Today in History: East Syriac Patriarch Mar Shimun Binyamin murdered by Kurdish chieftain Simko Agha

104 years ago, East Syriac Patriarch Mar Shimun Binyamin XXI was murdered by Kurdish chieftain Simko Agha. Mar Shimun Binyamin was the Catholicos-Patriarch of then Syriac Church of the East, now Assyrian Church of the East, and one of the internationally recognized leaders of his people in those days.

Mar Shimun was regarded as a respected leader not only among the East Syriacs but also among the neighboring Kurds. The Patriarch maintained relations with neighboring peoples and was an international point of contact for geopolitical powers with regards to political and military affairs of his people.

Mar Shimun Benyamin was the leader of his people, but also mediated in the conflicts between tribes in the region. He was a highly respected personality and Patriarch, by both the East Syriacs and the Kurdish people. All the more cruel is the low way in which he met his end. On March 16, 1918, Mar Shimun Binyamin was murdered by Kurdish chieftain of the Shikak tribe, Simko Agha, who was considered a friend and ally.

Mar Shimun Binyamin was killed after negotiations about a friendship treaty between the two peoples, at the invitation and on the terrain of Simko Agha.  Since the murder, the relationship and the trust between the two peoples has reached an all-time low.

Patriarch Mar Shimun Binyamin was born on January 27, 1887 in Qudşanis (Konak) in Hakkari, then part of the Ottoman Empire and now southeastern Turkey. He would live to be only 31 years old.

Tarihte bugün: Doğu Asuri Patriği Mar Benyamin Şamun katledildi

Döneminde halklar arasında bir lider ve kanaat önderi olarak kabul görülen Doğu Asuri Patriği Mar Benyamin Şamun, 104 yıl önce bugün Simko Ağa tarafından katledildi.https://t.co/dkAbOPoAsO pic.twitter.com/73EtyjJDXd

— Gazete Sabro (@gazetesabro) March 3, 2022