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The Assyrian Democratic Organization Rejects Iraq's
Constitution
9, 4, 05
(AINA) -- The Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO), founded
in Syria in 1957 and the largest Assyrian organization in Syria
and Europe, has rejected the Iraqi draft constitution. In a strongly
worded statement, the ADO objected to the language in the constitution
which artificially divides the Assyrians into two groups, "Chaldeans"
and "Assyrians".
The full ADO statement follows:
On August 25, Iraq's draft constitution was submitted. The
draft will be voted on in a general referendum and ratified by
the general assembly on October 15. The submission of the draft
constitution was a great disappointment and blow to the ambitions
of the Chaldean Assyrian Syriac people.
The preamble of the draft constitution intentionally ignored
the historical reality of the indigenous people of Iraq (known
as Assyrians or Chaldeans or Syriacs). It does not mention the
Assyrians as being one of the components of the Iraqi people,
alongside Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, nor does it mention Christianity,
Sabaeanism and Yezidism as religions that existed and preceded
Islam in Iraq. Article 135 of the draft constitution divides
the Assyrians by inserting the dividing conjunction AND between
the designations "Chaldeans" AND "Assyrians",
aiming at showing them as two separate independent and different
ethnicities. In fact, this article comes to falsify non-negotiable
historical truth and reality about the unity of the Assyrians
as one nation historically, culturally and linguistically, in
spite of the fact, that the three known designations Chaldean,
Assyrian and Syriac have been used interchangeably during the
course of Assyrian history.
The prior Iraqi regime as well as the Transitional Adminstrative
Law (TAL) did Assyrians more justice. In 1972 a decree was issued
recognizing the cultural and linguistic unity of the Assyrians.
Moreover, TAL approved the unified name "ChaldoAssyrian'',
a designation which was agreed upon by the majority of Assyrian
religious, cultural and political institutions during the Syriac
Chaldean Assyrian general conference in Baghdad in October 2003.
The Assyrian Democratic Organization considers this constitution
divisive for the Assyrian people, and a flagrant violation of
their inalienable rights in their homeland, Iraq. This constitution
may lead to a feeling of frustration, despair and prejudice in
the future Iraq, and may push Assyrians to abandon their lands
and homes and to emigrate. The ADO holds the following parties
responsible for dividing the Assyrians in the Iraqi draft constitution:
1. The heads of the religious institutions, which have dispatched
one memorandum after another to the various authorities in Iraq,
demanding that each designation be mentioned separately. To make
the matter worse, only a few days before the declaration of the
draft constitution, some of them gave up their nationality and
declared their affiliation to Arab nationalism.
2. The Assyrians representatives in the Iraqi National Assembly,
as well as in the constitution drafting committee, who have failed
in their efforts to preserve the unity of the Assyrians; they
should have withdrawn from the committee in protest.
3. Some of the extremist organizations in Iraq and the Diaspora,
whose fanatical stance concerning the name, as well as their
memorandums filed to the Iraqi authorities rejecting the unifying
name, has marginalized the Assyrians and compromised their unity.
The ADO, as a staunch believer in firm national principles,
strongly rejects the articles and clauses in the Iraqi draft
constitution that do great prejudice against the Assyrians and
their national identity. We call upon all Assyrians institutions
and organizations in the homeland and Diaspora to work together
in appealing to the Iraqi authorities and patriotic forces as
well as the international community to do justice to the Assyrian
people. We ask Assyrians to say NO to this latest draft constitution
in the general referendum unless it is amended to guarantee the
rights, unity and the identity of the Chadean Assyrian Syriac
people.
August 31, 2005 -- 6755
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