Charter vote resonates with Valley Iraqis
Likely passage gives many hope
Daniel González
Oct. 18, 2005 12:00 AM
(Phoenix Arizona) Members of the Valley's sizable Iraqi community
said Monday that they hope Iraq's new constitution passes as
projected and believe it will mark another big step toward achieving
independence and democracy in their homeland despite ongoing
insurgent violence.
Many Iraqis living here are eager to return to their country,
they said, either to visit relatives they haven't seen in years
or to rebuild lives they left behind after fleeing persecution,
torture and death under the regime of Saddam Hussein.
But even if the constitution passes, they said, it could be
years before the freedoms and rights guaranteed in the new charter
take root and Iraq is stable enough for them to return.
"It's going to mean that we the people have won and the
insurgents and the ones who have fought to stifle democracy have
lost," said Mona Oshana, 37, a Phoenix real estate agent
born in Iraq. She is one of about 12,000 Iraqi Assyrian Christians
living in the Valley.
Oshana was one of hundreds of Valley Iraqis who traveled to
Southern California in January to take part in Iraq's landmark
parliamentary elections, which set the stage for Saturday's referendum
on a new charter.
The charter is intended to lead Iraq toward independence and
pave the way for a new round of elections on Dec. 15 for a permanent
government.
On Monday, election workers in Iraq still were counting ballots.
A final result isn't expected for several days, but early projections
showed the constitution had passed, despite heavy turnout by
Sunnis opposed to the charter.
"It's a very positive step toward bringing democracy
to Iraq," said Sam Darmo, 49, a Phoenix real estate agent
born in Iraq. Darmo, who also is spokesman for the Assyrian Democratic
Movement in Arizona, said that for the most part Assyrians support
the new constitution but believe it failed to fully represent
the political interests of Iraq's Assyrian Christian minority.
Phoenix resident Jabir Algarawi, 38, also said he hopes Iraq's
apparent passage of a new constitution will lead to a democratic
Iraq. He is one of about 3,000 Shiite refugees from Iraq who
settled in the Valley after the first Gulf War in 1991.
"I talked to my family on Sunday," said Algarawi,
who still has relatives in Iraq. "My mother couldn't sleep
the night before the referendum. She was so anxious to get up
in the morning and pass the vote."
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Who are
the Christians of Iraq?
October
Charter vote resonates with
Valley Iraqis Likely passage gives many hope 10. 18. 05
Dividing
the Chaldeans from the Assyrians by the Iraqi Constitution 10, 18, 05
A monument in
France dedicated to the Remembrance of Assyro-Chaldean massacres
by the Ottoman Turks. 10, 17, 05
Swing state' of
Nineveh may be moving in favour of constitution 10, 15,
05
Iraq
votes for the Constitution and for its future 10, 14, 05
Forgotten
victims - Iraqi Christians who speak the language of Jesus 10, 14, 05
Mgr
Sako: people in Kirkuk have not read the constitution but will
vote 10,13,
05
Terrorism
strikes all Iraqis, says Patriarch 10, 13, 05
Assyriska a national
football team without a country 10, 12, 05
Referendum:
'Yes' in Kurdistan and Southern cities and 'No' in Kirkuk, al
Anbar and Diala 10, 12, 05
Chaos
depriving Towns from Voting - The Minorities Fear the Domination
of Islamic Parties10, 12, 05
Bas-reliefs
of winged goddesses discovered in western Iran 10, 12, 05
Immigration
of Iraqi Chaldeans Abroad Passes through Jordan 10, 12, 05
Baghdadis
tell their stories 10,
12, 05
Assyrialogist
Henry Saggs Dies at 84 10,
10, 05
Letter by Ms. Jacqueline
Zomaya The Assyrian representative to the Iraqi National Assembly 10, 10, 05
The
Kurds are "cleansing" their domain and provoking
a civil war in Iraq 10, 09, 05
Nestorian
label "imposed unjustly upon the Assyrians" 10, 08, 05
Iran's Assyrian MP-Felicitation
to the Supreme Leader 10, 8, 05
Syriac Manuscripts
from the Vatican Library: Volume 1 10, 08, 05
Sunnis
Threaten Referendum Boycott if Rules Not Changed 10, 05, 05
Helping
the Iraqi refugees in Jordan 10, 04, 05
Final Draft of
Iraqi Constitution 10, 03, 05
Two
More Assyrian Children Orphaned 10, 02, 05
Discoveries of the
Assyrian antiquities in Syria 10, 01, 05
Sectarian Strife
tears apart Baghdad's Neighborhoods 10, 01,
05
September
POLITICS-IRAQ:
Kurd's Voting Shenanigans Cloud Key Province 9, 28,
05
Church
in Iraq Helps Rebuild New Orleans Parish; U.S. Relief Agency
Bridges Partnership 9, 28, 05
The Armenian Genocide
And The Assyrian Factor 9, 28, 05
Interview with the
Writer and the Historian Rosie Malek-Younan 9, 28, 05
Assyrian Cultural
Festival in Ceres CA. 9, 27, 05
Swedish
Radio's Decision to End Turkish Language Broadcasts 9, 27, 05
Assyrian
Refugees Face Harsh Discrimination in Greece 9, 26, 05
A cry
of help by the Assyrians 9, 26, 05
samples of songs
by various Eastern and Western Assyiran singers. 9, 24, 05
USAID:
Iraq Reconstruction and Humanitarian Relief 9, 24, 05
4 Assyrians Killed in
Assassination Attempt on Former Iraq Assyrian Minister 9, 23, 05
Seminar in Stokholm
About Seyfo ( world war one massacres) 9, 22, 05
Iraq
chaos threatens ancient faith 9, 22, 05
The
Crimson Field Previews 9, 17, 05
Treatment of Horses"
by the Assyrian scientist of the 13th century Faraj 9, 21,
05
A New Satellite
T.V. Program From San Jose 9, 20, 05
English translation
of the ancient Mesopotamian tablets 9, 20, 05
First
Nestorian [Church of the East] search engine goes online 9, 19, 05
Download Assyrian
songs.by ReeMon 9,
18, 05
Letter
from the 'Save the Assyrian Campaign'. 9,
16, 05
Growing
Opposition to Dividing the Assyrians 9,
16, 05
Books by
Assyrian writers 9, 15, 05
English
cardinal warns of Iraqi constitution 9, 14, 05
Brutality
Against Christians in Iraq Continues 9,
13, 05
John
Kanno for Congress 9, 12, 05
Reply
to Culomnist Ken Rudin 9, 12, 05
Assyrians:
Wine-producing season starts in Midyat 9, 11, 05
Iraqi
Christians cautious about new constitution 9,
11, 05
Assyrian
Human Rights Documentation Project Launched in Canada 9, 6, 05
Fire
Consumes Over 500 Assyrian Shops in Baghdad Suburb 9, 6, 05
Education
in Armenia for Assyrians and other Minorities 9, 6, 05
Capital of Musasir
gov't in northwest Iran Discovered 9, 5, 05
The Assyrian Democratic
Organization Rejects Iraq's Constitution 9, 4, 05
The Ordeal
of the Christians in Arab countries 9, 3, 05
August
"Arab Christians"?
Not in My View 8, 31, 05
Emotional
Funeral for Assyrian Murdered By Kurds in Iraq 8, 31, 05
Risking it all for
a song 8, 31, 05
Iraq's
draft constitution and the ChaldoAssyrians 8,
30, 05
Kurdish
Reprisal Attacks Against Assyrian Christians in Iraq 8,
27, 05
For
Basra's Christians, Hussein era the good old days 8, 28, 05
Assyrian Restuarant
in Chicago Reminds Iraqis of Home 8, 28. 05
Assyrians
in Northern Iraq terrorized by the Kurdish Mlitia 8, 27, 05
Iraq's
Proposed constitution could lead to fragmented state. 8, 27, 05
Conflicts between
Kurds and the Shabak 8, 26, 05
New Iraq constitution
may throw women's rights into Stone Age 8, 26,
05
Assyrians
of Telesqof demonstrate against being divided in the Constitution 8, 25. 05
Assyrian
Demonstrators Voice their Concern about the New Iraqi Constitution 8, 24, 05
A letter
from the Rep.of Shabak in the National Assermbly 8, 24, 05
New Iraq
constitution must protect Christians 8,
22, 05
The text of
the latest Proposed Iraq Constitution 8, 22, 05
Outside
View: Who lost Iraq? 8, 22, 05
Iraq's
Religious Minorities Concerned About Islamic Constitution 8, 22, 05
Iraq TV's
'Cops' breaks new ground 8, 21, 05
Young
Catholics Gather in Baghdad 8, 20 05
Iraqis
Squeezed Out By Kurdish Expansion, Muslim-Centric Constitution 8, 20, 05
A Memoradum
from the Christians of Iraq to the Drafters of the Constitution. 8, 20, 05
Shafting
Nineveh: The Fate of Iraqi Christians 8,
20, 05
Plea
for Assyrian Christians and Iraqi minorities 8, 18, 05
Undemocratic aspects
of the new Iraqi constitution draft 8, 17, 05
Iraqis vent rage on
call-in TV after bombs kill 43 8, 17, 05
Iraq's
Non-Muslims' Constitution Fears
8, 17, 05
Kurdish
Gunmen Open Fire on Demonstrators in North Iraq 8, 16, 05
Their suffering
continues 8, 14, 05
IRAQ:
Focus on constitutional concerns 8, 14, 05
Photos form homeland 8, 14, 05
Despite
Turmoil, Christians Place Faith in New Iraq 8, 13, 05
Iraqi-American Translators:
The Untold Story 8, 12, 05
Life
in Ankawa 8, 12, 05
Why
Torah's Hebrew script was Changed to the square Assyrian script 8, 11, 05
Assyrian
Restaurant in Chicago 8, 10, 05
Speech
at the Commonwealth Club of California By Fred Aprim 8, 10, 05
KURDS TAKE A HARD-LINE
STANCE ON IRAQI CONSTITUTION 8, 10, 05
72nd
Assyrian American National Convention 8,
09, 05
Unresolved
Iraqi Constitutional Points 8, 09, 05
Information wanted
for Upcoming Documentary about Iraqi women
8, 09, 05
Assyrian
Objection to the Nationality Law 8, 06, 05
Iraqi
Christians Remember Church Bombings One Year Later 8, 05 05
Looted history 8,
05, 05
Book
Release: Rosie Malek-Yonan's "The Crimson Field" 8, 05, 05
Iraq
Must Avoid a Rollback of Rights 8, 04, 05
Nina Shea: Rule of law, rule of Islam
8, 4, 05
Iraqis in U.S.
Won't Vote on Constitution 8, 03, 05
Bush's
Global War on Christians 8,
01, 05
An Open Letter to
Patriarch Mar Ignatius Zakka I 8, 01, 05
Democracy
could struggle in Islamic Iraq 7,
30, 05
Assyrian Granny
Shimmes's Contribution to Rendezvous of Civilizations 7, 29,
05
House
amends funding bill to help Iraqi Christians 7, 29, 05
Iraq
draft constitution fails to protect religious, human rights,
USCIRF says 7, 29, 05
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