The Saint Gabriel File
Monastery boundary cases declared null and void in Ankara court battle: Back to the drawing board for the monastery
Ankara
The Syriac Universal Alliance (SUA), the recognised United Nations NGO representing the Aramean (Syriac) people worldwide, reports that the Supreme Court in Ankara
Aram goes to the Holy Land
WCA, its Member Federations and Aram Tours invite you to this unforgettable trip! From 25 September till 5 October, we offer 50 Arameans the exclusive opportunity to join us on a 10-day spiritual and cultural journey to the land of the Bible.
CHRISTIANS FROM SYRIA SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE: HISTORIC CONFERENCE IN GENEVA ON 8 MAY 2014
Click here to download the Press Release in PDF
Tomorrow, on 8 May 2014, a historic conference will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, where seven senior religious and secular leaders from Syria’s largest Christian churches will speak in a unified voice on the situation in their homeland, which is the cradle of civilization and Christianity. In addition, significant meetings at the United Nations are scheduled for Friday.
Tomorrow’s conference, titled “Christians in Syria: The Challenge of Speaking with One Voice,” will start at 8 pm at the Espace Fusterie (18, Place de la Fusterie) in Geneva and is open to the public.
Request to amend article 125 of Constitution and ID Card
Iraq’s Arameans express deep concern about the lack of constitutional recognition as a distinct ethno-religious people and their uncertain future in their homeland in the Nineveh Plain which soon may be retaken from ISIS. Unlike other populations in Iraq such as Turkmen, Chaldeans and Assyrians, the Syriacs are not mentioned in Article 125 of the Constitution. Therefore, they are now forced to identify themselves by one of these identities, or the Arab one, and thus adopt an identity that is entirely foreign to them in the ID Cards that have to be issued. This has caused serious concerns and angry reactions among hundreds of thousands of Iraq’s indigenous Arameans in and outside Iraq who refuse to identify themselves other than Syriacs or Arameans.
The World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) (“WCA”) addresses this pertinent issue in a letter that has been sent by the WCA to Iraqi government officials and the media. The WCA and its Member Federations also sent the letters to Iraq’s Ambassadors across Europe, the USA and Australia, requesting them to share it with Baghdad and the dignitaries in charge of constitutional amendments and also requesting for meetings to further clarify the issue and the uncertain future of Iraq’s Aramean Christians in the post-ISIS period in Iraq, considering that the Nineveh Plains may be reconquered in the near future.
Scroll down below to download the letter of the WCA and the Syriac Orthodox and Catholic Archbishops of Iraq. Also, view the video message of the WCA President and the Vice-Chairman of the Aramean Federation in the Netherlands.
The Syriac Catholic activist Isho' Majeed Hadaya (1954-2006) was murdered on 22 November 2006 in his hometown of Baghdeda (Qaraqosh), North Iraq, because of his Aramean Christian identity. At his funeral, the Aramaic flag was laid on his coffin.
Documentary screening: The Wait
On Wednesday 28 March 2018, a special screening of the documentary The Wait will be organised in London. The documentary, by Susie Attwood, follows several Aramean families from Syria, who have found temporary refuge at the Syriac Orthodox Saint Gabriel Monastery in Beirut, Lebanon. Many of these refugees are awaiting visa approvals for, what they hope, will be a chance at a better life in the West.
WE WILL NOT REST UNTIL YOU ARE BACK HOME! (abducted on Monday 22 April 2013)
SYRIA’S KIDNAPPED CHURCH LEADERS STILL MISSING AFTER ONE YEAR
Over one year ago, on 22 April 2013, the Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, H.E. Gregorius Hanna Ibrahim, and H.E. Boulos al-Yazigi, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo and Iskenderun, were abducted by a rebel group near the Turkish-Syrian border. Their car was intercepted and the Aramean driver was shot dead, during or after the attack.
5th Anniversary of the Abduction of the Metropolitans of Aleppo Highlighted at an International Symposium in Germany
The World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) (“WCA”) and its Member Federation in Germany, Bundesverband der Aramäer in Deutschland (“BVDAD”), held an international symposium in Gronau, Germany, concerning the Fifth Anniversary of the Abducted Archbishops of Aleppo. There seem to be new lines of contact with a group that claims to hold them against their will.
Genocide of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East perpetrated by ISIS: Music as the Bridge to Peace
ADF International and the World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) (“WCA”) are inviting you for a side event on Thursday, 17 March 2016, at the United Nations Office in Geneva that aims at raising awareness about the threat of extinction of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including Yezidis and Aramean Christians, who are victims of genocide.
Genocide constitutes the most horrific of human rights violations, leading to the total or partial destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. The European Parliament already reacted and approved a resolution on 4 February 2016, condemning the ongoing atrocities in the aforementioned countries and recognizing them as genocide.
The investigations, reports and conclusions from the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and other efforts are also important steps. Resolutions by the Human Rights Council and the Security Council recognizing the acts committed by ISIS as genocide are of urgent importance in order to end the violence. Therefore, your participation and support would be greatly appreciated.
Speakers:
• Ms. Mariela Shaker, Syrian Refugee and professional classical violinist
• Ms. Jacqueline Isaac, Lawyer, Vice President of Roads of Success
Moderator:
• Mr. Johny Messo, President, World Council of Arameans (Syriacs)
Conclusion and Geneva Declaration on Genocide of Religious and Ethnic Minorities:
• Mr. Rubén Navarro, Senior UN Counsel, ADF International
In addition, Ms. Mariela Shaker will give a 15-minute violin concert. Ms. Shaker is an Aramean Christian refugee from Aleppo, Syria, who was named a “Champion of Change” by President Barack Obama and honored at the White House on World Refugee Day last year. A DePaul University graduate student working toward a master’s degree in musical performance, she also is the WCA Ambassador of Peace, using the power of music to highlight the plight of refugees from her homeland and to provide inspiring ways to healing and reconciliation in Syria.
Ms. Mariela Shaker (center)
RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 15 March, if you do not have an entry badge to the UN.
Refreshments will be provided. French interpretation will be available.
Click here to download the Press Release in PDF
{jathumbnail off}
Statement on Syria to Foreign Affairs Commission in The Netherlands (VIDEO)
While the world watches over Syria’s future, its oldest indigenous peoples, the Arameans, faces silent extinction. As the heirs of a 3,000-year-old civilization and the first Christian communities, they are being erased from their ancestral homeland. On 5 March 2025, WCA President Johny Messo urged the Dutch Parliament to take action before it is too late. Will The Netherlands and Europe stand by as history disappears?
