Turning The Other Cheek!
WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) —
I sat in stunned silence as the program enfolded.
It was the unfolding of the Presidents plan for the future of Iraq being presented at one of Washington’s major “think tanks”, charged with putting together the new policy.
First, two experts gave their views, one, a veteran military officer, the other a well trained strategy expert days before the official announcement.
Following them, two key Senators began their discussion.
I waited and waited.
I read the report they had just produced.
There was no mention of even the name of 10% of the population of Iraq. None of their detailed maps of the city of Baghdad or the country even mentioned the people that live in broad swaths of the cities and were the original people of the country.
At the end of the program, I publicly challenged them.
“You have made no mention of 10% of the population of Iraq, the indigenous people of Iraq, the Assyrian Christians !
The Iraqi Government has recently promised them a province in their homeland. What are you going to do for them ?”
There was an embarrassed pause.
“Yes, we know.
The best thing for the Assyrian Christians and all the minorities is for there to be a stable and democratic Iraq,” they mumbled in shame.
Earlier after the Iraq Study Group made its report, I had asked the same question of James Baker and Lee Hamilton, the authors of the report.
The same “Sorry – you are right – we just got so busy…”
Then I began to realize something important. The Assyrian Christians had been shut out from the discussions, the maps and all else was for two reasons.
First, they are Christians and they don’t make bombs, abuse their women and fight against the world.
Second, though and more troubling, is that nobody fights for them.
The discussion went to the Shia and the Sunni and the Kurds and on and on. They were the center of attention because they are destroying each other, have militias and push their way around.
The most important people in Iraq, the people for whom much of the world is indebted for their faith, the first Christian nation on earth, were being completely ignored.
As the program finished and the people began to leave, one man came up to me and said “You are always here like this, aren’t you ? You are doing a good job for your people. Let me know what we can do to help”
Who was it ? Was it a fellow Christian ? Was it a conservative Republican ? Was it a human right activist ?
No, it was a staffer from the Iraqi Embassy.
While we complain about human rights throughout the world, and for Christians in particular, probably the most important reason they are abused the world over is because nobody says anything or does anything about it.
Just a public word at an important meeting makes the difference.
“Turning the other cheek” is an important principle but so is “overturning the moneychangers.”
Maybe we should “overturn” some “moneychangers” this week…
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The General and the Ambassador!
The General and the Ambassador
Washington D.C.
Through 17 hours of grilling testimony at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senate Armed Services Committee, House Foreign Relations Committee and House Armed Services committee General David Petreaus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker kept their cool.
The Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen changed, the audience changed, the days and rooms changed, but there was one consistent section in attendance at all the hearings.
It was the Assyrian Christians!
The Assyrian Christians are the original people of Iraq – the people of Nineveh of Jonah the Whale fame.
Most people don’t know that these people who still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus were the first group of people to accept Christianity.
The long hours of sitting through endless and repetitious testimony paid off for the hardy Assyrian Christian section – they were rewarded with a chance to speak with both the General and the Ambassador . . . twice!
`We were able to speak with both General Petreaus and Ambassador Crocker twice, to thank them for all they have done for Iraq and present them with a map of the Assyrian Province in Iraq and information on our people` said one of the members.
Why are the Assyrian Christians important?
In the broad developments in Iraq, it may seem that they are just one small group – barely 2.5 million people out of a population of nearly 25 million according to the Foreign Ministry under Saddam Hussein with an additional nearly 3.5 million diaspora worldwide who like the Jews with similar numbers long for their `homeland`.
They are often ignored in the daily grind of `Shia, Sunni, Kurd` information that pours out of Iraq, but in fact they are really the most important.
The Assyrian Christians attending the 17 hours of hearings in Congress also passed on an important piece of information to the General and the Ambassador.
`We were able in addition to giving them a map of the Assyrian Province in our homeland in Northern Iraq, tell the General and the Ambassador that we were able to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki and he promised to support an Assyrian Province in our homeland, payments to the over 500,000 Assyrian Christian refugees and payment for them to return home.` commented a team member.
The reaction from the General and the Ambassador?
`They were very happy, particularly to hear that the Iraqi Prime Minister supports our Province and assigned us a staff member to follow up with. ` He continued.
While the General and the Ambassador dominated the news while they were in Washington, it was the Assyrian Christians, the `canary in the mine` of Iraq who touched their hearts.
Will Iraq succeed? Will things get better for the longsuffering Iraqi people? A large amount of the responsibility for that success or failure rests on the original people of Iraq.
The Assyrian Christians are considered the `soul` of the nation and many Iraqis, including the Prime Minister consider the most `loyal and best citizens. `
The Assyrian Christians want just one thing. They want what is known as `The Biden Plan`, named after one of their big supporters, Senator Joseph Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
This envisions moving Iraq into a United Kingdom type division where the areas of Iraq - `Shiastan` in the south, `Sunnistan` in the middle, `Kurdistan` in the northeast and `Assyria` in the northwest are allowed to develop much like England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
With the Iraqi Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Congress and the General and the Ambassador on board things are looking up for the first Christian nation.
`God is with us. He has given us favor with the Iraqi Government and the American Government. We believe that the Prophecy of Isaiah 19 which tells us we will have our homeland is about to happen. ` The team leader commented.
Will the General and the Ambassador do what they promised? Will the Iraqi Prime Minister come through?
At least one group of people is pulling all the strings they can to see it happen so the 500,000 of their people languishing as refugees can finally go home and a very old Prophecy can finally come true.
Ken Joseph Jr
Washington D.C.
Through 17 hours of grilling testimony at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senate Armed Services Committee, House Foreign Relations Committee and House Armed Services committee General David Petreaus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker kept their cool.
The Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen changed, the audience changed, the days and rooms changed, but there was one consistent section in attendance at all the hearings.
It was the Assyrian Christians!
The Assyrian Christians are the original people of Iraq – the people of Nineveh of Jonah the Whale fame.
Most people don’t know that these people who still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus were the first group of people to accept Christianity.
The long hours of sitting through endless and repetitious testimony paid off for the hardy Assyrian Christian section – they were rewarded with a chance to speak with both the General and the Ambassador . . . twice!
`We were able to speak with both General Petreaus and Ambassador Crocker twice, to thank them for all they have done for Iraq and present them with a map of the Assyrian Province in Iraq and information on our people` said one of the members.
Why are the Assyrian Christians important?
In the broad developments in Iraq, it may seem that they are just one small group – barely 2.5 million people out of a population of nearly 25 million according to the Foreign Ministry under Saddam Hussein with an additional nearly 3.5 million diaspora worldwide who like the Jews with similar numbers long for their `homeland`.
They are often ignored in the daily grind of `Shia, Sunni, Kurd` information that pours out of Iraq, but in fact they are really the most important.
The Assyrian Christians attending the 17 hours of hearings in Congress also passed on an important piece of information to the General and the Ambassador.
`We were able in addition to giving them a map of the Assyrian Province in our homeland in Northern Iraq, tell the General and the Ambassador that we were able to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki and he promised to support an Assyrian Province in our homeland, payments to the over 500,000 Assyrian Christian refugees and payment for them to return home.` commented a team member.
The reaction from the General and the Ambassador?
`They were very happy, particularly to hear that the Iraqi Prime Minister supports our Province and assigned us a staff member to follow up with. ` He continued.
While the General and the Ambassador dominated the news while they were in Washington, it was the Assyrian Christians, the `canary in the mine` of Iraq who touched their hearts.
Will Iraq succeed? Will things get better for the longsuffering Iraqi people? A large amount of the responsibility for that success or failure rests on the original people of Iraq.
The Assyrian Christians are considered the `soul` of the nation and many Iraqis, including the Prime Minister consider the most `loyal and best citizens. `
The Assyrian Christians want just one thing. They want what is known as `The Biden Plan`, named after one of their big supporters, Senator Joseph Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
This envisions moving Iraq into a United Kingdom type division where the areas of Iraq - `Shiastan` in the south, `Sunnistan` in the middle, `Kurdistan` in the northeast and `Assyria` in the northwest are allowed to develop much like England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
With the Iraqi Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Congress and the General and the Ambassador on board things are looking up for the first Christian nation.
`God is with us. He has given us favor with the Iraqi Government and the American Government. We believe that the Prophecy of Isaiah 19 which tells us we will have our homeland is about to happen. ` The team leader commented.
Will the General and the Ambassador do what they promised? Will the Iraqi Prime Minister come through?
At least one group of people is pulling all the strings they can to see it happen so the 500,000 of their people languishing as refugees can finally go home and a very old Prophecy can finally come true.
Ken Joseph Jr
If They Would Just Steal 90%!
If They Would Just Steal 90%!
Baghdad, Iraq
Exasperated, the Iraqi Government Minister let it all hang out.
“If they would just steal 90% of the funds from our ministry, I could get something done with even 10%. The problem is that they steal all of it.”
As shocking as it may sound, the comment is heard often in Baghdad as Government Ministries are systematically looted for political as well as personal reasons.
“If there is one greatest need in Iraq today it is simple governance” says one expert like so many others who does not want to be identified.
“To go from the Saddam Hussein Regime to running a normal Government is too much to expect from those with little experience. Iraq is doing significantly better in every field and many are encouraged with the progress. The real problem lies in the ability to handle and manage funds appropriately. This is the reason for the frustration of the Iraqi people as they do not see the practical changes in their lives that they should as the funds destined to make their lives better are systematically siphoned off.”
The system works in many ways, but what the minister was referring to is generally believed in Iraqi Society as they see even the most basic symbols not being taken care of.
The Parliament Building is not clean, the internet usually does not work and funds clearly are not being spent on its upkeep. Obviously whatever budget is set aside for these purposes is not being spent.
According to Falah Saeed “It is very simple. The company that is hired to do the internet is a friend of whoever hired them. They get paid, but they don’t do the work. That is the picture with the whole of the Parliament and all the other ministries. This reason we are not making progress. We have the money. We have the needs. The Thieves are taking it all.”
Across the street, the country’s premier Hotel, the Al Rasheed is in a terrible state of disrepair.
The Swedish Company that built it has offered twice to completely repair and refurbish it to at cost, but twice has been rebuffed by the Iraqi Government who apparently doesn’t want to spend even the cost of materials.
Akeel Abdul Wahab, one of the Managers says “When the hotel was built is was the premier hotel in the Middle East.
Now the toilets don’t work. The doors don’t open.
The hotel is in a general state of disrepair and even when the company that made it offers to fix it they will not do it. We are becoming a nation ruled by thieves.”
Funds that are supposed to go to various ministry activities, as the Minister pointed out are being diverted from Government in massive amounts according to government insiders.
A classic example is the monthly salaries of security guards around just one of the Government Offices.
They are all from the hometown of the particular minister and whereas they should be making somewhere in the area of $100 - $200 a month, are being paid according to their own words up to $1,300 a month – clearly a dramatic diversion of funds from a ministry.
Minorities including Heidi’s, Assyrian Christians, Sabeans, Manacheansns and others are cut out of the extremely partisan nature of the various ministries, preferring to go it on their own with their traditional hard work, good education and international connections.
Many though are throwing in the towel at the extreme ideology and tribal connections that are needed to go forward.
Who is at fault?
“This is a tough question” the expert continues. “with no experience in managing budgets, managing programs and basic finance, the international community and the US in particular need to be responsible for their investments in Iraq. They need to have experts in each ministry carefully monitoring the movement of funds, if for no other reason than the extreme danger of these funds going out to other purposes that can harm security.”
While security has improved dramatically the situation in Iraq is tentative at best simply because with the massive diversion of funds from Government funds for basic services are not being spent and the people are growing tired of doing without.
The Minister concludes “With just 10% of the budget I could do at least some programs and let the people see some progress. I am doing all my best to see if they can just leave a little in the budget.”
“Standing up the Iraqis” is a common theme in Iraq these days, but not matter how much “standing up” is done, if those in place are not ready it will not work.
Expertise is still needed to keep Iraq from sliding back from the tentative victories she now enjoys into the status of a failed state.
“Nobody would turn the keys to a brand new car over to a child just learning to drive.”
“They need to sit in the learner’s seat for a few more years until they can drive. The enthusiasm to get them driving is understandable, but a child is a child and no amount of coaxing or pushing will change that simple fact.” He concludes
For the Americans in particular they need to slow down, think and remember that when the child they launch in his brand new BMW crashes they will have to come back again -better to be patient until his feet touch the seat and even then sit in the next seat as they do in Japan, Korea, Germany and so many other countries.”
Back in Iraq, the Minister just wants 10% of the budget so just some of the programs can get going!
Nabil Amad
Baghdad, Iraq
Exasperated, the Iraqi Government Minister let it all hang out.
“If they would just steal 90% of the funds from our ministry, I could get something done with even 10%. The problem is that they steal all of it.”
As shocking as it may sound, the comment is heard often in Baghdad as Government Ministries are systematically looted for political as well as personal reasons.
“If there is one greatest need in Iraq today it is simple governance” says one expert like so many others who does not want to be identified.
“To go from the Saddam Hussein Regime to running a normal Government is too much to expect from those with little experience. Iraq is doing significantly better in every field and many are encouraged with the progress. The real problem lies in the ability to handle and manage funds appropriately. This is the reason for the frustration of the Iraqi people as they do not see the practical changes in their lives that they should as the funds destined to make their lives better are systematically siphoned off.”
The system works in many ways, but what the minister was referring to is generally believed in Iraqi Society as they see even the most basic symbols not being taken care of.
The Parliament Building is not clean, the internet usually does not work and funds clearly are not being spent on its upkeep. Obviously whatever budget is set aside for these purposes is not being spent.
According to Falah Saeed “It is very simple. The company that is hired to do the internet is a friend of whoever hired them. They get paid, but they don’t do the work. That is the picture with the whole of the Parliament and all the other ministries. This reason we are not making progress. We have the money. We have the needs. The Thieves are taking it all.”
Across the street, the country’s premier Hotel, the Al Rasheed is in a terrible state of disrepair.
The Swedish Company that built it has offered twice to completely repair and refurbish it to at cost, but twice has been rebuffed by the Iraqi Government who apparently doesn’t want to spend even the cost of materials.
Akeel Abdul Wahab, one of the Managers says “When the hotel was built is was the premier hotel in the Middle East.
Now the toilets don’t work. The doors don’t open.
The hotel is in a general state of disrepair and even when the company that made it offers to fix it they will not do it. We are becoming a nation ruled by thieves.”
Funds that are supposed to go to various ministry activities, as the Minister pointed out are being diverted from Government in massive amounts according to government insiders.
A classic example is the monthly salaries of security guards around just one of the Government Offices.
They are all from the hometown of the particular minister and whereas they should be making somewhere in the area of $100 - $200 a month, are being paid according to their own words up to $1,300 a month – clearly a dramatic diversion of funds from a ministry.
Minorities including Heidi’s, Assyrian Christians, Sabeans, Manacheansns and others are cut out of the extremely partisan nature of the various ministries, preferring to go it on their own with their traditional hard work, good education and international connections.
Many though are throwing in the towel at the extreme ideology and tribal connections that are needed to go forward.
Who is at fault?
“This is a tough question” the expert continues. “with no experience in managing budgets, managing programs and basic finance, the international community and the US in particular need to be responsible for their investments in Iraq. They need to have experts in each ministry carefully monitoring the movement of funds, if for no other reason than the extreme danger of these funds going out to other purposes that can harm security.”
While security has improved dramatically the situation in Iraq is tentative at best simply because with the massive diversion of funds from Government funds for basic services are not being spent and the people are growing tired of doing without.
The Minister concludes “With just 10% of the budget I could do at least some programs and let the people see some progress. I am doing all my best to see if they can just leave a little in the budget.”
“Standing up the Iraqis” is a common theme in Iraq these days, but not matter how much “standing up” is done, if those in place are not ready it will not work.
Expertise is still needed to keep Iraq from sliding back from the tentative victories she now enjoys into the status of a failed state.
“Nobody would turn the keys to a brand new car over to a child just learning to drive.”
“They need to sit in the learner’s seat for a few more years until they can drive. The enthusiasm to get them driving is understandable, but a child is a child and no amount of coaxing or pushing will change that simple fact.” He concludes
For the Americans in particular they need to slow down, think and remember that when the child they launch in his brand new BMW crashes they will have to come back again -better to be patient until his feet touch the seat and even then sit in the next seat as they do in Japan, Korea, Germany and so many other countries.”
Back in Iraq, the Minister just wants 10% of the budget so just some of the programs can get going!
Nabil Amad
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Christians of Iraq Will Survive!
The Christians of Iraq Will Survive!
Baghdad, Iraq
In the face of nearly insurmountable odds, a near complete failure of the international community to assist them in any reasonable way, the historic Assyrian Christians the indigenous people of the country are surviving.
Sheer grit. The "been there -done that" attitude, and probably more than anything else a strong determination that they will not be driven off their historic land has led this hardy band of people to remain.
In the midst of war, bombings and so much going on, the story of the Assyrian Christians, the first nation to accept Christianity, the people through whose tribes most of the world was reached with early Christianity and the only people who continue to speak the ancient lingua franca of the middle east - Aramaic - the language Jesus spoke they remain.
"We had so much hope" says one of the Assyrian leaders, asking not to be identified
"When liberation came we were so happy Saddam was gone and expected so much to happen. At our first meeting with the United Nations office in Baghdad, they told us "This is a moslem country - you should tell your people to leave.
The last help we have had were some computers donated to use in 2004".
Even the US, while professing fairness according to one official the policy is "we concentrate on outreach to the majority" - apparently meaning that the Assyrians along with the Sabeans, Manicheans, Yezidis, Shabaks and others are not on their radar.
While the Assyrians are a minority - in 2002 according to the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs the population was approximately 2.5 million or roughly ten percent - they are well respected in the country resulting in the Iraqi Prime Minister proclaiming "The Assyrians are our best citizens. Whenever I travel I make it a point to meet with them.
They are the original people of our country. Whatever they need to prosper and contribute to the New Iraq we are behind them ."
His sentiments are reflected broadly in Iraqi society where the Assyrians as the indigenous people of the country are seen as the core middle class and the as it were, "canary in the mine" of how Iraq will progress in the future.
After all even the Arab Iraqis know that Iraq itself was originally Assyria and their ancestors, Bedouin tribes migrated from Saudi Arabia and others desert areas of the Middle East.
According to the Assyrians, while Iraqi society respects and values them, the international community goes to great lengths afraid that in any way they might offend "islam" to the point that they have been systematically ignored and shut out of much of the postwar progress.
"It is a very strange irony" point out George Nimrod "even the moslem Iraqis muse at the international community that they are more "moslem" than we are, so concerned are they that they not in any way favor Christians. Even the Christians throughout the world have not helped us. The result is that almost nothing has been done for us. It is the Iraqis that have gone out of their way to help us."
Beginning with a disastrous constitution where the words "Islam is the official religion of the State" were inserted at the insistence of the discredited Paul Bremer against the opposition of the Iraqi Constitutional Committee where it was agreed by all parties that "no ideology or religion" would be in the Constitution, to the inability of the international community to understand the strong secularism of the Iraqi Society as a result of the Baath Party and Saddam Hussein's rule the international effort has been according to the Assyrians extremely prejudicial.
"We have finally realized we will have to take care of ourselves" says Leila George "The international community has not helped us, but the Iraqis love us and slowly but surely we are working things out and we will be ok."
She has a small store that sells antiques and various trinkets and ekes out a small living for her family and is putting together a small business plan to refurbish and expand her shop, hopefully with some funds from after giving up trying to get help from a US Government related program.
Robert George in a small Assyrian village in the North of Iraq speaks of the quiet progress "Just in our village 20 families have returned. They have built new homes, we are starting small shops and we are growing once again. We tried to make contact with the local office of international assistance, but no help. We will do it alone."
Other Assyrians are starting small businesses, working for the Government and slowly but surely taking back their place in Iraqi Society.
Two of the Iraqi Ministries are headed by Assyrians and in spite of all odds, the displaced community; mostly in Syria and Jordan living in abysmal conditions is coming back.
Prime Minister Maliki has made it a point to reach out to the community and two decrees have been passed providing transpiration, financial grants, repair of homes and assistance to re-start family businesses for all those in neighboring countries to come home.
His office has made helping the estimated 500,000 Assyrians displaced within Iraq and in neighboring Jordan and Syria, to return home a priority of the government. A project to simply identify the displaced so they can be plugged into the Iraqi Government system has not been funded to date in spite of many, many requests by the Assyrian community worldwide.
Will the Assyrian Christians of Iraq survive? "Don't worry about us" says one "We survived the Assyrian Holocaust, wars, regimes and more. God is with us and He will take care of us. This is our land."
One point of concern though is the political situation. With only two seats in parliament the Assyrians are in a very bad situation where they should have at least 25 seats.
With massive funding for islamist parties and the same refusal to help them, one need the Assyrians do have is for international support for the upcoming elections where it is critical that they increase their seats in parliament to reflect their historic numbers from the present two seats to twenty.
Sadly disappointed by an international community they thought would help them, but sure in their faith and in their determination to stay on the land of their ancestors the Assyrian Christians are slowly coming home.
Instead of bombings, it is the sound of work in the small auto repair shop that Robert George is concentrating on as he works to provide for his family.
"We will be all right" he says "We just forgot for a bit that we have to trust in God and in ourselves. He gave us this land. It is ours and we will remain and we will prosper. We did it before and we will do it again.
If anyone in the international community cares about us, they could help us find our displaced and get a couple of political parties going so we could have normal representations in the Parliament . . . but we won't be crossing our fingers . . . " concludes George.
Nabil Ahmed
Baghdad, Iraq
In the face of nearly insurmountable odds, a near complete failure of the international community to assist them in any reasonable way, the historic Assyrian Christians the indigenous people of the country are surviving.
Sheer grit. The "been there -done that" attitude, and probably more than anything else a strong determination that they will not be driven off their historic land has led this hardy band of people to remain.
In the midst of war, bombings and so much going on, the story of the Assyrian Christians, the first nation to accept Christianity, the people through whose tribes most of the world was reached with early Christianity and the only people who continue to speak the ancient lingua franca of the middle east - Aramaic - the language Jesus spoke they remain.
"We had so much hope" says one of the Assyrian leaders, asking not to be identified
"When liberation came we were so happy Saddam was gone and expected so much to happen. At our first meeting with the United Nations office in Baghdad, they told us "This is a moslem country - you should tell your people to leave.
The last help we have had were some computers donated to use in 2004".
Even the US, while professing fairness according to one official the policy is "we concentrate on outreach to the majority" - apparently meaning that the Assyrians along with the Sabeans, Manicheans, Yezidis, Shabaks and others are not on their radar.
While the Assyrians are a minority - in 2002 according to the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs the population was approximately 2.5 million or roughly ten percent - they are well respected in the country resulting in the Iraqi Prime Minister proclaiming "The Assyrians are our best citizens. Whenever I travel I make it a point to meet with them.
They are the original people of our country. Whatever they need to prosper and contribute to the New Iraq we are behind them ."
His sentiments are reflected broadly in Iraqi society where the Assyrians as the indigenous people of the country are seen as the core middle class and the as it were, "canary in the mine" of how Iraq will progress in the future.
After all even the Arab Iraqis know that Iraq itself was originally Assyria and their ancestors, Bedouin tribes migrated from Saudi Arabia and others desert areas of the Middle East.
According to the Assyrians, while Iraqi society respects and values them, the international community goes to great lengths afraid that in any way they might offend "islam" to the point that they have been systematically ignored and shut out of much of the postwar progress.
"It is a very strange irony" point out George Nimrod "even the moslem Iraqis muse at the international community that they are more "moslem" than we are, so concerned are they that they not in any way favor Christians. Even the Christians throughout the world have not helped us. The result is that almost nothing has been done for us. It is the Iraqis that have gone out of their way to help us."
Beginning with a disastrous constitution where the words "Islam is the official religion of the State" were inserted at the insistence of the discredited Paul Bremer against the opposition of the Iraqi Constitutional Committee where it was agreed by all parties that "no ideology or religion" would be in the Constitution, to the inability of the international community to understand the strong secularism of the Iraqi Society as a result of the Baath Party and Saddam Hussein's rule the international effort has been according to the Assyrians extremely prejudicial.
"We have finally realized we will have to take care of ourselves" says Leila George "The international community has not helped us, but the Iraqis love us and slowly but surely we are working things out and we will be ok."
She has a small store that sells antiques and various trinkets and ekes out a small living for her family and is putting together a small business plan to refurbish and expand her shop, hopefully with some funds from after giving up trying to get help from a US Government related program.
Robert George in a small Assyrian village in the North of Iraq speaks of the quiet progress "Just in our village 20 families have returned. They have built new homes, we are starting small shops and we are growing once again. We tried to make contact with the local office of international assistance, but no help. We will do it alone."
Other Assyrians are starting small businesses, working for the Government and slowly but surely taking back their place in Iraqi Society.
Two of the Iraqi Ministries are headed by Assyrians and in spite of all odds, the displaced community; mostly in Syria and Jordan living in abysmal conditions is coming back.
Prime Minister Maliki has made it a point to reach out to the community and two decrees have been passed providing transpiration, financial grants, repair of homes and assistance to re-start family businesses for all those in neighboring countries to come home.
His office has made helping the estimated 500,000 Assyrians displaced within Iraq and in neighboring Jordan and Syria, to return home a priority of the government. A project to simply identify the displaced so they can be plugged into the Iraqi Government system has not been funded to date in spite of many, many requests by the Assyrian community worldwide.
Will the Assyrian Christians of Iraq survive? "Don't worry about us" says one "We survived the Assyrian Holocaust, wars, regimes and more. God is with us and He will take care of us. This is our land."
One point of concern though is the political situation. With only two seats in parliament the Assyrians are in a very bad situation where they should have at least 25 seats.
With massive funding for islamist parties and the same refusal to help them, one need the Assyrians do have is for international support for the upcoming elections where it is critical that they increase their seats in parliament to reflect their historic numbers from the present two seats to twenty.
Sadly disappointed by an international community they thought would help them, but sure in their faith and in their determination to stay on the land of their ancestors the Assyrian Christians are slowly coming home.
Instead of bombings, it is the sound of work in the small auto repair shop that Robert George is concentrating on as he works to provide for his family.
"We will be all right" he says "We just forgot for a bit that we have to trust in God and in ourselves. He gave us this land. It is ours and we will remain and we will prosper. We did it before and we will do it again.
If anyone in the international community cares about us, they could help us find our displaced and get a couple of political parties going so we could have normal representations in the Parliament . . . but we won't be crossing our fingers . . . " concludes George.
Nabil Ahmed
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