Piro: Assyrians
Need Louder Voice In Iraq
Thursday, March 25,
2004
By Kimberly
Horg -
Turlock Journal Lazar Piro, president of the Assyrian National
Council, has a different perspective on the situation in Iraq
than what is shown on television news each night.
Piro, who frequently travels to the Middle East for business and
personal purposes, told a group of Turlock Rotarians Tuesday
that Arab people are upset with Americans because of the
government?s support of Israel, but people in Iraq are pleased
with the U.S. presence. Even so, Iraqis are concerned about
getting their country back in order, he said.
?Most people in the United States don?t exactly understand what
is going on over there so it is good to have someone visit the
Rotary Club who does,? said Sharon Silva, CEO of the Turlock
Chamber of Commerce.
Piro was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1942 and came to the United
States in 1979 with his wife, Francia. He studied business
administration and began his career marketing and selling health
products. He speaks English, French, Arabic, and Assyrian. He
started Piro Trading International in Turlock during 1984 which
specializes in dental and health care (which he exports
internationally). Piro is the owner of the local franchise for
Strings Italian Cafe and has been a resident of Turlock for 25
years.
He told Rotary members how he thought the U.S. should begin a
democratic Iraq and gave an overview on the Middle East.
?Most of the people in Iraq agree that the people of Iraq must
establish their own government and control,? Piro said.
?The region is divided into three different areas. The arbitrary
boundary lines have been drawn over many years and battles have
caused grief, anger and political problems,? Piro said.
As president of the Assyrian National Council, a coalition of 21
religious, social and civic organizations in Stanislaus County,
Piro said he wants to promote the social, cultural and spiritual
welfare of the Assyrian people in Stanislaus County. Stanislaus
is home to over 20,000 Assyrians people who are direct
descendants of the indigenous people of Iraq so many of the
city?s residents have relatives in Iraq, particularly in
Northern Iraq and Baghdad.
He recently wrote a letter to President George W. Bush about the
law of administration for Iraq regarding the Assyrian people to
be reconsidered as a nation - not a community - in Iraq. A major
concern of the council is that the law gives the regional
government the territory which includes the northern part of
Iraq. This includes Neneves which used to be the capitol of the
Assyrian empire but this land was given to the Kurds instead.
?We were the indigenous people of Iraq so we would like to get a
voice,? he said.
The Assyrian and Armenian genocide that took place more a
hundred years ago, in which many people were murdered because of
their beliefs. The Assyrians and Armenians were among the first
Christian peoples. In present times they have the right to
practice their religion, but this was not always a freedom that
they could enjoy. Even though a great number of people were
killed, it is not widely known or spoken about.
In the Bible, Mesopotamia was where present-day Iraq is located
,so religion has always been a big
part of the culture. The
Middle East is the birth place for three major religions:
Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Religio
n is a strong part of
the culture in Iraq, so people have a clash of different values
and different points of view, he said.
Because there is a mix of religions in the area, democracy in
Iraq will take years.
?It is very difficult to put a democratic government in Iraq,?
Piro said.
views and opinions expressed in guest editorials do not
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