Posted by pancho from customer-148-233-93-65.uninet.net.mx (148.233.93.65) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 at 6:36PM :
***I think these people all left home with a crucifix lodged neatly in their assholes...
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Written by Hanna Hajjar on 13 Mar 2003 19:43:53:
Archbishop Afram Karim,
I know that you are monitoring this forum! So I will go directly to the point without wasting any time:
I heard some alarming news about a very recent incident, that you are behind it, and I hope that it is not true.
Mr. Kasper "Kay" Saffer, of Worcester Massachusetts, age 94, passed away on March 10th, 2003. Mr. Kay Saffer was an Assyrian-America whose family came originally from Kharput, he was the founder of the first Assyrian Apostolic Church in the USA (A.K.A. Assyrian Orthodox Church, Jacobite Church, Syrian Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodox Church). In other words he was one of the founders of the same church that you are heading in Eastern USA now. Mr. Kay Saffer was a very prominent person in his community; he proudly served his community and country (the USA) and became one of its Veterans.
I heard that you are denying funeral services to this honorable man who founded your church, on the basis that he is an Assyrian, and that you had threatened to excommunicate any priest who conducts the last rites for this Assyrian-American Veteran.
Allow me to bring to your attention that you live in the USA and not in the Middle East, there are laws against ethnic discrimination here, and you can’t discriminate against a person because of his ethnic origin. Christianity is not related to fascism and chauvinism, if you want to promote such racist ideologies, you are in the wrong business of being a Christian Archbishop. Christianity teaches love and brotherhood among all people irrespective of their race, color, gender, and ethnic origin.
Here is my advice to you; we Assyrian Orthodox members of the Church of Antioch, haven’t forgotten that it was you who changed the original name of our church in Worcester Massachusetts from Assyrian to Syrian, however by denying the final rites to a deceased person based on ethnic discrimination, you are going too far! To say the least, you are digging yourself into a serious legal mess.
It is not my business to tell you what to do or how to run your spiritual affairs, but once you cross the line and infringe on my (or someone else’s) civil liberty rights, then you will be facing civil law suits. Because if you don’t send a priest to conduct the final rights for this Assyrian-American hero, rest assured that we will take this matter to court, and you will end up facing ethnic discrimination charges, and who knows what other illegal activities of yours will surface up!
Here is the information of the funeral home: The funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 15, in O'Connor Brothers Funeral Home, 592 Park Ave. (www.oconnorbrothers.com). Burial will be in Hope Cemetery. Calling hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 14, in the funeral home. We expect to see a Syriac Orthodox Priest there, and during both ceremonies; the wake and the funeral.
I also recommend that you personally send flowers (they better be nice ones) and a donation to cover the funeral service cost, after all if Mr. Kay Saffer didn’t fount our church, you wouldn’t be here with job as an Archbishop.
An apology note addressed to the Assyrian-American people of Worcester Massachusetts is highly recommended that is if you want to explain to them that you are not a racist person who discriminate against Assyrians, but please don’t take my word of advise if you are a racist person, because I do not like to impose my moral values on you. And if you write this letter, I recommend that you write it in our beloved Syriac (i.e. Assyrian) language, because it is the language that Mr. Kay Saffer and all the Assyrian-Americans in Worcester love and cherish, and don’t forget to sign the letter too so they know from whom it is coming.
Here is the information for sending flowers: Flowers to be sent to, or contributions may be made to UMass Memorial Home Health and Hospice, 650 Lincoln St., Worcester, MA 01605.
One more thing; I recommend that your Archdiocese See of Eastern USA pays all the expenses of the priest(s) that you will be sending to both the wake and funeral of Mr. Kay Saffer. Because he was the founder of your church, and without him you would have been unemployed! So you better honor him, and pay your dues to this great Assyrian-America, you owe him this!
May Akiqar the sage (the Assyrian prime minister of the King Senharib I), shed some of his vast wisdom on you, so you could think wisely, and clearly, because if you don’t, we will be forced to take legal action, and you will be facing a discrimination lawsuit in USA courts. And trust me, the ethnic discrimination charges will be the least of your worries! So please don’t take this lightly! The USA laws are above every one that live on USA soil.
Respectfully,
Hanna Hajjar
Another Assyrian-American
3/13/
-- pancho
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