Bethnahrin National Council in Västerås, Sweden, commemorates Sayfo Genocide

VÄSTERÅS, Sweden — The Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo D’Bethnahrin, MUB) branch in Västerås, Sweden, commemorated the Sayfo Genocide massacres at the Bethnahrin Cultural Center.

The commemoration began with a minute of silence for the souls of martyrs. Following this, MUB Official in Sweden, Yacoub Mirza, spoke about the Sayfo and the resistance displayed by the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people in Iwardo and Beth Zabday (Azekh / Idil) and other villages that stood against the Ottomans.

Mirza highlighted the unity of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people, which allowed them to withstand and fight for many weeks against the Ottoman Empire and its Kurdish clan allies. He emphasized the need for the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people to draw lessons from that historical unity and the importance of coming together today to gain recognition for the Sayfo Genocide, which is central to their identity.

Mirza also questioned the absence of a Sayfo memorial in the Syriac-majority city of Södertälje. He clarified that the lack of a memorial is not due to municipal laws or decisions but rather due to the divisions between various officials of Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) institutions.

“More than 30% of Södertälje’s population is Syriac. Therefore, placing a memorial is possible with agreement and joint efforts,” Mirza noted.

He urged every Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) individual to take responsibility in conveying the significance of the Sayfo issue. “Each of us should share the story and events of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide with our families, neighbors, and friends. This way, the Sayfo issue will reach the entire world,” Mirza concluded.