(Zaman Al Wasl)- In Hasaka this year, Christmas celebration for the Syriac and Assyrians were restricted to big cities only, while usual greetings and visits were too limit, and celebrations almost disappeared from villages of Khabour river in Western North countryside of the city due to displacement and leaving the country.
Karam Dawli, a member of the political office in the Democratic Assyrian organization told Zaman al-Wasl that social celebrations this year has changed than it used to be 6 years ago, dueto the forced displacement, which also badly affected who stayed in the area, despite the importance of Christmas for all Christian sections, and ethnic groups like Chaldeans, Syriac and Assyrians.
Dawli added that festivals and parties have been reduced to its lowest level, fearing of terrorist attacks like what happened last year, when attacks kills dozens of young men who refused to leave their areas.
The member of the political office confirmed that significant number of families had left, with small number of young men stayed, while the others left the area fearing of forced conscription, either for the regime of the Democratic union party (PYD).
Dawli explained that militarising the revolution, and taking the Jihadi trend, besides the failure of revolutionary forces to produce a reassuring attitude for ethnic minorities,added to the increase of regional and international influence, combined with finding no supporter to them, all that increased their fears of future, which would caused more emigration, which deprives Syria of an essential component of its ethnic diversity.
“the Syriac and Assyrians are the most to benefit of stopping the war and finding a political solution moves the country to freedom, democracy and equality among all religions and ethnicities, there is no hope for them to stay in their areas where they have lived since the beginning of oldest culture, unless the area settled down again and all residents were treated equally in a way respects their ethnicities”. Dawli added.
Activist malaz al-Yusuf confirmed that many of Assyrian villages in the area of Khabour river have not celebrated the Christmas, and celebration was restricted to religious rituals in Churches in Hasaka and Qamishli.
The activist added that information revealed the tendency of 80 Christian families live in the neighbourhood of Wasta to emigrate to Europe within a month, due to the political, economical an security pressure of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which aims to displace the Syriac an Assyrians from the area.
The activist revealed that regime’s security are aware of all what has been happening, but they do not do anything.
If the situation stayed at this trend, Qamishli would be evacuated of Christians, although the regime tries to appear as a protector of “ethnic minorities”
Last year, before the new year, explosions hit neighbourhoods of Wasta in Qamishli, resulted in killing and wounding dozens, despite it was under the regime’s control with cooperation with PYD’s militias.
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