equitably, whereby the Assyrians' share is distributed directly to them through the region's Assyria Provincial Assembly.
   2. Enable the government of Iraq to further assist the Assyrians of Iraq through providing jobs to them by establishing and funding an Assyrian security force, as part of Iraq's national security or police force, to help maintain the Assyrian towns and villages, protecting them from harassment and terrorist attacks.
   3. Help to address the desperate situation and humanitarian needs of the Assyrian refugees displaced in Iraq's northern region and in the neighboring Arab countries.
   4. Enable Iraq to retain and promote the cultural wealth and heritage it has through its indigenous Assyrians.
   5. Shine a positive light on the government of Iraq for securing the human rights of its people as it continues to usher in and encourage the new era of liberty, pluralism, and equality in Iraq.

We appeal to the Iraqi Council of Representatives to provision the necessary mechanism through which all Iraqis residing outside of Iraq have the opportunity to participate in Iraq's elections remotely.

I thank you in advance for your efforts to safeguard the interests of Assyrians, who are an integral and ancient component of Iraq, and eagerly await your positive actions to support the rights of our people in our ancestral home, Iraq.

Sincerely yours,

Yonathan Betkolia
Secretary General
Assyrian Universal Alliance

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Support by:

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Assyrian Aid Society

 




I would like to inform you that AAS has printed a beautiful Calendar with the pictures of our children in Atra, for the year 2010, to support AAS missions and goals.

The price is only $10. We would like to see this calendar and its massage in the homes of every Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac around the world.

We have a limited # of calendars left.
To get more information, you can contact me or your AAS Chapter:
Arizona : Velma Toma

lovexpeace6@yahoo.com

Berkeley / San Francisco : Mona Malik

mona@malik.com

Central Valley : Tony Khoshaba

 tonykhoshaba@sbcglobal.net

Chicago : Ashur Enwiya

aenwiya@gmail.com

Detroit : Ishtar Issa 

ishtarissa@yahoo.com

Los Angeles:Libna BetSargis

libonee@yahoo.com

San Jose : Natalie Babella

natalie.babella@gmail.com

Canada ; Daniel oraha

oraha_101@hotmail.com

 

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Marathon in Brussels Calls Attention to Assyrian Persecution

 Assyrians ran a marathon in Brussels under the slogan "Assyrians to go the Distance." The marathon took place on Sunday, October 4. Nearly 70,000 people participated in the event. The vast majority of the 10,000 runners were Assyrian.

The theme for this year's marathon was the future of the Assyrian people.

The situation of Assyrians in the Middle East is precarious. Assyrians are killed almost every day in Iraq. Many of them are forced to leave their homes in fear of their safety, thus leaving their homeland under very difficult circumstances. Those who have to leave their country continue living in refugee camps.

Turkey, Syria, Iran and especially Iraq do not recognize national rights for the Assyrians. Particularly, the constitutions of some of these countries do not recognize the national rights of the Assyrian people. Therefore Assyrians are either forced or encouraged to leave their own countries in which they have lived for millennia.

The persecution of the Assyrians in the Middle East continues. Reports are received on a daily basis. Yesterday the body of Imad Elia, a kidnapped Assyrian health worker, was discovered in Kirkuk, Iraq. The body showed signs of torture and mutilation (AINA 10-5-2009).

In order to call attention to Assyrian issues, the Assyrian Genocide Research Center (Seyfo Center) together with the Assyrian Youth Federations of Europe have organized marathons in the past years in Netherlands and other European states. This year the marathon ran in Brussels. The marathon took place amongst thousands of runners and drew a large crowd of spectators.

Assyrians live in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe as well as in the Middle East. The organizers of the marathon hope to rally the Assyrian Diaspora in support of Assyrians in the Middle East, who have suffered extreme persecution since 2003, particularly in Iraq

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خبر دردناگ درگذشت کشيش يوسف رشيدي  خادم کليساي مارگيورگيز تهران تمام وجودم را لرزاند او استادي ارجمند دوستي وفادار و برادري دلسوز بود . در سوگ اين عزيز با خانواده محترمشان همدرد و از پروردگار و عيسي مسيح خانه اي عبدي و خدمتي ناپايان در درگاه يگانه فرزند خداي مننان را برايش آرزومندم . هر بار که به قوربنه اي که برايم فرستادي نگاه مي کنم گرچه سبز رنگ شده و گپک زده گرمي دستانت را حس مي کنم . هميشه در قلب من برادر

  

 

 

 

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خلبان گمشده ارتش شاهنشاهي ايران

آرام عيسي بادکي

دوستان عزيز و خوانندگان محترم اگر هر گونه اطلاعات در مورد اين عزيز داريد با بنده تماس بگيريد

ايميل من

admin@robertdavood.com

Australian Minister for Immigration Meets Assyrian Leaders
Fairfield NSW, Australia -- Dr. Sharman Stone MP, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship received a warm welcome by representatives from the Assyrian Community during her arrival to the Assyrian Universal Alliance office at, Wetherill Park in Fairfield on Monday 31 August 2009. The Assyrian representatives were Mr. Hermiz Shahen, the Deputy Secretary General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance and regional Secretary for Australia and New Zealand, Mr. Paul Azzo a Liberal member, an adviser to the Assyrian Universal Alliance on governmental affairs, Mr. Simon Essavian, president of the Assyrian Charity & Educational Community, representing the Assyrian Australian National Federation and other prominent Assyrians.

Mr. Shahen welcomed Dr. Stone on behalf of the Assyrian representatives and briefed her with the latest development in Iraq and the neglect of the Assyrian issue after the liberation. He presented the Shadow Minister with a detailed letter about the current situation in Iraq, the wages of sectarian violence, the systematic abuses by Islamic extremists against the entire Christian population and the major and growing refugee crisis in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. As a matter of urgency and importance, the Assyrian representatives requested the Australian Government to provide more humanitarian assistance to the Assyrian refugees and support the Assyrian demands in establishment of an autonomous Assyrian region in the historical Assyrian land in Northern Iraq, in which Assyrians can administer themselves and live in peace as proud Iraqi citizens in the land of their forefathers.

The Assyrian Universal Alliance wishes to thank Dr. Stone for attending this meeting and hoped that it would achieve a positive outcome for the interest and needs of our Assyrian people in Iraq.

Assyrian Universal Alliance
Australian Chapter

 Congresswoman Schakowsky Asks Clinton to Address Assyrian Crisis in IraqThe continuing crisis

report) for the Assyrians of Iraq has prompted Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky (9th District, Illinois) to send a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Calling attention to the "ongoing ethno-religious cleansing of Iraq's Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian community," Mrs. Schakowsky says in the letter:

report) for the Assyrians of Iraq has prompted Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky (9th District, Illinois) to send a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Calling attention to the "ongoing ethno-religious cleansing of Iraq's Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian community," Mrs. Schakowsky says in the letter: report) for the Assyrians of Iraq has prompted Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky (9th District, Illinois) to send a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Calling attention to the "ongoing ethno-religious cleansing of Iraq's Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian community," Mrs. Schakowsky says in the letter: report) for the Assyrians of Iraq has prompted Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky (9th District, Illinois) to send a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Calling attention to the "ongoing ethno-religious cleansing of Iraq's Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian community," Mrs. Schakowsky says in the letter: report) for the Assyrians of Iraq has prompted Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky (9th District, Illinois) to send a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Calling attention to the "ongoing ethno-religious cleansing of Iraq's Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian community," Mrs. Schakowsky says in the letter: report) for the Assyrians of Iraq has prompted Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky (9th District, Illinois) to send a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Calling attention to the "ongoing ethno-religious cleansing of Iraq's Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian community," Mrs. Schakowsky says in the letter: report) for the Assyrians of Iraq has prompted Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky (9th District, Illinois) to send a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Calling attention to the "ongoing ethno-religious cleansing of Iraq's Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian community," Mrs. Schakowsky says in the letter: report) for the Assyrians of Iraq has prompted Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky (9th District, Illinois) to send a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Calling attention to the "ongoing ethno-religious cleansing of Iraq's Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian community," Mrs. Schakowsky says in the letter: report) for the Assyrians of Iraq has prompted Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky (9th District, Illinois) to send a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Calling attention to the "ongoing ethno-religious cleansing of Iraq's Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian community," Mrs. Schakowsky says in the letter: report) for the Assyrians of Iraq has prompted Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky (9th District, Illinois) to send a letter (PDF) to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Calling attention to the "ongoing ethno-religious cleansing of Iraq's Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian community," Mrs. Schakowsky says in the letter:

Iraqi Christians have faced relentless persecution, threats, and violence since the commencement of United States operations in Iraq, and the danger has accelerated dramatically since 2004. In fact, 2008 represented one of the most devastating years for Iraqi ethno-religious minorities, especially the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christians. Because of the ongoing crisis facing minority groups, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has now formally designated Iraq a 'Country of Particular Concern.'

Despite this ongoing crisis, the United States has consistently failed to develop a comprehensive policy to address this serious situation. However, I believe that we now have an opportunity to encourage widespread recognition of this crisis and work together to find a solution. Any successful diplomatic policy must consider security, development, and governance dimensions, and must recognize the centrality of the Nineveh Plains to the future of these people. It also must include the full implementation of Article 125 of the Iraqi constitution.

Mrs. Schakowsky's letter is the fourth to be sent this year to Secretary of Clinton regarding the precarious situation of Iraq's Assyrian community. On July 10, 2009 a letter (AINA 7-10-2009) from Senator Joseph Lieberman (Connecticut) and Senator Susan Collins (Maine) called attention to the plight of Iraq's minorities. On March 27, 2009 Congressman Frank R. Wolf (10th District, Virginia) sent a strongly worded letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton regarding the perilous situation of the Assyrians of Iraq (AINA 3-27-2009). On March 12, 2009 a letter from Senator Sam Brownback, Senator Roger Wicker, Senator Carl Levin, Senator Robert P. Casey Jr. and Senator Banjamin Cardin called attention to the plight of Iraq's Assyrians (AINA 3-12-2009).

Despite these repeated calls for action, the State Department has not developed a policy on the Assyrians of Iraq, whose population has declined from 1.5 million in 2003 to 500,000 at the present; 50% have fled the country. Of the 750,000 Iraqi refugees in Jordan up to 150,000 are Assyrians. Of the 1.2 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, 70,000 to 500,000 are Assyrians. The Assyrian populations of Baghdad and Basra have been driven by Islamists into exile or to North Iraq -- Baghdad and Basra are nearly empty of Assyrians now.

59 churches have been attacked or bombed since June, 2004: 40 in Baghdad, 13 in Mosul, 5 in Kirkuk and 1 in Ramadi. The latest bombings occurred on July 12, 2009, when 7 churches were bombed in Baghdad.

On July 24, 2009 Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), co-chairs of the Congressional Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus, sent a a letter (AINA 7-24-2009) to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. The letter called for greater security at Christian places of worship and urged an investigation into who was behind the most recent attacks.

The oppression of the Iraqi Christians started when Arabs occupied the land in the seventh century. Their method of wiping out Christianity from the region involved the implementation of a simple rule: either convert and follow the Islamic banner or pay heavy taxes (which many Christians could not afford) or face war.

Looking at more modern history, the first genocide of the 20th century began on April 24, 1915. By 1918, 2.65 million Christians including 750,000 Assyrians, 1.5 million Armenians, and 400,000 Greeks were killed by the Ottoman Empire and the Kurds. The Assyrians called this genocide "seyfo" which means sword. In 1933, the massacre of Simmele, in Northern Iraq, resulted in the death of 3000 Christians at the hands of the Iraqi Army. This was the first atrocity committed by the new Iraqi state under after gaining independence from the British in 1932. My village Tin, in Northern Iraq, shared a similar fate in 1961.

The American occupation in Iraq did not end the struggles of the native Christians. Under the watch of our Democratic government and the newly established Iraqi government, Christians continue to face persecution. Here is a list of some of the acts of violence committed as reported by the Assyrian International News Agency:

• A two month infant was kidnapped, beheaded, roasted, and returned to his parents.
• 14 year old Ayad Tariq was considered a "dirty Christian sinner" and decapitated.
• Fr. Paulos Iskander (Paul Alexander) was kidnapped, beheaded and dismembered.
• Five priests were kidnapped and released after ransom was paid. Five other priests and three deacons were murdered.
• 59 churches were attacked or bombed since June 2004: 40 in Baghdad, 13 in Mosul, 5 in Kirkuk and 1 in Ramadi.
• At least 13 young women were abducted and raped, causing some of them to commit suicide.
• Female students were targeted in Basra and Mosul for not wearing veils; some had nitric acid squirted onto their faces. Elders of a village in Mosul were warned not to send females to universities.
• Mahdi Army circulated a letter warning all Christian women to veil themselves.
• Christian businesses were targeted. 95% of liquor stores were attacked, defaced or bombed. 500 Assyrian shops in a Dora market were burned in one night
• Children were kidnapped and forcibly transferred to Arabs and Kurdish families.
• Property was confiscated by Kurds in the North and in the south by Shiites and Sunnis.
• Kurdish authorities forced public works projects to divert water and other vital resources from Assyrian Villages to Kurdish villages.
• While the Arabs protest for one Muslim killed in Europe, they are silent for what happen to the Christians of Iraq, the people of Darfur, or the Coptic in Egypt.

Yes Mr. President, I did like your message to the Arab world in Cairo. I am not against your action of praising Islam or the Quran, but you failed to address their oppression against non-Arabs or non-Muslims who live in the Middle East. We build 12,000 Mosques in the United States, and many thousands more in Europe, yet not one church is allowed in Saudi Arabia. Mr. President, you failed to ask why. I know the answer, because we are infidels and forbidden in their land.

I know we are a democratic and civilized nation and they are not. I know we are strong and forgiving while they are weak and loud. We should not have to improve our image to the Middle East, for we have freedom that millions of Arabs and Muslims enjoy and take advantage of. I have lived in Iraq for 33 years; I know how they treat their people in the streets and in the prisons. Their prisons are many times worse than what occurred in Abu Ghraib. In your message you try to build a bridge to the Islamic world, but you left the non-Muslims in the Middle East angry and alone. They deserve your support, they love freedom as much as we do, and now they face extinction. Fifty percent of the Christian population has left Iraq with the other half facing the continuation of a long, bitter genocide -- and it will be under our watch. An Islamic nation without Christians, a Middle East without diversity, will only become more radical.

 Two Iranian Women Arrested for Converting to ChristianityIn a dramatic session before the revolutionary court this past weekend, documented by Elam Ministries, Maryam Rustampoor (27) and Marzieh Amirizadeh (30) were told to recant their faith in Christ. Though great pressure was put on them, both women have refused to give in. Maryam and Marzieh were originally arrested on March 5, 2009 and have suffered greatly while in prison, suffering ill health, solitary confinement and interrogations for many hours while blindfolded. In a dramatic court room, the deputy prosecutor, Mr. Haddad, questioned Maryam and Marzieh about their faith and told them that they had to recant in both verbal and written form. They responded, "We will not deny our faith."

As the questioning continued, Maryam and Marzieh made reference to their belief that God had convicted them through the Holy Spirit.

Mr. Haddad told them, "It is impossible for God to speak with humans." Marzieh asked him in return, "Are you questioning whether God is Almighty?" Mr. Haddad then replied, "You are not worthy for God to speak to you." Marzieh said, "It is God, and not you, who determines if I am worthy."

In the eyes of the court, Maryam and Marzieh's only crime was their conversion to Christianity, but these young women have stayed strong and clung to their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They are now in prison awaiting their verdict.

Although the Iranian Parliament has not yet passed a threatened new apostacy bill, over the last 20 years Iran has punished many converts to Christianity through torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings. Please pray for these courageous women of God.

By Ann Buwalda
Jubilee Campaign USA

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The patriarchal cathedral of Mar Shalita was completed in 1689 AD, and about a dozen bishops and metropolitans were in communion with this patriarch. In the meanwhile, the Mar Elia line of Alqosh ruled the Assyrians of the Nineveh plain and its environs. By 1830, the old Mar Elia line of Alqosh became entirely Roman Catholic and the sole ‘Nestorian’ patriarchate was ruled by the Mar Shimun dynasty.

 

With the advent of the First World War in 1914, the Assyrian Church and Nation suffered greatly at the hands of the Muslim powers of the day. In 1918, the catholicos-patriarch Mar Benyamin Shimun XIX (1887-1918) was martyred by the Kurdish chieftain Ismail Agha (Simko), and the Assyrians were left at the mercy of the Ottoman Turks and their Kurdish neighbors. With the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire, the Assyrians were left without a homeland of their own and the promises of the Western superpowers were forgotten and left unfulfilled. In 1920, the majority of the Assyrians were moved to the Bakuba Camp near Baghdad, being moved from Urmia, Iran. They lived in horrible, sub-human conditions; tens of thousands lost their lives along the way to Bakuba from 1918 to 1920.

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 با يک کليک روي لوگو و ثبت نام در بلاگ آشوريان مي توانيد نظرتان را بيان کنيد و نظر ديگران را بطلبيد

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urmi.org 

AssyrianHuman Rights Committee

Write a complain letter to Urmia - Salmas

Assyro - Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese

 

اسقف اعظم توماس ميرم , كشيش يوحنا لوئيز , كشيش توماس شينو , كشيش هرمز اصلاني ,Tuesday, September 15, 2009 6:58 PM        خدمت جناب اسقف اعظم توماس ميرم  و كشيش يوحنا لوئيز  و كشيش توماس شينو  و كشيش هرمز اصلاني برادرانمان در مسيح گشايش و راه اندازي وب سايت جديد التاسيس شما را تبريک عرض کرده و موفقيت تک تکتان را ار خداوند خواستاريم . مشکل کوچکي در نوع بيان نام مقدس آشوري به زبان اينگليسي و آشوري در اين صحفه مشاهده مي شود که باعث گمراهي و کج خيالي خوانندگان مي شود که تقاضا مي کنيم اصلاح نمائيد ،  شما خليفه گري آشوري کلداني کاتوليک  را  در اينگليسي    Assyro - Chaldean catholic Archdiocese ترجمه کرده ايد که اشتباه است و نام مقدس آشوري را اسيرو  خوانده ايد که  اميدواريم به Assyrian تعقير دهيد و در بخش آشوري دوباره آشوري را سو ر يه خطاب کرده ايد و از اين نظر که شما عزيزان آشنائي خوبي با کتاب مقدس داريد اين اشتباه معاني خوبي ندارد , مجددا از  شما عزيزان درخواست ترتيب نظر و تصحيح اشتباهات ذيل را داريم . کميته دفاع از حقوق آشوريان - آمريکا Assyrian Human Rights Committee

ASSYRIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE (AHRC)  LETTERS FOR Honorable Mr. Younatan Bet Kolia President of the Assyrian Universal Alliance and His eminence,  
Ayatollah Sistani  at 08/29/2009

English version

  

Farsi version

 

 

 

جناب اقای یوناتن بیت كلیا دبیر كل اتحادیه جهانی اشوریان همانگونه كه اطلاع دارید كمیته دفاع از حقوق اشوریان از بدو تاسیس در راستای دفاع از حقوق مشروع اشوریان جهان اقداماتی را در احقاق حقوق مسلم اشوریان در كشورهای مختلف برداشته و در این راستا با توجه به وضعیت وخیم اشوریان و دیگر مسیحیان در كشور عراق وخصوصا وضعیت اسفناك اشوریان پناهنده در كشورهای تركیه و سوریه  و در پی تماس با نمایندگی محترم ایت الله سیستانی مرجع عالیقدر شیعیان جهان در ایران و گزارش احوالات وخیم زندگی مسیحیان و فشار روز افزون در رابطه با خروج انان و یا گروش به مسلمان شدن از سوی عده ای تروریست  و اعتراض به این وضعیت  درخواست توجه سریع به اوضاع زندگی اشوریان عراق به عنوان ساكنین اصلی ان كشور ودرخواست نگاه مثبت به حقوق این جامعه  از شما به عنوان دبیر كل اتحادیه جهانی اشوریان  تقاضای همكاری در این رابطه را داریم  امید انكه در این راستا و در احقاق حقوق حقه و مسلم اشوریان و دیگر مسیحیان در كشور عراق و با همكاری دیگر سازمانها و نهادهای اشوری بتوانیم قدمهای مثبتی  را برداریم  مجددا از نگاه مثبت شما و دیگر اعضای اتحادیه در این رابطه تشكر میكنیم كمیته دفاع از حقوق اشوریان

حضرت ایت الله سیستانی مرجع عالیقدر شیعیان جهان باسلام احتراما  كمیته دفاع از حقوق اشوریان با توجه به مسائل پیش امده در عراق برای این جامعه در ماه های گذشته و انفجار 6 كلیسا  در اخرین مرحله از این حملات و كشتارها و ترورهای  هدفمند   كه در نهایت خروج و یا تغییر دین این جامعه ازمسیحیت به اسلام  را خواستار هستند از جنابعالی به عنوان بزرگترین مرجع شیعیان جهان درخواست میكنیم كه به هر نحو و با درایت لازمه  ممكن به این حملات پایان داده و در حمایت از خواسته های بر حق این جامعه كه كهن ترین جامعه ساكن ان كشور هستند اقدامات لازم را  به هر نحو كه حضرت عالی صلاح میدانید به اجرا در اورید مسلما جامعه جهانی اشوریان در انتظار تصمیم حضرت عالی در رابطه با نگاه مثبت به مقابله با حملات تروریستی و برخورد با عوامل این كشتار جمعی و تصفیه نژادی  هستند این كمیته قبلا از حسن نظر حضرتعالی به اشوریان مقیم عراق تشكر میكند كمیته دفاع از حقوق اشوریان

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Aug, 7 is Assyrian Memorial day, a day when the  Assyrian (also known as Chaldean and Syriac) community worldwide remembers its Martyrs. Reflecting the Assyrian Diaspora, events are planned for San Jose, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, Detroit, New York, London, Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam, North Iraq, Syria, Iran and other locations.

August 7 was chosen to commemorate Martyrs Day because in 1933, between August 8 and 11, the Iraqi army, led by Bakir Sidqi (a Kurd), entered the Assyrian town of Simmele and its surroundings, in north Iraq, and massacred 3,000 Assyrian men, women and children, after they had been promised safety if the men surrendered their weapons. According to Colonel Stafford of the British Army:

A cold blooded and methodical massacre of all the men in the village then followed, a massacre which for the black treachery in which it was conceived and the callousness with which it was carried out, was as foul a crime as any in the blood stained annals of the Middle East. The Assyrians had no fight left in them, partly because of the state of mind to which the events of the past week had reduced them, largely because they were disarmed. Had they been armed it seems certain that Ismail Abawi Tohalla and his bravos would have hesitated to take them on in fair fight. Having disarmed them, they proceeded with the massacre according to plan. This took some time. Not that there was any hurry, for the troops had the whole day ahead of them. Their opponents were helpless and there was no chance of any interference from any quarter whatsoever. Machine gunners set up their guns outside the windows of the houses in which the Assyrians had taken refuge, and having trained them on the terror stricken wretches in the crowded rooms, fired among them until not a man was left standing in the shambles. In some other instance the blood lust of the troops took a slightly more active form, and men were dragged out and shot or bludgeoned to death and their bodies thrown on a pile of dead. (read the full account

here

Though inspired by the Simmele massacre, August 7 has become a day to remember all Assyrian martyrs. Assyrians also commemorate April 24 (called Seyfo, or sword), but that is specific to the Turkish genocide of Assyrians in World War One, in which 750,000 Assyrians were killed (75%), as well as 400,000 Greeks and 1.5 million Armenians.

In Chicago, home to 90,000 Assyrians, a commemoration will be held on Friday evening. A letter from Maria Pappas, the treasurer of Cook County, in which Chicago is located, was sent to Assyrian residents of Chicago; Pappas expressed her support for Martyrs Day.

In Detroit, home to 100,000 Assyrians (mostly of the Chaldean rite), a commemoration sponsored by the Assyrian Democratic Movement will be held on Friday evening.

The Assyrian American Association of San Jose (AAASJ) will host a commemoration in San Jose on Friday evening. In a press release, AAASJ said:

On Friday, August 7th, 2009, the Assyrian American Association of San Jose will host a memorial event in remembrance of Assyrians who have given their lives for the preservation of their cultural and ethnic identity. The event, which includes informative speeches and lectures by renowned Assyrian activists, theatrical & musical performances, a candle light vigil, poetry and more is scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm at San Jose State University's Music Hall.

August 7th, known in Assyrian as "Shava b'Dabakh," marks a significant national holiday among the Assyrian community worldwide. Originally commemorating the 1933 massacre of Assyrians in the Iraqi city of Simele, the day has evolved to honor all Assyrian martyrs thereafter. The recent bombings of 7 Assyrian churches in Iraq highlights the ongoing persecution of the indigenous Assyrian community, adds to the gravity of this year's memorial, and underscores the event's theme, "Simele, Never Again: A past and present revelation on the Assyrian Nation's fight against oppression and genocide."

The following organizations are participating in this year's memorial:

• Assyrian Academic Society
• Assyrian Aid Society Santa Clara Chapter
• Assyrian Democratic Movement Santa Clara Chapter
• Assyrian Evangelical Church of San Jose
• Assyrian Foundation of America
• Assyrian Presbyterian Church of San Jose
• Assyrian Student Association at SJSU
• Assyrian Universal Alliance
• Assyrian Universal Alliance Americas Youth Chapter
• Bet Eil Assyrian Church
• Church of Pentecost
• Mar Yosip Assyrian Church of the East
• St. Mary's Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church 

 Australian Conference Calls Attention to Endangered Assyrians of Iraq

Mr. Hermiz Shahen, the regional Secretary of the Assyrian Universal Alliance in Australia and New Zealand received an invitation to participate as a key speaker at the Christian Forum hosted by Reverend The Honourable Fred Nile MLC and Rev Brian Seers OAM, and sponsored by the Australian Christian Nation Association, held at Jubile Room, NSW Parliament House on Monday 10 August, 2009.

The attendees to the conference included representatives from different Australian churches, Christian organisations, including representatives from the Assyrian Universal Alliance, Assyrian Australian National Federation and prominent Assyrians; Mr. Paul Azzo; an adviser to the Assyrian Universal Alliance on foreign affairs and Mr. Romel Badal, Assyrian Universal Alliance legal advisor.

Mr. Shahen's topic was Avert a Genocide Planned against Iraqi Christians, his presentation was accompanied by a photo slide show of Assyrian history, maps and culture. He started his presentation by thanking the organisers, for taking the initiative in attempting to discuss issues of great concern to the future of Christianity in certain parts of the world with regards to the significant increase of the Islamic hardliner.

"My topic today will be about the necessity to raise international awareness of what is happening to Christians in the Middle East, It is essential that we know about their suffering, their future existence, the price they are paying daily for keeping the Christian faith because of their association with the West, and the pressure placed upon them to convert", Mr. Shahen said.

"Christians of the Middle East have always been the human bridge between the Islamic world and the Christians in the West. Their exodus now from the Middle East would be like "pulling out the threads of a cloth" so that the whole social fabric risks unravelling and dying."

Mr. Shahen briefed the audience about the history and the achievements of the Assyrian civilization, then turned to the systematic acts of genocide and massacres perpetrated against the Assyrian nation, mainly by the Islamic fundamentalists, who caused the rich and developed Assyrian culture and population to dwindle in number and spirit and to become a nation of refugees.

An extract of Mr. Shahen's speech follows:

"Since the liberation of Iraq in 2003 from the tyrant Saddam Hussein, the ethnic cleansing of the Assyrians in Iraq began in full earnest. In a systematic campaign of massacre and destruction of this indigenous population of Iraq, the Assyrians have been intimidated, pressured to convert to Islam, kidnapped and murdered, their families have had their loved ones beheaded, raped, and daily threats are made against their lives.

Today, the Assyrian Christian population in Baghdad and other major cities has dwindled from a once-thriving community to almost nothing. Those who have fled to Jordan and Syria face governments unwilling to recognize their refugee status and are currently living in dire poverty. They were once productive members of society, they are now reduced to living as refugees in poverty and neglect.

The Christians of Iraq believe that they have not only been betrayed by the American-led coalition but they have also seen their legal status diminish. The destruction of Christianity in Iraq is taking place because of misguided American policies and because the Christian community is not deemed to be important. Under the American-led intervention, more Christians have left Iraq than under Saddam Hussein's dictatorship, and there is a fear that a genocide against Christians will happen particularly after the American departure from Iraq.

The time has come for all Western nations including the British, American, Australian and other allied governments to start setting things right again for the humanity. They have to take responsibility for what they did in the past and present, and work to correct things today for a better future."

In his concluding statements, Mr. Shahen said:

At the end of his speech, Mr. Shahen congratulated Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile MLC on behalf of the Assyrian Australian Community and the Assyrian Universal Alliance for organising such a successful Conference and for taking the initiative in supporting the plight of the embattled Christians in the Middle East and in particular the Assyrian people of Iraq.

Assyrian Universal Alliance

کي مثل من با يک کلام           مي تونه عاشقت کنه
تو اين دنياي عاشق               عشقش رو ثابتت کنه
تو مشکلات زندگي               قلبش رو تعارفت کنه
پر پر بشه جون بکنه              گريه هاتو آروم کنه
قدرم رو نشناختي عزيز       العان ديگه اشکي نريز

بيچاره قلبم ريز ريز        شدش از کارهات مريض

 

In ancient Assyria this festival was celebrated for 12 days, with people from all over the empire joining the celebrations. More than 1000,000 people celebrate the Assyrian year 6759 in all world

I Love you Mom  

How much I love you I can't say:
It's more than words can hold.
You're all at once my rich, red clay,
My potter and my mold.

Yours the words that shaped my voice,
The spirit within mine.
Yours the will that shaped my choice,
My fortune, and my sign.

How lucky I was to have had you
At the core of me!
Wise and good, you always knew
Just what I could be.

And so I came to be someone
Whom I could be proud of.
For this I give my swollen sum
Of gratitude and love.

If I could give my mom the world
Or anything she wanted,
I'd give her my own heart and soul
And leave my own heart haunted.

I'd take upon myself her life
With all its strife and pain,
And let her ease into some space
Where she could live again.

The pain for me would not be pain,
At least not for a while;
For I'd be doing it for her,
And I would see her smile.

I wish that I could take her heart
And cleanse it with my tears,
And make her sorrow go away,
And answer all her fears.

I wish, I wish, but then I can't,
As I watch helplessly,
And take her in my arms and say
I wish that it were me.

But loving is a hard, hard way,
With all the pain it brings.
And yet there is no other way
To touch the heart of things

  Eddie yadegar in Turlock

To see video click on photo

Vandals make off with

Virgin Mary

A handmade Italian marble statue of the Virgin Mary was vandalized and stolen from a Turlock church Saturday night and the entire incident was caught on surveillance video.
The St. Thomas Assyrian-Chaldean Catholic Church was not the only house of worship to be vandalized over the weekend. The First Presbyterian Church, located just a few yards from St. Thomas’ was also burglarized and ransacked.
The video from St. Thomas’ shows one man in a sleeveless shirt run up the fountain steps and forcefully push the statue out of the grotto, sending it toppling down to the ground and smashing the head.
The man runs off into the darkness and moments later a four-door sedan is seen driving away from the church. The car stops a short distance away and three men are then seen running back to the statue. One man in a long-sleeve shirt picks the statue up and runs back to the car with it.
Parishioners arriving for mass on Sunday morning found the broken shards and the statue missing.
“Everyone was very, very sad and mad and asking ‘why did this happen to the Virgin Mary,’” said Albert Benjamin, a committee  member at the church.
Benjamin said the church installed the security camera about a month ago because someone had tried to break into a donation box outside the church.
The statue of the Virgin Mary was custom-made in Rome and is valued at $3,000. It had been installed at the church about two years ago, Benjamin said.
St. Thomas Assyrian-Chaldean Catholic Church is located at 2901 N. Berkeley Ave., just about a block down from another church that was vandalized.
The First Presbyterian Church at 2619 N. Berkeley Ave. was broken into sometime between Friday and Saturday afternoon, said Lisa Landis, an administrative assistant at the church.
The burglary was discovered around 4:30 p.m. Saturday. A window of a modular building used for youth activities was smashed in and the thief or thieves took some cash, soda and ice cream, and left behind a television and video equipment, Landis said.
The room was also ransacked and writings were left on the walls.
It is unknown if the two incidences of church vandalism are related or if they were two random occurrences.
Anyone with information on either case is asked to contact the Turlock Police Department at 668-5550.

Assyrian Food Festival

Sherene Melania, 22yrs, and and artistic Director for Presidio Dance Theatre performs during the Assyrian Food Festival Saturday Sept. 9th, 2006 that brought hundreds of people to enjoy the food and art. Presidio Dance Theatre of San Francisco, CA came in to perform several dances.

Sargis Agajan

 Assyrian Christian Leader in Iraq Has Hope !

Assyring Group Issues Assyrian Rights Report

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky Calls On
Sec. of State Clinton to Develop Pro-Assyrian Policy Focused on the Nineveh Plains
 

Dear ROBERT,

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (9th District Illinois) sent a strongly worded letter to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton on August 7, coinciding with Assyrian Martyr's Day, urging that the United States develop a comprehensive policy for the protection of ethno-religious minorities in Iraq.

After citing the persecution Assyrians, including Chaldeans and Syriacs, have suffered since the beginning of the Iraq War, Schakowsky stated, "[T]he United States has consistently failed to develop a comprehensive policy to address this serious situation.  However, I believe we now have an opportunity to encourage widespread recognition of this crisis and work together to find a solution.  Any successful diplomatic policy must consider security, development, and governance dimensions, and must recognize the centrality of the Nineveh Plains to the future of these people."

HOSSEIN ZIAI, Ph.D. (Harvard)
Professor of Iranian and Islamic Studies, Director of Iranian Studies
UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

About my poetry book

The Modern Ground on Tue, 8/19/08, Hossien Ziai Said:

I read  your poems, they are very fine and I ma sure will be best when arranged with music and sung in instrumental accompaniment.

EDUCATION
Ph.D. Harvard 1976.
B.S. Yale 1967.

BIOGRAPHY
Hossein Ziai, Tenured Full Professor of Islamic and Iranian Studies, and Director of Iranian Studies at UCLA, where he has taught since 1988. He received his B.S. in 1967 in Mathematics & Physics from Yale University, and his Ph.D. in Islamic Philosophy from Harvard University in 1976. Prior to his position at UCLA, Ziai has taught at Tehran University, Sharif University, Harvard University, Brown University, and Oberlin College. Dr. Ziai has published several volumes and numerous articles on Islamic philosophy, especially the Iranian/Islamic Illuminationist tradition. His books include: (1) Philosophy of Mathematics (in Persian); (2) Anvariyya (The Realm of Lights); (3) Knowledge and Illumination; (4) Shahrazur's Commentary on Hikmat al-Ishraq; (5) The Book of Radiance; (6) The Philosophy of Illumination; (7) The Ball and Polo Stick, or the Book of Ecstasy; (8) Ibn Kammuna's Text on Illuminationist Physics. He has also contributed many chapters to edited volumes including: "Beyond Philosophy" in Myth and Philosophy, edited by Frank Reynolds and David Tracy. "The Source and Nature of Authority" in The Political Aspects of Islamic Philosophy, edited by Charles Butterworth; and three chapters in The Routledge History of Islamic Philosophy, edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Oliver Leaman. He is also the author of numerous articles on Islamic philosophy and on Iranian/Islamic intellectual traditions. Ziai has offered numerous papers at national and international conferences.

UCLA COURSES TAUGHT
Iranian 103A: Introduction to Classical Poetry, Prosody, Metrics, and the Poetic Arts.
Iranian 103B: Introduction to Classical Persian Prose and its Typology.
Iranian 103C: Contemporary Persian Prose and Poetry
Iranian 104: Philosophical Texts: Farabi, Avicenna, Sohravardi, Shirazi, and others.
Iranian 140: Topics in Classical Persian Poetry. Selections vary from year-to-year and include Hafez, Rumi, Sa'di, Nezami, and others.
Iranian 141: Introduction to Analytical Persian Prose. Selections Vary from year-to-year and include: Siyasat Nameh; Partow Nameh; Safar Nameh; Kitab-e Insan-e Kamel; Jame' al-Hikmatayn, and others.
Iranian 142: Persian Ethics: (detailed syllabus listed on the class site).
Iranian 220 A&B: Topics vary and include Hafez, Rumi, and Sa'di
Iranian 250: Topics vary and include selections from philosophical and mystical texts.

HAFEZ

Assyrian Online Dictionaries BENYAMINO

ASSYRIAN MUSIC WRITER

Click to play Boye Mohat

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Zataka poem