Stability, democracy and then the name issue

To: His Holiness, Pope John Paul II.
Mar Rophael I Bidawid, Patriach of the Chaldean Catholic Church.
Mr. L. Paul Bremer III, the American Civil Administrator of Iraq

This petition is a result of the recent meetings held in Baghdad and the Diaspora between Assyrian Democratic Movement’s (ADM) leadership and Mar. Ibrahim Ibrahim along with a few individuals claiming to represent the followers of our Chaldean faith in Detroit. This concluded with a media release illuminating the outcomes of their discussions.

We the undersigned oppose this media release. Specifically the new name compound proposal claimed to represent the so-called unity of our people. This is due to the following:

• The respective leaders do not represent the whole Assyrian Nation (Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac). Mar. Ibrahim Ibrahim and his delegation only represent a minor fraction in Detroit and not a majority, neither in Detroit nor among those that remain and strive in our ancestral homeland. In fact, according to the Canon Laws of the Chaldean Church, Mar. Ibrahim Ibrahim is directly linked to the Pontifical See of the Roman Catholic Church, and not the Babylonian Patriarch - who is the authoritative head of the followers of the Chaldean Doctrine in Iraq. According to the above fact, Mar. Ibrahim Ibrahim is violating the Canon Laws of our beloved Chaldean church and disrespecting our devoted and sincere Patriarch Mar Rophael I Bidawid by ignoring his supremacy in this matter.

• We strongly object to any proposal with suspected sinister intentions exploiting this critical phase that challenges the very existence of our nation. If the respective leaders were truly genuine in their intentions then they should have conspicuously emphasised the homogeneity of our people irrespective of their denominations, pledged to have one unified voice in the process leading to the formation of a new Iraq, and not just recognised the historical relations of the two names since that is apparent to all.

• The promise to convene an International Conference is nothing but a pretext to justify their opaque motives and pre-emptive conclusions. They can easily postpone such a conference using the current turmoil in Iraq as an excuse, or if ever held, it is more than likely to constitute of some opportunist individuals that lack credible knowledge of the whole phenomena.

• The fact that they address our people as AssyroChaldeans proves that they are resolute already.

We welcome any sincere collaboration that aims to resolve the ambiguity of the numerous religious names that represent our people, and any approach that aims to unify our nation under a particular nationalistic and historical emblem. We espouse those that acknowledge our people's oneness, and advocate the formation of a joint front representing our nation in Iraq and those that call for a referendum to resolve our name dilemma as soon as stability is achieved in Iraq. Because no rational individual that believes in democracy can and should oppose the will of the people.