Latest news with #Chaldeans
Arab Times
16-07-2025
- General
- Arab Times
The tragedy of Manushak and the cleric
In the late 1950s, the late Amir Abdullah Al-Salem learned that the British planned to request the allocation of Area G1 as a military base. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Defense to relocate from its original site in Safa Square to Area G1, as it was then known on maps. I was reminded of this while reading a letter from Iraqi-Armenian immigrant Manushak Dikran, who wrote, 'We lived in Iraq in the city of K3, a small station established by the British to oversee the oil pipelines running from the north to the Mediterranean ports via Syria. Its residents were a diverse mix of Iraq's various communities. Omar was friends with Sargon, Ali was close to Ashur, Hussein was inseparable from Minas, Boutros, and Othman. They all shared games, daily life, studies, and even religious celebrations. The city had two schools, one for girls and one for boys, separated by a single wall. It had only a mosque and a church. No one paid attention to each other's sect or questioned the presence of different faiths. All religious rituals took place either in the mosque or the church, which was attended by Chaldeans, Assyrians, Armenians, Syriacs, Catholics, and Orthodox alike. Priests from each sect were rarely present, usually only on holidays or very special occasions. Muslim women, dressed in their black abayas, often arrived at the church before others, joining in prayers, weddings, and celebrations. Similarly, Christians would visit shrines to offer sacrifices and vows. Despite the station's nearly 500 houses, everyone shopped at the same bakery, the same grocer, and the same butcher. No one paid attention to the concepts of halal or haram. There was only one hospital, and if Ahmad needed blood, Minas would donate for Mohammad, Omar for Ali, and so on. We grew up and eventually left the station, whether in search of education, jobs, or to find a spouse. Wherever we went, we carried with us the unique values and morals of K3 that shaped us. It was no surprise that nearly all who emigrated achieved notable financial or professional success. One day, Hormuz, a resident of K3 living abroad in America, decided to create a website to reconnect with his family and friends. With great effort, he succeeded in bringing them back together. He gathered news about nearly everyone, their addresses and thousands of family photos, after almost three decades of separation. This reunion sparked lively and joyous gatherings, celebrations, and weddings attended by people from various countries. At one such event, Hormuz was elected as the station's mukhtar, for life.' --- This is a true story... K3 still exists in Anbar Governorate. However, the situation has changed, as the original inhabitants have since been displaced. My friend and reader Nizar Malak from Canada commented on Manushak's message, saying, 'I was deeply moved by it and am familiar with K3. It is located near the Syrian border, and Kirkuk's oil, originating from northeastern Iraq, passes through it. Armenian billionaire Gulbankian played an instrumental role in facilitating the oil exploration agreement between the Iraqi government and Western oil companies there.' Manushak's story reminded him of his close lifelong friendship with Philip Bidavid. They had been more like brothers for 60 years. Their bond never broken, and neither had ever offended the other. Yet, neither had ever asked about the other's religion. Manushak wondered why such human relationships were now being destroyed. I told him to look for those who benefit, perhaps a dictator or a religious leader.
Calgary Herald
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Low advance voting numbers in battleground ridings may spell trouble for Liberals, New Democrats
Article content They voted in droves in St. Albert and Sherwood Park. The vote counts were healthy in Parkland County and Leduc. Article content Article content But in Edmonton, turnout was, well, kind of meh at advance polling stations. None of the nine Edmonton ridings finished in the top 100 when it came to advance-voter turnout, despite Elections Canada reporting a new record of nearly 7.3 million early ballot-casters nationally. Compare that to St. Albert-Sturgeon River, which had 30,250 advance voters, tops in the region and 14th-best in Canada. Shewood Park-Fort Saskatchewan had 30,205 early voters, 15th best in Canada. Article content Article content And, in ridings that are predicted to be hot spots on Monday night, the advance voting buzz was decidedly cool. In Edmonton Southeast, where Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is carrying the Liberal flag against Conservative Jagsharan Singh Mahal, only 15,459 people voted early, the lowest number in the region. That was only slightly topped by 15,787 early voters in Griesbach, where NDP Blake Desjarlais is expected to be in a neck-and-neck rematch with Tory Kerry Diotte. Article content Article content And, Edmonton Centre, with Liberal Eleanor Olszewski against Tory Sayid Ahmed and the NDP's Trisha Estabrooks, was third worst, with 17,351 advance voters. Article content On paper, there's a correlation between low early voter turnout and what are expected to be the tightest election-night races in the region. But, is it more than a coincidence? Article content Article content Chaldeans Mensah, associate professor of political science at MacEwan University, said the low turnout numbers are warning shots for Sohi's campaign in the southeast and the NDP in Edmonton Centre and Griesbach. Article content 'It's a call to arms for the NDP candidates if they want to survive,' said Mensah of Estabrooks and Desjarlais. 'They are not getting any help from the national campaign.' Article content He said the NDP traditionally does well at mobilizing its supporters. So, in an election where much of the country has shown more engagement in the vote, it's worrying for the New Democrats in ridings where the high-turnout trend is bucked, at least so far.
Edmonton Journal
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Low advance voting numbers in battleground ridings may spell trouble for Liberals, New Democrats
Article content Chaldeans Mensah, associate professor of political science at MacEwan University, said the low turnout numbers are warning shots for Sohi's campaign in the southeast and the NDP in Edmonton Centre and Griesbach. 'Call to arms' 'It's a call to arms for the NDP candidates if they want to survive,' said Mensah of Estabrooks and Desjarlais. 'They are not getting any help from the national campaign.' He said the NDP traditionally does well at mobilizing its supporters. So, in an election where much of the country has shown more engagement in the vote, it's worrying for the New Democrats in ridings where the high-turnout trend is bucked, at least so far. 'For the NDP, it's bad news. It means they have to work that much harder to get their voters engaged,' said Mensah.
Shafaq News
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Solemn tributes: Erbil's Christians honor Pope Francis
Shafaq News/ A memorial prayer for the late Pope Francis was held on Friday at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Ankawa, Erbil's Christian-majority district. The ceremony brought together various Christian denominations, including Assyrians and Chaldeans, and was led by Archbishop Bashar Matti. Worshippers gathered in a solemn atmosphere to honor the head of the Catholic Church, regarded by Catholics as the successor of Saint Peter and the supreme spiritual leader of the global Church. Earlier, a similar memorial mass took place at St. Joseph's Chaldean Church in Baghdad, where clergy and congregants prayed beneath a portrait of the late pope placed alongside the Iraqi flag—a tribute to his 2021 visit to Iraq. Pope Francis passed away on April 21 after months of illness. He had been hospitalized several times and died in his apartment at the Vatican.
The National
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
'He carried the Middle East in his heart': Arab mourners in the Vatican bid farewell to Pope Francis
World leaders send condolences after Pope's death Tens of thousands have flocked to St Peter's Basilica to pay their final respects to Pope Francis on the second of three days of his lying in state. Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday at 88 after a stroke and heart failure, was last seen in public calling for an end to the war in Gaza during his final sermon the day before. He was widely praised for his dedication to the marginalised, for his humility, and for his commitment to interfaith dialogue. Some travelled from as far as the Middle East – the birthplace of Christianity and home to a mosaic of communities, including Egypt's Copts, Iraq's Chaldeans and Lebanon's Maronites – to attend the commemoration. Among them was Lebanese Father Antoine Dib, Superior General of the Basilian Salvatorians, a monastic order within the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, who arrived from Lebanon on Thursday. Father Dib, who knew Pope Francis personally and met him frequently, said the pontiff had a significant impact on the region. 'He always focused on peaceful coexistence and interreligious dialogue, as well as openness,' he said. Pope Francis's visit to Abu Dhabi in 2019 – the first papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula – where he signed the Document on Human Fraternity with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, was widely seen as a powerful symbol of interfaith brotherhood. Father Dib said that Pope Francis first encountered Eastern Churches in his native Argentina, which is home to large communities from the Middle East diaspora. 'He carried the Middle East in his heart,' he said. 'He respected everyone, especially in situations of marginalisation and oppression. He felt compelled to be present, to share his message – a message he deeply believed in – centred on human dignity and value.' Father Dib said the Pope 'was very humble; truly, deeply humble. He lived like anyone else. Even in his funeral, he chose simplicity and poverty, because something greater guided his life: the love of God and of others. He lived close to the people. I think he lived like them because people could speak to him freely, without barriers.' Like Father Dib, many religious figures are expected to attend the commemoration, including representatives from Eastern churches in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. But the commemoration has also drawn faithful congregations. The Thursday flight from Beirut to Rome was full of Lebanese pilgrims from a local parish. The group had planned to travel to Rome for the canonisation of Carlo Acutis, a young Italian teenager set to become the Catholic Church's first millennial saint, but the death of the Pope changed their original plans. 'We didn't expect Pope Francis to pass away so suddenly. He was doing better,' Catia Hitti, one of the passengers, speaking to The National. 'He cared about Lebanon, stood against war and supported the deprived. He didn't care about the rich. He was humble: he washed the feet of inmates.' Pope Francis included women and people of other faiths in the Holy Thursday foot-washing ceremony – a ritual that recalls Jesus washing his disciples' feet before his death – a historic break from the tradition, which had been limited to Catholic men. 'Everyone loved him, both Muslims and Christians,' Ms Hitti added. In St Peter's Square, Karim Eltomy, 44, an Egyptian man on holiday in Rome with his family, said it was important for him as a Muslim to pay his respects to the Pope. 'I know the Pope was very valuable to Catholics, and for us, all religious leaders are important because we're all moving in the same direction, with the same intention,' he said. 'For us, he was someone who promoted what is right. What I see as differences between religions is far less than what they have in common that they share.'
