JANUARY 2022

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FOUNDATION update The kids wave goodbye to the bear from the Bright Beginnings Classroom. Breaking Barriers Academy students take a group photo with Santa. CCF Gets a Visit from Special Guests The CCF Bright Beginnings Program and Breaking Barriers Academy enjoyed a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus on December 14. Participating families were excited to take photos with the famous couple, creating childhood memories that A Class of Their Own Salam Sesi has only been teaching at the CCF for the last 6 months or so, but she has been teaching refugees and soon-to-be citizens for decades. She found something very different about her most recent class, a special camaraderie and determination unlike classes of the past. Sesi remarked, “This group was very committed and put a lot of effort towards completing the course. They all had to overcome obstacles and barriers to get here. They came from many varied backgrounds and countries but ultimately became united here as a group in their goal of becoming United States citizens. I am so proud of them and look forward to celebrating their achievement in receiving their citizenship.” Her class included everything A Student’s Journey to Citizenship from full-time workers to siblings and everything in between. They celebrated their class completion on December 14; the students cheered on as their classmates were announced. will last for a lifetime. The event also featured the Khigga and a great atmosphere for families and caretakers to discuss life skills and parenting tips. Mr. and Mrs. Claus also made special trips to visit the Breaking Barriers Academy as well as a Citizenship Preparation class that was going on at the time of the event. Many took the opportunity for a photo with the Clauses and enjoyed a great opportunity to connect with their colleagues in a fun and friendly environment. Zuhair Hanna is fun, spirited, and full of energy. But the road to freedom has been long and arduous for him. In Iraq, Zuhair managed his own heating and cooling business, working as a mechanic, and living comfortably alongside his wife and children. After a turn of events, Zuhair spent 10 years as a Prisoner of War (POW) with no hope of being released and no visits from family members. Upon his release and with help from the United Nations, Zuhair made his way to the U.S. and found his way to CCF. He is very excited about the future as he prepares for his Citizenship test, his last step towards becoming a naturalized citizen. “I smile because I am moving towards freedom. To become a citizen, I will vote, and then I will know freedom,” says Zuhair. Citizenship Preparation Class Graduates pose for a photo on their last day. These 10-week classes are designed to prepare students for upcoming USCIS Citizenship tests and ensure that they have the necessary education to become naturalized citizens. Not Your Typical Picnic The Bright Beginnings program at the Chaldean Community Foundation recently had a lesson where they learned about the changing seasons and read a book called ‘Bear Snores On’ by Karma Wilson. A themed lesson turned into an opportunity to recreate the book as they went and created a picnic atmosphere within the CCF’s gymnasium and Life Skills Center. They even got a visit from the Bear itself and had the opportunity to dance and take photos with him/her, much to the students’ delight. The Bright Beginnings program continues to run classes in 2022. For information on how to sign up, please contact the Chaldean Community Foundation at 586-722-7253. AG Dana Nessel Visits the CCF Attorney General Dana Nessel discussing the Van Dyke Housing Development with Martin Manna and community members. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel visited the Chaldean Community Foundation on December 9 to learn more about the services offered as well as future initiatives. Nessel also visited with the Behavioral Health Program Manager, Jacqueline Raxter, and various other staff members to discuss the growing need for mental health services and how the Chaldean Community Foundation is helping to provide help with mental health within our local communities. Her office is interested in providing a town hall on consumer protection including information on elder abuse in the community. Stay tuned for more information on the date and time. 8 CHALDEAN NEWS JANUARY 2022
IRAQ today AFP Iraqi Christians chant during the inauguration ceremony for the new bell at the Syriac Christian church of Mar Tuma in the country’s second city of Mosul in Nineveh province on Sept. 18. Christians Struggle to be Counted in Iraq BY BEN JOSEPH UCA News The minority Christians in Iraq want to be part of the social mainstream, but its political system continues to yield to the sectarian calls of majority Muslims, challenging both the democratic process and social integration. Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, has been a stern opponent of the sectarian mentality. He criticized the US-introduced “quota system” in Iraq as the war-torn nation completed recounting of contested ballot boxes of the October polls on Nov 30. According to Cardinal Sako, the main obstacle to the democratic process is the sectarian mentality, which is reflected in the quota system under which electoral seats are divided on an ethno-religious basis in parliament as also positions in public institutions. The sectarianism feeds “corruption, poverty, unemployment and illiteracy,” Cardinal Sako said in a message to the Iraqi communist party, which held its national conclave recently. Though the sectarian quota system or muhasasa was introduced by the US after it occupied the Middle Eastern nation in 2003, its foundations were laid out by Iraqi opposition at the beginning of the 1990s. With a view to toppling long-time leader Saddam Hussein, the opposition envisioned a system of proportional representation for Iraq’s Sunni, Shia, the Kurdish and other ethno-sectarian groups, including Christians. Only nine of the 329 seats in the Council of Representatives in the country of 40.2 million people are allocated to minorities. Five seats go to Christians. In the Iraqi Council of Representatives, quota seats for Christian minorities are allotted in the provinces of Baghdad, Nineveh, Erbil and Duhok. In the Kurdistan Region, five seats are designated for Christians in the region’s parliament. When the Islamic State took over Mosul in mid-2014, the group offered Christians three choices: convert to Islam, pay Jizyah (Islamic tax) or leave the country. Most of them opted for the third option and fled the conflict-stricken nation. In the 1990s, the Christian population in Iraq exceeded 1.5 million, accounting for 3 percent of the Iraqi population. The number dwindled during the US-led invasion and the occupation by the IS. The Christian minority has been reduced to less than 500,000, according to data from the patriarchate. There are 14 Christian sects in Iraq and most live in Baghdad, the plains of northern Nineveh province and the self-run Kurdistan region. Chaldeans are the most prominent, up to 80 percent, and are in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. The Chaldean Church traces its root to the Church of the East in Mesopotamia, which emerged in the early centuries after Jesus Christ. The Syriacs make up about 10 percent of Iraqi Christians. The Assyrians, following the Assyrian Church of the East, are 5 percent. Although sectarian violence in the country has ebbed significantly, the muhasasa has caused lasting damage and obliterated national unity among Iraqis. Shias and Sunnis and other minorities take part in elections because they fear one another. Iraq’s independent election commission announced the final results of the October polls on Nov. 30 following weeks of recounting and allegations by the losing parties. The political bloc led by Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr emerged as the winner. Five seats changed as a result of recounting and the political bloc, the Sadrist Movement, led by al-Sadr, a prominent Shia cleric, won a total of 73 out of the 329 seats. Al-Fatah Alliance, affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, got 17 seats. The number for the Taqadum, or Progress Party, headed by current speaker of parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi, a Sunni, remained the same, 37 seats. Former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law party lost two seats and got 33 seats. The Kurdistan Democratic Party secured 31 seats, and 18 seats went to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Iraq held a snap election on Oct. 10 as demanded by anti-government protesters. The results were delayed due to a lengthy manual recount over voter fraud allegations made by a few political parties. The polls, originally scheduled to be held in May 2022, are the fifth since the toppling of the Saddam Hussein government by a US-led war in 2003. Government formation is a lengthy process in Iraq involving complex negotiations with multiethnic groups. It is expected to take months until a new government is established in the war-torn country, which Pope Francis visited in March at the peak of the pandemic. JANUARY 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 9
Page 1 and 2: VOL. 18 ISSUE XII METRO DETROIT CHA
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Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS JANUARY 2022 THE CHALDEAN
Page 7: GUEST column Growing the Church: La
Page 11 and 12: noteworthy Renee Tomina Rises at DT
Page 13 and 14: obituary Muwaffaq (Mike) Nasser Mur
Page 15 and 16: him to leave as soon as possible. H
Page 19 and 20: Receber Bienvenu Bine ati venit!
Page 23 and 24: and focus on one objective: busines
Page 25 and 26: CHALDEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ENGLI
Page 27 and 28: CHALDEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Help
Page 29 and 30: PROJECT LIGHT THERAPY SERVICES For
Page 33 and 34: an Adventist hospital here) but eac
Page 35 and 36: dad College and Al-Hikma University
Page 39 and 40: New Sales Requirements for JUUL Pro
Page 41 and 42: CAAASAAAGGRRRAAANNDE & AAADWWERRRS,
Page 43: The Garage Door Company You Trust!

JANUARY 2022

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