Posted by Jeff from bgp01107368bgs.wbrmfd01.mi.comcast.net (68.42.59.180) on Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 3:10PM :
... here comes a load full.
Re: On Chaldean rights, and my positions on other issues.
[ Chaldeans Discussion Forum ]
Written by Ghassan on 27 Feb 2002 21:56:26:
As an answer to: Dear Ghassan written by Iraqi on 27 Feb 2002 06:32:03:
Dear Iraqi,
Here are my answers to each of your questions:
1. Is it true that you aim for a Christian separate country in Northern Iraq?
Ans.: ABSOLUTELY NOT. What I have called for is ?self-rule? (?7okem thaty? like that awarded to the Kurds) but NEVER an independent state. Actually, that will be the most stupid goal for any Chaldean nationalist. We Chaldeans believe that we?re the native people of Mesopotamia, and hence, trying to carve up a ?small? piece of our Fathers? land would be the ultimate insult to the graves of our Fathers in other parts of Iraq. My homeland is ALL of Iraq (and southeast Turkey and eastern Syria, which as a whole make up Mesopotamia). Babylon, our eternal capital and Holy City is located in the heart of Iraq. There lie the graves of my Fathers?, why should we leave them in ?another state? when currently they?re in ?our state??
Nineveh (Mosul and its surroundings) is only ONE part of our homeland. Any call by any Chaldean individual for an ?independent state? on a ?small part? of our Fathers? land is STUPID clear and simple. We, the Chaldeans, are the only group in Iraq (and that?s a fact) who have no other land to call home but ALL of Iraq. We don?t have an Arab Umma, Kurdish Umma, Turkish Umma or a Muslim Umma to run to. Only Iraq is our homeland. Iraq as a whole.
OK. The above is ideological, essence, and uncompromising Chaldean political thinking that is shared by the majority of my people. Now, let us talk about reality. What is the current population of Chaldeans (including the small Assyrian community) in Iraq? At most it?s 1 million out of 23 million Iraqis (after 1991 sanctions the figure is closer to 800,000).
If we assume we can have an ?independent state?, aren?t some of today?s Arabs of Iraq a mixed blood of Chaldeans and Arabs who became Muslims after the Arab Muslim conquest of Iraq? Yes, indeed there is a good percentage of Iraqi Muslims who are a mixed blood (when the Arabs invaded Iraq in the seventh century AD, its population was 9 million people which was 90% Christian). So, once again, what?s the use of an ?independent state on a very small part? that does not take into consideration ?all of its subjects??
Again, wishful thinking aside, ?how will this small (Getto-like) state in northern Iraq survive? I am assuming northern Iraq here means around Mosul area were still exists a large number of Christian towns. I guess we will not compete with the Kurds over ?Greater Kurdistan?(a state that never existed in man?s 7000 years of history), but that?s another issue.
OK. You can read my thoughts on the subject in more details in my published article For Assyrian/Chaldean National Rights in Beth Nahreen (Iraq). Here the list of my demands:
1. Creating a ?Self-rule area? in northern Iraq for our Chaldean people (including Assyrians) that include the areas inhabited mostly by our people in Nineveh (Mosel), Arbel, and Nohadra (Dahouk).
2. The declaration by the Iraqi government through a change in the constitution that recognizes our Chaldean nation as one that has an equal footing with its other neighbors, the Arabic, Kurdish, and Turkman nations i.e. Chaldeans is a national minority and not a ?religious? one.
3. The abolishment by the Iraqi government of all laws and decrees that discriminate against our Chaldean people due to ethnic or religious background.
4. Our people should have the right to learn and teach our Aramaic language in schools where the majority of the students are Chaldeans. We should also be allowed to publish newspapers, print books, broadcast through radio and TV our own Aramaic-based entertainment and educational programs.
5. The Iraqi government should stop "re-writing" history and "Arabising" it to fit the agenda of the ultra Arab nationalists. Abraham is not an Arab. Nabuchadnesser, Babylon, and Ur are not Arabs by any stretch or means. Our people's history should not be stolen and given to those who feel inferior about their owns. Any future Iraqi government should discard all the "Baathi" rewriting of history. Students should be taught their history according to real truth and facts. Credit should be given to our nation's efforts in teaching the Arab Muslim conquerors of Mesopotamia the arts of statehood, science, and the exposure to other nations' achievements.
6. The Iraqi government should generate programs in which "re-education" of the general Muslim public be made. Decades of disrespectful attitudes towards Iraqi Christians and our Chaldean people should be eliminated. Iraqi TV and radio should start to broadcast Christian masses every Sunday on equal footing with the Muslim's Friday prayers.
7. All governmental and military positions should be open for our people without any discrimination or limits on "how far in ranking a Chaldean should go". Decades of discrimination against our people which resulted in the absence of a single "Ambassador" or ministerial position held by a Chaldean during the last 80 years of the Iraqi state should be reversed.
8. By the same token, the Kurdish groups should come to terms with their history and its many massacres against our Chaldean people and submit a formal apology to our nation for all the crimes committed by them. This should only increase their own national well being as well as admitting a wrong that's long due. The current tendency of actually continuing the old path with "ultra Arab nationalism borrowing" of referring to our people as "Christian Kurds" will only increase our people's suspicion of a nation with a dishonorable history towards its neighbors, the Chaldeans (including Assyrians) of Mesopotamia. The original inhabitants and natives of the lands the Kurds currently occupy.
Also, my other published article (in Arabic):
Chaldean/Assyrians under Arab Baath regime of Iraq
In the end my goal is "democracy and equal rights for ALL Iraqis regardless of their ehnicity or religion". I am against dividing Iraq into several mini-states because that will hurt all Iraqis. "Self-rule" for Iraq's different ethnic groups should be encouraged but "self-rule" should NEVER be made a step towards cessation from Iraq as the Kurds are seeking.
Iraqis should be able to work out their problems in an atmosphere of mutual respect and equal treatment for all of its ethnic components. Oil money belongs to all Iraqis and not only Arabs or only Arabs and Kurds. Chaldeans and others contribute immensly to Iraqi society and die on the battle front defending Iraq with their own blood, then treating them on equal footing is the least that should be asked for. Thousands of Chaldeans died in Iraq's two wars (and thousands is a lot in percentage to Chaldeans' total numbers in Iraq), and as such full respect and equal rights with all others is our minimum demand that should be secured constitutionally and respected by others because doing so is the honest and civil thing to do.
2. Is it true that you support Israel or sympathize with that country?
Gee, that?s a good one. What got Israel got to do with me or my Chaldean people? Israel is a racist country which was implanted by Western imperial nations in the heart of the Arab world for no other reason but to serve their own interests in keeping a good lid on the situation in the area.
Zionist propaganda in the West is full of hatred towards my Mesopotamian Fathers. ?Babylon? is referred to as ?whorled and Mother of all abominations? , Nebuchadnesser is presented as a ?mentally sick person?, that the end of the world would come if Babylon is risen again, ..etc. Now, if you read the Old Testament (which Zionism has succeeded in making it the ?holy book? of Zionist Christians that rule America) you?ll see nothing but insults and curses against my Fathers? the Chaldeans and Assyrians of antiquity. Just how would ?sympathizing? with Israel helps my Chaldean people? Actually, what is there to sympathize with? Is it European Jews occupation of Palestine because they believe Judaism is an ethnicity and not as the fact is a religion? It was the Hebrews who lived in the old days in Palestine and not some racially different European Jews. Being a Jew is NOT the same as being a Hebrew.
In all my dealings and social life, Palestinians have always been the closest people to me. I have always championed their cause because it?s a just cause. They?re fighting for liberating their land which was occupied by foreign people who left Europe?s Nazism only to apply its methods on the Palestinians.
OK the following are few posts by me explaining my positions on Arabs, Muslims, and Palestinians:
Let us Condemn all kinds of violence and hate crimes
That?s another message by me on Palestinians
Editing and Removing hate messages
3. Is it true that you have ties with the Falangist Lebanese Christian group?
Not the last time I checked out with the Jemayel family. That?s really funny.
OK. I?ll tell you what is the issue with ?Falangist connection? and why that scum uses it to attack ALL Chaldeans. Well, he claims that the current Chaldean Patriarch Mar Rophael BeDaweed used to help the Maronites in Lebanon when he used to be the Chaldean Bishop of Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. Whether that?s true or not, the fact is the Lebanese civil war was religiously based as well as political. Also, the fact is rumors are abound that Mar BeDaweed was in close ties with Iraqi politics in Lebanon during the Civil War before he was elected Chaldean patriarch in 1989. Remember, during that time the Lebanese Maronites and their Falange party were against the Syrian Baathists, the enemies of our Iraqi Baathists. The Syrians were occupyng Lebanon then (and still are) and in full war with the Maronites.
Now, today the number of Chaldeans in Lebanon is close to 10,000 people only. They were NOT known to have joined the Lebanese civil war nor had their own militia nor armed band, hence, if Mar BeDaweed had ?played politics? and allied himself with the Maronities, the Chaldean community there would have been in a better shape today. The fact is Mar BeDaweed and during last year April 2000 interview with Lebanese LBC station complained about lack of political rights for Chaldeans in Lebanon and publicly demanding "better treatment for them". I believe if he had worked with the Falangist, the Maronities (who still wield important power in Lebanon) would have ?rewarded? the Chaldean community with something. The fact that he went ?public? complaining about the situation of the Chaldeans in Lebanon (something he dares not do when talking about Chaldeans in Iraq!!) says a lot about all those rumors.
It's interesting how those scum seek any point to score against the Chaldeans and Christians of Iraq, just like their continuous reference to the issue of Munir Rofa the Christian pilot who flew a MIG plane in 1966 to Israel as if, if Christians have one traitor among them is enough to cover up for 10,000 Muslim traitors that the history of colonialism in our area and Palestine can list for us.
From another angle, I am really proud that Christians have such a clean record that those hate mongers have nothing to do but dwell on and on on ONE case that happened in 1966 in the case of Munir Rofa. Let me not list the Shi3a traitors who used to KILL their fellow Iraqi soldiers during the Iran-Iraq war nor the Sunnies who sold Palestine and their countries' wealth to the foreign powers and the tens of thousands of Arabs who died because of their actions. Each community has its own good and bad, but Christians have the least number of traitors of all of Iraq's communities, and that's a fact and not my own biases.
OK. This is a long post. Please, feel free to ask any question (and be very direct and honest). I don?t expect you to agree with everything I write or believe in (not that I mind that), but the filth of Chalabi gang are in the business of discrediting any person whom disagrees with their position. By the way, The Iraqi National Congress (Chalabi gang) REFUSES to even recognize that Chaldeans are an ethnic group that must be treated on equal terms with Arabs and Kurds. Imagine that is while they?re still an opposition group and don?t have any power. Imagine what they?ll do to my people once they get hold of it, especially when they talk about Sunni-Christian alliance and other garbage.
Do I need to defend myself in front of some scum on iraq.net? Not really. That will be giving them too much credit. Iraq.net became a hot-bed for Chalabi gang the moment Sam Kareem (its previous owner) accepted a $1,000 personal check from Ahmed Chalabi, It became a wholly owned front-shop of Inc. when Sam sold it for $15,000 (or so) to Nabeel Mosawi who was an Inc. operative.
At one time, they tried to censor all anti-Inc. messages (?Inc.? for Incorporated by CIA which publicly demands regular financial disclosures from it so as to be in line with all other good American companies alas the management is fired!!). Anyway, after that, and when people started leaving the site en masse they decided to ?lessen the bias? and play democratic. Come on, I have other things to worry about than bothering about them.
Sooner or later people will know who is honest and sincere and who is serving the interests of regimes or powers that are hostile to his/her country.
Best,
Ghassan
-- Jeff
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