Elsewhere in Iraq Most Assyrians are Christian. What will their fate be?

opinionjournal.com ^ | 8/22/03 | Paul Marshall

[jocon307]

Ambrose Bierce wrote: "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." A quip too true to be entirely funny.

The Iraq war has introduced us to the Assyrians, a people whom most Americans probably associate with the Bible and assume must have disappeared millennia ago. Yet there they are, on TV, with one of them, Younadem Kanna, taking a seat on Iraq's new governing council. Their precarious history speaks to the perils of the current moment.

[jocon307]

Stumbled into this Religion Forum quite by accident today, and found it very interesting. Then I read this piece and thought it might be of interest to others here. Searched and pretty sure it's not a dup. Hope anyone who reads it finds it interesting.

[CobaltBlue]

A group of Assyrian singers and dancers performed last year during the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, which featured the culture of the Silk Road.

For some reason, Assyrian music, singing and dancing reminds me of Greek music, singing and dancing, the use of minor keys and the vibrato in the voices and instruments.

This may not be all that strange, since Greek food is similar to Middle Eastern food. Maybe there is cross-cultural overlap between Greece and Iraq?

Certain aspects of Silk Road culture are very similar all the way from China to Italy.