The Assyrian American Association of Chicago, a cultural center at 1618 W. Devon, celebrated its 100th anniversary. | Google
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Robert Herguth, 12/10/2017
Assyrians are an ancient people whose Christian roots trace
back to the apostle known as “doubting” Thomas.
There’s no doubt that Assyrians are under siege in more
modern times, often the target of ISIS in their ancestral homelands in Iraq and
Syria, and fleeing to the U.S. and elsewhere.
Thousands of Assyrians have left their homes in the Middle
East because of Islamic extremism and other turmoil, and a number have settled
in the Chicago area, adding to a local presence that dates back more than a
century.
According to one account, Assyrians first arrived in the
Chicago area in the late 1800s for education and as refugees, the latter
settling on the Near North Side and generally belonging to six different
denominations.
Recently, the Assyrian American Association of Chicago, a
cultural center in Rogers Park, celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Today, there could be as many as 100,000 Assyrians in
Illinois.
One of them, Reine Hanna, co-authored a scathing new “human
rights” report on the plight of Christians remaining in Iraq.
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