Latest news with #Syriacs
Shafaq News
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Tishrin Dam secure: AANES credits locals for defending the site
Shafaq News/ The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) announced, on Monday, the end of military operations around the Tishrin Dam in eastern Aleppo, following more than three months of clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed factions. Avin Suweid, Co-Chair of the AANES Executive Council, said the attacks had targeted key infrastructure, including the dam, which supplies water and electricity to millions. She praised local civilians, including Kurds, Arabs, and Syriacs, "who supported the SDF and the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) in defending the site.' In mid-April, Syrian government forces entered the dam area alongside SDF fighters, under a deal reportedly reached with the US-led Global Coalition. A Syrian government source in Aleppo told Shafaq News the deployment followed a US-Turkiye ceasefire agreement coordinated with both the government and the SDF. The Tishrin Dam, a strategic site in the Manbij region, has long been a flashpoint between the SDF and Turkish -backed rebels. Victory party at Tishreen Dam — Rojava Network (@RojavaNetwork) May 5, 2025
Newsweek
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Over a Century After the 1915 Genocides, the World Must Embrace Pope Francis' Moral Clarity
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. This year marks 110 years since the 1915 genocide of the Armenians, Assyrians/Syriacs/Chaldeans, Yazidis, Greeks, and Maronites of the Ottoman Empire. Every April 24, as an Armenian Catholic and descendant of survivors, I mark the day by commemorating the 1.5 million Armenians who perished—and all communities harmed in 1915. To commemorate one group demands commemorating all. Yet, political fears, moral cowardice, and what Pope Francis called, the "very ugly disease" of "globalization of indifference," have reduced remembrance to political weaponization and misinformation. Pope Francis speaks while seated on the podium at the square near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), in the old city of Mosul in Iraq's north on March... Pope Francis speaks while seated on the podium at the square near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), in the old city of Mosul in Iraq's north on March 7, 2021. Pope Francis, on his historic Iraq tour, visited Christian communities that endured the brutality of the Islamic State. More ZAID AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images Say It by Its Name All peoples who suffered genocide have given it a name. The Armenians call the 1915 genocide Medz Yeghern, meaning "the great tragedy." Over 30 countries have officially recognized the Armenian genocide to date. The Assyrians/Chaldean/Syriacs call it Sayfo. Sayfo in classical Syriac means "sword," recalling the method of killing used against non-Muslim communities. Greeks refer to it as Genoktonía ton Ellínon tis Mikrás Asías, the Asia Minor Greek Genocide, and the Genoktonía ton Ellínon tou Póntou, the Pontic Greek Genocide. Less than half a dozen countries, including Sweden, the Netherlands, and Armenia have recognized these atrocities. The Yazidis call their 74 historical genocides fermans, with the one of 1915 considered by some as the 72nd. Maronites of Mount Lebanon call their genocide Kafno from the Syriac for "famine." Both have no official international recognition. Pope Francis Called for Meaningful Remembrance To Honor the Truth As we mourn the loss of Pope Francis, it is vital to document his wisdom as a justice mechanism to protect communities facing atrocities so that the world can reconnect with remembrance and reverse the erasure of genocide. Pope Francis taught us that truthful acknowledgment is a moral imperative. Ten years ago, during the Armenian genocide's centenary mass, Pope Francis acknowledged it as the "first genocide of the twentieth century," quoting the 2001 declaration by Pope John Paul II and Armenian Catholicos Karekin II. The deportation of Armenian men in Kharberd (Harput region), Ottoman Empire, in the summer of 1915. The deportation of Armenian men in Kharberd (Harput region), Ottoman Empire, in the summer of 1915. Courtesy of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Foundation He exclaimed in his homily: "It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to honor their memory, for whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester. Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it!" Pope Francis understood the need for genuine accountability to transform acknowledgment into healing. His vision invited the world to expand its historical consciousness. In 2016, while visiting the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, Pope Francis wrote in their guestbook: "Memories should not be watered down or forgotten; memory is a source of peace and of the future." Armenian orphans rescued by Arabs in the Hauran region, Ottoman Empire (Hauran Sanjak Syria region) circa 1917-1918. Armenian orphans rescued by Arabs in the Hauran region, Ottoman Empire (Hauran Sanjak Syria region) circa 1917-1918. Courtesy of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Foundation Pope Francis Denounced Indifference As the Greatest Obstacle to Justice and Peace Pope Francis did not just mourn genocide—he confronted it. He also warned of a new crime of atrocity, which he described as: "A sort of genocide created by general and collective indifference." He feared indifference would sever the world from a path to justice and peace. In his 2020 Encyclical Fratelli Tutti, he warned: "The sense of belonging to a single human family is fading, and the dream of working together for justice and peace seems an outdated utopia. What reigns instead is a cool, comfortable and globalized indifference, born of deep disillusionment." He later added: "Indeed, if justice is not respected, conflicts arise. Without justice, the law of the prevalence of the strong over the weak becomes entrenched." Artsakhi Armenians commemorate survivors of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War on November 25, 2020. Artsakhi Armenians commemorate survivors of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War on November 25, 2020. Photo Courtesy of Johny Kondakjian / Zovighian Public Office Moral Innovation Must Prevail We must ask: Why have almost all communities affected by genocides in 1915 been re-subjugated to destructive violence? Is it because survivors are fragile? Or because perpetrators have gained an additional 110 years of experience in violence and destruction? Collective indifference is fueling the genocidal agendas of today's perpetrators, alongside sophisticated weapons, technology, censorship, misinformation, and political alliances—all enabling and rewarding present-day erasure and impunity. What is clear is international law and humanitarian diplomacy do not meet Pope Francis' standards of morality, courage, and critical thinking. It is time to seize innovation for moral transformation and reimagine our highest laws and courts. Lynn Zovighian is a philanthropist, humanitarian diplomat, and founder of the Zovighian Public Office, partnering with communities facing genocide and crises in the Middle East and Caucasus through research, culture, advocacy, and diplomacy. She is also co-founder of Zovighian Partnership. The author would like to extend special thanks to Edita Gzoyan and Gohar Khanumyan at the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Foundation for their archival contributions to this article. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
LBCI
13-03-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Kurds say constitutional declaration does not reflect Syria's 'diversity'
The Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria criticized a constitutional declaration announced by the interim government in Damascus on Thursday, saying it does not reflect the country's diversity. The declaration "contradicts the reality of Syria and its diversity" the administration said, adding that it "lacks the spirit of Syria's people and its various components from Kurds to Arabs, as well as Syriacs, Assyrians and other Syrian national components." AFP
Shafaq News
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
KRI calls for real minority inclusion in Nineveh local government
Shafaq News/ Various ethnic minorities are facing political and security pressures in Iraq's Nineveh, Aydin Marouf, the Minister of Affairs of Minority Groups in Iraqi Kurdistan (KRI) said on Thursday. During a press conference held in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Marouf noted that the communities in the districts of Sinjar, Tal Afar, and other areas of the Nineveh Plain are 'dissatisfied with the conditions they are enduring,' calling on both the Iraqi government and the local government of Nineveh to consider their situation. The minister further emphasized the need for 'peaceful coexistence and the resolution of the challenges they face, particularly the Turkmen, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Assyrians, and other minority groups, stressing that 'these communities should have a genuine role in the local administration of Nineveh.'
