IshtarTV.com

On Saturday, October 31, we mark the sixteenth anniversary of the massacre at the Syriac Catholic Our Lady of Salvation Church in the Karrada district of the capital, Baghdad. The massacre was perpetrated by armed, extremist terrorist groups when a group of gunmen stormed the church during the celebration of Holy Mass and took innocent worshippers hostage. This tragedy ended with the suicide bombers detonating themselves, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of dozens of worshippers, including the two priests, Father Thaer Abdul and Father Wasim Al-Qass Botros, who were celebrating Mass.

On October 31, 2010, the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council (Suraya) remembers, with profound sorrow and grief, this horrific terrorist crime, which constituted a flagrant assault on the sanctity of places of worship, freedom of belief, and the human right to life and security. It also demonstrated the extent of the suffering endured by the members of our Chaldean Syriac Assyrian people (Suraya) as a result of acts of violence and terrorism that targeted their existence and presence in their historic homeland.

On this painful anniversary, we recall the souls of the innocent martyrs who fell victim to treachery and terrorism. We affirm that targeting our people and their places of worship will neither undermine their faith nor deter them from holding firmly to the land of their fathers and forefathers and continuing their authentic role in building an Iraq governed by peace, justice and equality, where the rights of all its national and religious components are protected.

Following this horrific and bloody massacre, and the subsequent targeting of Christians and their places of worship, our people were subjected to a new wave of persecution and displacement. One of its most prominent chapters was the displacement of Christians from their towns and villages in the Nineveh Plain at the hands of the terrorist organisation ISIS on August 6, 2014. This led to the emigration of thousands of them and their abandonment of their homes, in addition to dozens being subjected to kidnapping, killing, enslavement and rape, in grave violations of human rights and human dignity.

The recent new terrorist attack targeting Christians at a church in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, while they were attending prayers at the funeral of a woman, is another example. A group of extremist terrorists raided the church and opened fire on the worshippers, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of dozens of innocent believers. We, at the Popular Council, strongly condemn and denounce this criminal act and call upon the official authorities to impose the harshest penalties on those responsible.

We, at the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council (Suraya), believe, and shall remain steadfast in our belief, that our people, past, present and future, are one people with one identity, despite all attempts aimed at undermining their unity and existence. We affirm that we will continue our efforts to secure our national rights, foremost among them the demand for self-administration, along with all our other national and constitutional rights, within the framework of the Federal Constitution of the Republic of Iraq and the Constitution of the Kurdistan Region.

We also reaffirm the demands we have put forward concerning the prevention of the appropriation of the quota seats allocated to our people by major parties from outside our national community, and the establishment of special electoral registers for members of our people, ensuring that they can freely and independently elect their own representatives, away from pressure and interference by any party whatsoever.

We further stress the necessity of ending encroachments on the properties and lands of our people, incorporating the role and history of our people, as well as the tragedies they have endured, into the preambles of both the Federal Constitution and the Regional Constitution, guaranteeing their active participation in all institutions of the Iraqi state and the Kurdistan Region, and working towards building a genuine state of citizenship that guarantees equality in rights and duties for all citizens.

As we remember the martyrs of the Our Lady of Salvation Church massacre and all the other martyrs of our people, we pledge to the cadres and supporters of the Popular Council, and to our people in general, that we will continue our work and peaceful struggle to secure our national and constitutional rights, safeguard the existence and identity of our people, and ensure a safe and dignified future for generations to come.

In conclusion, the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council (Suraya) calls upon the relevant authorities to strengthen the protection of citizens and places of worship, promote a culture of fraternity and peaceful coexistence among the members of the Iraqi people, and hold accountable those who commit terrorist crimes and everyone who seeks to spread hatred and division among members of the same people. It also stresses the need for serious action to ensure that such tragedies are never repeated and to preserve the social fabric, thereby guaranteeing that all Iraqis can live in freedom, dignity and security.

Glory and eternity to the martyrs of the Our Lady of Salvation Church massacre and to all the martyrs of our people. May their pure souls rest in peace, and may their families and loved ones be granted patience and solace.

Security and peace for our homeland.

The Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council (Suraya)