Latest news with #AssyrianMartyrs'Day
Rudaw Net
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Rudaw Net
German-Kurdish football club rises to success
Also in Culture Kurdish language teacher uses puppet and play to motivate students US Congress hosts first Assyrian Martyrs' Day ceremony I don't want a celebration Sweden Kurdish magazine aims to promote Kurdish literature A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - SV Azadi, a Kurdish football club in Germany, has gained attention for its rapid rise in German football, evolving from a dream shared by friends into a team that now attracts Kurdish players from around the world through long-term goals to expand its activities. "There was no Kurdish community like this before, there was no place for Kurds to gather and get to know each other, so we founded the Azadi team. We wanted to create a home for Kurds, so they could get closer and build relationships, a place that would be special for Kurds," Azad Miran, founder and player of the SV Azadi, told Rudaw's Diaspora program that aired on Friday. Founded in 2016 by three friends in Germany, the Kurdish football team SV Azadi has risen through the ranks to reach the Verbandsliga, the sixth-tier league in the German football system. It has become a symbol of community, cultural identity, and sporting success in the diaspora. Miran emphasized that SV Azadi aims to become the 'biggest Kurdish sports team in Germany,' with goals of securing its own stadium and achieving full infrastructural independence. SV Azadi player Aland Khalil described the Kurdish team as a 'family,' saying, 'We are friends and brothers to each other, and if any of us has a problem, we all help together.' Born from the dream of three friends, SV Azadi brought together Kurdish players from all four parts of Kurdistan - Turkey, Iran, Syria, and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq - embarking on a remarkable journey of unity and success. With challenges they are facing such as verbal harassment and insults from other teams, the team's coach Niwar Jasim said, 'It's important to control yourself, be strong and not listen to them, just focus on the game.' "Our plan is to gradually start creating youth and children's teams. For our first team, I hope in the next five years we reach the Oberliga level, which is the fifth tier of the German league system," he noted.
Rudaw Net
26-07-2025
- General
- Rudaw Net
Kurdish language teacher uses puppet and play to motivate students
Also in Culture US Congress hosts first Assyrian Martyrs' Day ceremony I don't want a celebration Sweden Kurdish magazine aims to promote Kurdish literature Young people showcase musicial skills in Shingal A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish language teacher in Canada is using creative educational methods to teach children their native tongue. Pari Chalabi uses a puppet named 'Jwana' to help keep students engaged. 'Children very quickly establish a connection with the puppet. In my opinion, a child learns better from another child, and when they hear something from a peer or a puppet, they absorb it faster,' she told Rudaw's Diaspora program. Like many children of immigrant families, young Kurds in the diaspora face significant challenges in preserving their native language. Chalabi's online classes focus on interactive, child-centered learning, allowing students to actively participate alongside the teacher. She says it is especially effective for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 'The old system treated the child like a soldier… The child was only a receiver and had no opportunity to ask questions or be creative,' she said. Chalabi authored the book Teaching English Alphabet and Writing for Kurdish Kids: Words and Phonetics in 2023, designed to help Kurdish-speaking children learn English.
Rudaw Net
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
US Congress hosts first Assyrian Martyrs' Day ceremony
Also in Culture I don't want a celebration Sweden Kurdish magazine aims to promote Kurdish literature Young people showcase musicial skills in Shingal Kurdish Arts and Culture Festival kicks off in Berlin A+ A- WASHINGTON DC - For the first time, a ceremony commemorating Assyrian Martyrs' Day was held in the United States Congress, honoring victims of the 1933 Simele massacre and calling for full recognition of atrocities committed against the Assyrian people. The event was supported by Congressman Abe Hamadeh and attended by Assyrians and representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government. 'This is the very first time ever at the US Congress to commemorate the Assyrian Martyrs Day. We had the support of Congressman Abe Hamedeh in putting this together. It's very important. We need complete recognition by the US Congress of all the massacres and genocides committed against the Assyrians,' Sam Darmo, founder of Assyrians for Justice, told Rudaw on Wednesday. Assyrians annually commemorate the Simele massacre of 1933, when thousands were killed by the Iraqi army. Between August 7 and August 11, the armed forces of the Kingdom of Iraq attacked 63 Assyrian villages located in what are now the provinces of Nineveh and Duhok. The campaign left around 3,000 Assyrians dead, according to a 2003 report from the International Federation for Human Rights. Chorbishop George Toma, rector of Saint Andrew Assyrian Church in Illinois, said the commemoration ceremony honors 'the holy ones of our Assyrian nation whose blood was spilled not for crimes, but for their faith, their heritage, and their very identity.' Sara Hormuz, an Assyrian American human rights advocate, was among the speakers at the event, opening with remarks on Assyrian history, genocide, and the resilience of the community. 'Assyrians are resilient and we're not a dying civilization,' she said. Assyrians are one of the oldest ethnic groups in Mesopotamia and northern Iraq, tracing their history back more than 6,700 years. Religiously, they are now predominately Christian and locally split along Chaldean, Syriac, and Ashuri sects.
