The World Syriac Association (WCA) issued a statement condemning the physical assault on director of Syriac school curriculum in the town of Qamishli by militias of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). The Association called on the countries supporting the militias to stop their support as “the PYD’s terrorist attacks are targeting civilians.”
On Saturday, PYD militants violently beat Issa Rashid in front of his home in Al-Quwatli Street for refusing to adopt the curricula the PYD militia imposed on all schools in the areas under its control.
The statement said that Rashid was intimidated and given an ultimatum ending on September 21 to accept the school curricula or “risks bearing the consequences.” The association said that the incident came as part of an endless litany of violations by the PYD against the Assyrian Syriac component.
WCA’s Head Johnny Massu condemned the attack on Rashid, stressing that the Syriacs around the world regard the incident as “an open declaration of war against all communities in Syria.”
Massu called on all countries supporting the PYD militia, most notably the United States, to stop their support for the militia to bring an end to their “terrorist attacks targeting civilians.” Massu pointed out that the PYD is using Syriac “puppets” to carry out its attacks on the Syriac component.
In August, the PYD militia stormed the private Syriac and Armenian schools in Qamishli and put some of them under its control. Leaders of the Christian churches in the Al-Jazeera and the Euphrates areas said that these repressive actions pose a serious threat to the Christian existence in the region as they condemned the PYD’s violations against their schools, property and areas.
Leaders of the Church also expressed their categorical rejection of all forms of interference and violations of the rights of Christian community in the area. They also rejected the PYD’s decision to require Christian schools to obtain licenses and to impose school curricula on the Syriac schools. They stressed that those schools meet all legal requirements as many generations from all components of the Syrian society graduated from these schools which provided a lot for the people of Hasaka province and Syria in general. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
