Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Aramaic Watch: Turkey

ARAMAIC WATCH: In Turkey, good news and bad news for the Arameans. From the Guardian:
Turkey: an ancient faith rebuilds its roots in Tur Abdin, the 'mountains of the worshippers'

Christian Syriacs who were expelled after a crackdown on the Kurds have returned from Europe to resettle their hilltop village

[...]
From Today's Zaman:
‘Back to the drawing board for the monastery’

The Syriac Universal Alliance (SUA), the recognized United Nations NGO representing Aramean (Syriac) people worldwide, reports that the Supreme Court of Appeals in Ankara handed down its long-awaited decision regarding St. Gabriel Monastery’s battle over land boundaries with the neighboring villages of Yayvantepe (Qartmin) and Eğlence (Zinol) in southeastern Turkey.

“In a shocking verdict, the Ankara court has decided against the monastery, resulting in its earlier victory on May 22, 2009 becoming null and void,” the statement from the SUA said.

[...]
Background to the latter story here and here.