Who are the Assyrians

September 7th, 2009

By: John J. Nimrod, Illinois State Senator and
Homer Ashurian, Representative: Iranian Parliament

The Assyrians of today are descendants of the ancient Assyrian
people who built the mighty empires of Assyria and Babylonia. They
rose to power and prosperity in Mesopotamia which mainly consists
of modern-day Iraq. Assyrian’s played a major role in the
foundation of civilization and mankind. After the fall of the
Assyrian and Babylonian empires respectively, in the seventh and
sixth centuries BC., Assyrian’s were reduced to a small nation
living at the mercy of their overlords in the vastly scattered
lands of the Middle Eastern region.

Assyrians are Christians, and their church dates back to the time
of Christ. In the first century, they were among the first people
to embrace Christianity. Living apart from the Christian world,
the Assyrians almost came to losing their identity as a nation. It
was not until the middle of the 19th century, when they came in
direct contact with the western world, did their existence attract
the attention of the world as a whole. Thus experiencing a
cultural renaissance, they built modern schools, colleges and
technical institutions in Iran and Iraq during the 19th and 20th
centuries. Assyrians suffered the most destructive blows because
of their religion and ethnicity. They fell victim to the wholesome
massacre inflicted upon Christians under the Ottoman Empire. Those
who escaped the massacres, fled their homeland to join the
Assyrian living in Iran. To defend themselves, they threw their
lot with the allies and fought bravely against all odds to repulse
blows coming from all sides. For their bravery in the victorious
battles, they were called “Our Smallest Ally” by British
historians.

In 1918, Assyrians left alone without support, had no choice but
to retreat from Iran to reach the British forces in Baghdad –
Iraq. In this long and costly exodus, the Assyrian’s lost more
than one-third of their population.

In Baghdad, Assyrian’s were settled in camps, and their battle
tested men were recruited by the British in a special military
task force name “Assyrian Levies”

In return to the loss of their homeland in Hakkari – Turkey, and
in compensation for stupendous losses inflicted on them during the
Great War, Assyrians were promised by the Britain, France and
Russia alike, a safe and independent homeland. This promise was
not fulfilled and the Assyrians were again betrayed and left alone
in a situation that culminated in the terrible massacre of
non-combatant population in Simeil, Iraq in 1933. From this time
forward, the Assyrian Diaspora started, and they began to flee in
all directions as stateless refugees to find a safe haven and to
protect themselves from total elimination until such a day when
their voice would be heard through an international forum.

In conclusion, this should be said of the Assyrian of today;
although they are scattered all over the world, as the descendants
of a great nation, they live in peace and dignity in each country
they are citizens of. As a result of this attitude, they have
gained the respect of their fellow countrymen. In most of these
countries for example; the U.S., Australia, Iran and Syria, they
have run for offices and have been elected to high positions, such
as Senators, Congressmen and City Officials. This will go on in
the future as they come to be more recognized as loyal citizens in
the own countries.

Written by:
John J. Nimrod
Illinois State Senator
Homer Ashurian

Representative:
Iranian Parliament
Assyrian Universal Alliance