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ethnicity, culture, language, history and territory. Using symbols and ceremonies to
espouse such ideas, nationalist movements help bring people together to express the
solidarity of a nation. For any group of people, the hope of survival is attached
closely to a geographical territory.
Because of forced mass migration of Assyrians within the last century, the Assyrian
Universal Alliance (AUA) has recognized the need to strengthen our nation’s
connection to our ancestral homeland of Assyria. At its 25th World Congress in
Sweden, the AUA passed a resolution to recognize the First of Tammuz as Assyria
Day in order to remind our scattered people that we as Assyrians cannot and should
not forget the historic glory of our nation and must believe that one day Assyrians
will again live in our ancestral homeland of Assyria in peace and harmony with our
neighbors.
The historic Assyria is located in northern Iraq, stretching east to Lake Urmia in Iran,
north to the Turkish Harran, Edessa, Diyarbakir, Lake Van and the mountains of
Hakkâri, and west to Syria. Archeological sites confirm our claims to these regions.
Until the beginning of WWI, the Assyrian population remained settled in these
historic lands but because of targeted persecution and systematic massacres,
Assyrians were forced to move to new areas. Within the last half century, mass
migration of Assyrians to western countries has created a humanitarian crisis that no
world government has yet aimed to resolve.
Today Assyria is occupied by people who do not share political or historical rights to
the land. The government of Iraq has failed to recognize the constitutional right of
indigenous Assyrians to establish a province for them on their ancestral lands in the
northern territories of the country. To date Iraq's government and those of
neighboring states have failed to recognize the potential for peace and harmony the
establishment of an Assyrian province could provide. Precious Assyrian
archeological pieces are being stolen from the Baghdad museum with minimal
deterrence by state police in an attempt to eradicate the centuries of historic claims
Assyrians of Iraq hold to their ancestral lands.
Today we as children of Assyria have a responsibility to remember the beautiful
homeland of our forefathers, the ultimate destination for our scattered nation.
Executive Board
Assyrian Universal Alliance
Quelle: aua.net
Bildquelle: aina.org
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