Assyrism

The term Assyrism (in English "Assyrism" or "Assyrianism") denotes a variant of Christian - Mesopotamian nationalism , which stands in contrast to Pan-Arabism and which began at the end of the 19th century .

Assyrian nationalism

See also : Assyrian National Question  and Assyrian National Movement

Assyrism as an ideology sees itself as the result of social, historical, religious and political thoughts and principles based on the Syrian language , an Aramaic dialect that should not be confused with the Syrian dialect of Arabic .

Assyrism encounters obstacles both in terms of denomination, ie membership in different churches (see Syrian Christians and " Assyrians "), as well as the interests of the governments of the young nation states of the Middle East.

On the one hand, today's Syrian language is divided into different dialects. On the other hand, due to the lack of an independent state, as well as flight, displacement and persecution, not everyone who belongs to the Assyrian ethnic group can speak this language. Here, especially in the western diaspora , attempts are being made to counteract this with language courses in the ethnic language .

When it comes to religion, a distinction must first be made between the two ancient oriental churches , which are separated by different christologies , the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch (in the West also referred to as " Monophysites " and "Jacobites") and the Assyrian Church of the East (in the West also referred to as "Nestorians"). There are also the various churches united with Rome , such as the Church of the Maronites , the Syrian Catholic Church and the Chaldean Catholic Church .

According to the publicist and human rights activist Raif Toma , Assyrism is not just patriotism in the Mesopotamian sense, but aims at the unity of all Mesopotamians. Assyrism in the true sense is a " Pan-Mesopotamism ", an independent idealism and a collection of Mesopotamian ideas to achieve advanced national thinking. Political Assyrism makes a connection between the name of the Syrian churches and the larger history of the unified people of these churches. A separation of religion and politics is called for, but the suspicion of anti-clericalism is rejected.

Organizations

In 1968 the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) was formed, a worldwide organization that has set itself the goal of fighting for a semi-autonomous state in the old homeland of the Assyrians. In the course of the 2nd Gulf War in 1991 the situation of the Assyrians worsened. According to the AUA, more than 250,000 left Iraq.

In 1978 the Shuraya was founded in Lebanon . This political organization advocates the establishment of a separate Assyrian state of Mesopotamia.

Other organizations: ADM, ADO, ADP, APP, BNDP, Furkono and others

See also

• Assyrians (present)
• nationalism
• patriotism
• Pan-Syrism
• Nineveh Plain

Web links

• Raif Toma: Assyrism
• Assyrian Nationalism
• Patriotism and patriotism in the Mesopotamian sense, article by Raif Toma

literature

• Gabriele Yonan: Assyrians today: culture, language, national movement of Aramaic-speaking Christians in the Middle East; Persecution and exile ; Hamburg, Vienna: pogrom, 1978.
• Ibrahim Gabriel Saume: Book of Lectures in the Syrian Nation ; Sao Paulo, owner publisher, 1979.
• K. Matijev (Beth Matai): Assyrians and the Assyrian question in the present
• Afram Yakoub: The Path to Assyria - A Call For National Renewal. Tigris Press, Södertälje 2020, ISBN 978-91-981541-6-0