MENA Minorities

“The Assyrians of Syria: History and Prospects”   by Mardean Isaac, Syria Comment

Readers of this blog might remember, that the case of Swiss nationals fighting in Syria for the YPG-affiliated Syriac Military Council had been a topic here already. Now German magazine Focus published a report about this approximately 10 fighters and the support they are receiving from the neutral country. „Kampf ist christliche Pflicht“ Kreuzzug gegen den Terror: Schweizer Christen ziehen gegen IS in den Krieg by Focus Online A very great article by Rania Abouzei for National Geographic deals with the current political situation of the Christians in northern Iraq, including it's leadership, plans for autonomy and the recent phenomena of Christian militias, even though their establishment is (so far) rather symbolic. The latter is a huge difference to the passivity of the Christians during the civil war after the fall of Saddam Hussain, when the Christians reacted with passivity to persecution. This shift is also reflected by the contacts of the Assyrian Democratic Movem...

Ignatius Aphrem II Karim ,  the newly elected patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox church, leaves little doubt which side he supports in the ongoing civil war in Syria: Syria's Al-Assad receives Syriac Orthodox Church's new patriarch   by  Sherry El-Gergawi, Al -Ahram Karim expressed his hope that security and peace would soon prevail in Syria, whose people he said were a shining example of national unity. He further asserted that the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate supports the Syrian people’s struggle against terrorism and their right to self-determination away from the interference of any foreign side.

Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim , the Archbishop  for the Eastern United States, was elected as 123rd Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. Upon his installation his name will be Ignatius Aphrem II Karim. The new Patriarch is relatively young (just 48) and was born in Qamishli, in Syria's Hasaka province. Judging by his statements in US-media, he is potentially regime leading.