ACTION ALERT: #ARRESTFILIS

On Monday night, Greek politics hit an old time low. When Greek Education Minister Nikos Filis denied the events of the Ottoman Greek (Rûm) Genocide in the Black Sea coastal region of Pontos on Greek national television. A member of the ruling Radical Left SYRIZA party, Minister Filis has defended his comments. While the Greek Government has been quick to express that they are merely the Minister’s “opinion” and not the position of the Government.

Rûm: Ethnicity or Spiritual Identity?

By Elias Antonius

For many within the greater Levantine Rûm community the question of, whether or not the Rûm constitute their own ethnicity is a loaded one. Victims of Western Imperialism believe that we are merely a spiritual identity and that each community within the artificially created nation-states of the Levant has separate origins. While others continue to hold on to the ludicrous idea that all rum are ethnically Arabs.

Challenging the myth of Aramean Supremacy in the Levant

By Ilias Michail and Elias Antonius

Aramean supremacists have long perpetuated two enduring myths, which strike at the very heart of any rational understanding of Levantine history. The first is that they are the rightful heirs to the title of ‘indigenous’ throughout the region. The second is their relentless portrayal of the Levant as a purely Semitic land. Both of which have made them as adamantly opposed to the concept of a Rûm ethnic identity as Arabists. 

UPDATE - TRANSLATOR NEEDED

For Immediate Release – August 21, 2015

Dear Friends,

Back on March 28th, Operation Antioch released an update on our project to translate Paul Carolides’ book, “The Origins of the Orthodox Christians of Syria and Palestine”. At the time, it was our hope that the book would be ready for release in April. Unfortunately, we were wrong. After months and months of excuses, we have fired our original translator and are now looking for someone else to translate this priceless book. 

UPDATE – Operation Antioch Fundraisers

Dear Friends,

Back on January 11th, we proudly announced that after just 13 days Operation Antioch had reached its goal of $1,500 in order to translate the book “The Origins of the Orthodox Christians of Syria and Palestina” by Paul Carolides. 

ACTION ALERT – Candlelight Vigil for missing ethnic Rûm and Aramean/Assyrian Archbishops

For Immediate Release 

Operation Antioch is proud to announce that on March 26^th, St. George Antiochian-Greek Orthodox Church will be holding a candlelight vigil for our two beloved Archbishops who were kidnapped on April 22^nd, 2013. Syriac Orthodox Archbishop, Yohanna Ibrahim, and Greek Orthodox Archbishop, Paul Yazigi were abducted by foreign terrorists in the village of Kfar Dael, located in the northern province of Aleppo while carrying out humanitarian work.  

The 189th Anniversary of the attempted liberation of Beirut

For Immediate Release –March 18^th, 2015

Today, exactly 189 years ago, on March 18th, 1826 a small group of brave Romaic Revolutionaries, led by Vasos Mavrovouniotis attempted to spread the Hellenic Revolution to Ottoman-occupied Coele-Syria. Although unsuccessful, their heroic attempt to incite the Rûm of the Levant lives on as a testament that the Rûm of Europe and those of the Levant were and still are one people. 

“Seleukeia” – A Proposed Safe-Haven for the Rûm of Syria

The following is a proposal for the creation of an International Administrated ‘Safe-Haven’ in portions of the Tartus, Homs, and Hama districts of the Syrian Arab Republic. This “Safe-Haven” would be a demilitarized zone that would fall under the authority of the United Nations, and would be monitored by a coalition of nations, specifically Russia, Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia. The Safe-Haven would be centered around Wadi al-Nasara, and divided into three zones of influence. Zone One) Russian – based in Marmarita, Zone Two) Greek/Cypriot – based in Mhardeh, and Zone Three) Armenian – based in Homs.

Commemorating our past to secure our future: The Feast of 42 Martyrs

Today, on the 1,170th feast of the 42 Martyrs of Amorium, we remember those Rûm, who were martyred for their refusal to be Arabized. On March 6th, 845 A.D., 42 Rûm hostages of the Abbasid Caliphate were beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam. Taken hostage by Caliph al-Mu’tasim, a Turko-Arab, after the 838 A.D sack of Amorium, the capital of the Anatolic Theme (Province) of the Romaiic Empire. They were taken to the city of Samarra in Arab-occupied Mesopotamia. Where they stayed until their execution.

OA Letter to Carson City Council

Dear Mayor Jim Dear & Council Members,

We are Operation Antioch, a network of Middle Eastern Greek Orthodox & Greek Catholic Christians with roots tracing back to countries of modern-day Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Israel/Palestine. It has come to our attention that your city is considering erecting a sculpture in honor of Mustafa Kemal “Ataturk”. As Middle Eastern Christians, it deeply saddens us, especially now as we are facing a Genocide at the hands of Islamic Terrorists like ISIS, that you are considering erecting a monument in honor of this man. 

ACTION ALERT – City in California to erected Ataturk Sculpture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 4^th, 2015

URGENT! CALLING ALL DEFENDERS OF HUMAN DECENCY

According to Massispost.com, Carson City, California is considering erecting a sculpture in Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s honor at the request of the Association of Turkish Americans of Southern California. If passed this butcher of Anatolia will be forever portrayed to future generations of Californians as a ‘hero’, rather than what he really was, a murderer!

Understanding a Rûm Shu’ubiyyah

By Ilias Michail & Elias Antonius

Many seem to have a difficult time understanding the meaning of a Rûm ethnic identity. They often confuse the message with some kind of ludicrous attempt at “turning Lebanese or Syrians into Greeks”. Thus, portraying ethnic Rûm supporters as “extremists” or people obsessed with a ‘foreign’ identity. However, this is a complete distortion and misunderstanding of the very idea of a Rûm Shu’ubiyyah. The main culprit behind this confusion is a misunderstanding of two things. First, the difference between Nationality and Ethnicity. The second, the concept of what it means to be Greek and Greece itself. 

ACTION ALERT – Arabist Father Georges Massouh betrays our Roum heritage AGAIN!

On February 4^th, 2015, Greek Orthodox Priest and Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Studies at Balamand University, Fr. Georges Massouh released a statement in response to Lebanese Druze MP Waleed Jumblat, who recently blamed the failure of Arabism on the Levant’s indigenous minorities. 

In the statement, which was published by Lebanonfiles.com, Fr. Massouh defended MP Jumblat’s words. Going as far as to say, “The Byzantine Greeks lost their power in this country. Their empire has fallen, thanks to Allah it fell, and the Greeks in our country accepted for themselves separation between religion and the state, and consented to themselves a secular state”.  

Second Commemoration of the kidnapping of Greek and Armenian Priests

Today, exactly two years ago, on February 9th, 2013, Greek Orthodox priest Maher Mahfouz and Armenian priest Michel Kayyal were kidnapped by Islamists patrolling the road from Aleppo to Damascus. The two holy men were taken from a public bus while traveling to the Rûm town of Kafroun. Their fate and whereabouts, to date, are unknown. 

Remember our 300! Remember Sergius!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 4^th, 2015

Today, on the 1,381 Anniversary of the Battle of Dathin, we remember the 300 Rûm Soldiers that gave their lives alongside their commander, Sergius, for a Romaic Levant. For the Rûm people, today is not a day celebration or bravery, but one of mourning and self-reflection. For although generations have past, the wolves which surrounded Sergius still encircle us.

Echo and Forgery (صدى وزيف)

 Newest poem by the Antiochian Greek poet Laurence, Anis.

UPDATE – OA Book Translation

UPDATE – Antiochian Greek Fundraisers

Dear Friend,

Now that the Holiday Season has passed, and we are all slowly getting back to our daily routines. Please consider taking a moment to support Antiochian Hellenism.