your LETTERS Reflections
your LETTERS Reflections on Iraq Your article, “We Can’t Ignore Iraq” [From the Editor, December 2010] is one of the best I have read describing the plight of Christians in Iraq. Your statement, “we are brothers and sisters in Christ” is the reason that when we discuss this issue, we must speak with one united voice as Christian, not Syrian, not Chaldean, not Assyrian, not Armenian, etc. I thank all of you who participated in writing these articles including the pictures, especially the little boy holding his dad’s picture, maybe saying, “where is my daddy?” That picture touched my heart and made me cry. Peaceful people praying in the house of God got slaughtered for no reason. Who would commit such an act? I will keep praying for the families and the relatives who lost their loved ones. My uncle’s great-granddaughter, 24 years old and pregnant, with her husband and father-in-law all died in that church on October 31. One of my nephews told me that he and his family of four were planning to go to the same church that day, but changed their mind at the last minute. Is it coincidence or was it a miracle? God knows. In 1950 when I was living in Baghdad I heard the Jewish people screaming and calling for help as they were being killed by their assailants. I saw their homes and businesses being broken into and looted. I had many Jewish friends. I will never forget these friends saying, “After they are done with us, they will turn against you.” My answer to them was, “No, America will come and help us because it is a Christian country.” I was wrong, they were right. The time has come to do something for our “brothers and sisters in Christ.” My suggestions are as follows: 1. Refugee status. Most of the refugees especially living in Syria and Jordan are considered to be second-class citizens, and can’t find work to support themselves. This needs to change. 2. Asylum. It is very difficult to get asylum as many countries are refusing to do so. 3. Relocation to Nineveh. My concern is that if there is a concentration of Christians in one area, they will be more susceptible to attack. 4. Relocate and assimilate in Kurdistan. I prefer this option because it is safer for them to live among the Kurds, where the official languages are Kurdish and Arabic. They have better services. It would be easier for them to find a job, and they would have the freedom to build and worship in Christian churches. President Barzani has already stated that the Christians are welcome to live among them. A deal could be struck with the Kurdish government so the Christians will join the Kurdish political parties, thus making them even more powerful when negotiating with the central government of Baghdad. Article 15: The Kurdish constitution protects the freedom of all religions. Article 16: “Primary education is compulsory. Free education in all its stages of primary, secondary and university is guaranteed to all citizens ….” The region has seven universities, medical and other technical schools. The Kurdish government has indicated that if the oil law is not settled by June 2011, it will withdraw from the central government in Baghdad. Iyad Allawi is threatening to withdraw from Maliki’s administration also. If this scenario takes place, the central government will collapse, leading the way for a coup d’etat. And the Christians will be slaughtered with no one to help them. I thank you and commend the Christian community in your area for adopting Iraqi refugee families. Your reward will be in heaven. -Sami Hindi Lead By Example In regard to “Our Unhealthy Obsession with Gossip” [The Counselor Is In, November 2010]: You need only to read the first four paragraphs to see that that the counselor herself is the one who needs counseling! How dare Iklas Bashi accuse the whole Chaldean community of having an obsession with gossip? And what kind of respectable publication would even print such nonsense? If Ms. Bashi had a bad experience due to someone’s ignorance in her past, then how is it the fault of every Chaldean? She claims it took her “a long time to trust a Chaldean she really didn’t know.” Sounds to me like Ms. Bashi needs to realize that gossip, like it or not, is a part of most cultures. Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone! While I realize that as an assimilating culture, Chaldeans have flaws, it is an absolute injustice to label all Chaldeans as being obsessed with gossip. This article paints Chaldeans as shallow idiots who have nothing better to do than sit around planning whose life we are going to sabotage by inventing some wild story to viciously hurt them. I am proud to be Chaldean and we have so many other wonderful qualities as a culture that are so much more worth writing about. This article is a prime example of one of the faults I mentioned earlier and that is as Chaldeans, we have a tendency to be over critical of our culture and in particular our own people. With all the strife and instability in our lives today we should not be wasting our time, paper or ink on trivial and paranoid accusations. If the Chaldean News wants to be a representation of or a window into our community, then this publication needs to be more selective in what articles it prints. This article does not represent my Chaldean experience. Let us not forget that we are Christians and that we must lead by example, not scorn. - Tammy Shammas 10 CHALDEAN NEWS JANUARY 2011
noteworthy Parihioners rememer victims of the church massacre. Iraqi Churches Cancel Christmas festivities Iraqi Christians called off Christmas festivities across the country as al-Qaida insurgents threatened more attacks on a beleaguered community still terrified from a bloody siege at a Baghdad church two months earlier. Church officials in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Mosul and Basra said they will not put up Christmas decorations or hold evening mass, and urged worshippers to refrain from decorating their homes. Even an appearance by Santa Claus was called off. “Nobody can ignore the threats of al-Qaida against Iraqi Christians,” said Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako in Kirkuk. “We cannot find a single source of joy that makes us celebrate. The situation of the Christians is bleak.” Christians across Iraq have been living in fear since a Baghdad church attack in October that left 68 people dead. Days later insurgents targeted Christian homes and neighborhoods across the capital with a series of bombs. An al-Qaida front group that claimed responsibility for the church siege vowed at the time to carry out a reign of terror against Christians. The Islamic State of Iraq renewed its threats in a message posted on Dec. 21 on a website frequented by Islamic extremists. The group said it wants the release of two women it claims are being held captive by Egypt’s Coptic Church. Muslim extremists in Egypt say the church has detained the women for allegedly converting to Islam. The church denies the allegations but extremists in Iraq have latched onto the issue. The Dec. 21 message was addressed to Iraq’s Christian community and said it was designed to “pressure” Egypt. At Baghdad’s Our Lady of Salvation church where more than 120 parishioners were held hostage by gunmen on Oct. 31, there was no Christmas tree and mass on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day was canceled. Only a modest manger display marked the occasion. “We have canceled all celebrations in the church,” said Fr. Mukhlis. “We are still in deep mourning.” Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI singled out Christians as the religious group that suffers from the most persecution, denouncing lack of freedom of worship as an ``intolerable’’ threat to world security. The message on December 16 reflected a pressing concern by Pope Benedict in recent months for the plight of Christian minorities in parts of the world, especially in the Middle East. - Associated Press Information Sought on Dollar Store Killing For the second time in as many months, a Chaldean businessman has been killed at his place of business. Karim Khamarko was gunned down on Nov. 26 at the Dollar Club Plus in Ferndale. The assailant(s) immediately shot him as they entered the business in an apparent robbery. Karim Khamarako was 64 years old and leaves behind a wife, five children and several grandchildren. (See page 19 for his complete obituary.) The Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, through the Waad Murad Advocacy Fund, and Crime Stoppers are offering a ,000 reward for information on the killer(s). Ferndale Police have few leads, said Lt. William Wilson. “We’re looking for at least one male - someone who came and left on foot,” he said. “This is definitely one crime where any input from the community is more than welcome — and needed.” Meanwhile, Southfield Police have no news on the killing of Mazin Khmoro, who was shot outside his family’s store, Cronin’s Liquor Store, on October 6. A ,250 reward remains in place. Information on either crime can be reported to Crime Stoppers at (800) SPEAKUP. Big Step for Nineveh Plan Leaders of 16 political parties and national organizations for Iraq’s Christians have agreed to seek the establishment of an autonomous region in the Nineveh Plain. Meetings held in Erbil on Dec. 4 and Nov. 26 resulted in a joint statement from the Chaldeans Syriacs Assyrians supporting some sort of administrative area. The leaders also agreed to future meetings to hammer out details. A Golden Time for Fr. Yasso Fr. Jacob O. Yasso celebrated his Golden Jubilee on December 10 at a party with friends and family. Fr. Yasso Champs! Rookie coach Nash Zaitouna’s team captured the trophy in the Fall 2010 Chaldean Basketball Association Championship Game. They beat Omar Ammori’s team 37-21. If the final score sounds low, consider this: it was only 3-3 nine minutes into the first half. Sahara Will Reopen in Oak Park Sahara restaurant will rise from the ashes in Oak Park, opening a new restaurant sometime around March, said owner Saad Attisha. The new restaurant will be larger than the one that burned down on June 2 at Nine Mile and Coolidge. Located at 10 Mile and Coolidge, it will encompass 7,500 square feet and seat 250 people in the site of a former Blockbuster video store. Kashat International Foods, which was also destroyed in the fire, will not reopen. Owner Imad Kashat told the Chaldean News that he will concentrate on opening a packaging company for wholesale spices and bulk food. Appointments for Sarafa Michael Sarafa has been named to the Board of Directors of the Michigan Bankers Association. He has also joined the Task Force on Judicial Selection (co-chaired by Supreme Court Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly and Retired Federal Judge James Ryan) with the charge of Michael G. Sarafa reviewing the approach in Michigan of how State Supreme Court Justices are selected. Sarafa is the president of the Bank of Michigan and a co-publisher of the Chaldean News. DIA Showcases Middle East The Detroit Institute of Arts opened a new gallery devoted to the arts of the Ancient Middle East on Dec. 22 - and brought back the serpent/dragon panel from the Ishtar gate of Babylon. The Detroit museum’s new gallery was ordained in December 1960 in Rome (inset). NOTEWORTHY continued on page 12 JANUARY 2011 CHALDEAN NEWS 11
