Assyrian nationalism or Assyrianism increased in popularity in the late 19th century in a climate of increasing ethnic and religious persecution of the indigenous Assyrians of the Middle East.

Assyrian nationalism is the ideology of a united Assyrian people. Assyrianism is to a great degree geographically as well as ethnically and linguistically based. It is espoused by almost all Mesopotamian Aramaic speaking Assyrians (Also known as Chaldo-Assyrians) from Iraq, Iran, south eastern Turkey, north eastern Syria (in effect a region corresponding with ancient Assyria and Mesopotamia), diaspora communities that left these areas for Armenia, Georgia, southern Russia, Lebanon, Jordan and Azerbaijan and migrant Assyrians from all these lands now residing in Europe, North America and Australia.

Ideology[link]

The ideology of Assyrian nationalism advocates Assyrian independence, and is based on the political and national unification of ethnic Assyrian followers of a number of Syriac Christian Churches (mainly those originating in, or based in and around Mesopotamia) with classical Syriac as its cultural language. Its main proponents in the beginning of the 20th century were Naum Faiq, Freydun Atturaya and Farid Nazha.

Within the Syriac Christian population in the near east as a whole, Assyrianism meets a degree of resistance as the result of geographic, ethnic, linguistic and confessional boundaries. Theologically in particular, the christological division between the Syriac Orthodox Church ("West Syriac") on one hand and the Mesopotamian Aramaic speaking adherents of the Assyrian Church of the East, Ancient Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church and Assyrian Protestants ("East Syriac")on the other. The first two churches are not divided by a formally declared schism, but their doctrine has moved so far apart for mutual accusations of heresy. However, a number of adherents of the Syriac Orthodox Church do espouse an Assyrian identity. In a geographic and linguistic context, the predominantly Arabic speaking Semitic Christians from Syria (excluding the Assyrian north east of the country), south central Turkey and Lebanon tend not to identify as Assyrians. In the bulk of Syria an Aramean identity is often espoused, and in Lebanon a Phoenician heritage is claimed. This is in part due to the term Syriac being generally accepted by the majority of scholars to be a derivation of Assyrian, and in part because the majority of the Christian population of these areas are not geographically from what was Assyria or Mesopotamia, and thus do not identify with an Assyrian heritage in the way that the pre Arab, pre Islamic Mesopotamian Assyrians from Iraq, north east Syria, south east Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus naturally do.

According to Raif Toma, Assyrianism goes beyond mere Syriac patriotism, and ultimately aims at the unification of all "Mesopotamians", properly qualifying as "Pan-Mesopotamianism". This variant of Assyrianism is independent of Christian, ethno-religious identity and qualifies as a purely ethnic nationalism, in that it identifies the Assyrian people as the heirs of the Assyrian Empire, and as the indigenous population of Mesopotamia, as opposed to Arabism, which is identified as a chronologically later, non indigenous, and foreign intrusive element, due to the non indigenous Arab Muslim conquests. This is expressed e.g. in the Assyrian calendar introduced in the 1950, which chooses as its era 4750 BC, the estimated date of construction of the first (pre-historical, pre-Semitic) temple at Assur.

Organisations advocating Assyrianism are the Assyrian Democratic Organisation, Assyrian National Congress, Assyrian Universal Alliance (since 1968) and Shuraya (since 1978). The Assyrian flag was designed by the Assyrian Universal Alliance in 1968.^[1]

Irredentism[link]

The ideology of Assyrian independence is a political movement that supports the creation of nation state corresponding to part of the original Assyrian homeland, in the Nineveh plains of Northern Iraq. The issue of Assyrian independence has been brought up many times throughout the course of history from before World War I to the present-day Iraq War. The Assyrian-inhabited area of Iraq is located primarily but not exclusively in the Ninawa-Mosul region in Northern Iraq where the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh was located.^[2] This area is known as the "Assyrian Triangle."^[3] Assyrians are generally found all over northern Iraq, including in and around the cities of Mosul, Erbil, Kirkuk, Dohuk, Amadia and Rawanduz, and there are a fair number of exclusively Assyrian towns, villages, hamlets and agricultural communities in the north, together with others that have significant Assyrian populations. Other communities exist over the borders in south eastern Turkey, north eastern Syria and north western Iran, there are a number of Assyrian villages and towns in Syria and a few remaining in Turkey also.

In post-Ba'thist Iraq, the Assyrian Democratic Movement (or ADM) was one of the smaller political parties that emerged in the social chaos of the occupation.^[4] Its officials say that while Assyrian members of the ADM also took a full and active part in the liberation of the key oil cities of Kirkuk and Mosul in the north, the Assyrians were not invited to join the steering committee that was charged with defining Iraq's future.

Continuity claims[link]

Assyrian nationalism, the fact that Assyrian identity endured is endorsed and supported by many non Assyrian modern Assyriologists, Iranologists, Orientalists and Historians. It is certain that there had been some Assyrian resistance to Persian rule in Achaemenid Assyria. H. W. F. Saggs in his The Might That Was Assyria clearly supports cultural continuity.^[5]

See also[link]

Assyrians portal

References[link]

External links[link]

• Assyrian Nationalism: A Mechanism For Survival
• The Origins and Development of Assyrian Nationalism, by Robert DeKelaita
• Neo-Assyrianism & the End of the Confounded Identity
• http://www.bethnahrin.nl/nationsmen.php?id=index&menu=menu
• Nationalism

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Ninos Aho is an Assyrian poet and activist. He was born in a small village in Syria named Gerke-shamo, though his family is originally from Tur Abdin in Turkey. He later moved to Qamishli and then to Damascus in order to attend college. After leaving Syria, he later lived in Chicago, Massachusetts, and Aleppo, and currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, children, and grandchildren.

External links[link]

• Official website
• THE NINOS AHO ASSYRIAN POETRY FUND, Zinda magazine
• Abdulmesih BarAbrahem, The Calling of the New AssyrianA Poetry Collection by Ninos Aho and Yousip Bet Yousip, atour.com

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Sargon Gabriel
Birth name	Sargon Gabriel
Born	1947
Origin	Habbaniyah, Iraq
Genres	Assyrian
Years active	1973 - Present
Website	Sargon Gabriel Officel Website

Sargon Gabriel is a famous Assyrian musician born in Habbaniyah, Iraq.

Sargon Gabriel began singing as a teenager and made his first appearance on live television at the age of 17 in Baghdad, Iraq. He began singing backup on albums for another Assyrian singer, Albert Ruel Tamras, before starting his career as a solo singer and even did a cover of Albert Ruel Tamras's famous song, "Asmar, Asmar" in his 1987 album entitled 'Wy Wy Minnakh'. Sargon Gabriel has also been featured singing with other famous Assyrian singers including Linda George, and Janan Sawa; in fact, he helped bolster Linda George's singing career when he featured her in the track, "Dalale" in his album of the same name released in 1981. He has been singing for over thirty years and has released over twenty albums. His first album was released in 1973. His songs have become very popular in the Assyrian community upon the release of his first albums and his songs are often sung by other musicians at weddings, parties, and other social gatherings.

Sargon Gabriel's music style usually involves traditional Assyrian folk music with the instruments, dola and zurna. His music also contains more modern western musical elements.

The singer currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Discography[link]

Main article: Sargon Gabriel Discography

• Yimma Yimma (1973)
• Atouraya (1976)
• Nineveh (1978)
• Shlama Aturaya (1980)
• Dalaleh (1981)
• Ganta D-Perdeisa (1982)
• Khooyada D-Omta (1983)
• Parzona (1984)
• Sara (1985)
• Way Way Minnakh (1987)
• Neqda (1989)
• Leeshana D-Yimma (1991)
• Kertey (1992)
• Nineveh (1994)
• Shooshla (1996)
• Darwid (1997)
• The Greatest Songs (1998)
• The Legend Continues (2002)
• Perdaisa (2004)
• Live In Sydney (2004)
• Al Balee (2006)
• Bassy Bassy (2010)
• Shoryen Zmara (2012)

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Qeenatha: Sargon Gabriel
• http://www.assyrian4all.net/songs/sargon%20gabriel.html

v t e Assyrian/Syriac musicians Folk music Gabriel Asaad Evin Agassi Sargon Gabriel Linda George Juliana Jendo Jean Karat Elias Karam Paulus Khofri Habib Mousa Ashur Bet Sargis Janan Sawa Nawfal Shamoun Shamiram Urshan Sacral music Fairuz Nouri Iskandar Hanna Petros Abeer Nehme Wadih El Safi Elias Zazi Western/Assyrian music Aril Brikha Josef Özer

Hirmis Aboona, (Syriac: ܗܪܡܙܕ‏ ܐܒܘܢܐ), was an Assyrian historian who was known for his publications concerning the history of the Assyrians in northern Iraq.

Biography[link]

Hirmis Aboona was born in 1940 in Alqosh to Mushe Aboona and Meryam Asmar. After finishing his elementary school in his home town his family moved to Baghdad in 1952, there he graduated from the law faculty at the University of Baghdad in 1963.^[1] He worked at a number of governmental institutions in Baghdad and married Nani Isa Rashshoo where they had 4 children together. He moved with his family to London in 1982 where he pursuited higher education at the University of Exeter obtaining his history Ph.D for his thesis The Assyrian independent tribes in Tyari and Hakkari and their relationship with the Kurds and Turks.^[1][2]

In 1988 Aboona and his family emigrated to Toronto, Canada where he resided until his death due to a heart attack in 19 April 2009.

Works[link]

Hirmis Aboona dedicated a number of years writing his Book of 12 volumes The Assyrian After the Fall of Nineveh. He also participated in a number of Assyrian conferences in North America, Europe and Australia.^[1] He also lectured at a number of Universities including the University of Sydney, University of Cambridge, as well as various universities in Syria and Lebanon.

The Assyrians After the Fall of Nineveh[link]

His most renowned work covers the political and religious history of the Assyrian people from the Fall of Nineveh in 612 BC until the beginning of the 21st century. The book is written in 12 volumes some of which are not published. These volumes are:

I. From the Fall of Nineveh to the Arrival of Christianity
II. The Assyrians and Christianity
III. The Assyrians During the Arab Islamic Rule
IV. Part 1 - The Assyrians Under the Mongol Rule

Part 2 - The History of the Kurdish Settlement in Assyria

V. Independent Assyrian Tribes in Tiyare and Hakkari and the Surrounding Assyrian Regions
VI. The Massacres of Bedr Khan Beg in Tiyare and Hakkari 1843-1846
VII. Persecution of the Assyrians, Chaldeans and Syriacs in the 19th Century
VIII. Uncovered Pages in the History of the Chaldean Church
IX. Assyrians Before and After WWI
X. Assyrians and the Mosul Problem
XI. Assyrians, Chaldeans and Syriacs, "One Nation with Multiple Names"
XII. Assyrians and the Contemporary Political Movement

References[link]

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Ashur Bet Sargis
Background information
Born	(1949-07-02) July 2, 1949 (age 62)
Origin	22x20px Baghdad, Iraq
Genres	Assyrian music
Occupations	Composer, Singer, Songwriter, Political Activist
Years active	1960s–present

Ashur Bet Sargis (Syriac: ܐܫܘܪ ܒܝܬ ܣܪܓܝܤ), (Born in 2 July 1949), is an Assyrian Composer and Singer. He became famous in the Assyrian communities worldwide for his nationalistic songs in the 1970s.

Early career in Iraq[link]

Ashur Bet Sargis was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1949 to an Assyrian family. He started playing organ as a teenager at the local Assyrian church. He later began composing nationalistic songs under the influence of established Assyrian musicians such as Evin Aghassi and King Biba, as well as western artists. As Ashur recalls of his early days in the biography written for his 4-CD set “So far”:^[1]

Music was being redefined out in the rest of the world, and stars like Elvis, Paul Anka, and of course The Beatles were shining all over the place. I wanted to be a part of this transformation, and offer its fruition to my people.

Rise to fame[link]

Shortly after the Ba'ath led revolution of 1968, Ashur fled the unstable political situation in Iraq in 1969, ending up in Chicago, IL. Two years later he formed his first band, “East Bird Band”, which released its first recording in 1973. In 1976, after relocating to Los Angeles, Ashur became the first Assyrian artist to tour overseas when he and his band played three sold-out shows in Australia. Soon afterwards he would travel to Iran, which at that time had the second largest population of Assyrians in the Middle East, and had long been a large producer of Assyrian music on the record labels that flourished in Tehran in the days before the Islamic revolution such as Irangram and Monogram. After two weeks of performances there, he returned to Los Angeles to record his second album, “Ashur Sargis Sings for Ancient Assyria”, which included re-recordings of hits from the first album like “Tanilee Lay-Lay” (“Sing Me A Lullaby”, with lyrics by Assyrian nationalist leader Freydun Atturaya) and “Bet Nahren Atrewa”, as well as several other songs that have since become staples of his catalogue and concerts.^[1]

Later Years[link]

Ashur is known for his staunch support for Zowaa, and he composed several songs for the movement.^[2] He also returned to Northern Iraq may times where he did many concert during Kha b-Nisan prior to the Iraq war. He is often featured at Zowaa sponsored festivals in Nineveh Plains and Dohuk. Ashur Bet Sargis lives currently in Phoenix, Arizona. Although he often travels on tours in Europe and the Middle East.

Discography[link]

• 1972 - Bet Nahren
• 1975 - Ancient Assyria
• 1979 - Sing Me A Lullaby
• 1984 - Dance of Victory
• 1990 - Winter Wind
• 1992 - The Mighty Assyrians
• 1995 - Mirror of Deception
• 1996 - From A Distant World
• 1998 - Immortal Memories
• 2003 - Everything So Far
• 2008 - Dashta D'Nineveh

Music[link]

	Excerpt from "Brata Shammiram" noicon A music sample of Bet Sargis' voice in 1979.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

To the contrast of most his peers Music, Ashur's music is slow and mellow. He is also known for incorporating Greek musical instruments such as Tambouras to his music.

External links[link]

• Ashur Bet Sargis, Entry at Last.fm
• Lyrics from AssyrianLyrics.com

References[link]

• Music pearls of Beth-Nahrin: an Assyrian/Syriac discography, Abboud Zeitoune
• Ashur Bet-Sargis Finds Solace in Dashta D’Nineveh, Skokie.net
• آشور بت سركيس بين احضان الوطن, Zahrira.net
• تأملات في ألبوم آشور بت سركيس دشتا د نينوى, خابور كوم

v t e Assyrian/Syriac musicians Folk music Gabriel Asaad Evin Agassi Sargon Gabriel Linda George Juliana Jendo Jean Karat Elias Karam Paulus Khofri Habib Mousa Ashur Bet Sargis Janan Sawa Nawfal Shamoun Shamiram Urshan Sacral music Fairuz Nouri Iskandar Hanna Petros Abeer Nehme Wadih El Safi Elias Zazi Western/Assyrian music Aril Brikha Josef Özer