Chaldean a Christian Religious Cult

In response to Mr. Abdolla Marcus Rabi‘s article, “The Wrong View of the Chaldean as a Religious Cult”, published in page 9 in “Al-Mughtarib”, a 24 pages-Arabic printed tabloid, in Hamilton, Ontario, dated March 2008 is a misleading, bias and a direct slander to the Assyrian community in Ontario.

Abdolla or Abdullah (عبدالله مرقس رابي ) wrongly stated in his article that “Chaldean” is not a cult, but an ethnic name and a nationality. Furthermore, claimed that language used and cities they lived in, such as Alquosh, Dahook, and other cities in north of Iraq, along with having their own history, culture, etc. are not Assyrian. The repugnant writer emphases a direction to those who provide lectures to navigate the meaning of “Chaldean” as an ethnicity, and not a religious cult.

Reading such a historically baseless claim slander, and falsified information, prompted me to contact the publisher of the publication, Mr. Saleh Rafai or Saleh AlRifai to outpoint the inaccuracy and my discontent. Meantime, trying to expunge the senseless, groundless bitter hostility that seems coming from his publication toward Assyrian community in Ontario.

The printed article of Mr. Abdullah lacked any academic references, neither showed any scholastic approach or competency in the subject of Assyrian history. I contacted by phone and e-mailed Mr. Saleh, and addressed my outrage against such intent fabrication made by Mr. Abdullah, inquiring Abdullah’s academic background, with logical imposition of two questions. What school he teaches at? And what is his speciality?

With honesty, I replied stating that Mr. Abdullah printed an atrocious article in Al-Mughtarib tabloid identifying himself as “Doctor Abdullah Marcus Rabi”, a university Professor. I furthermore, informed him, yes! It’s logic to verify his academic credibility in Canada, as he is advertising it publicly as such. Unfortunately, not much transparent, understanding and cooperation I received from Mr. Al-Rifai other than offering me a chance to write an article in reply to the concerned misguided pseudo article of Mr. Abdullah, and promised to be posted in his next printed tabloid edition.

There’re no findings or any listings as “Doctor or Professor Abdullah Marcus Rabi” in any Canadian university in Ontario, as per advertised, in “Al-Mughtarib tabloid”, Canadian Arab Open University by Ontario Colleges and Universities, not to my knowledge. http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/

The Phantom, Mr. Abdullah, posted an article in the public domain internet identifying again himself with a title of Professor of Sociology, or Professor of The Canadian Arab University. http://www.ankawa.com/forum/index.php/topic,178351.0.h

Identifying himself as per his claim as Sociologist, there is truly a grim dilemma of misconduct in his analysis, and the way he based his conclusion. We conclude his clear bias promotion of Chaldean as an “ethnic status” in many political websites, such as in the Chaldean Democratic Union Party website.
A real sociologist does not allows himself the comfort of any affiliation and bias stance in the research study. In one hand, it’s a conflict of interest, an unethical to have such conduct, and in other hand, it is unacceptable to be bias and deviate from the norm of sociological research.

An analogy, is as such, you don’t get a clear minded person with drudges, or mentally impaired, as with the same tone. You don’t get a good sociological analysis and good research by a bias intention. It is simply not accepted in any field of academic science to achieve any work based on bias intention.

Mr. Abdullah’s article dealt in part with basic introduction of cults and social class from the sociological perspective. Then he quickly moved into church issues. In both, exhibiting his presentation with incompetence and poor taste. Suspiciously, leaving out the roll of the Roman or Latin Catholic rigid conversion process of the Assyrian Christians of Church of The East falsely named by the Romans then as “Nestorian”, imposing conversion to Catholicism of Latin European theology during the crusaders era, and up to the present day. The evil hands of Vatican brought division in the Church of the East, causing formation of many cults and sub-cults.

In an analogy, where a human cell gets divided into two new sister cells. And two cells continue proliferation process dividing each into two new cells and so on. It is for that we see cults in Middle East, Maronite cult, Chaldean cult, Suryani cult, etc. History shows how people were forced by foreign European oppression, threats, poverty,destitutes, and insurgence to convert to Latin Catholicism in order to spare their lives from death and destruction by the hands of their archenemy in the vicinity. Those Assyrians whom refused to leave their Christian faith and their mother-church, did suffer fatally. They faced with systematic massacre and unholy genocide where today, those whom converted saved their life, and those whom refused, either killed or left the homeland- Assyria trekked long distances on feet, where hundred of thousands died as they accepted such imposed destiny. Clearly, it also shows how the new formation of Chaldean church came into existence by political, financial, and self-proclaimed hegemony imposed the norm of ousting the mother church, Church of The East, that is today known as, “The Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of The East”.

A well respected Assyrian American Judge, Mr. Persi noted, “The process of forced conversion of our people to Catholicism in the 17th and 18th centuries in the Ottoman Empire, especially the present-day north Iraq was due to well-organized plans of the Roman Catholics. They instigated the Turks, Arabs, and Kurds against us. They caused murders, rapes, imprisonments, injuries, loss of properties, and etc. to our people. They had close relationship with the Pashas of those regions and they used their influence to forcibly convert our people to the Catholicism. They even restricted our Patriarchs and bishops’ movements in those regions.

The Roman Catholics were not successful in the Hakkari Mountain region because of the semi-independence of the Assyrian tribes from the central government of Istanbul. Besides, our Patriarchs resided in the Hakkari Mountains in Quodshanos village, with the protection of amphibious bold fighters of different Assyrian tribesmen. During the 600 years that our people lived in Hakkari Mountains, our Patriarchs had armies of different Assyrian tribes under his command through the tribal chiefs (i.e., Maliks). As I have noted in many of my posts, was it not for the army of the Assyrian tribes under our Patriarch’s command, very few of our people would have survived the Genocide of 1914-1915.

There is no change in the Roman Catholic’s policy toward us. Their plan was, is, and will be to destroy the independence of our church and subject it to the authority of their church.”

Beside his poor knowledge or research and understanding about Church of The East, Mr. Abdullah also exhibit the lack of the Assyrian history, in which he judged it again very poorly when he touched on history of the Assyrian Babel city. The governor of Babel was put by the king of Assyria. Nebuchadnezzar as a governor of Babel, the second largest Assyrian city. Nebuchadnezzar made a treason toward his country Assyria, when he worked with foreign governments Persians, Jews, and others. Persians with collaboration with governor Nebuchadnezzar made a sudden attack on the heart of Assyrian capital, Nineveh. The fall of Nineveh after 12 years siege of its walls, caused many to flee to the precipitous mountains of ATOUR, but not all abandoned their homeland where many stayed. Nebuchadnezzar was not able to rule all Assyria, only was able to annex partial land, in the south, that is called Babel, and thus he called it Babylon Kingdom. The word Chaldean, at the time of Nebuchadnezzar, was not referred as an ethnic, but to professional people dealing in astrology, please refer to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Nebuchadnezzar was only able to run his newly established kingdom Babylon from 612-539 B.C, not more than 73 years. thus, today, the manipulation in history by the enemy of Assyrian, calling a new identity as Chaldean an ethnic people of the Babel, at the same time, calling cities or towns in north of Iraq, the heart land of ASSYRIA like Alqouch, Zakho, Dohook,etc., as Chaldean, is preposterous and simply inaccurate.

The easy way to see the point in any analogy. Former disposed Iraq‘s president, Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq for decades. If he was not send to his death by the Kurdish appointed Judge, Saddam and his two sons could have accumulated years of ruling Iraq be easily 73 years. Now, will we call people of Iraq with a new ethnicity “Baath”. Baath is a reference to the political party name and not an ethnicity. But we see today, people referring to “Chaldean church rite” as an ethnic status quo match in similarity as to referring to Iraqi people as “Baath” in ethnicity.

Similarity applies, to Syria, where the former president of Syria named Hafiz, who ruled Syria for decades, and passed away, now his son Bashar has been ruling Syria. Should someone come and label people of Syria with a new ethnicity, as “Azzad” ethnicity, or as “Baath” ethnicity in reference to family or political party name? Of course that is not correct. Also, we find President of Libya Moammar Quddafi who has been ruling Libya for decades, and it is expected his son to be his successor, does it mean we should refer to Libya ethnicity as “Quddafy” ethnicity? Same applies to Egypt, where Mubark ruled Egypt for years, and his son has already been chosen a successor after him. Should we refer them as people of each country by a new ethnicity simply because each of them ruled, let us say 73 years? If this is wrong, why should we label people, in the province of Babel who governed by Nebuchadnezzar as “Babylonian” ethnicity?

Today, it is not only calling the Christian Chaldean cult as a unique ethnicity by people like Mr. Abdullah. We have seen how Arab label Assyrian as Arabs, and how Kurdish label Assyrian as Christian Kurds, and so on. A core of sociologist is the study and understanding of a society, yet Abdullah does not seem to fit in being a real sociologist or a competent one.

Many people know that the archeologists have not found any single artifact in the blossom of new Iraq that can be referred to so called “Chaldean”.

With my above points and with the enclosed link of various websites that allows you to have an in-depth knowledge of Assyrian history, I totally disagree with Abdullah’s article and requesting, a word of apology from Mr. Al-Rafai, as being the owner and editor of the Al-Mughtarib tabloit offered an apology directly to the Assyrian community in Ontario, and seize from allowing his publication to become a trashy newspaper. Thank you.

By: Ashur Simon Malek, STLE, ACIC
Hamilton, Ontario
Canadian Lebanese of Assyrian ethnicity
E-mail: ashu...@yahoo.com

Assyrian multi differentiated names
www.kitabat.com/i32361.htm

How and when Catholicism was imposed on National Churches of Mesopotamia?

Assyrian American judge Persi
www.betnahrain.org/bbs/index.pl/read/34393