Syriac official calls on Syrian government to recognize Assyrian-Syriac rights
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A Syriac political official on Monday called on the Syrian government to recognize the cultural, national, and political rights of the Assyrian-Syriac people alongside all other components of Syrian society.
Speaking to North Press, Bashir Saadi, an official of the Assyrian Democratic Organization, said the government should guarantee the rights of all communities within the framework of a Syrian national identity and a democratic, secular constitution.
“It is the duty of the Syrian government to acknowledge the cultural, national, and political rights of the Assyrian-Syriac people, along with all other Syrian components, and to recognize the legitimate and equal rights of all communities,” Saadi said.
His remarks came during a dialogue session titled “Syriac Cultural Rights in Syria: Reality, Challenges and Prospects for Protection,” organized by the Syriac Union Party in Qamishli city, northeastern Syria, in the headquarters of the civil society organization Pel–Civil Waves.
Saadi stressed that Syriac is an indigenous language of Syria and that the Assyrian-Syriac people are among the country’s native communities.
“The Syriac language is an original language of Syria, and the Assyrian-Syriac people are an indigenous people of the country. The names of several villages in Syria still reflect this heritage,” he said.
He noted to several challenges facing the community, including instability, migration, economic hardship, and what he described as the transitional government’s failure to ensure Assyrian-Syriac participation in governing the country.
Saadi also criticized the level of representation allocated to the community in recent political arrangements, including the latest parliamentary elections in the Jazira region.
“Previously, the Syriac component had three representatives in the People’s Assembly,” he added. “Today, there is discussion of limiting representation to a single member appointed by the president, which is unfair to the Assyrian-Syriac people and their historical role in building modern and historic Syria.”
He called for fair and equal participation in the People’s Assembly and across state institutions without discrimination among Syria’s various communities.