Arameans of Qamishli establish association
- Post 22 December 2015
After months of preparatory work, on 18 December 2015 the WCA proudly announced the foundation of a Syriac Aramean Association in Qamishli, a town in northeast Syria that borders southeast Turkey, with support of the WCA Member Federations and the Aramaic TV Channel Suryoyo Sat.
The official logo of the Syriac Aramean Association in Qamishli in English (left) and Arabic (right).
The main objectives of this new civil society organization, which will work closely with the WCA, its Federations and Suryoyo Sat, are:
- To help acquire humanitarian and development aid for the neglected Aramean people in the Hassakeh province, particularly in Qamishli;
- To monitor and publicize the human rights situation of the Aramean minority group;
- To record and broadcast important cultural and other activities in the region.
The WCA President, Johny Messo, stated: “The Aramean people and their living cultural heritage are rapidly disappearing from Syria. One of their last centers in the country, where the millennia old Aramaic language and Christian faith have been preserved, is the Qamishli region. In light of the ongoing developments, it is our duty to inform the world about their critical humanitarian conditions and to show how the indigenous Arameans can be helped to stay in their ancient homeland. In the last years, we have witnessed how all kinds of aid can effectively be organized and distributed to the people on the ground through civil society organizations like the Syriac Aramean Association of Qamishli.”
More information about the organization’s board, members and activities will follow in the coming days and weeks.
In April 2015, the WCA and its partners provided 400 Aramean families in Qamishli, in northeastern Syria, with food packages as an Easter Gift (see here).
