Mar Shimon's Legendary Visit to Baghdad
By: Ashur Sada. March. 25, 2005
Mar
Shimon, the revolutionary and religious leader of the Assyrian Church of the
East, recorded one major and important highlight in his life, that was already
full with great national and religious achievements. This was the time he
visited his homeland in Betnahrain. As the tradition has been set, the Assyrian
church of the East set the United States as a major base for its operations. Mar
Shimon traveled to Baghdad, Iraq from San Francisco to represent the Assyrians
to the then president of Iraq Ahmad Hassan Al Bakar. The visit was also
considered as a routine visit by the patriarch to Betnahrain, where millions of
Assyrians lived then.
On the
morning of that day in 1970, Mar Shimon's plane landed in Baghdad and waiting
for him was the president and literally thousands of people, including
Assyrians, Arabs, Kurds and many more. The people were not only different in
their ethnic backgrounds but religion as well-Christians and Muslims were in
reception. The man was well-known and respected much like today's Pope of the
Catholics. He was not only known to Iraq but to the entire region and the Middle
East in general.
Mar Shimon was welcomed by the president and his staff once he got off the
plane. Then and in a very powerful witness to Mar Shimon's greatness, the Iraqi
president acknowledged Mar Shimon that "these people are all yours..." after
seeing the great masses waiting for his holiness. Mar Shimon was generous enough
to reply "no Mr. Bakar, these people are all yours, and I am just happy that
they are out here to welcome me..." The crew including the president and Mar
Shimon left the airport and for many miles, many people could be seen waiting to
see the Assyrian patriarch. Some of them waiting for hours.
Mar
Shimon visited all major Iraqi cities both in the north and south especially
those with concentrated Assyrian populations such as Nineveh, Basra, and the
capital Baghdad where he landed. Thousands of Assyrians had finally made their
wish come true-to see the great Mar Shimon who was not just a religious leader
to them- but a political one as well. After that historic visit, the Iraqi
government gave more recognition to Assyrians and were now able to put the word
"Assyrian" as their major ethnic denomination, and my own grand father had the
privilege of carrying this title on his own ID card.
Narrated: Benjamin Toma
Translated: Ashur Sada
|
|
