Chaldeans Around the World

In the heart of the Nineveh Plain, nestled in the ancient town of Alqosh, a masterful craftsman weaves stories and tradition with every stitch. Meet Thamir Yousif Qoda, a man who has dedicated his life to the art of crafting traditional garments that hold the essence of Chaldean, Assyrian, Kurdish, Arab, and Yazidi cultures.

Cardinal Sako recently called for a secular system in Iraq that separates religion from the state, citing it as the optimal choice for governance in Iraq. Speaking at the Peace and Security Forum in the Dohuk province, Sako urged for a constitutional amendment in the country, emphasizing the importance of “establishing a civil democratic state that adopts citizenship, embraces diversity, and respects rights, civilizations, religions, and sects.”

Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid met with the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis in the Vatican after a controversial dispute earlier this year with the head of the Chaldean Church.

According to a statement released by the president’s office, Rashid and Pope Francis discussed the situation of Christians in Iraq with the president saying they are a “key component in the building of the country, its progress and prosperity.”

In the heart of the Nineveh Plain province, the close-knit town of Bakhdida (also known as Qaraqosh) grapples with a devastating tragedy that left them searching for answers and healing. The horrific fire that engulfed the Al-Haitham wedding hall during the bride and groom’s slow dance on September 26, 2023, sent shockwaves through the town and beyond.

The unprecipitated yet coldly calculated terrorist attack by Hamas on innocent Israeli citizens, that also included Americans and other nationalities, has upended the fragile peace in the Middle East. Semi-neutral arbiters in the long simmering Palestinian - Israeli conflict have chosen sides—the United States lining up squarely and fully behind Israel—while countries like Egypt and Jordan, with their own peace treaties with Israel, are being forced to stand with the “Arab Street.”

A small delegation of community members met in New York with the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohammed Shi’a Alsudani, to discuss the current acrimony going on between the central government and the Chaldean Patriarch. The group also addressed the plight of Christians in Iraq with a special focus on a self-managed administrative unit in the Nineveh Plain and the recent alcohol ban inside Iraq which disproportionately hurts Christian and Yezidi businesspeople.

Diya Butros Sliwa, a Chaldean political activist, lives in Erbil, Iraq, but he gives talks around the world on human rights. He visited North America recently where he gave talks and interviews in Michigan, in Canada, and he also plans to travel to Washington, DC. His goal is to bring awareness to the status of the rights of religious and national minorities in Iraq and Kurdistan.

Tragedy struck the village of Bakhdida during a wedding celebration on Tuesday evening. At least 120 have been declared dead and more than 500 people injured due to severe burns and or difficulty breathing in a fire in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains Province. The death toll is still rising.

Since 2014, confiscating and seizing of property has become increasingly prevalent in Iraq, with thousands of homes and properties being sold without their owners’ knowledge. Armed militias have undertaken these land-grabs, seizing property in Baghdad, Basra, Kirkuk, the Nineveh Province, and Kurdistan Region, supported by Islamist parties that have been at the helm of power since 2003, in coordination with several public land registry officials.

It was mid-July when Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid revoked a decree that gave state recognition to His Beatitude Mar Louis Raphaël Sako, the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The decree had given recognition to the patriarch’s appointment by the Holy See as head of the Chaldean Church “in Iraq and the world” and thus, “responsible for the assets of the Church.” Why did Rashid do that, and what does it mean for Iraq’s dwindling Christian population?

“The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.” Mother Teresa’s words echoed in our hearts as we embarked on a remarkable medical mission to Iraq in June 2023. With a team of nine dedicated healthcare professionals and two aspiring medical students, we traveled to a land that held both ancestral roots and a need for medical assistance. What unfolded was an emotional and impactful experience that left a lasting impression on us.

It began with the Seyfo Genocide between 1914 – 1925 and peaked with the Semele [Simele] Massacre in 1933, exactly 90 years ago. If you ever wondered what our community was doing during World War I and the Great Depression, this was it.

Despite punishingly high temperatures, dozens of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad on July 18 to protest water and electricity shortages, and to blame Turkey for reduced flow of rivers. Designated by the United Nations as one of the five countries in the world most touched by some effects of climate change, Iraq is experiencing its fourth consecutive summer of drought.