Why Chaldean Clergies Undermine the Future of Christians in Iraq? William Warda  May 25, 05     Whether members of the Chaldean Church consider the name of their church a religious designation or ethnic identity has profound consequences for the Christians of Iraq. All historical sources agree that the Chaldean Church was established in union with Rome in 1553, by John Sulaga, an Assyrian monk of the Rabban hormizd monastery north of Nineveh. But the denomination did not arrive in that region until mid 18th century. The name Chaldean was given to the new Church to distinguish it from the Church of the East, however its clergies and most of its members prefer to use it as ethnic term and claim they are related to the ancient Chaldeans who somehow ended up in Assyria. To support their assertion they make false historical claims which undermine the true history of the Assyrians, create needless animosities, and divide the christians of Iraq into insignificance. They wrongly interpret Assyrian to mean belonging to the Church of the East. Assyrian is a national identity which existed before Christianity and is not restricted to any religious denomination, it stands for a people of common descent, language, history, culture, well known historical homeland, and other aspects of nationality.        The Chaldean Church unwillingness to work with other Christians of Iraq for a common cause, contributes to their further disintegration and undermines efforts to chart a better future for them all. Letters written by the bishops of that Church to the President of the United States and the Iraqi government proclaiming Chaldeans as not related to the Assyrians and demanding separate rights for them indicates they are primarily concerned with narrow benefits to their denomination. Even the 'ChaldoAssyrian' compound name was not acceptable to them judging by the last minute withdrawal of the 'Chaldean Congress' from the 204 unity slate during the Iraqi elections. Letters written by the bishops of that Church to the President of the United States and the Iraqi government proclaiming Chaldeans as not related to the Assyrians and demanding separate rights for them indicates they are primarily concerned with narrow benefits to their denomination. Even the 'ChaldoAssyrian' compound name was not acceptable to them judging by the last minute withdrawal of the 'Chaldean Congress' from the 204 unity slate during the Iraqi elections.     Members of the Chaldean Church are the predominant inhabitants of the Assyrian towns and villages such as; Karmalish, Bakhdida, Algush, Bartella, Tel Keppe, Baqofa and others in the plain of Nineveh. Some of these places still bear their ancient Assyrian names and archaeological discoveries in their vicinity attest to their Assyrian origin. The Chaldean Church is also in control of the early churches and monasteries in the plain of Nineveh, therefore to claim that its followers are not Assyrians implies that the latter disappeared and the former who are not the indigenous people of the land took their place. Such false assertions serves neither the interest of the Chaldean Church nor the rest of the christians of Iraq.     It was not until the mid 18th century that Latin missionaries were able to convert the Assyrian inhabitants of these towns and villages to Catholicism and they were redefined as Chaldeans because of their religious affiliation, even the Vatican records acknowledge these facts. Members of the Church of the East who refused to become Catholic were forced to flee into the mountains because Kurds and Turks were recruited to harass and persecute them to force them into Catholicism i.e., Chaldean church. (http://www.chaldeansonline.net/church.html) See the section titled, Catholicism in the Plain of Nineveh.     Consequently by 1830 when Yohannan Hormizd the last patriarch of the Church of the East in the Plain of Nineveh officially declared his church in Union with the Rome he was redefined as the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.(R. Rabban, " Chaldean Catholic Church (Eastern Catholic)" New Catholic Encyclopedia, The Catholic University of America 2003 Vol. 3 p. 369) The Christian population of the Plain of Nineveh from then on were primarily members of that church and the Syrian orthodox Church, all from Assyrian descent.     When members of the Chaldean church contrary to historical facts claim they are the descendants of the ancient Chaldeans whose homeland is 500 to 600 miles to the south of Nineveh, the question comes to mind; "how and when they ended up in the Assyrian homeland, and what happened to the Assyrians who lived there before the arrival of the Catholicism in the region undoubtedly between (1750-1830)" since before then there were no Chaldeans or Chaldean Church in the region? Did the Chaldeans who supposedly migrated from the south massacred all the Assyrians and took over their towns and villages? Where are the documented historical evidences attesting to such action? This would have been a catastrophic even, at least for the Assyrians, which they would have remembered for a long time and would have recorded it in their history but such is not the case. Nor the chaldean Church can come up with any evidence to prove it. Members of that Church resent to be told by the Assyrians that their Chaldean identity is religious and not ethnic. Is it fare to expect Assyrians to join them in falsifying history to make them happy?     By claiming they are the descendants of the ancient Chaldeans and not Assyrians leaders of that Church not only distort historical facts, at the Assyrian expense, also open the way for the Kurds to claim that they are not the indigenous inhabitants of the Plain of Nineveh. After all, if the Chaldean Church can subvert history, why not the Kurds. When Chaldean clergies preach to their followers to consider the marshes of southern Iraq as their homeland and not the Plain of Nineveh they inspire the Kurds to gladly agree. Such indoctrinations can only lead to Kurds owning everything, Christian nothing.     How can members of that Church have any national pride since their claim of Chaldean descendance is dubious, they are not allowed to be proud of their Assyrian ancestry and have to look toward a distant region for their fatherland where neither they, nor their forefathers have ever lived. The Chaldean Bishop Sarhad Jammo however in his irresponsible speech in San Diego on Feb 24, 2005 seemed to be happy about it. He said:  "The Chaldeans living in Nineveh Plain would travel to Mosul and pass by Nineveh and Ashurbanipal palace; however, when you ask them what they are, they say that they are Chaldeans. Why, because they return to their origin, to their center that was Babylon and the last dynasty of Chaldeans. The Chaldeans do not have a center but Babylon, Iraq Baghdad." Obviously bishop Jammo has no clue that the power of a people results from their unity, their concentration in one region and their greater numbers. He wants to divide our people into insignificance according to who goes to what Church. While Kurds bribe their people from Syria, Iran, and Turkey to settle in northern Iraq to increase their population into a majority, he wants to deny the Assyrian identity of his people, to remove them from their true homeland in Assyria and scatter them in the none existing cities of ancient Chaldea, though they have no historic relations to the region, and his church was called Chaldean as a matter of religious denomination and not ethnicity. Aside from the fact that Baghdad has always been an Arab city and never part of Chaldea, bishop Jammo seems to be unaware of the consequences of what he is preaching. Christianity in southern Iraq aside from the Mandeans for all practical purposes disappeared by the end of the 14th century after the Tamur lang's massacres. Members of the Chaldean Church who presently live there arrived from the north during the last two centuries. In his desire to portray them as not Assyrian Sarhad Jammo, the son of an Assyrian nationalist, wants his followers to look toward the imaginary Chaldean cities such as Baghdad as their homeland, where it would be easier for them to assimilate into the Arab culture and vanish. Christians in the Middle East have primarily survived in secluded homogeneous communities where they have been able to preserve their language, religion and way of life. Once thrown in the big cities they gradually assimilate in the greater population and cease to exist as unique people.  While Kurds believe concentration of their people in one area will provide them with greater political power Sarhad Jammo wants to have his people scattered as widely as is possible. When Kurds know uniting under one national name will make them stronger Sarhad Jammo thinks the more our people are divided the better off they are. It is no wonder that Kurds are on the threshold of declaring our homeland as their country while our people are abandoning their historic towns and villages. If members of the Chaldean church look toward Baghdad as their historic homeland and to ancient Chaldeans as their forefathers there is little incentive for them to have a common cause with their Assyrian brethren who would like to have an administrative center, or protective zone, in the plain of Nineveh where Christians of all denominations can manage their affairs. Without such protection enshrined in the Iraqi constitutions or laws it would be difficult to keep Kurds out of the Christian towns and villages north of Mosul. Kurds who are united despite serious tribal differences seem far more intelligent in planning a better future for their people than our clergies. Their preventing the christians in the north from voting during the last elections and introducing their own christian candidates were intended to not allow the latter elect their own so that they would not have any say in writing of the Iraqi constitution. By discouraging members of the Chaldean Church from voting for the unity slate 204 the Chaldean clergies in fact helped the Kurds at the expense of their own people. Their refusal of solidarity with the Assyrians makes planning and implementing any improvement in the life of the christians of Iraq impossible, therefore their future is left to the mercy of the Kurds. This shows that the Chaldean clergies are unable to understand the ways and tactics of the modern politics and the consequences of their meddling in none religious affairs. Since they are primarily concerned with the short sighted desire to claim the name of their church as ethnic identity they seem to be willing to sacrifice their people's best interest and survival for such a goal. Only if they step aside and allow members of their church work unhindered, without prejudice with their Assyrian brethren there may still be some hope for the Christians of Iraq.