OCTOBER 2021

VOL. 18 ISSUE IX 

METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY OCTOBER 2021 

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WE ARE 

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CONTENTS OCTOBER 2021 

THE CHALDEAN NEWS VOLUME 18 ISSUE IX 

36 

24 

on the cover 

24 WE ARE WHAT WE WEAR 

BY DR. ADHID MIRI 

Traditional Iraqi costumes 

features 

28 BREAKING GROUND 

BY SARAH KITTLE 

CCF begins new housing development 

30 A CLEAN SLATE 

BY JUSTIN ZAYID 

New law on expungements 

32 GENOCIDE 


ISIS invasion 

36 HISTORY RECLAIMED 


Gilgamesh tablet returned 

38 JESUITS IN IRAQ 


Contributions to education 

departments 

8 FROM THE EDITOR 


Unique but united 

9 GUEST COLUMN 

BY MADISON OROW 

Remembering Chris Patros 

10 FOUNDATION UPDATE 

Finding community, Scholarship winners 

12 IRAQ TODAY 

Troops deployed, artifact returned 

16 NOTEWORTHY 

BEAM project, Sarah Denha 

18 CHALDEAN DIGEST 

Open letter from Chaldean doctors 

20 RELIGION 

BY JEFF KASSAB 

Genesis 4:9 – Catholic men’s conference 

22 IN MEMORIAM 

OBITUARIES 

Laura Meram, Yousif Denha 

40 ONE ON ONE 

Rik Jonna: Guitarist and Composer 

44 EVENTS 

17th Annual CACC Awards Dinner 

Annual Stride for Seminarians 


from the EDITOR 

PUBLISHED BY 

Chaldean News, LLC 

Chaldean Community Foundation 

Martin Manna 

EDITORIAL 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Sarah Kittle 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Stacy Bahri 

Matthew Gordon 

Jeff Kassab 

Sarah Kittle 

Adhid Miri, PhD 

Madison Orow 

Justin Ziyad 

ART & PRODUCTION 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

Alex Lumelsky with SKY Creative 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

Zina Lumelsky with SKY Creative 

PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Dany Ashaka 

Razik Ranon 

SALES 

Interlink Media 

Sana Navarrette 

CLASSIFIEDS 

Sana Navarrette 

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $35 PER YEAR 

CONTACT INFORMATION 

Story ideas: edit@chaldeannews.com 

Advertisements: ads@chaldeannews.com 

Subscription and all other inquiries: 

info@chaldeannews.com 

Chaldean News 

30095 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 101 

Farmington Hills, MI 48334 

www.chaldeannews.com 

Phone: (248) 851-8600 

Publication: The Chaldean News (P-6); Published 

monthly; Issue Date: October 2021 

Subscriptions: 

12 months, $35. 

Publication Address: 

30095 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 101, 

Farmington Hills, MI 48334; 

Permit to mail at periodicals postage rates 

is on file at Farmington Hills Post Office 

Postmaster: Send address changes to 

“The Chaldean News 30095 Northwestern Hwy., 

Suite 101, Farmington Hills, MI 48334” 

What distinguishes and unites us 

As Summer turns to 

Fall, we look back 

on the year only 

to see how far we’ve come. 

Yes, we are still dealing 

with COVID and all the 

ramifications of the pandemic 

but there is a light 

at the end of the tunnel 

that we are moving towards. 

As a community, Chaldeans 

are distinguished 

by their faith and culture. In Iraq, 

villages are distinguished by their 

traditional dress. In “We Are What 

We Wear,” Dr. Miri gives us an education 

on both fashion and vocabulary. 

What a great way to underscore 

the fact that we are all unique, 

even in our similarities! The face of 

Dr. Miri’s beautiful granddaughter, 

Mila, graces our cover, paired with 

a doll in the traditional garb. 

So much sacred history comes 

from Iraq. Recently, the Gilgamesh 

Dream Tablet, a 3,600-year-old 

tablet showing part of the Epic of 

Gilgamesh, was returned to the 

country, having been illegally obtained 

along with other relics by 

the owner of Hobby Lobby for a 

‘Museum of the Bible.’ We cover 

the ceremony for returning these 

relics, held at the Smithsonian on 

September 23. 

In a guest column, Madison 

Orow shares her memories of her 

beloved uncle, Chris Patros, who 

left us too soon. His life touched 

so many in the community and his 

loss is a shared loss, as is the loss 

of 101-year-old Yousif Denha and 

SARAH KITTLE 

MANAGING 

EDITOR 

the much younger Laura 

Meram. Sometimes, sadly, 

it is grief that unites a 

community. 

What seems to unite 

the Chaldean community 

more than any other thing 

is a shared and compelling 

faith. In the Religion 

section, theologian Jeff 

Kassab shares the story 

of the Genesis 4:9 Men’s 

Conference happening 

this month. Over 400 men are active 

within this group, struggling 

against a society that places value 

In Iraq, villages are 

distinguished by their 

traditional dress. 

What a great way 

to underscore the 

fact that we are all 

unique, even in our 

similarities! 

in areas far removed from faith. 

These powerful men are dedicated 

to being the men that God created 

them to be. 

We all know someone (or even 

are someone) who has made legal 

mistakes and paid for them. 

For people with DUIs on their record, 

lawyer Justin Ziyad walks us 

through the newly available expungement 

process, whereby the 

slate is wiped clean. It’s not an easy 

process but it is definitely worth 

it to have a clean driving record; 

it impacts so many aspects of our 

lives. 

Impacting lives is what the 

Chaldean Community Foundation 

will do in Sterling Heights when 

the planned affordable housing development 

is completed. Ground 

will break this month on this important 

resource for new Americans, 

and if the CCF center itself 

is any indication, this is only the 

beginning! 

We are excited to recognize the 

2021 CCF scholarship recipients 

and honorees, who will be included 

in the CCF Gala in November. 

The Chaldean American Chamber 

of Commerce recently hosted their 

Annual Awards Dinner honoring 

Johny Kello; we offer a photo 

spread of that great event, as well 

as photos from the Annual Stride 

for Seminarians. 

In the rest of the issue, Dr. Miri 

takes us back to school with an 

educational piece on Genocide in 

the 21st century and the Jesuit contribution 

to education in Iraq, we 

speak with guitarist and composer 

Rik Jonna, and report on the return 

of U.S. troops to Iraq. 

Thanks for sticking with us! 

Sarah Kittle 

Managing Editor 

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GUEST column 

Remembering Chris Patros 

On October 26, 

1978, my uncle, 

Christopher Patros, 

was brought into this world. 

Little did anyone know 

at that time how gifted he 

truly was. It didn’t take too 

long to find out; to the surprise 

of our family, Chris 

was baking and cooking at 

an early age. By ten years of 

age, he could easily coordinate 

a dinner table for 20! 

Chris possessed a sense of humor 

that could make anyone’s stomach 

hurt from laughter. For example, his 

famous one liner was: “Damn, if you 

looked any better, you’d look like 

me!” 

Naturally, Chris arrived at every 

function fashionably correct and 

fashionably late. Chris had a “larger 

than life” persona; he lit the room 

the minute he walked in. 

In 2006, my uncle created “Delux 

Floral,” and that’s where the magic 

began. Chris’s work varied. He created 

décor for extravagant weddings, 

baby and bridal showers, graduation 

parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, and more. 

He was known as “Daddy D.” 

Chris had the amazing and 

unique ability to connect with his 

clients regardless of their race, culture, 

or religion. Inevitably, clients 

became friends and friends became 

like family. 

He put blood, sweat, and tears 

into his work and it showed — his 

work was exquisite. Chris’s hashtags 

said it all: 

“#aintnopartylikeadeluxparty 

#canyoukeepup 

#aintnobodygotitlikedaddyd 

#freshandflywithnocreases 

#deluxbridesaretherightbrides.” 

Chris gained some of his inspiration 

by travelling the world. Not 

surprisingly, one of his favorite spots 

to visit was Paris, France. He had a 

love for the Palace of Versailles, and 

even named his dog “Versailles.” His 

creativity came extremely natural to 

him – he had a vision like no other. 

If you knew Chris, you knew he 

had a lot of friends. However, if you 

really knew Chris, you knew family 

was everything to him. My uncle valued 

family and tradition more than 

anyone I know. He would say, “blood 

is thicker than water,” and truly 

mean it. He was our family’s keeper. 

MADISON OROW 

GUEST 

COLUMNIST 

On July 20, 2021, the 

entire community was 

shocked by his death from 

a massive heart attack. 

The pain we as a family 

have endured is almost 

unbearable. His parents, 

Samir and Suad, and sister 

Rita preceded him 

in death. He was a great 

brother to Patricia Orow 

and Rudy Patros, and the 

most amazing uncle to myself, 

Alex, and Adriana Orow, and 

RJ and Jake Patros. 

Many people took to social media 

to mourn Chris’ death. Quotes from 

Chris’ online guest book at Southfield 

Funeral Home showed the outpouring 

of love and grief that swept 

through the community at his passing: 

“He was a gifted and talented artist 

with a unique vison.” 

“Chris had the biggest heart; my 

heart is broken.” 

“I worked with Chris and admired 

his genius.” 

“You made everyone around you 

feel special. You were put here to 

brighten everyone’s day.” 

“Your talent, humor and wit will 

be missed.” 

“You made my day the most beautiful 

day of my life.” 

“You were amazing and over-thetop 

at everything you did.” 

“My instant best friend. You always 

made me feel so loved.” 

Our family will never be the 

same, but like they say, legends never 

die. 

Madison Orow is Christopher’s niece 

and also his “nearest and dearest.” 

Chris captured in his element. Chris with his family on Easter several years ago. Christopher Patros with his sister, Patricia Orow, and 

his niece, Madison Orow. Chris and his favorite brother-in-law, Harry Orow. 


FOUNDATION update 

The Journey: Finding a Community 

Participants in the 

B.E.A.M. Project 

discuss their 

personal stories 

with each other in 

a roundtable 

The Chaldean Community Foundation 

(CCF) recently welcomed an individual from 

Great Britain who arrived in the United States 

for a 6-month clinical trial for his vision loss. 

After some Google searching about the 

Middle Eastern Community here in Michigan, 

he decided to make a trip to Southeast 

Michigan. His travels led him to Sterling 

Heights where he was referred to the CCF. 

He arrived at the Chaldean Community 

Foundation seeking to learn about CCF’s 

Breaking Barriers program, which provides 

services and advocacy to individuals with 

special needs. During his visit, he learned 

about the B.E.A.M. (Braille, English as a Second 

Language, Acculturation, and Mobility) 

Project, a program helping to better equip 

those with visual impairments to live independent 

lives. He participated in programming 

and made new friends as he spoke about 

his passions for writing, reading, and composing 

music and his family in Great Britain. 

The group connected immediately and with 

help from one of the Breaking Barriers volunteers, 

he learned more about assistive technologies 

that could help him when he returns 

home to Great Britain. This story is shared 

by many who walk through the doors of the 

CCF, where all are encouraged to become a 

part of this large community. 

Congratulations 2021 Academic Scholarship Winners 

Through the generosity of w3r Consulting, Yvonne 

Nona Memorial Scholarship Fund, Drs. Nathima 

and Peter Atchoo Family Foundation Scholarship 

Fund, Abdul Karim and Jameela Sesi Memorial 

Scholarship Fund and the Maria Kopicki Scholarship 

for Students Breaking Barriers & Perseverance, 

24 students will be awarded with scholarships 

totaling $60,000. The CCF received more than 80 

applicants this year. 

The CCF is committed to developing a continuing 

scholarship program to benefit students in 

need for years to come. Thanks to the donors who 

contributed to these scholarship funds and provided 

support to our local community. Awardees will 

be honored at the CCF’s 3rd Annual Gala at the 

Palazzo Grande on November 11. 

w3r Consulting Scholarship: $5,000 

Awardees: Safaa Qaryakous and Sinan Ghareeb 

Yvonne Nona Memorial Scholarship Fund: 

$2,500 

Awardees: Natalie Zoma, Rogina Ibrahim, Angelina 

Adam, Angelena Youhana, Amanda Badri, 

Danela Benyamen, Megan Adam, Nadin Razoki, 

Shahad Zaytouna, and Wella Yatooma 

Drs. Nathima and Peter Atchoo Family Foundation 

Scholarship Fund: $2,000 

Awardees: Megan Kajy, Mark Kamash, Mario Hanna, 

Davren Dawisha, Dali Yakoub, and Anthony Cholagh 

Abdul Karim and Jameela Sesi Memorial Scholarship 

Fund: $2,500 

Awardees: Andrew Samuel, Britney Abro, Emily 

Kainaya, Lexi Jarbo, and Jasmine Jarjis 

Maria Kopicki Scholarship for Students Breaking 

Barriers & Perseverance: $1,000 

Awardee: Sara Alkafajy 

CCF and Wireless Vision staff work backpack giveaway. 

400 Backpacks Provided to the Local Community 

On September 1, the Chaldean Community Foundation hosted a backpack giveaway in collaboration 

with Wireless Vision. Wireless Vision generously donated 400 backpacks, including school supplies to 

families in-need preparing for the upcoming school year. 

Upcoming Events 

Understanding Alzheimers and 

Dementia Presentation 

October 7th, 2021 from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm 

Chaldean Community Foundation, 

3601 15 Mile Rd, Sterling Heights, MI 

48310 

An educational program presented by the 

Alzheimer’s Association and hosted by the 

Chaldean Community Foundation. 

3rd Annual Awards Gala 

November 11th, 2021 starting at 6:00 pm. 

Palazzo Grande, 54660 Van Dyke Avenue, 

Shelby Township, MI 48316 

This is the premiere annual event to celebrate 

the success of a healthy and vibrant 

Chaldean community here in Southeast 

Michigan. 

For more information on any of these 

programs or for sponsorship information, call 

586.722.7253 or visit chaldeanfoundation.org. 


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IRAQ today 

Gilgamesh Dream 

Tablet formally 

handed back to Iraq 

A bus carried soldiers of the brigade to board a military flight. 

U.S. Troops are still deploying to Iraq, 

even as Afghan War ends 

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CIAGLO / THE NEW YORK TIMES 

BY ALISON FLOOD / THE GUARDIAN 

A 

3,600-year-old tablet showing 

part of the Epic of Gilgamesh 

was formally handed 

back to Iraq by the U.S. in September. 

The tablet, known as the Gilgamesh 

Dream Tablet, shows parts 

of a Sumerian poem from the Epic of 

Gilgamesh, one of the world’s oldest 

known religious texts. It is believed 

to have been looted from a museum 

in Iraq in 1991, and “fraudulently” 

entered the US in 2007, according to 

Unesco, the United Nations’ cultural 

body. It was acquired by Christian 

arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby 

for display in its museum of biblical 

artifacts in 2014 and seized by the 

U.S. Department of Justice in 2019. 

The formal handover ceremony 

took place at the Smithsonian Institution 

in Washington DC. “This 

ASSOCIATED PRESS 

BY DAVE PHILLIPS / THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Fort Carson, Colorado 

A 

taut line of soldiers crossed 

the sprawling Army post’s 

parade ground in the afternoon, 

hoisting flags draped with a 

rainbow of streamers from past deployments: 

Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, 

Korea, Germany, France, Civil 

War battles and even skirmishes 

with Plains tribes on horseback. 

“Present colors!” a sergeant 

yelled. The soldiers turned and 

dipped the flags toward their commanding 

colonel, who stepped forward 

and carefully wrapped each 

one in camouflage sleeves. 

At that very moment — 1:29 

p.m. Mountain Time on Aug. 30 

— the last U.S. military plane was 

taking off from the Kabul airport in 

Afghanistan. 

American flags across the country 

had been lowered to half-staff 

to honor 13 American troops who 

were killed there by a suicide bomber. 

And at the front gate of Fort Carson, 

a group of women were setting 

out 13 pairs of boots and 13 cold 

Bud Lights as a memorial. 

But the ceremony on the parade 

ground was not marking the end 

of America’s war in Afghanistan. 

The Fourth Infantry Division’s First 

Stryker Brigade was wrapping its 

flags to mark the beginning of its 

latest deployment. It was going back 

to Iraq. 

Though the mission may have 

dropped from public attention, the 

United States still has boots on the 

ground in the other nation it invaded 

in the wake of 9/11. About 2,500 

American troops are in Iraq now, the 

embers of what was once a scorching 

and divisive war, now carefully scattered 

to protect a few strategic bases. 

For the next nine months, roughly 

2,000 soldiers from First Brigade will 

take over much of that duty. 

The deployment is the latest in 

a long line for the unit, whose ranks 

are now made up largely of soldiers 

who were toddlers when the United 

States invaded. In their view, war in 

foreign lands is not a finite, momentous 

event but rather a continuing 

reality — a task that probably will 

always be there in need of volunteers. 

The brigade’s first deployment to 

Iraq in 2003 culminated in the capture 

of the country’s fugitive dictator, 

Saddam Hussein, whom soldiers 

pulled from a spider hole in a small 

village. The troops came home that 

time to a raucous welcome, with 

70,000 people in attendance and 

tributes by Lynyrd Skynyrd and Jessica 

Simpson. 

But initial victory in Iraq did 

not lead to peace. The brigade returned 

to Iraq in 2006 and again in 

2008. Scores of brigade soldiers were 

killed as the country crumbled. The 

fervor of the initial invasion faded 

even as the brigade kept deploying, 

including tours in Afghanistan and 

Kuwait. 

As First Brigade’s platoons 

boarded military jets once again in 

2021, there were no banners along 

the roadside, no bands playing. Only 

a few dozen family members and an 

excited orbit of children and dogs 

showed up for a subdued send-off. 

But as the young troops crowded 

onto the planes, setting off from a 

nation weary of war, many of their 

faces flickered with excitement. 

They walked across the flight line 

feeling proud that it was their time 

to stand watch. The fate of a nation, 

which the pullout from Afghanistan 

showed can hinge on just a few 

thousand troops, would now rest in 

part on them. 

The Dream Tablet, a 3,600-year-old tablet 

that shows parts of a Sumerian poem. 

exceptional restitution is a major 

victory over those who mutilate 

heritage and then traffic it to finance 

violence and terrorism,” said Unesco 

director-general Audrey Azoulay, 

who spoke at the Washington ceremony. 

“By returning these illegally 

acquired objects, the authorities here 

in the United States and in Iraq are 

allowing the Iraqi people to reconnect 

with a page in their history.” 

Hobby Lobby’s Museum of the 

Bible was conceived by its billionaire 

president, the evangelical Christian 

Steve Green. In 2017, the arts and 

crafts retailer agreed to pay a fine 

of $3 million and forfeit thousands 

of smuggled ancient Iraqi artifacts 

it had acquired. Green said at the 

time that the company “should have 

exercised more oversight and carefully 

questioned how the acquisitions 

were handled.” 

Unesco called the return of the 

tablet a “significant victory in the 

fight against the illicit trafficking 

of cultural objects,” adding that the 

theft and illicit trafficking of ancient 

artifacts is, “a key funding source for 

terrorist groups and other criminal 

organizations.” 


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noteworthy 

PHOTO BY SARAH WILLIAMS 

CCF’s Deaf Fellowship group gathers in the Foundation’s newly renovated building. 

As the need for masks rises, so do challenges 

for deaf and hard of hearing communities 

On Thursday, Sept. 9, members 

of the Chaldean Community 

Foundation’s (CCF) 

deaf community met together, as a 

religious fellowship, for the first time 

since March 2020. Inside the newly 

expanded building on 15 Mile Road, 

flurried conversations leaped from 

hand to hand, amid smiles and laughter. 

The excitement was palpable. 

While one of the guests wore a 

face shield, others said they felt comfortable 

without masks in a small, 

vaccinated group. Phyllis Harbaugh, 

who leads a Deaf Ministry at Memorial 

Baptist Church in Sterling 

Heights, signed to all as CCF behavioral 

health manager Susan Kattula 

offered a welcome and a tour of the 

center’s new community rooms and 

large, decorative art pieces, celebrating 

Chaldean heritage. 

“It feels amazing to be back together 

again,” says a fellowship participant 

named Raghda. The small 

refugee group preferred to go by first 

names only. “For me, it’s been hard 

because I read lips a lot, and when 

people wear masks, I can’t do that. I 

ask them to write things down when 

I can’t understand. We go back and 

forth, and it takes a long time.” 

Raghda’s group was meeting 

twice monthly before the pandemic 

and is one of two offerings in CCF’s 

H.E.A.L. Project: Hard of Hearing, 

English as a Second Language (ESL), 

ASL, and Life Skills. Kattula created 

the project in 2015 when she saw 

that many Deaf and hard of hearing 

adult refugees coming to the center 

were not fluent in any language and 

were unable to take either ESL or 

ASL classes. 

The unique H.E.A.L. program 

teaches ESL alongside an ASL interpreter 

— in this case, it’s Harbaugh. 

Serving over 55 Iraqi refugees and 

immigrants, the program aims to help 

better equip those with hearing impairments 

to live independent lives. 

“We were going really strong with 

our ASL bible study just before CO- 

VID-19 and were often mingling and 

having fellowship with Memorial 

Baptist church,” Kattula says. But 

when the pandemic hit, communication 

with H.E.A.L. participants 

proved more difficult than with any 

of the Foundation’s other groups. 

“We were able to keep in touch 

with our blind students through 

FaceTime and Zoom calls, and to 

continue our verbal ESL classes once 

a week through the internet,” Kattula 

says. “But with someone who 

is deaf and new to English, Zoom 

doesn’t work. There are too many 

conversations happening at one time 

and you’re not sure who is speaking.” 

Harbaugh helped Kattula record 

important COVID-19 information 

for H.E.A.L. participants, but classes 

paused until it was safe to meet in 

person. When they initially tried to 

come back, the masks were in the 

way. 

“The lessons we teach here involve 

facial expressions and body 

language, which are very important, 

especially when you’re dealing with 

refugees learning how to communicate 

with one another,” Kattula says. 

One thing that helped was using 

masks made with clear plastic 

windows for lip reading, created by 

a former CCF community member, 

Klodia Gossiaux. 

Along with regular PPE drives 

that CCF held for its community 

during the pandemic, they also distributed 

the clear masks to H.E.A.L. 

participants and their families. Staff 

wore them while providing essential 

curbside services. It wasn’t a perfect 

solution, as the original version 

sometimes fogged up, and part of the 

face was still obstructed, but, Kattula 

says, they were a huge help — and 

especially for necessary communication. 

“When Klodia came up with this 

idea, it was so beautiful,” she says. “I 

even purchased them for our family 

so we could display facial expressions 

to my daughter’s new baby, who was 

born during the pandemic.” 

– Sarah Williams, Metromode 


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Chaldean News_October 21.indd 1 

9/3/2021 11:22:38 AM 


noteworthy 

Oakland University student has traveled a long road 

Professor Adam Avery knows 

all about the star growing in 

his research lab at Oakland 

University, being he’s the one who 

discovered her. “I recruited Sarah because 

I knew she was going to be an 

exceptional researcher,” Avery said 

of Sarah Denha, an OU doctoral student 

from Clinton Township. 

“She’s very driven,” Avery added. 

“You get that sense about her immediately 

and that’s very important in 

research because things don’t always 

go as expected.” He also knows her 

story of resilience and how she convinced 

her parents to leave Iraq and 

build a new life in America. “It’s very 

impressive,” Avery said. 

Denha and her family immigrated 

to the United States from Iraq in 

2013, a few weeks before earning her 

high school diploma. Since she was 

18 when they arrived in California, 

she was too old to finish high school 

there. So, she spent the first year in 

her new country honing her English 

and earning her GED. Being she was 

the only one in her family to grasp the 

language quickly she also shouldered 

the burden of finding her family a 

home and getting them settled. After 

moving to Michigan a year later, 

Denha attended Macomb Community 

College and then transferred to 

OU, where she earned her bachelor’s 

degree in biochemistry. She always 

believed she would become a doctor. 

In Iraq, any student who earns 

the kind of grades that she achieved 

usually attends medical school. She 

also loved science and wanted to do 

something that helped people. So, 

she followed the plan and in 2019, 

enrolled in OU’s master’s program in 

chemistry in order to gain entrance 

into the medical school at the University 

of Michigan. 

Then she donned a lab coat and 

all of that changed. 

Once she started taking courses 

that had her working in a laboratory, 

Denha discovered a passion for 

research and the role that it plays in 

finding treatments for the sick. Her 

DENHA continued on page 18 

PHOTO BY GINA JOSEPH 

Once Sarah Denha, 27, 

of Clinton Township 

discovered a passion for 

scientific research there 

was no stopping her. 


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chaldean DIGEST 

What others are saying about Chaldeans 

This frame capture from a June 5, 2019, video shows Jundy being Tasered. Photo courtesy of Redford Township via attorney 

Majed Moughni. 

Iraqi immigrant dies after being Tasered by police 

After receiving a ticket from Redford Township for tall 

lawn grass at his home, Baha Jundy went to the township’s 

department of public services to contest it. 

But instead of getting the issue resolved, Jundy got 

into a dispute with a Redford Township police officer, 

who Tasered him and then forced him to the ground, 

according to his attorney. Jundy, age 58 at the time, injured 

his head on a countertop while being taken down 

and died a few months later. 

Now, a lawsuit filed recently in Wayne County Circuit 

Court by his wife and estate alleges that his death 

in November 2019 was the result of that incident on 

June 5, 2019. 

The lawsuit was filed by Dearborn attorney Majed 

Moughni on behalf of Jundy’s wife, Raja Jundy, and his 

estate. Baha Jundy, who was Chaldean, was born in 

Iraq and had been a U.S. citizen since 1989. 

According to the police report, Jundy was fearful of 

being deported and said police were prejudiced against 

him. In recent years, the Chaldean community in metro 

Detroit has grown more concerned about increased 

deportations of Iraqi immigrants who are not citizens, 

but Jundy was a U.S. citizen. 

Moughni said that the police actions were unjustified 

and that Jundy suffered renal failure and a stroke 

because of the incident. 

“Baha was an immigrant from Iraq, one who fled 

his country for the land of the free, where he no longer 

needed to fear oppression or physical abuse by those in 

authority,” Moughni said. But “Baha had his American 

dream crushed. He was brutally beaten to unconsciousness 

by those who have sworn to protect and serve 

him.” 

– Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press 

False information is 

more contagious than 

the virus 

More than 150 Chaldean doctors are 

urging their community to get vaccinated 

to protect against COVID-19 in 

an open letter released in mid-September. 

The message was written in both 

English and Arabic. The healthcare 

workers say the spread of misinformation 

has caused hesitancy in Michigan’s 

Chaldean community and prevented 

them from receiving the vaccine. 

“Unfortunately, false information 

is more contagious than the virus,” 

the letter reads. “As such, our patients 

and loved ones continue to die preventable 

deaths.” 

Penned by Dr. Mona Hanna- 

Attisha, pediatrician and professor 

with Michigan State University and 

Dr. Rena Daiza, senior staff family 

medicine specialist with Henry Ford 

Health System, the letter includes a 

long list of signatures from Chaldean 

medical professionals. 

“Our family just had another funeral,” 

said Hanna-Attisha, who is 

also a co-chair of the Protect Michigan 

Commission. “Nearly every single 

family in our tight-knit community 

has lost loved ones, and at this point 

in the pandemic, it is misinformation 

that is killing people.” 

The doctors who signed the letter 

want people to know they have nothing 

to gain from the vaccine other 

than protecting the health of their 

community. 

“We would like to sit down with 

you, listen, and answer your questions,” 

the letter reads. “We implore 

you and every eligible person in your 

family to get vaccinated as soon as 

possible. Not only is it our job to keep 

you healthy, but we sincerely care 

about you and our entire Chaldean 

community.” 

– Alyssa Burr, mlive.com 

DENHA continued from page 16 

zeal for research and a sudden desire 

to pursue it further as a graduate student 

led her to Avery’s lab where she 

helped research scientists working to 

create a treatment for spinocerebellar 

ataxia type 5, a rare disease that 

causes a degeneration of the spinal 

cord and cerebellum. 

She excelled at the work and, 

with the support of Avery, transitioned 

to OU’s Ph.D. biomedical science 

program the following year. 

This past summer she completed 

a course on neuroscience at the Marine 

Biological Laboratory (MBL), a 

private international center for research 

and education in biological 

and environmental science in Massachusetts. 

Only 18 students were 

chosen for the program. 

Working with other like-minded 

scientists broadened Denha’s network 

and, as a result, she and a student 

from another university will be 

collaborating on a project in the future 

should she be accepted for the 

university’s fellowship program. 

“Sarah has been a great success 

story,” said Avery, who launched the 

research into spinocerebellar ataxia 

type 5 while doing his postdoctoral. 

“She’s worked hard and embraced 

opportunities to grow in her field. I 

think being accepted to an exclusive, 

high-caliber program like the MBL 

course really shows her potential as a 

scientist. She came back more confident, 

more driven and with more of 

an identity as a scientist.” 

Earlier this year, Denha appeared 

with Avery as a co-author on an article 

published in the Journal of Biological 

Chemistry, which provides 

data that other scientists can use in 

their research of the disease. However, 

for Denha, what she’s doing is not 

only about getting a PhD or publishing 

a paper, but about giving people 

hope for a better future. 

“I lost my grandmother to breast 

cancer but before she died, she asked 

me, ‘Why it was happening? What 

causes it?’ I could never answer her,” 

Denha said. 

Now that she’s a research scientist 

she is hoping to provide some 

answers. 

– Gina Joseph, The Macomb Daily 


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RELIGION 

Genesis 4:9 Men’s Conference 

BY JEFF KASSAB 

“Be the man that God created you to be.” 

– Fr. Larry Richards 

The decline of authentic manhood 

has been on the rise in 

the past twenty years, and the 

two main reasons for this are the uprise 

in the counterculture and a decline 

in the belief that the one true 

man that we should follow is Jesus 

Christ. The world tells us men that 

we should act according to how our 

culture changes, yet Jesus tells us to 

do the exact opposite. 

Men are consumed by popular 

culture and are looking for satisfaction 

in an unsatisfying world. They 

know that there is more to life than 

what they are doing. Since so many 

men are listening to current culture, 

we listened to Jesus and started the 

Genesis 4:9 men’s group. 

Matthew James Christoff, founder 

of an apostolate called the New 

Emangelization, said between 11 

million and 15 million adult men in 

the United States were raised Catholic 

only to leave the Church. Men 

are under-represented in the pews. 

About 60 percent of Catholic men 

are “casual Catholics” who might be 

at risk of leaving the faith, Christoff 

said. 

According to Catholic World 

Report, three-quarters of Catholic 

men rarely go to confession. Just 

one-third go to Mass every week, 

and one-third don’t formally belong 

to a parish, Christoff said. Only half 

believe it is important to teach their 

Catholic faith to the next generation. 

Less than half have any kind of 

prayer life. 

Genesis 4:9 has grown from 10 

men to now over 400 active men in 

this ministry, meeting every other 

month with speakers and a variety 

of topics that challenge attendees 

both physically and spiritually. The 

meetings usually consist of a short 

talk followed by fellowship and food. 

It is essential that men connect with 

each other so they know that we all 

share the same struggles and don’t 

have to fight the battle alone. Just 

as “iron sharpens iron, and one man 

sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:16), 

this is what men need to battle the 

evil forces that attack from without. 

When countries are in a war, they 

study their enemy to defeat them. 

Clockwise from top left: The first Men’s Conference in 2018; Fr. Larry Richards and Joe Stephen; Jeff Kassab and Deacon Harold 

Burke-Sivers; Left to right:(seated) Pelar Essahki, Delone Arabo, Karam Bahnam; (standing) Noor Attisha, Joe Stephen, Fr. Larry Richards, 

Jeff Kassab, Sumer Bashi. 

The same goes for men. Once you 

know who the enemy is and you 

know his tactics, he can be easily defeated. 

We must reclaim our world, 

our culture, and most importantly, 

our families. This is only possible if 

the men in our community come together 

as one and reclaim our faith 

from the secular world. 

As Genesis 4:9 grew, we saw the 

demand for more than what we were 

doing. Joe Stephen (one of the leaders 

of Genesis 4:9) felt like the Lord 

was calling to start something on a 

larger scale. He approached us and 

said that we should consider doing an 

annual men’s conference with strong 

Catholic speakers from all over the 

country. We prayed about it, and in 

2018, we had our first yearly Genesis 

4:9 men’s conference with Deacon 

Harold Burke-Sivers and Justin 

Fatica. The conference drew over 

275 men from all over the diocese. In 

2019, we had Fr. Larry Richards and 

Fr. Mathias Thelen, and the conference 

attracted over 350 men. 

This year’s conference is on October 

16 at Mother of God Church. 

We have two guest speakers, Jessie 

Romero and Pete Burak, with Mass 

celebrated by Bishop Francis. We are 

expecting well over 400 men this 

year — it will be one that you don’t 

want to miss! 

The wonderful thing about this 

group of men is that they range from 

ages 16 to 80 years old. We see fathers 

bringing their sons, brothers 

attending together, cousins and 

friends, all coming for one reason: to 

become better men for their families 

and the community. St. John Paul II 

said many times in his pontifical, “do 

not be afraid.” Do not be afraid of the 

man that God created you to be. We 

must step up and take charge of our 

families and lead them to Christ. 

“The success of our community, 

our church, and our families are being 

threatened every day by men 

who are led by the world, while the 

strongest weapon in this fight for everything 

that matters, are men led by 

Christ,” said Pelar Esshaki, co-host of 

Catholic Avengers podcast. 

“God has created men to be the 

leaders in their homes and families; 

it’s essential for all men to embrace 

their role as the spiritual leader in 

their family, to protect their family’s 

soul through prayer and commitment 

to God,” said Fr. Pierre Konja. 

Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, 

host of “Behold the Man” on EWTN, 

said Catholic men need to be challenged 

to embrace leadership roles. 

Faith-based Catholic men’s groups 

are starting to accomplish this sizable 

task. 

Jeff Kassab is a devout Catholic who 

writes a blog titled, “The Journey 

to Heaven.” He holds a degree in 

Theology from Sacred Heart Major 

Seminary and is currently pursuing 

a masters in Pastoral Theology. 

Genesis 4:9 can be found on YouTube, 

Instagram, and Facebook. More 

information is available on the ECRC 

website: https://www.ecrc.us/. 


3RD ANNUAL AWARDS GALA 

Dinner | Awards | Celebration 

NOVEMBER 11, 2021 AT 6:00PM 

The Palazzo Grande 

54660 Van Dyke Ave. 

Shelby Twp., MI 48316 

For tickets and sponsorship inquires, please call Stacy at 586-722-7253 

or Stacy.Bahri@chaldeanfoundation.org 

HONORING 

Humanitarians of the Year 

Philanthropist of the Year 

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

in MEMORIAM 

OBITUARIES 

RECENTLY DECEASED COMMUNITY MEMBERS 

Ishak Youhana 

Jul 1, 1943 - 

Sep 16, 2021 

Abbo Shamo 

Jarbo 

Jul 1, 1928 - 


Jack Shamou 


Harbia Habbo Bazi 

Apr 1, 1942 - 


Mansoor Putrus 

Mansoor 

Jul 1, 1940 - 


Buthayna Sybi 

Jul 7, 1968 - 


Laura Salem Meram 

Much beloved 

Laura Salem 

Meram, born 

February 13, 

1983, passed 

into the fullness 

of everlasting 

life on 

August 29, 

2021. Laura is the cherished 

daughter of Salem and Amel 

Meram, devoted sister to Hala, 

Louay and Sarmed Meram, and 

an adored cousin and friend. 

Yousif Mansour Denha 

Ibrahim Hermiz 

Meram 

Jul 1, 1934 - 


Amira Kallabat 

Jul 1, 1946 - 


Souad Elia Seba 

Jun 7, 1934 - 

Aug 31, 2021 

Ayad “Edward” 

Mansour Shaikho 

Sep 19, 1971 - 


Margaret Sarkis 

Yono 

Sep 26, 1948 - 


Yelda Benyamin 

Khamoro 

Jul 1, 1937 - 


Amera Yacob 

Odesh 

Jul 1, 1933 - 


Yacoub Zia 

Zaitouna 

Jan 1, 1927 - 


Nahidah Elia 

Noaman 

Oct 7, 1962 - 


Jameelah Dakho 

Maroof Yadko 

Jul 1, 1933 - 


Hanna Antoon 

Dickow 

Jan 12, 1933 - 


Shadha Nafea 

Jirjees 

Aug 18, 1962 - 


Victoria Dawood 

Hirmiz 

Jul 1, 1932 - 


Marcelina Grace 

Marogi 

Jan 5, 2012 - 


Janet Paulis Yousif 

Aug 24, 1948 - 


Raad Shamaya 

Jappaya 

Feb 3, 1958 - 


Zuhair Patros 

Sheena 

Jun 18, 1960 - 


Sabah Peter Najor 

Jul 1, 1938 - 


Yousif Mansour 

Denha, 

born April 15, 

1920, gained 

his eternal rest 

on September 

16, 2021. 

Loving son of 

the late Mansour 

and Jamila Denha, Yousif 

was twice a widower, preceded 

in death by wives Haboba and 

Hania. Yousif was father to 10: the 

late Wadie Denha; the late Wadia 

(late Bahjat) Hamama; Antiwan 

(Khalida) Denha; Suhama (the 

late Wadie) Jarbo; Basim (Bushra) 

Denha; Emad (Lorraine) Denha; 

Riyad (May) Denha; Mona (Charlie) 

Sesi; Ikhlas (Walid) Nannoshi; 

and Karim (Rachel) Denha. Beloved 

brother of the late Hanna 

(late Jahad) Seman; the late 

Thomas (Virgine) Denha; the late 

Sabri (Souriya) Denha; Najiba 

(the late Hermiz) Yaldo; Julie (the 

late Wadie) Hamama; and Samira 

(the late Habib) Kassab. Yousif is 

the cherished grandfather of 53, 

great-grandfather of 73, and greatgreat-grandfather 

of 8. 

Bori Jabo 

Shamoon 

Jul 1, 1942 - 


Jonathan Khalil 

Bahnam 

Jan 14, 1988 - 


Yacoub Mikhaeel 

Jul 1, 1931 - 


Habib Issa 

Yousif Gulla 

Jul 1, 1946 - 

Jul 10, 2021 

Sabria Shunyia 

Haddad 

Dec 25, 1948 - 


Kurjiya Yaldo Kesto 

(Sevany Hano) 

Jul 1, 1939 - 


Layth (Larry) 

Emmanuel Asker 

Oct 22, 1961 - 



GED PREPARATION CLASSES 

OPEN ENROLLMENT! 

CLASSES START OCTOBER 11th, 2021 

SIGN UP TODAY FOR A PRE-TEST! 

CHALDEAN COMMUNITY 

FOUNDATION 

Requires basic English reading comprehension. 

Schedule your pre-test by calling 586-722-7253 

or email anne.rescoe@chaldeanfoundation.org 

Photos by John Schnobrich | Glenn Carstens-Peters | Unsplash.com

We are what we wear 

Traditional costumes from Christian villages in Iraq 


Each nation around the world 

has a specific history that is 

exclusive to them; an integral 

part of this heritage is the traditional 

costumes they wear, which vary from 

village to village and express their 

unique identity. Fashion plays an important 

role in setting each village 

apart. 

It is said that the oldest inscriptions 

and embellishments carved on 

leather clothing were found in the 

caves of the Negev Desert in southern 

Israel. According to historians, 

the art of embroidery, inscription and 

decoration of adornment belongs to 

the Canaanites, who were inspired 

from organic designs in nature. Fashion 

was a way of life for these people, 

not only representing their cultural 

beliefs but a way of communicating 

with the world. 

Accounts of the cultural dress of 

the first civilization in recorded history, 

Mesopotamia, have long since 

disappeared. However, through the 

traditional clothing of villages in 

Iraq, we see traces of that civilization. 

In fact, many researchers, historians, 

and artists throughout history 

relied on studying ancient Babylonian/Chaldean/Assyrian 

fashion for 

inspiration. There is no doubt that 

the Assyrian costumes developed 

from those of Babylonia. Evidence 

of that can be found in the ancient 

archaeological paintings of costumes 

from the Babylonian era. 

The clothes of the modern Chaldean-Assyrian 

era are characterized 

by inlaid decorative pieces different 

from the original cloth. The method 

commonly used is known as Al- 

Takhreej, which is the use of overlapping 

geometric shapes such as circles, 

squares, and rectangles, as well as the 

use of flowers and stars. 

This method is still popular in 

modern design, as traditional clothes 

of Chaldeans/Assyrians today usually 

consist of a long-sleeved dress with 

multiple layers of clothing, such as 

the head cover, which varies from 

one group to another. The influence 

of previous fashions is present in the 

traditional clothes that are still worn 

throughout Iraq, especially in the 

Chaldean/Assyrian villages. 

As stated before, Chaldean clothing 

varies from village to village. 

However, they have some things in 

common, such as the colors, which 

are usually blue, red, green, yellow, 

and purple; these colors are also used 

as embroidery on white cloth. 

Decoration is lavish in Chaldean 

costumes, and sometimes involves 

jewelry. The conical hats of traditional 

Chaldean dress have changed 

little over the millennia from those 

worn in ancient Mesopotamia; until 

the 19th and early 20th centuries, the 


The Traditional 

Closet 

Qabaya – light overcoat 

dress; a long dress with long 

sleeves. 

Fistan – under-dress; under 

layer, at times without 

sleeves. 

Shouqtta – inner underdress/shirt. 

Sharwal – loose trousers; 

long wide pants that reach 

the ankle. 

Qabaya – long over-dress 

worn over the inner-dress/ 

shirt. 

Kassoya – cover of different 

types and lengths. 

Fermana – vest made of 

velvet. 

Izara – light fabric of light 

colors that covers the face of 

the bride. 

Mesopotamian tradition of braiding 

or plaiting of hair, beards and moustaches 

was still commonplace. 

Chaldean women’s clothing has a 

special collection of colors, reflective 

of the colors found in nature. The 

dress is long, with long sleeves called 

Qabaya. This outer dress is transparent, 

adorned with soft and brightly 

colored silk threads and embroidered 

with beads, blocks and shining miniatures. 

An under layer called the 

Fistan is at times without sleeves, 

and it is usually of a special type of 

thick fabric. The Fistan is completely 

covered with bright threads to add 

more luster to the entire outfit. 

The dress is worn with long pants, 

called Sharwal, that reach the ankle. 

This pant has traditionally been 

loose and wide, but in the past few 

years it has become narrower. 

The head covering usually consists 

of two pieces. The first part is 

either made of a special cloth called 

Ha-Wari or in the form of a fez called 

Tarboush, decorated with gold or silver 

accessories and linked to a gold 

or silver chain wrapped around the 

neck. 

The second piece of the head 

cover consists of a square-shaped 

piece of cloth that is placed around 

the neck, dangling forward, and tied 

with shiny prism threads or fastened 

with a gold or silver pin. This piece 

reaches below the waist. 

The women’s outfit is typically 

accompanied by accessories. Middle 

Eastern women are known for their 

fondness and love for gold, so they 

are masterful in finding the necessary 

accessories for this outfit, such 

as belts, necklaces, earrings, wrist 

chains and rings. Each accessory has 

their own name as well. 

Shoes for men are called Klash 

and are handmade of soft silk and 

cotton threads. 

All pieces have a functionality 

to them. Fashion was only possible 

if it was practical because of 

the high work demands of farming 

and herding in those regions. For 

example, the belt has many benefits 

and uses, including that it tightens 

the abdominal and back muscles 

when performing difficult and arduous 

work, especially when climbing 

high mountains. The most important 

benefit lies in carrying the dagger, 

the pistol, and the gear, in addition 

to its beauty in completing the lady’s 

uniform. 

The Syriac woman is distinguished 

from the Kurdish by wearing 

a special turban. It is clear, according 

to the archaeological paintings, that 

northern costumes are mainly inherited 

from the Assyrian costumes in 

ancient Iraq. 

Now that we’ve covered the basics, 

let’s look at individual villages. 

Telkeppe (Tel Kaif) 

Telkeppe is a town in northern Iraq 

located in the Nineveh Governorate, 

less than 8 miles northeast of 

Mosul. The town was majority Chaldean 

until ISIS took it over, prompting 

many to flee. Most of the Iraqi 

refugees in Michigan came from this 

area. 

The costumes of Tel Kaif women 

have changed radically in recent 

years, beginning around 1950. Previously, 

women wore a long dress that 

fell to the bottom of the feet, topped 

by a colorful apron called a Maizer, 

made by local manufacturers. On occasion, 

the Maizer was placed on the 

head rather than the shoulders. 

The ladies also wear a silver belt 

around the waist and usually cover 

their heads with a handkerchief-like 

cloth that is wrapped and held in a 

special way. Some use a large, decorated 

handkerchief for the head covering 

with long silk threads dangling 

and hanging from all sides called the 

Qassabiya. This is something special 

and usually used only when going to 

church. 

The head piece consists of a bowl 

type cover made of a light material 

that only weighs about a few ounces. 

Two small horns emerge from the top 

of the bowl that help affix and support 

the handkerchiefs from above. 

The bowl is tied to the head by 

means of a white handkerchief held 

under the chin. 

Other ornate and brightly colored 

covers are added to the handkerchief 

and gold coins are attached 

to the forehead. The sides include 

two strings of pea-sized gemstones 

of turquoise, agate, and coral, hanging 

by the cheek among additional 

gold pieces. Some put gold or silver 

necklaces around their necks and 

wear gold or silver bracelets, rings, 

and earrings. The oldest community 

members remember that women 

used to wear gold jewelry pieces 

called Khizama on the lower side of 

their noses. 

COSTUMES continued on page 26 

Pushiya – traditional 

women’s head covering. 

Tarboushiatha (or 

Keratha) – usually consists 

of two pieces that cover 

the head, made of a special 

cloth called Ha-Wari or in 

the form of a fez (Tarboush) 

decorated with gold or silver 

accessories linked to a gold 

or silver chain and wrapped 

around the neck. 

Kamposhta – prominent 

piece of hair that shoots up 

the head. 

Kambuchiatha – fringed 

knot. 

Zargoli – type of footwear. 

Klash – traditional men’s 

shoe, handmade of soft silk 

and cotton threads. 

Gardana – long golden 

necklace. 

Khazrani – white and red 

beads adorning the forehead. 

Jarjar – necklace of round 

plates of gold centered with 

a cross. 

Khalkhalli – anklet made of 

gold or silver. 

Sheree – wide wrist bangle 

made of gold. 

Kamar – wide waistband 

(belt) made of inlaid silver 

plates worn mostly for special 

occasions. 

Zinara – casual waistband 

made of colorful woven 

yarns. 


COSTUMES continued from page 25 

The traditional dress for men in 

Tel Kaif was the Zibon, which is a 

long over-dress diagonally open in 

the front and complemented by a 

head cloth covering the shoulders 

called a Kattafat. 

The textile/fabric, called Al-Kisrwan, 

was usually brought from the 

Kurdish city of Si’irt in southeastern 

Turkey. At the beginning of the last 

century, the men’s head piece was 

replaced by the popular Arab white 

fabric called Yashmagh. Most men 

continue to use the Yashmagh or the 

black and white fishnet styled Kuffiyeh; 

the cloth piece is firmly fixed on 

the head by the black double ring 

called Iqal. 

Alqoush 

Alqosh is a village in the Nineveh 

Plains of northern Iraq, a sub-district 

of the Tel Kaif District situated 45 

kilometers north of the city of Mosul. 

The traditional women’s dress of 

Alqosh consists of a head covering 

piece called Pushiya, carefully woven 

from silk threads and silk fabric, 

the edges of which are ended with a 

fringed knot Kambuchiatha and decorated 

with white and red beads that 

adorn the forehead called Khazrani. 

These Khazrani are made of ten 

gold old Turkish Lira (Ottoman 

coins) on each side of the forehead 

with a large center gold piece called 

a Natopa. 

The dome of the head piece is 

adorned with a Gurdana, a collar 

of fabric decorated with ornaments 

of spherical, oval, or spindle shapes 

that hang on the neck and end with 

golden berets, and Keratha or Tarboushiyatha. 

The final piece is a Qabaya, worn 

over the inner-dress/shirt Al-Shouqtta. 

The waist is wrapped and a shawl 

with embroidered edges and prominent 

inscriptions, called a Maizer, is 

worn above the shoulders and hangs 

from the front. 

The traditional men’s costume 

consists of a head covering of two 

Jamdanies or large fabric handkerchiefs. 

It is characterized by a sleeved 

robe or Sisukiyatha, which starts 

from the elbows and wraps around 

the forearms of the hands. It is usually 

white and bound by a belt called 

a Shibaga. 

Batnaya, Baqoofa and Tesqopa 

Batnaya is a village in Nineveh 

Governorate in the Tel Kaif District 

in the Nineveh Plains. The villages 

hosts the Chaldean Catholic 

churches of Mar Quriaqos and Mart 

Maryam. The Mar Oraha Monastery 

is located nearby. 

Baqofa is another small village in 

Nineveh Governorate. Its inhabitants 

are Chaldeans who speak Neo- 

Aramaic and adhere to the Chaldean 

Catholic Church. Tesqopa or Tel Eskof 

is a Chaldean town in northern 

Iraq located approximately 19 miles 

north of Mosul. The town costumes 

are similar to the neighboring villages 

of Batnaya and Baqoofa. 

Women in these villages wear 

the under-dress, Shouqtta, below the 

Qabaya, with long and open necks in 

the front and sometimes both sides 

as well. The clothing is of bright 

colors and the belts, Jar-ali, have 

gilded edges and are woven from silk 

threads and silk fabric. 

The shawl, Maizer, is embroidered 

in bright colors with different 

shapes and knots from the top of the 

left shoulder, wrapping around the 

body and covering the back. 

The head is covered with a fringed 

necklace adorned with golden bells 

and colored beads. Along the neck, 

it is adorned with golden accessories, 

and is usually accompanied by earrings 

called Turkitha. 

The traditional dress for men in 

these villages is similar to the ones 

in Tel Kaif that include the Zibon 

complemented by a headcloth covering 

the shoulders. 

The head cover consists of a 

Kuffiya and an Agal (or Iqal) which 

is an accessory traditionally made 

of goat hair. It is a black hoop of a 

ringed cord, worn doubled, serving 

to keep the Kuffiya in place on the 

wearer’s head. 

The Kuffiya, also known in Arabic 

as a Ghutrah, Shemagh, or Chafiyeh, 

is a traditional Middle Eastern 

headdress. It is fashioned from a 

square scarf and is usually made of 

cotton. A Ghutrah differs from the 

fish net Kuffiya and the Shemagh in 

its pattern and cloth. It is completely 

white and a slightly thinner cloth 

than the others. 

The Ghutra, being white, reflects 

much of the sunshine and with it, 

the heat. Wearing a white Ghutra is 

more comfortable, especially if you 

live in a city with intense sunshine. 

A white Thawb (Qamees or Dishdasha) 

is an ankle-length robe-like 

garment, usually with long sleeves. 

Worn by the men of the villages, it 

is tied loosely or fastened around the 

waist with a leather belt. The wearing 

of traditional clothing is supported 

by a dark colored long outer gown. 

Summary 

By now it should be apparent that 

each village in northern Iraq has its 

own style. Just noticing small details 

like what is worn and where it is 

worn can help identify which village 

the wearer hails from. 

Sources: Traditional Dresses by Najat 

Habash; Telkeppe — Past and Present 

by Fr. Michael J. Bazzi; Alqoush- 

Special Anthropology and Cultural 

Study by Habib Yousif Tommi; and 

Ankawa in the Memory of its People 

by Farouq Hanna Atto Happi. Special 

editing by Shatha Najim. 


Understanding 

Alzheimer’s and Dementia 

Live Educational Program Open to Community Members 

Thursday, October 7th, 2021 

2:00pm-3:00pm 

What is Alzheimer’s and dementia? 

What are the risk factors? 

How does it affect the brain? 

Are resources available? 

Alzheimer’s and dementia are affecting people all 

across the world. It’s important to know the facts. 

Join us for a talk that will answer some of these 

questions and more. 

An Educational Program presented by The 

Alzheimer’s Association-hosted by CCF. (Arabic 

interpretation provided by MCCFAD). Please join 

us for this valuable information. 

Contact CCF Project Light Staff at 586-722-7253 

for more informaiton on the program. 

3601 15 Mile Rd, Sterling Heights, MI 48310 

MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM 

Photo by Tim Doerfler | Unsplash. 

com

Breaking Ground 

A new development in the affordable housing market 


Affordable housing is a critical 

issue. According to the National 

Low Income Housing 

Coalition, there is a shortage of rental 

homes affordable and available to 

extremely low-income households 

in Michigan. These are households 

with incomes at or below the federal 

poverty level, or below 30 percent 

of the area median income. Many 

of these households are severely cost 

burdened, paying more than half of 

their income on housing and are 

more likely than other renters to sacrifice 

other necessities like healthy 

food and healthcare to pay the rent, 

and to experience unstable housing 

situations like evictions. 

The Chaldean Community Foundation 

(CCF) is doing something 

about that. 

On October 1, 2021, the CCF 

will break ground on a 135-unit 

mixed income and mixed used housing 

development in Sterling Heights. 

Located in an “Opportunity Zone,” 

the new 4-story construction will 

eliminate blighted commercial properties 

while developing infrastructure 

and community resources on the 

front 3 acres of the property on Van 

Dyke Avenue near M-59. 

Established in the 2017 U.S. Tax 

Cuts and Jobs Act, Opportunity 

Zones offer tax incentives for longterm 

capital investments all over the 

nation in low-income communities 

in which investment has been sparse 

and growth of businesses has been 

minimal. Complicated by COVID, 

the Van Dyke Apartment Project 

has been in the works for some time. 

Other hurdles had to be overcome, 

including zoning and flood plain issues. 

Joining other developments such 

as Capital City Market in Lansing 

and The Corner in Detroit, the Van 

Dyke Apartments will offer longterm 

housing for hundreds of new 

Americans and will compliment 

Sterling Height’s efforts to revitalize 

a distressed area. In fact, the city has 

initiated a vast streetscape improvement 

program and created a corridor 

improvement authority to support 

the project. 

Measuring 132,726 square feet, 

the new housing project will also offer 

9,000 square feet of retail space 

on the first floor. This means that 

residents will have resources for 

shopping that will allow them to go 

without vehicular transportation, 

something that has always been an 

issue for low-income residents in the 

Detroit area. Parking spaces within a 

central courtyard will be available to 

residents as well. Senior Economic 

Development Advisor Luke Bonner 

said that project caters “more 

towards the walkability of Van Dyke 

and the proximity to Dodge Park and 

downtown Utica.” 

The vision for this nearly $25 

million project is to develop those 

front few acres and establish a wetlands 

area with the remaining 7 

acres located adjacent to the Clinton 

River. There is a 14-month construction 

period which begins in October 

and runs through most of 2022. The 

many-fold purpose is to increase population 

attraction and retention, enhance 

business development opportunities 

and provide more affordable, 

livable space for diverse populations 

while improving and protecting the 

natural environment. 

The project development team, 

spearheaded by Martin Manna, 

president of the CCF, met and cooperated 

with several stakeholders including 

CORE Community Partners, 

Sterling Heights’ Economic Development 

Department, and Macomb 

County’s Director of Community 

Development to make sure that the 

project served the interests of all parties 

involved. 

The principal architect is Berardi 

Partners of Detroit and civil 

engineering efforts are being led by 

Giffels-Webster of Birmingham. Varnum 

Law of Novi is handling the legal 

work. 

According to the website for the 

City of Sterling Heights, they are embarking 

on a planning process to establish 

a clear direction for its future 

through the creation of a new “Land 

Use Master Plan.” This plan will establish 

a longterm vision for land 

use and development within the city, 

based on the character of the community 

and market realities. Concurrently, 

the city will also be preparing 

a new plan for parks and recreation, 

including a non-motorized portion 

for bikes and pedestrians. 

“Our wish is to attract private 

capital in order to transform the 

community for the better,” states 

Manna. Sterling Heights has a large 

Chaldean population, with more 

than 25,000 estimated Chaldeans 

living in the city. The CCF was initially 

founded to serve the community 

of immigrants that migrated to 

the United States. 

The draw for Iraqi Americans 

to this specific community, in addition 

to the presence of other family 

members, is higher home values than 

other areas, proximity to places of 

worship, and the presence of social 

organizations like the CCF. 


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A Clean Slate 

New Michigan law allows expungement of DUI 

Over 200,000 Michigan 

residents will 

soon have the opportunity 

to clear their 

records of drunk driving 

convictions as a result of 

legislation recently signed 

by Governor Gretchen 

Whitmer. The Michigan 

legislature has, over the 

past decade, enacted broad 

sweeping changes to the 

laws that govern expungements, 

and, accordingly, the underlying 

convictions that are eligible 

for expungement. Despite years of 

progress, there has been one notable 

exception: convictions for DUI, 

“Driving Under the Influence,” or 

what Michigan calls OWI, “Operating 

While Intoxicated.” 

However, on August 23, 2021, 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer 

signed House Bills 4219 and 4220, 

which make anyone with one, nonrepeat 

drunk driving conviction 

eligible to expunge (or set aside) 

the conviction from their criminal 

record. The law is set to go into effect 

on February 23, 2022, and it 

is expected that hundreds of thousands 

of non-repeat drunk driving 

offenders will avail themselves of 

this chance at a “clean slate.” 

This legislation follows the recent 

bipartisan initiative to enact a series 

of sweeping expungement laws, appropriately 

named the “Clean Slate 

Act.” Taken together, these laws 

have allowed hundreds of thousands 

of Michigan residents to clear their 

records of previous criminal charges 

that have jeopardized their ability to 

find employment, to secure a loan, 

or even obtain a driver’s license. 

“No one should be defined by a 

mistake they have made in the past,” 

said Governor Whitmer. “These 

bills allow Michiganders to move on 

from a past mistake in order to have 

a clean slate. We must clear a path 

for first-time offenders so that all 

residents are able to compete for jobs 

with a clean record and contribute to 

their communities in a positive way.” 

The new expungement laws 

involve specific eligibility requirements 

and exclusions, as well as a 

JUSTIN ZAYID 

SPECIAL TO THE 

CHALDEAN NEWS 

technical process through 

which you must apply to 

set aside your DUI or OWI 

conviction. 

Eligibility 

The first step in the DUI 

expungement process is determining 

eligibility. There 

are specific criteria that 

govern eligibility; however, 

the primary factor is whether 

the DUI conviction was 

a one-time offense. Specific criminal 

convictions that may be expunged 

now include: driving with a blood 

alcohol content at or above 0.08; 

driving while visibly impaired due to 

any substance; anyone who is younger 

than 21 driving with a blood alcohol 

content of 0.02 or higher; or 

driving under the influence of any 

amount of cocaine or other schedule 

1 controlled substances. 

As with all previous expungement 

laws, there is also a waiting 

period before you are eligible to apply. 

For a DUI or OWI, the waiting 

period is five years following the sentence 

or completion of probation – 

whichever is later. 

The newly enacted expungement 

laws also provide guidance for judges 

to consider at the expungement 

hearing. Applicants may offer evidence 

or other documentary support 

that establishes they have benefited 

from rehabilitative/substance abuse 

programs, have stayed out of trouble 

since the DUI conviction, or have 

become a productive member of society, 

for example. 

Exclusions 

There are three notable exclusions 

to eligibility under the new law. 

First, the DUI conviction must be 

your first (and only) drunk drivingrelated 

conviction. If you have two 

or more DUI convictions, you are 

not eligible for expungement. 

The second exclusion is whether 

the DUI caused death or serious injury. 

This is a critical distinction 

because even if you have been convicted 

of only one DUI, if that DUI 

involved death or serious injury, you 

are nevertheless ineligible. 

Finally, if the DUI occurred when 

operating a commercial motor vehicle 

with a commercial driver license 

(CDL), you are ineligible. 

Expungement process 

Expunging a criminal record offers 

life-changing benefits, but the process 

through which you must apply is 

complicated and meticulous. It is not 

as easy as applying online or mailing 

in a request. There are multiple steps 

you must follow to ensure that you 

successfully apply, including the following: 

• Order certified copies of the 

conviction from the court in which 

you were sentenced. 

• Prepare Application to Set 

Aside Conviction. 

• Obtain fingerprints from local 

police station. 

• Sign and notarize application. 

• Prepare five copies. 

• File application with the Court. 

• Mail copies to the Michigan 

Attorney General, Michigan State 

Police, and Prosecutor’s Office. 

• Complete Proof of Service with 

the court. 

• Prepare for hearing before the 

judge. 

You must confirm that every detail 

of your application complies with 

the expungement statute and rules of 

the Court you are appearing before. 

If the application is denied, for whatever 

reason, the law requires a threeyear 

waiting period before you may 

re-apply. 

Purpose 

The benefits of expunging a DUI 

usually go without saying. Any person 

with a DUI conviction has likely 

experienced difficulty or disruption 

in some aspect of their personal or 

professional life due to their criminal 

record. Expungements can, quite 

literally, change your life. If you are 

considering whether to apply to expunge 

your DUI conviction, consider 

some of the benefits: maintaining 

current job or seeking new employment 

opportunities; fair access to 

safe and affordable housing; lower 

insurance premiums; beneficial for 

immigration status; eligibility for a 

Concealed Pistol License (CPL); and 

removing a barrier to student loan 

applications. 

When to apply 

Michigan’s DUI expungement law 

goes into effect on February 23, 

2022; however, in order to expedite 

the process, you should start as soon 

as possible. The expansive expungement 

legislation in the past year has 

caused an influx of applications, and 

the Attorney General’s review process 

has been delayed for months. 

These laws have allowed hundreds of thousands of Michigan 

residents to clear their records of previous criminal charges that have 

jeopardized their ability to find employment, to secure a loan, or even 

obtain a driver’s license. 

There is a considerable amount of 

work to be done towards your application 

prior to filing with the Court 

and starting now will ensure that 

your application is one of the first to 

be reviewed when the law goes into 

effect. 

It is recommended that you 

seek assistance from a qualified attorney, 

given the time-consuming 

and technical nature of the application, 

taken in conjunction with the 

potential three-year waiting period 

if the application is denied. An attorney 

can effectively prepare, file, 

and argue your DUI expungement 

application. 

If you have any questions regarding 

eligibility, exclusions, or the expungement 

process, feel free to contact 

me at 248.295.9499 or justin@ 

zayidlaw.com. 

Justin E. Zayid is an attorney at Zayid 

Law, P.C. 


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CULTURE & history 

A home in 

Batnaya, in the 

Tel Kaif district, 

was occupied 

by ISIS 

Genocide in the 21st century: ISIS invasion 


Part II 

The Nineveh Plains of northern 

Iraq are home to a diverse 

mix of minority ethnic and 

religious groups. Their roots, their 

heritage, their homes, and their most 

holy shrines are all right there in this 

brutal but beautiful land known as 

the “Cradle of Civilization.” It is located 

north-east of Mosul, and consists 

of three districts: Al-Hamdaniya, 

Al-Shekhan, and Telkaif. Most 

of its residents are Christians, Kurds, 

Yazidis and Shabak. 

These minorities, already persecuted 

for centuries, came under the 

most severe threat to their existence 

in decades in 2014 as the Islamic 

State began attacking villages of first 

Yazidis, then Shabaks, and finally 

Christians. Abuses and the rapid expulsion 

of the native population followed 

with neither mercy nor justice. 

When Mosul fell to ISIS and the 

Iraqi Army abandoned their positions 

around the city and neighboring 

districts, Peshmerga forces moved 

in and began to form a defensive line, 

promising to defend the area. However, 

late on August 6, the Peshmerga 

told Qaraqosh’s archbishop that 

they would not be able to defend the 

town and fled from their posts. The 

town was taken overnight. 

The people had half an hour’s 

notice to leave Qaraqosh. The community 

had not prepared to evacuate, 

but when the bombs started falling, 

two children and a 30-year-old woman 

were killed, and many others were 

injured. This was a message to get out. 

Most of the 50,000 residents fled, 

but approximately 400 people chose 

to stay behind. Some were captured 

by ISIS. Others were brutally murdered, 

their deaths broadcast on social 

media. Eye-witness reports confirm 

that those who were not able to 

escape were subject to torture, public 

executions, and crucifixions. 

In addition to these acts of torture, 

Christian families from Qaraqosh 

had daughters who were kidnapped 

and sold into sexual slavery. 

They faced routine sexual violence 

by ISIS fighters and were often 

passed among men as “gifts.” Reports 

have not yet confirmed how many 

of ISIS’s sexual slaves were specifically 

Christian women, though some 

estimates indicate this number could 

be as high as 1,500. Within the Qaraqosh 

community, at least 75 women 

and girls were confirmed to be 

captured by ISIS. 

As the militants continued to 

push forward toward the Kurdish 

capital Erbil, they left in their wake 

hundreds of thousands of displaced 

families. It was said that those they 

captured were forced to convert or 

die. Others speak of mass executions 

and kidnappings of women and children. 

With the havoc wreaked in 

these areas and families left homeless 

and even starving, facts are hard to 

ascertain, but global media was on 

the ground documenting the plight 

of these families’ flight into uncertainty. 

The disputed territories 

Positioned between Mosul, Iraq’s second 

largest city, to the east, the Kurdistan 

Regional Government (KRG) 

to the north, and the Syrian border 

to the west, the Disputed Territories 

encompass Khanaqin, Kirkuk, the 

Nineveh Plains, Tal Afar, Mandali, 

Tuz Khurmatu and Sinjar. 

After facing such an existential 

threat, many within these minority 

communities responded by taking 

up arms. Multiple micro-militia 

groups sprung up among different 

minority factions across the Nineveh 

Plains in the name of community 

self-defense. 

However, these groups were too 

small and too politically marginalized 

to stand alone in that hypercompetitive 

security and political 

environment. Each allied with larger 

security actors, including Kurdish 

forces, the Iraqi government in 

Baghdad, and southern Shi’a PMF, 

which put them in the middle of the 

ongoing Baghdad-KRG competition 


in the Disputed Territories. 

Metropolitan Nicodemus Dauod 

Matti Sharaf, prelate of the Iraqi 

Syriac Orthodox Church, addressed 

this directly, stating, “We have had 

the problem with the Muslims for 

1,400 years, not from now. This is 

the truth, but we do not say it as we 

want to live in peace. ISIS came to 

Mosul in 2014 but we experienced 

Islamism in Mosul four times before 

ISIS, from 2003 to 2014. 

“ISIS is the fifth wave,” said Nicodemus, 

“because in 2005 they said 

in mosques in Mosul, in the neighborhoods, 

‘Don’t buy the Christian 

houses, you’ll get them for free.’ That 

was 2005.” 

Nicodemus was the last bishop to 

leave Mosul when ISIS invaded the 

city in 2014, having strong words 

for the West. For example, he stated 

that the developed world places 

the welfare of frogs ahead of Christians, 

that the West needs to wake 

up to the threat of Islamism, and he 

blamed past U.S. leaders and their 

allies for ruining his country. 

Nicodemus has fears for the continuous 

emigration of families from 

the region, stating, “The hours are 

ticking fast; we have a very short 

window of survival.” He wants his 

people to stay in or near Erbil in 

Kurdistan for now, so they stay close 

to Mosul. He has hopes that they will 

gradually return. 

“The KRG state is strong and 

protective of the minorities,” he has 

stated, “especially the Christians. 

We must strengthen the Christians 

in Kurdistan, since it is only one and 

a half hours away from Mosul.” The 

people there will be more inclined 

to return than those in Lebanon, 

Turkey, or Jordan. The immigrants 

in Australia, United States, Europe, 

and Norway will likely not return. 

Daesh (ISIS) is still imbedded 

in the local thinking, political processes, 

and policies of the region. 

When 60 Christian families returned 

reluctantly returned to Mosul, their 

neighbors asked sarcastically, “Why 

did you come back?” 

Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch 

of the Chaldean Church, has 

been advocating for the Christian 

community to stay in Iraq, stating, 

“The Arab villagers who support 

ISIS are still there; those who wanted 

to take our land and to take our 

villages…there is no strong government 

in Baghdad. 

“Since 2003, we have lived without 

law. No country in the world can 

live in peace and stability without 

the rule and force of the law. There 

needs to be guarantees from the UN, 

to make political decisions, to say 

that Nineveh Plain villages are a 

safe zone, protected by international 

powers with international guarantees. 

If not, we will get another ISIS 

under a new name.” 

Destruction of heritage 

Nineveh was already an important 

urban center more than 4,000 

years ago. At its height around 700 

B.C., it was a capital of the Neo- 

Assyrian empire and the largest city 

in the world. It featured numerous 

temples and the sprawling 80- 

room palace of King Sennacherib, 

all surrounded by a wall 7.5 miles 

long punctuated by 15 gates. 

The Arab Muslim, Arab Christian 

and modern Assyrian population of 

the area all trace their ancestry back 

to the ancient Assyrians. The Mashki 

Gate, known as the “Gate of the 

Watering Places,” may have been 

used to lead livestock to the nearby 

Tigris River. The Adad Gate takes its 

name from the Mesopotamian god of 

weather and storms. 

Knowing the importance of this 

heritage site, ISIS destroyed the 

gates of Nineveh. While the gates 

were rebuilt in the 20th century, the 

rise of ISIS has involved the deliberate 

targeting of heritage sites as part 

of a broader strategy towards local 

communities in Iraq and Syria. 

The damage inflicted on Mosul’s 

cultural heritage during the fighting 

to oust ISIS was severe. Parts of the 

Old City were devastated in the final 

phase of liberation, leaving behind 

destroyed monuments and buildings, 

demolished houses, damaged infrastructure, 

and unexploded ordnance. 

The historic urban spaces along the 

Tigris River have been destroyed, 

with an estimated 5,000 buildings 

in the Old City either razed to the 

Clockwise from top: A home in Batnaya destroyed by ISIS; Mass is still celebrated in this Qaraqosh church; Church in ruins in Qaraqosh 


CULTURE & history 

ground or severely damaged. 

Destruction of heritage is an integral 

part of the ISIS campaign. A 

mosque dedicated to the prophet Jonah 

inside the walls of Nineveh 

was destroyed by ISIS in July of 

2014. Sculptures from the site were 

damaged during their rampage 

through the Mosul Museum in February 

2015. They have also destroyed 

the city’s main libraries, containing 

centuries-old manuscripts. 

Demographic and geographic 

changes 

In November of 2016, Iraq announced 

the complete liberation of 

the Nineveh Plains from the control 

of ISIS. Operations led by the Iraqi 

security forces with the support of 

army aviation and the “international 

coalition” were part of the effort to 

restore Mosul from the grip of the 

terrorists. 

The liberation of the Nineveh 

Plain from the control of ISIS did 

not herald a new dawn. Rather, it 

witnessed armed factions jump in to 

seize it, its wealth, and its voters. Although 

more than three years have 

passed since the liberation of the 

Nineveh Plain region, it is still hostage 

to partisan, political, sectarian, 

and factional rivalries. 

Since the defeat of ISIS, there 

have been systematic plans to 

make demographic changes in the 

Nineveh Plain. Armed militia members 

continue to seize the properties 

and agricultural lands of Christians 

in the region. Confiscation of land, 

intimidation, and harassment by the 

Shabak, Hashed al-Shaabi, and the 

so-called “Christian” Hashed are out 

of control. 

What is happening in Nineveh is 

a systematic ethnic cleansing. There 

Clockwise from top left: Ruins of the Immaculate Lady Syriac Catholic Church in Mosul; Remains of the Syriac Orthodox Salvation 

School in Mosul; Lady of Immaculate Conception, a Chaldean church in Mosul 

are local and regional plans to move 

the entire Christian component out 

of the area. Hate speech spread by 

the Iranian-backed armed factions 

and fatwas from outside Iraq allow 

the militias to continue to intimidate 

the people and seize their property. 

The Shabak militia, which is affiliated 

with the Shabak component, a 

minority in Nineveh, seeks to seize 

position, lands, money, and weapons 

with Iranian support. The leader of 

the Babylon militia, Rayan al-Kaldani, 

colludes with them to seize the 

property of his fellow Christians in 

the region. 

Obviously, the security situation 

in northern Iraq is very fragile. The 

clock is ticking on the fate of the 

Christian and Yazidi communities 

there. Hosts of questions abound and 

there is an urgency for taking immediate 

action. Security measures, 

and who should control that security 

are top concerns for everyone. Legal 

protection, constitutional rights, and 

property rights are other concerns. 

The fate of the church properties 

and the properties of the citizens of 

Mosul hang in the balance. 

Who will ultimately administer 

the region? The Iraqi government? 

The KRG? The Americans? The 

U.S. plan is still a mystery, even as 

more troops have recently been deployed 

to Iraq. 

Sources include: Yousif Kalian; 

Michael Youash; Frank Chalk, 

Holocaust and Genocide Studies; Zaid 

Salim, The New Arab; Saad Salloum, 

Minorities in Iraq; Joseph Slewa, Sout 

Al-Iraq; Marla Ruzicka, Iraq war; 

and David Phillips. Special editing by 

Jacqueline Raxter. 



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History Reclaimed: The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet 

The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet, a 3,500-year-old cuneiform clay tablet from ancient Mesopotamia that was seized by federal authorities in 2019. 

On September 23, the United 

States returned to the Republic 

of Iraq a rare cuneiform 

tablet bearing a portion of the 

epic of Gilgamesh, a Sumerian poem 

considered one of the world’s oldest 

works of literature. The repatriation 

ceremony of the purported $1.7 million 

artifact took place at the Smithsonian 

Institution’s Museum of the 

American Indian in Washington, 

D.C.; also included was a 3,000 BC 

Sumerian Ram sculpture used in religious 

ceremonies. 

The tablet, called the “Gilgamesh 

Dream Tablet,” originated in what is 

now modern-day Iraq and entered 

the United States contrary to federal 

law. An international auction house 

later sold the tablet to Hobby Lobby 

Stores, an arts-and-crafts retailer 

based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 

for display at their “Museum of the 

Bible.” Following public outcry, law 

enforcement agents seized the tablet 

from the Museum in September of 

2019. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) Homeland Security 

Investigations (HSI) Acting 

Executive Associate Director Steve 

K. Francis and Iraq’s Ambassador 

to the United States Fareed Yasseen 

signed a ceremonial certificate transferring 

ownership of the artifact from 

the United States to Iraq. Many other 

officials from various organizations 

including the United Nations, U.S. 

Justice Department and the U.S. Department 

of State also participated in 

the repatriation ceremony. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for 

the Eastern District of New York and 

the Department of Justice’s Money 

Laundering and Asset Recovery Section 

(MLARS) worked with HSI to 

forfeit the tablet in July 2021. 

As alleged in the government’s 

amended complaint, in 2003, a U.S. 

antiquities dealer purchased the Gilgamesh 

Dream Tablet, illegible and 

encrusted with dirt, from a family 

member of a coin dealer in London. 

The antiquities dealer and a U.S. cuneiform 

expert shipped the tablet to 

the United States by international 

post without declaring formal entry. 

After the tablet was cleaned, experts 

in cuneiform recognized it as 

bearing a portion of the Gilgamesh 

epic in which the protagonist describes 

his dreams to his mother. The 

protagonist’s mother interprets the 

dreams as foretelling the arrival of a 

new friend. She tells her son, “You will 

see him, and your heart will laugh.” 

The names of the hero, Gilgamesh, 

and the character who 

becomes his friend, Enkidu, are replaced 

in this tablet with the names 

of deities Sin and Ea. The tablet 

measures approximately 6 inches by 

5 inches and is written in the Akkadian 

language, which was spoken 

in ancient Mesopotamia. The tablet 

was first discovered in 1853, when a 

12-tablet Babylonian version of the 

epic of Gilgamesh was found in the 

ruins of the library of the Assyrian 

King Assur Banipal in Nineveh. 

In 2007, the antiquities dealer 

sold the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet 

with a false provenance letter that 

stated the tablet had been among 

miscellaneous ancient bronze fragments 

purchased in an auction in 

1981. This false letter traveled with 

the tablet as it was sold several times 

in different countries; a later owner 

provided the letter to an auction 

house in London. 

In 2014, the auction house sold 

the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet to 

Hobby Lobby in a private sale. An 

employee of the auction house carried 

it on a flight from London to 

the United States, transferring it to 

New York. Hobby Lobby consented 

to the tablet’s forfeiture based on the 

tablet’s illegal importation into the 

United States. 

The government’s case was 

handled by Assistant United States 

Attorney Sylvia Shweder and Senior 

Trial Attorney Ann Brickley of 

MLARS. 

Homeland Security Investigations 

(HIS) is a directorate of ICE 

and the principal investigative arm 

of the U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS). They are responsible 

for investigating transnational 

crime and threats, specifically those 

criminal organizations that exploit 

the global infrastructure through 

which international trade, travel, 

and finance move. 

HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 

employees consists of more than 

7,100 special agents assigned to 

220 cities throughout the United 

States, and 80 overseas locations in 

53 countries. HSI’s international 

presence represents DHS’s largest 

investigative law enforcement presence 

abroad and one of the largest 

international footprints in U.S. law 

enforcement. 

“Today, Iraq is reclaiming a piece 

of its cultural history,” stated HSI 

New York Special Agent in Charge, 

Peter C. Fitzhugh. “We are honored 

to have played a role in the repatriation 

of this rare tablet that was pillaged 

from Iraq, only to be sold without 

a valid provenance or any regard 

for its cultural value.” 

Steve K. Francis, Acting Executive 

Associate Director of the HIS, 

made these remarks at the repatriation 

ceremony: “On behalf of Homeland 

Security Investigations, it gives 

me great pleasure to be a part of this 

ceremony, celebrating the return of 

the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet and the 

Sumerian Sheep to the Iraqi people.” 

Francis went on to say, “This is 

my first cultural repatriation ceremony, 

and the safe return of these priceless 

artifacts is both humbling and 

important to me personally, as I am a 

Chaldean American from Iraq whose 

entire family immigrated to Detroit 

in the 1970s.” 


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Jesuits in Iraq: Contributions to education 


Education can be thought of as 

the transmission of values and 

accumulated knowledge of a 

society. It expands an individual’s 

understanding of the world, their 

ability to reason, to solve problems, 

to communicate, and their ability to 

get things done. 

Value-based education broadens 

knowledge of culture, tradition, behavior, 

attitude, and empathy. Its 

purpose is to promote truth, reality, 

responsibility and care towards society 

and family. It is movement from 

darkness to light. 

American Jesuits went to Iraq as 

educators and founded institutions 

of learning to further their mission 

of faith, justice, and solidarity. They 

work for reconciliation every day – 

with God, with human beings, and 

with the environment. Their ministries 

extend across a world of human 

need. Collaboration is at the heart of 

the Jesuit mission. 

In this article, we seek to explore 

what their philosophy of education 

was, what methods of education they 

employed, and how successful their 

mission in Iraq was. We shall also explore 

why they were eventually expelled 

and how their work in Baghdad 

was brought to an abrupt end. 

The beginning 

In 1850, two Jesuits were sent from 

Beirut to Baghdad to determine if 

the time was right for a Jesuit mission 

there. Their caravan was robbed 

on the way to and from Baghdad; 

consequently, they decided that the 

time for a mission there had not yet 

arrived. 

In 1932, the same year that Iraq 

gained its independence, four Jesuits 

from the United States arrived in 

Baghdad. They bought two houses 

by the Tigris River, creating Baghdad 

College, a high school for boys, with 

an enrollment of 120. The student 

body increased eventually to 1,000. 

The Jesuits came to Iraq in response 

to a request by the Chaldean 

Patriarch Mar Emmanuel II Toma, 

a graduate of the Jesuit Universite 

St. Joseph in Beirut. He had made 

his request as early as 1921, but in 

1935 his request was made known 

to Pope Pius XI who asked the Jesuit 

General, Fr. Wladimir Ledechowski, 

to approach the Jesuits in America 

The four founding fathers of Baghdad College in 1931 

because they were (and still are) the 

most numerous English-speaking Jesuits 

in the world. 

The New England Province 

undertook the project. Jesuits had 

passed through Mesopotamia before. 

St. Ignatius Loyola, their founder, 

had spent some time in the Holy 

Land and creating a dialogue with Islam 

was one of his highest priorities. 

Initially, Baghdad presented as a 

strange city for the Jesuits. The language, 

dress, and customs created 

that aura of mystery which surrounds 

cities of the East. The crowded and 

dimly lit covered bazaar, with its brocades 

and spices and peculiar smells, 

was in sharp contrast to the broad 

pavements and glassed store fronts 

they had known. Regardless, they 

settled in and got down to work. Before 

long they became familiar with 

the silent scrutiny of the Baghdadis. 

In his dissertation on the history 

of the early days of Baghdad College, 

Charles Bashara describes good relations 

between the Patriarch and the 

King which made the invitation to 

the Jesuits more secure. He draws his 

data from the Chaldean Patriarch’s 

correspondence as well as from the 

New England Province archives. 

The middle east 

“If you have not seen Baghdad, you 

have not seen the world.” So runs a 

sentence from Medieval Arabic literature, 

underlining the splendor and 

opulence that was Baghdad. It was 

the city of caliphs and Turkish mercenaries, 

a center of learning and a 

locus of intrigue. Baghdad still maintains 

a charm among oriental cities. 

For 37 years, the city fascinated 

and held the attention of a group of 

New England Jesuits who came not 

to see the world or to explore the 

mysteries of the East, but to aid in 

the education of Iraqi youth. The 

brief span at Baghdad College contrasts 

with the centuries of Christian 

presence and was only the latest in 

a long line of efforts made by Jesuits 

and other religious orders to establish 

a presence there. 

Ignatius Loyola, founder of the 

Jesuit Order, was always interested 

in the Islamic religion. He wanted 

to learn about Islam partly because 

Muslims controlled the Holy Land, 

and he sent Jesuits to Egypt in 1550 

when the Jesuit Order was only 10 

years old. 

There was a more profound interest 

in the Middle East at the beginning 

of the 19th century, with the 

apostolate dealing mostly with dissident 

Christian groups, but always 

with an interest in Islam. There were 

numerous Christian massacres in the 

area, especially during the four centuries 

of Turkish rule ending in 1918. 

Jesuits had been working in Syria 

and Turkey; before the Armenian 

massacre in 1915, Turkey had 11 Jesuit 

houses. 

The Jesuit objective in Baghdad 

was to help form an active Christian 

community through sound Christian 

education. At the same time, by educating 

several Muslim young men, 

they would encourage greater tolerance 

and understanding of the faith, 

working to the mutual advantage of 

Christians and Muslims alike. 

Rome’s response 

What was needed to begin such an 

enterprise, more than the talents of 

an educator and executive, was the 

wisdom demanded in dealing with 

the leaders and diplomats of an Arab 

country and the suspicions of a Muslim 

public. 

Georgetown’s Fr. Edmund A. 

Walsh, S.J. was chosen. He was sent 

to Rome for an initial briefing and 

then to Baghdad as a Vatican representative. 

Pope Pius XI emphasized 

to Fr. Walsh the dire need for a 

Catholic college in Baghdad; however, 

the project faced double difficulty, 

personnel and financial. 

Fr. Edmund and Pius XI agreed 

that the personnel problem could 

be solved with the help of the Jesuit 

Superior General and the financial 

problem, by using the reserves of the 

Catholic Near East Welfare Associa- 


From left: Jesuit Fr. Decker SJ with class in 1968; Baghdad College students outside the Science Building 

tion. This was a Vatican sponsored 

foundation of which Fr. Walsh was 

both a fund-raiser and an officer. Fr. 

Walsh had a practical plan involving 

the American Jesuit colleges. 

The government of Iraq would 

also be awakened to the realization 

that part of its people belongs to a 

great international family of Christians. 

This arrangement would likewise 

exclude any idea of a political 

protectorate. Moreover, in virtue of 

its affiliation with American universities, 

the school could look forward 

to assistance in its development, financially 

and otherwise. 

Fr. Walsh arrived in Baghdad on 

March 7, 1931 and made his contact 

with the Iraqi government. They 

had no difficulty granting him permission 

to open a school of higher 

education and agreed that starting 

with a secondary school made sense. 

In a treaty which had recently been 

signed by the United States and Iraq, 

Americans were granted full freedom 

to found and run schools in Iraq. 

It was not until March 5, 1932, 

after informing the Iraqi government 

that the Iraq American Educational 

Association was ready to undertake 

formal operations, that he received 

a cablegram confirmation. It was 

the same as the one he had received 

nearly a year before but had not 

made public. 

College vs. boarding house 

The only sticky problem in Fr. 

Walsh’s negotiations came not from 

the hierarchy nor from the government 

of Iraq, but from the Vatican’s 

Oriental Congregation, which wanted 

to start a boarding house rather 

than a school. Apparently, they assumed 

that the Jesuits were not up 

to the task of starting and directing 

a college in Iraq. 

The Jesuits and the Iraqi bishops 

were shocked at the Congregation’s 

very restricted plan, which was several 

rungs beneath their lofty expectations. 

They were determined 

to have a secondary school which 

would possibly pave the way later for 

a college and university. 

Fr. Walsh visited not only Baghdad, 

but Mosul and Basra. He found 

the Christian leaders unanimous in 

demanding a school and not a boarding 

house. Fr. Walsh conveyed the 

Baghdad College Main Building 

wishes of Iraq’s bishops to the Congregation 

in a very forceful manner; 

the Oriental Congregation bowed to 

the wishes of the Iraqi bishops and 

reluctantly allowed the college to go 

forward. 

The Iraq-American Educational 

Association 

As a result of Fr. Walsh’s report, the 

presidents of seven American Jesuit 

colleges formed an association 

to sponsor and aid the educational 

work in Iraq. This corporation acted 

as a sort of holding company, to offer 

both moral support and representation, 

if such should be necessary. 

These institutions were: Boston 

College, the University of Detroit, 

Georgetown University, Loyola University 

in Chicago, Loyola University 

of New Orleans, St. Louis University, 

and the University of San Francisco. 

This association was later replaced 

by the Iraq American Educational 

Association, duly registered 

with and approved by the Ministry of 

Interior in Baghdad. The legal certificate 

for the incorporation of the 

Iraq-American Educational Association 

is in the files of the Recorder of 

Deeds of the District of Columbia, 

dated April 9, 1932. 

The bishops of Iraq, impatiently 

awaiting the arrival of the Jesuits from 

America ever since Fr. Walsh had left 

Iraq, did not have long to wait. 

The arrival 

The American Jesuit provincials 

were busy picking four men suitable 

for the job. As for the authorization 

of the Iraqi government, they anticipated 

no difficulty and left America 

without clearance, sure that it would 

eventually arrive. Thankfully, it did. 

The provincials decided to start 

with one man from each of four 

provinces. Their choice of these Jesuits 

was quite delicate, as they were 

seeking men who could be spared 

from local apostolates, who knew 

several languages, who had experience 

as educators, and who were 

outgoing and self-sufficient. It is curious 

that a minor criterion seemed 

to favor men whose names sounded 

“American;” whatever that could 

have meant. 

Their choices were: New England’s 

Fr. Rice (whose father’s 

French-Canadian name Raiche had 

been changed to Rice); Chicago’s 

Fr. Madaras, who arrived in Baghdad 

in early March 1932; New York’s Fr. 

Coffey; and California’s Fr. Mifsud, 

who joined a few months later. 

The fact that the names of all four 

men had Arabic meanings had nothing 

to do with their selection. Rice 

in Arabic means “president;” Madaras 

means “school;” Coffey means 

“enough;” and Mifsud means “corrupter.” 

(Later, Fr. Mifsud discretely 

changed his name to Fr. Miff, which 

had no meaning at all.) 

Within a few years the Iraq Mission 

was almost entirely made up 

of members of the New England 

Province. Until 1960, the Rector of 

Baghdad College was also the Superior 

of the Mission. 

In subsequent parts of the Jesuits 

in Iraq story, we will cover Baghdad 

College, Al-Hikma University, and 

the expulsion of Jesuits from Iraq. 

Special editing by Jaqueline Raxter and 

Dave Nona. 


ONE-on-ONE 

Rik Jonna album release 

Rik Jonna is a Chaldean guitarist/composer 

who recently released his self-titled debut album, 

“RIK JONNA.” It is available through 

Amazon, iTunes, and other major streaming platforms. 

The album consists of eleven original compositions 

in the jazz and classical traditions as well as 

his classic/pop crossover vocal, “Meladonia.” 

Recently, The Chaldean News caught up with 

Rik at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

Chaldean News: Welcome Rik. Tell us a little about 

your music. 

Rik Jonna: There were several 

original instrumental 

compositions selected 

for this project which 

cross genres between 

jazz and classical music. 

Also included is a piece I 

composed for solo guitar, 

“Ode to an Orchid” and 

“Meladonia,” which is the 

one original vocal track off 

the album. My pianist/vocalist 

Fanni Sarkozy, a brilliant, 

world-class musician 

from Hungary, also provided some melodic, nonlyrical 

vocal passages on several tracks. 

CN: Can you share with us as bit about your writing 

process? 

RJ: It’s always a rewarding experience to compose. 

To date, my songbook consists of 70 pieces or so. For 

me personally, what fuels creativity and the inspiration 

to compose may be stimulated in many ways. 

It could be a study such as, “Martino’s Study of Parental 

Forms,” an interaction with another person, 

listening to a song or piece of music, casually navigating 

the instrument, assembling movements and 

segments produced over time, or simply exploring 

complex harmonies and voicings. For this project, 

my objective was to create a sophisticated mood 

spanning various styles with guitar, violins, cellos, 

and piano and to also include one “big” vocal. 

CN: Please share a little bit about the composition 

of “Meladonia,” which is written in both English and 

Spanish. Do you speak Spanish? 

RJ: “Meladonia” was written specifically for this 

project. No, I don’t speak Spanish which made 

writing the lyrics for the chorus quite challenging 

(laughs). Having drawn so much inspiration from 

classical/ crossover/ operatic vocals, I felt the need 

to include some lyrics in a language other than English. 

After I first heard the hit song “Time to Say 

Goodbye,” by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, 

I enjoyed listening to it over and over. As you 

well know, music can be addicting like that. The 

collection of classical/crossover pieces from that 

album were delivered with such beauty, precision, 

and power. It was those soaring and graceful voices 

which provided the enthusiasm to compose 

“Meladonia.” 

CN: Who are some of your favorite 

musicians? 

RJ: Of course, for many, 

many, years, it was a long 

list of guitar players. In 

my early years, it was 

blues and rock. In 

my late teens, 

I gravitated 

towards jazz 

and never 

looked back, 

aside from a 

few years where 

I studied classical 

guitar to improve my 

finger-style technique. 

I also befriended a few 

brilliant guitarists along 

the way. Earl Klugh, 

a world-class guitarist, 

and I 

were very 

close friends when I lived in Detroit. George Benson, 

one of my favorite guitarists, and I still speak 

from time to time, and the legendary guitarist/composer 

Pat Martino has been my mentor and “big 

brother” for decades. Today, I still listen mostly to 

traditional jazz and classical music. Also, this past 

year, I had a custom oud made by a luthier in Greece 

and I am now self-studying Middle Eastern music. 

Through the process, I’m thoroughly enjoying the 

music and technical genius of many superb oud players 

such as Anouar Brahem, Munir Bashir, and Naseer 

Shamma to name a few. 

CN: Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of 

music? 

RJ: I do. I’ve completed over 50 pieces of original 

art, primarily acrylic on canvas in addition to a dozen 

or so sculptures. The sculptures are interesting. 

They consist of actual guitars, violins and cellos 

that were virtually unplayable and being disposed 

of. They were dissected into pieces, painted, and 

randomly applied to stained and framed plywood. 

When finished, the reassemble provides multiple 

perspectives which produce characteristics of cubism. 

You may consider the instruments resurrected 

and to be enjoyed in a new way, shape, and form. 

CN: Thank you, Rik. Any last thoughts? 

RJ: Recording and completing this project was 

quite the undertaking considering what we’ve all 

been subjected to these past couple years with the 

pandemic and all. In any event, I’m very pleased 

with the results and thankful to the superb musicians 

who participated. Due to the genre-busting 

nature of the music, I’m not sure how the album 

will be categorized which is, for the most part, irrelevant. 

What’s most important is that the music 

is enjoyed, moment by moment. 

For streaming and downloading visit: rikjonna. 

hearnow.com. For physical CDs visit: rikjonna.com. 


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ESTATE 

HOUR MEDIA ALL ALL STAR STAR - – 

HOUR MEDIA 

Proudly serving Birmingham, 

Bloomfield, Proudly Farmington serving Birmingham, Hills, Bloomfield, 

Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield, the 

Proudly serving Birmingham, 

Each office is independently 

West Bloomfield, the Lakes 

Bloomfield, Lakes and Farmington surrounding areas. 

Owned and Operated Brian S. Yaldoo and surrounding areas. Hills, 

Each office is independently Associated Broker West Bloomfield, the Lakes 

Owned and OperatedBrian BrianS. Office (248)737-6800 • Mobile Yaldoo 

(248)752-4010and surrounding areas. 

Toll Associated Free (866) 762-3960 

Broker 

Email: brianyaldoo@remax.com Websites: www.brianyaldoo.com 

Office Office (248) www.BuyingOrSellingRealEstate.com 

(248)737-6800 • Mobile (248)752-4010 

752-4010 

Toll Free (866) 762-3960 

Email: brianyaldoo@remax.net Websites: www.brianyaldoo.com 

Email: brianyaldoo@remax.com Websites: www.brianyaldoo.com 

www.BuyingOrSellingRealEstate.com 

Each office is independently 

Owned and Operated 

ELIAS KATTOULA 

CAREER SERVICES MANAGER 

3601 15 Mile Road 

Sterling Heights, MI 48310 

TEL: (586) 722-7253 

FAX: (586) 722-7257 

elias.kattoula@chaldeanfoundation.org 

www.chaldeanfoundation.org

event 

8 

1 

9 

2 

3 

4 

10 

5 

6 

7 

11 

1. Bar sponsor Gardner White and members of the CACC Board 

of Directors with the spectacular ice bar from US Ice 

2. Johny Kello, Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce 

Businessperson of the Year 2021 

3. Senator Jim Runestad awarded Johny Kello a special tribute 

4. Judge Hala Jarbou and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence 

enjoying the perfect weather on the terrace 

5. Volunteers holding up sweets from Donut Bar at the Afterglow 

6. Monsignor Zuhair Kejbou giving the invocation before dinner 

7. Guests enjoying the 360-photo booth in the Social Media 

Lounge, sponsored by The Elia Group 

8. Members of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce 

Board on stage before the program - l. to r. Martin Manna, Venar 

Ayar, Justin Hanna, Jason Kajy, Sly Sandiha, Jim Manna, Joe 

Hurshe, and Kevin Jappaya 

9. A group shot of attendees enjoying the After-Hours Lounge, 

sponsored by Bank of Ann Arbor – l. to r. Justin Hanna, Mariann 

Sarafa, Renna Sarafa, Yasmeen Sarafa and friends. 

10. Left to right: Sly Sandiha, Lucas Kello, Martin Manna, Johny 

Kello, Leila Kello, Marisa Kello, Derek and Jacob Kello, Zaina 

and Zaid Elia 

11. Kello Family portrait 

12. The Pre-glow before dinner 


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event 

2 

1 3 

5 

4 

6 

1. There was a 

large turnout for 

Stride for Seminarians 

this year 

2. Left to right: 

Namir Daman, 

Eman Jajonie- 

Daman, Fr. Bryan 

Kassa, Ankath and 

Saad Abbo 

3. Left to right: 

Adriana, Ann and 

John Mansour 

4. Striders for 

Seminarians 

5. Lunch was 

provided for the 

participants and 

volunteers 

6. Kayla and Klara 

Kamposh hold up a 

sign of support 

7. Seminarians 

Lucian Gumma and 

Joseph Nannoski 

cheer on the walkers 

as they pass 

8. Magician Chris 

Mardrosian keeping 

the kids engaged 

7 

8 


Your trusted 

brand for 

wholesome 

dairy since 1946 

1- 800-748 - 0480

OCTOBER 2021

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