President of Universal Syriac Union Party speaks about Sayfo Genocide during solidarity day organized by Radio Free Lebanon

BEIRUT — Radio Free Lebanon (RLL) organized a solidarity day to commemorate the 108th anniversary of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide. During the event, RLL interviewed President of the Universal Syriac Union Party (USUP) in Lebanon Ibrahim Mrad.

Mrad stated that the goal of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide, committed by the Ottoman Empire and its allies against Christian peoples, was to abolish their civilization, language, culture, and identity. The objective was also to uproot them from their ancestral homeland and replace them.

“The Islamic State (ISIS) is an inherited ideology and belief,” he added. “Our struggle continues to keep our people’s presence.”

The Sayfo, which means sword in Syriac, stretched from the mountains of Ararat and Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia) to Mount Lebanon. On 24 April 1915, the Ottoman’s began their campaign, using swords as their primary weapon in the slaughtering, uprooting, and expelling of the Christian populations. On 15 June 1915, the sword of hatred and criminality intensified, slaughtering the largest number of religious clerics and uprooting entire regional communities of Christians.

Mrad stated that the victims of the Sayfo Genocide amounted to 1.5 million Armenian martyrs, 750,000 Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) martyrs, an equal number of Greek martyrs, 250,000 Syriac Maronite martyrs, and the rest of the Christians of Mount Lebanon.

“We will not forget, we will not reconcile, we will not forgive before recognition and compensation,” he proclaimed.