The Assyrian Journal

27/10/2024

In the Nahla Valley of northern Iraq, Assyrians in the village of Rabatkeh hide from Turkey airstrikes and neighboring PKK militants.

“We don’t have bunkers,” said Khushaba Oshana, 39. “If you stay in the room, there are windows, big windows. And you don’t know where the rockets will come from… So we do our best to squeeze ourselves between two walls. If you go between the room and the toilet, there is a narrow corridor. We do our best to stay there.”

Read more at the link in our bio.

23/07/2024

The Journal asked young Assyrians who had just visited the homeland to write letters recalling their visit, the people and places that stood out and how it made them feel. Here’s what they wrote.

This project was done in collaboration with GISHRU.

The Journal asked young Assyrians who had just visited the homeland to write letters recalling their visit, the people and places that stood out and how it made them feel. Here's what they wrote.

29/06/2024

UFC fighter Beneil Dariush was presented this year's Forrest Griffin Community Award at a UFC Hall of Fame event on Thursday in Las Vegas.

UFC fighter Beneil Dariush was named this year's Forrest Griffin Community Award recipient.

26/06/2024

Robert Bet Sayad, Assyrian singer and songwriter who fled Iran with his family during the budding Islamic Revolution, who later wrote nationalist and love songs such as “Qala d’Yimma” and “Leven Moonshiyakh,” and who dedicated his life to works of charity, died on May 26. He was 72 years old.

Robert Bet Sayad, Assyrian singer and songwriter who fled Iran with his family during the budding Islamic Revolution, who later wrote nationalist and love songs such as Qala d’Yimma and Leven Moonshiyakh, and who dedicated his life to works of charity, died on May 26. He was 72 years old.

02/05/2024

An Assyrian delegation traveled to New York in April to represent the Assyrian Aid Society of Iraq at the United Nation's Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

21/04/2024

The Hammurabi Cultural Center, comprised of a library, computer lab, lecture hall, workshop and souvenir shop, opened to the public in Alqosh, Iraq on April 7. The aim of the project, organizers said, is to alleviate the financial costs and travel burdens of the town’s estimated 500 students.

By Joe Snell | April 21, 2024 When Ranna Salem prepared for her wedding last December, she balked at the $25,000 it would cost to buy flowers. So she and her fiance Chris Salem skipped the traditional decor, replacing them with cards that read the money would go toward something...

12/03/2024

Lady Surma (1883-1975), also known as Surma Khanum, was a member of the patriarchal Mar Shimun family and spent her life serving the Assyrian Church of the East. She fought to preserve an Assyrian homeland following the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, and later traveled the Western world to rally support for her community during one of its darkest periods.

By Courtney Moushi. This story is part of a profile series for Women’s History Month titled Lionesses of Assyria.

Lady Surma, also known as Surma Khanum, was a member of the patriarchal Mar Shimun family and spent her life serving the Assyrian Church of the East. She fought to preserve an Assyrian homeland and later traveled the Western world to rally support for her community during one of its darkest periods.

25/02/2024

Community leaders in Glendale, Arizona last month began renovations on a space to host book clubs, board meetings, cooking classes and chess tournaments, and gather Assyrians from across the state to share more time together.

"It allows for a meeting place for all Assyrians, regardless of political, tribal, religious, or social affiliations," said Assyrian American Cultural Organization of Arizona president Atouraya Bet Younadam.

By Esabel Sadek and Joe Snell.

Glendale, Arizona last month began renovations on a new community center that is being remodeled ahead of a grand opening around Khab Nissan.

05/02/2024

As public schools in Iraq continue to deteriorate, an alarming trend in Erbil and Duhok have emerged in their place: the opening of private schools that offer improved conditions.

But these schools are instructed entirely in English, and young people are losing their ability to speak in Assyrian.

Opinion by Noor Matti. Read more here: http://tinyurl.com/bdcwbyd9

03/02/2024

Private schools in Iraq, although offering a more rigorous academic experience and safer learning environment than their public counterparts, threaten to erase the Assyrian language and lead to young people leaving the country. Opinion by Noor Matti.

Private schools in Iraq, although providing a better academic experience and safer learning environment than their public school counterparts, threaten to erase the Assyrian language and led to young people migrating out of the country.

03/02/2024

Copenhagen, Denmark - As Iraq and Iran neared war in 1980, Roza Khamo’s family fled Basra, Iraq and briefly hid in Baghdad before abandoning the country for Algeria.

Khamo was born there, and for six years her family waited for Iraq’s political situation to improve so they could return home.

But the situation only worsened. So they left Algeria to move closer to family in Denmark.

Khamo’s parents never returned to Iraq. Last year marked her first trip to her homeland when she joined a trip with GISHRU . She wanted to see where her family is from and to “understand the living conditions of our people and how I can contribute to helping them.”

Her impression of Iraq, she said, exceeded her expectations.

“I’m humbled by our people here, how they are connected, how they support each other through good and bad times,” she said.

Khamo plans to return each year and support the community by using her master’s degree in business communication and IT skills.

It’s about “being the bridge and helping them get to where they want to go,” she said.

is a series by The Assyrian Journal

29/01/2024

Camp Dolabani, an annual retreat for young Assyrians in Europe, holds conversations about the future of Assyria. By having these discussions in a serious forum, organizers hope that young people in the diaspora feel better prepared to retain their culture and repel threats of full assimilation.

Camp Dolabani, an annual retreat for young Assyrians in Europe, confronts serious topics and the future of Assyria.

19/01/2024

A father and son graduated together from Northeastern Illinois University. The father, a U.S. Army Reserve veteran, credits his Assyrian legacy and his military background with discipline and resolve to complete his studies.

13/01/2024

An Assyrian represented Australia's World Cup 70+ team at an international tournament in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where "the Oldyroos" won a bronze medal.

By Jenny Shahin. Read more at the link in our bio.

An Assyrian represented Australia's World Cup 70+ team at an international tournament in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where "the Oldyroos" won a bronze medal.

08/01/2024

An Assyrian women’s choir debuted their first album on Dec. 15, a collection of Christmas melodies sung almost exclusively in Aramaic.