August 7th is Assyrian Martyrs Day. A day where Assyrians around the world commemorate the numerous acts of genocide the Assyrian community has endured throughout time.
Assyrians are one of the oldest surviving indigenous communities, having ancestral roots in Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. Prior to the U.S invasion of Iraq, the Assyrian community in Iraq reached approximately 1.5 million. Today, the community is less than 300,000.
On August 7, 1933, Iraqi military forces marched into the Assyrian village of Simele and massacred approximately 3,000 Assyrian men, women and children. The events unfolded as a response to squash Assyrian nationalism in the newly founded state of Iraq.
The Simele Massacre was led by Kurdish born general, Badr Sidqi who held strong Arab nationalistic views. Kurdish, Yazidi and Arab neighboring tribes were encouraged to loot the nearby Assyrian villagers.
Assyrians in Simele and its surrounding villages were forcefully disarmed without explanation by Iraqi troops. These deaths included men, women and children.
A secret report of a British Eyewitness in the service of the Iraqi government back in 1933 said, “I saw and heard many horrible things in the Great War, but what I saw in Simele is beyond human imagination.” Some reports mentioned the raping and burning of young girls, including the stabbing of children.
Survivors were forced to flee their region and seek refuge in neighboring villages such as Alqosh, or settled in the Khabour region of Syria.
Today, the location where the Simele Massacre took place is left mostly unattended. Bones can still be seen puncturing through the dirt, rubbish is thrown around the area and a cell phone tower stands tall where a majority of the bodies were thrown. Until now, neither the Iraqi or Kurdish government recognizes these acts of genocide. Efforts to recognize Simele and other Assyrian genocides lead by Assyrians in the homeland and diaspora remain ongoing.
Bones protruding out of the hill where the Simele Massacre took place. Photo by Maryam Ishaya. Taken on Mar 30, 2022
Cell phone tower stationed in the area where a majority of bodies in Simele are said to be. Photo by Maryam Ishaya
Rubbish thrown into a gravesite in Simele. Photo taken by Maryam Ishaya
Memorial services for Assyrian Martyrs Day will be held throughout the world on August 7th. To see what events are taking place in your community, please visit your local Assyrian nonprofit social media pages for events occurring in your area. The Assyrian Action Coalition aims to promote awareness on social injustices perpetrated against Assyrians by the Kurdish and Iraqi governments, and promotes the recognition of the numerous genocidal attempts against our persecuted community. Additionally, the coalition aims to promote unity among the Assyrian community in the homeland and throughout the diaspora.
Although the date selected falls on the anniversary of the 1933 Simele massacre, Assyrians remember all the martyrs who were persecuted in the homeland.
In the state of Illinois, governor JB Pritzker issued a proclamation officially recognizing August 7th as Assyrian Remembrance Day, encouraging all to "recognize the lasting impact of these losses on the Assyrian-American community." The Assyrian Action Coalition (AAC) welcomes this proclamation, and encourages Assyrians in the diaspora to advocate for similar proclamations.
Despite the ongoing persecution attempts, the Assyrian community remains strong and resilient keeping the culture, language and traditions alive in the motherland and diaspora. May our martyrs rest in eternal peace.
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