Simele

“Assyrian” is an uncommon term and a forgotten culture that is slowly shrinking.  Unless you’re into history, this term would mean nothing to you.  However, it’s a term I am beyond grateful and proud to be associated with as that’s my culture and my ethnicity.  Assyrians date back to the Old Testament as Jonah was sent to Nineveh (currently Mosul in northern Iraq) to preach.  This is only one of the many Biblical mentions of the Assyrians. 

Since the fall of the empire in 612 B.C.E, the Assyrians have faced persecution, torture, exile, and all-around rejection.  They are one of the most sought after cultures to be destroyed and eliminated in  Arab countries, leaving Assyrians with no land to claim and no place to call home, scattered around the world.  Throughout history, Assyrians have faced numerous massacres at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, Saddam Hussain, ISIS, and other Islamic leaders.  One of the most memorable and horrific massacres took place in early August 1933.  Across the world Assyrians honor August 7^th as Martyr’s Day in honor of the Simile (Si-Meh-Leh) Massacre. 

During that horrific week, 6,000 lives were claimed, lands and crops seized, and homes destroyed and eventually occupied by Arabs and Kurds.  Those who survived can still remember it as if it was yesterday and can recite the atrocities that took place. Young women were taken captive, raped and then forced to walk naked in front of the military leaders before execution, pregnant women were cut open and their babies taken out than killed, men were lined up side by side shot and killed, children were run over by military vehicles or tossed in the air and pierced as they came down.  The bodies were collectively thrown into a large field and concealed with dirt.  Today, this field is covered in weeds and a large telecommunication tower.  These acts were carried out by the Iraqi military lead by Bakr Sidqi who was rewarded and promoted after he completed the massacre.  The military was rewarded with a large parade as the soldiers were given flowers to celebrate their great defeat.  Fast forward many years later, ISIS did almost the same thing to Mosul leaving no Assyrian alive within the borders of that city and the surrounding villages.  Their acts were almost as horrendous! 

Why am I telling you all of this? It’s not to sicken you but to show you what it is like for minorities in other countries and cultures.  Not everyone has the wonderful blessing of living in a country referred to as the “land of the free.”  The Simile Massacre was a response to the Assyrians seeking their rights and defending themselves.  I was chosen to be part of this culture that comes with such a rich history.  I am beyond grateful and proud to be an Assyrian.  But what I am more grateful for is the opportunity and the privilege to live in America, and although that comes with its struggles, and minorities have faced their challenges here, their protests are not rewarded with massacres and genocides.  We have to remind ourselves and our children that the rights we have here today are not shared around the world, this is a unique gift and although it’s not perfect and it’s not exactly what you hoped for, it is still more than what everyone else has.