I recently read Joyce Wiswell's piece entitled "Will - and should - Chaldeans and Assyrians unite?" and I firmly believe that the identity designation of "Chaldean" should not be used interchangeably with "Assyrian.”
Many Assyrians argue that the designation of the Chaldean name is religious, and not cultural. At first, when the Catholic Church gave the Assyrian Catholics the name “Chaldean” in 1553, we shared nearly identical traits in our culture with the other Assyrians. But we are currently living half a millennium after the fact. In those 500 years, Chaldeans have developed their own dialect, traditions, and ways. Our culture is directly correlated to our religion, Catholicism. This doesn’t mean that we cannot have a culture to supplement our strong religious values.
In Michigan alone, there are 120,000 Chaldeans. I would venture to guess that 80% refuse to denote themselves as Assyrians. There’s a reason for this choice; we are no longer the same people. Our parents didn’t just decide that we aren’t Assyrians out of thin air. We’ve acknowledged ourselves as Chaldeans for centuries, and we’ve embraced our culture. It’s ours, and we shouldn’t be willing to compromise it by assimilating into an Assyrian identity. In my 18th year as a Chaldean, I’ve been criticized for not calling myself Assyrian, which isn’t only an identity I don’t associate with, but also a name that will become the end to our culture.
Examine the consequences of Chaldeans accepting ancient relations and identifying themselves as Assyrians. Already, the forced assimilation has occurred in media. A prime example is of the recently martyred Father Ragheed Ganni of Iraq, who was mentioned as an Assyrian priest killed in an Assyrian Church, with no mention of his ties to the Chaldean Catholic Church. Our Chaldean villages, like Telkeppe and Alqosh, are designated as Assyrian villages on the user-edited Wikipedia, which millions of users use as a source of reliable information. Our name is being erased, and this systematic and carefully planned Assyrianization (as I call it), will prove to be the end of the Chaldeans. We'll be remembered historically as the Ancient Chaldeans, and that's if the history books of the future don’t decide to call us Catholic Assyrians.
Assyrianization is very similar to the Arabization process. The Arab name was forced on us in Iraq. We were forced to speak Arabic, and punished when we spoke our mother tongue. Indeed, history repeats itself, and this time, it’s more subtle. This approach is proving an end to our rich culture, just by simply identifying as an Assyrian. As I’ve already illustrated, there’s so much to a name; it is not just a name.
Hopefully, Assyrian groups will not insist an identity change from the Chaldeans. It is my hope that we can work together, without forcing an identity on anyone else, in order to help our suffering people of Iraq. We’re related to the Assyrians historically, but we’re no longer the same people. We’re simply Modern Assyrians and Modern Chaldeans. We’re different. And everyone should assess the consequences of this very important issue before a culture is erased.
-Hadeer
Many Assyrians argue that the designation of the Chaldean name is religious, and not cultural. At first, when the Catholic Church gave the Assyrian Catholics the name “Chaldean” in 1553, we shared nearly identical traits in our culture with the other Assyrians. But we are currently living half a millennium after the fact. In those 500 years, Chaldeans have developed their own dialect, traditions, and ways. Our culture is directly correlated to our religion, Catholicism. This doesn’t mean that we cannot have a culture to supplement our strong religious values.
In Michigan alone, there are 120,000 Chaldeans. I would venture to guess that 80% refuse to denote themselves as Assyrians. There’s a reason for this choice; we are no longer the same people. Our parents didn’t just decide that we aren’t Assyrians out of thin air. We’ve acknowledged ourselves as Chaldeans for centuries, and we’ve embraced our culture. It’s ours, and we shouldn’t be willing to compromise it by assimilating into an Assyrian identity. In my 18th year as a Chaldean, I’ve been criticized for not calling myself Assyrian, which isn’t only an identity I don’t associate with, but also a name that will become the end to our culture.
Examine the consequences of Chaldeans accepting ancient relations and identifying themselves as Assyrians. Already, the forced assimilation has occurred in media. A prime example is of the recently martyred Father Ragheed Ganni of Iraq, who was mentioned as an Assyrian priest killed in an Assyrian Church, with no mention of his ties to the Chaldean Catholic Church. Our Chaldean villages, like Telkeppe and Alqosh, are designated as Assyrian villages on the user-edited Wikipedia, which millions of users use as a source of reliable information. Our name is being erased, and this systematic and carefully planned Assyrianization (as I call it), will prove to be the end of the Chaldeans. We'll be remembered historically as the Ancient Chaldeans, and that's if the history books of the future don’t decide to call us Catholic Assyrians.
Assyrianization is very similar to the Arabization process. The Arab name was forced on us in Iraq. We were forced to speak Arabic, and punished when we spoke our mother tongue. Indeed, history repeats itself, and this time, it’s more subtle. This approach is proving an end to our rich culture, just by simply identifying as an Assyrian. As I’ve already illustrated, there’s so much to a name; it is not just a name.
Hopefully, Assyrian groups will not insist an identity change from the Chaldeans. It is my hope that we can work together, without forcing an identity on anyone else, in order to help our suffering people of Iraq. We’re related to the Assyrians historically, but we’re no longer the same people. We’re simply Modern Assyrians and Modern Chaldeans. We’re different. And everyone should assess the consequences of this very important issue before a culture is erased.
-Hadeer
by swedennnnnnnnn October 25, 2008
Get the chaldeans mug.When a male performs a large corn filled bowl movement upon a females mammories, then proceeds to perform intercourse between her mammories with his penis.
by Fast Eddie and Mr. Kreutzer July 16, 2008
Get the chilidog mug.A MAN PULLS HIS DIRTY DICK OUT OF HIS WOMENS ASS, THROWS DICED ONIONS ON THE STICKY BROWN STUFF, SQUIRTS A LITTLE YELLOW MUSTARD ON IT THEN HE STUFFS IT IN HER MOUTH LIKE A CHILIDOG.
by D~DOG April 2, 2009
Get the CHILIDOG mug.An immigrant (sometimes illegal) from an Arab nation who either owns or has a close relative who owns a liquor store or gas station and has limited education.
Known to pack with fellow chaldeans for purposes of feeling secure and powerful although possessing very little security or power in reality.
Never mature emotionally and are distrustful of true americans. Pack in groups and never learn to function on their own. Furthermore, they don't integrate into the american culture well and tend to keep their arab ways of life which is mostly annoying. Not well liked by the general population.
Known to pack with fellow chaldeans for purposes of feeling secure and powerful although possessing very little security or power in reality.
Never mature emotionally and are distrustful of true americans. Pack in groups and never learn to function on their own. Furthermore, they don't integrate into the american culture well and tend to keep their arab ways of life which is mostly annoying. Not well liked by the general population.
I need to grab a six pack and some smokes....OK, I'm running up to the chaldean store, be back in 10 mins.
by boomer323 June 23, 2010
Get the chaldean mug.A tall black-haired man of Taiwanese decent. Madd skillz. Rocks the electricity hard. Quiet but loud on the inside. Sensitive and deep. The only manly man who can make a straight man go gay.
Chavid, dang.
by rexacx February 21, 2009
Get the Chavid mug.Is someone who thinks their so damn tuff and strong. Chaldeans usually work in gas stations and liquor stores. They usually have cadilacs and jeep trucks, they dont own these cars they can only afford to rent them. They usually walk around with their chest pumped out. All they talk about is sports and hitting MJR at night. The leaders of the Chaldeans are tonio and tommy. They run around sterling heights jumping weak ass people. Chaldeans do not fight one on one they bring their relatives up to eight generations. The only words they use are bro and my man. Chaldeans girls are so hot but when they take of their shirt, you think their black because they are so hairy. Chaldeans usually worship 2 pac and scarface. I dont know why. They usually show off their nextels they got from their uncles liquor/cell phone store. They talk to black people but when chaldeans are alone they make fun of black pople. Chaldeans hang around with albanians. Albanians and Chaldeans are very alike but Albanians steel everything they own, Chaldeans get it from their mom and dad. Chaldeans are now migrating to Arizona because the climate is like the dessert where they come from.
I seen this guy walking down the street with eighteen of his cousins. He had spikey hair like a Gotti brother and had on a fake chain. He must not of been chaldean because he did not have a nextel attached to his belt.
by BigChaldoBalla87 August 16, 2008
Get the Chaldean mug.Or Cameldeans, these loud ass fucks think they are hard asses from Detroit, when they aren't. They are spoiled little shits who are dumber than rocks. Your daddy own a gas station and doesn't pay taxes, now get the fuck out of here. They think they're black, when they aren't. Black people hate them for trying to be hardasses, and get their ass kicked for it. Pussies who can't fight because they need to call all their stupid cousins, who inbreed by the way, and don't fight clean because they know they'll get their ass rocked when 1 on 1. I have to constantly remind them to shut up because they aren't tough. Good ol white boys kick the shit out of them periodically to keep them in their place. Camels suck.
Camels, get the fuck out of MI.
by Spartans! February 4, 2005
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