Subject to Arabization and now, Kurdification processes, Assyrians are one of the most vulnerable populations in the Middle East. As the British carved up the Middle East almost 100 years ago, Assyrians were left borderless, and in several different countries: Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. Subject to oppression due to their distinct ethnic and religious identity (a non-Arab, Christian people), the genocide of 1915-1918 forced them from Turkey and pushed what remained into Iran, Iraq, Syria, and the former Soviet Union. Even today, there are Assyrian communities living in Armenia, Russia, Georgia, and Ukraine.

Most Assyrians remaining in the Middle East live in Iraq, although since 2003, they have been fleeing the country due to insecurity and increased threats from Islamists and Kurds. Internal divisions between church affiliations are being exploited to further divide Assyrians and lead them further from the name “Assyrian” to be called generic “Christians” of Iraq.

The Assyrians in Diaspora are largely in North America, Western Europe and Australia. They are very tied to their ethnic identity and have maintained the Assyrian language even while living in foreign lands. They have built churches of all their denominations (including Assyrian Orthodox, or Jacobite, Chaldean Catholic, and the Church of the East, along with several Protestant churches) on every continent they settle, and maintain ties to their Homeland. Each year, the Assyrians continue their celebrations of the Assyrian New Year on the Spring Equinox, usually celebrated on April 1st, observe their Martyr’s Day in remembrance of the Simele Massacre of August 7, 1933, and have very close ties with their communities in Diaspora. They are also politically active and monitor the situation of Assyrians remaining in the Homeland.

The need for recognition of the Assyrian nation as an integral part of the Middle East has never been greater. For generations, Assyrians have tried to bring the world’s attention to their plight, and recent world events have once again put Iraq and the Middle East on the geo-political map.

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