Red-and-yellow flags despite the patriarch’s refusal. Rules that only one side has to follow. A mockery of our victims when Assyrians aren’t even mentioned. Enough is enough. This is a statement from a side that has had enough of the hypocrisy: Stop creating division in our Syrian Orthodox Church—or watch us do the same, and then the division will be total.
This weekend, Ebba Busch (KD) visited St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Hallunda. Outside stood the Seyfo monument, which honored the “Aramean-Syrian victims.” Photos were posted on the church’s Instagram account with the caption “Aramean-Syrian, Armenian, and other Christian victims.”
So this isn’t an organization with a political agenda or a soccer club taunting its rival. This is a Syrian Orthodox church that deliberately chooses not to mention “Assyrians” by name. In just two words, they could have written “Assyrians” and “Greeks.” Instead, they write “other Christians.” And then what?
The confrontation arose in the comments section: “Why aren’t Assyrians mentioned?” The response came quickly from Antioch Bookstore, the church’s shop. “They are included in the group ‘otherChristians’.” The counter-question was: “Are Assyrians part of the same people as you, or do they belong tothe ‘otherChristians’?”
There was no response. The bookstore chose a different approach. “If you want to use other terms, you have two options: Create your own spaces for ministerial visits, or visit churches that use other terms,” followed by: “We use the term ‘Syrians/Arameans’ to refer to our ethnic group.”
The question remained and was asked again: “Do you consider Assyrians to be part of the same people, or do they belong to the ‘other Christians’?” The response: “You’re not in a position to corner anyone. If you want, come to our annual meeting and ask the question.” A couple of hours later, the comment thread was removed.
“Syrians are not the same as Assyrians”
Is this an isolated incident, a fit of rage from a defender who has had to fend off a digital “attack” for the first time? No, it’s a pattern. If you visit the website of St. John’s Syrian Orthodox Church in Gothenburg and click on “About the Church –> Faith & Tradition – History and Identity,” you’ll find the following:
“Of particular note is the fact that there are Syrians today who call themselves Assyrians, who are an entirely different ethnic group. (…) Assyrians: a different ethnic group, related to the Arameans. They still exist today, primarily in Iraq. Syrians/Arameans are not the same as Assyrians.”
Paradoxically, these lines are followed by this one:
“People and a naming dispute: Syrians and Assyrians, a modern phenomenon dating back to the 20th century, stemming from both political and residency permit considerations. This has resulted in two groups of the same people who hold differing views on their origins, identity, and politics.”
The whole thing therefore becomes extremely unclear. Are we the same people or not? Are Assyrians considered “other Christians”—a question Antioch Bookstore refuses to answer—or are Assyrians and Syrians simply two names for the same people?
Why are red-and-yellow flags okay?
Let’s move on to another question. Is it acceptable to fly Assyrian and Syriac flags in our churches? Is it acceptable that St. Mary’s Church in Örebro decorated Patriarch Afram Karim II’s visit with a dozen red-and-yellow flags as recently as last year? The patriarch is the head of the Syriac Orthodox Church. In an interview with Assyria TV in 2015, he was clear:
“As a matter of principle and ‘law,’ the church has no flag other than the cross. The church is a spiritual place […] we do not expect to see any flags in the church other than the cross.”
Yet St. Mary’s Church was bathed in red and yellow when the patriarch came to visit. The Syriac side has portrayed itself as the church’s representative among our people. Yet they choose to mock the patriarch’s call and do as they please. The pattern is impossible to ignore.
Is it acceptable that all Seyfo monuments exclude “Assyrians”? Is it okay to be called the “Syrian Orthodox Church,” but not the “Assyrian Orthodox Church”? Going against the patriarch is one thing—these moves are unforgivably exclusionary toward those who call themselves Assyrians, or toward those who believe a church should be neutral, with only the cross as its symbol.
The double standards must go. Either Assyrian and Syriac flags are accepted—or none at all. Either we are “Assyrians/Syrians” on both sides—or Assyrians on one side and Syrians on the other. Either we are united on both sides—or not at all.
The new generation of Assyrians refuses to dance to their fathers’ tune and accept the degradation of our identity. If we have a faction that refuses to acknowledge that Assyrians are the same people as Syrians, the division is total. If this faction views Assyrians as “other Christians” rather than as their own people, the division is total. If this faction is allowed to fly its flag in the church, we can fly ours as well. And then the division is total. Then we truly have two sides. Forget about unity on issues regarding the Seyfo, Turabdin, or autonomy.
That is why this is a call to our elected representatives in the churches, to influential individuals who need to take a stand and demand that the church take action. The church is not a social club or a soccer team. The church is a place where we worship God rather than engage in political games—but if the game is being played from one side, it might as well be played from the other side as well.
Why should the Assyrian side give in to the game that the Syriac side has been allowed to play for far too long? A conflict can only be resolved when the same conditions apply to both sides. That is why the time has come: Choose total unity or total division—and look your children in the eye as you live with the consequences.
