Ano Jawhar Abdulmaseeh Abdoka, or Ano Abdoka (, ,) is an Assyrian politician who serves as the Minister of Transportations and Communications of the autonomous

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

since July 2019. Abdoka leads the Shlama Trend for Christian Affairs in the Kurdish region, and he previously led the local committee of the

Kurdistan Democratic Party The Kurdistan Democratic Party (), usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the ruling Political party, party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional Government. It was founded in 1946 in Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan. ...

Ankawa Ankawa (; , ) is a suburb of Erbil in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is located northwest of downtown Erbil. The suburb is predominantly populated by Christian Assyrian, most of whom adhere to the Chaldean Catholic Church. History Ankawa was ...

. He is currently the only Assyrian and Christian member of the Kurdish Government's cabinet.

Early life

Abdoka was born in 1984 in the city of Ankawa,

Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...

, where he grew up. While his father's side of his family was directly from Ankawa, his mother's family come from the Assyrian town of

Alqosh Alqosh (, , , alternatively spelled Alkosh, Alqoš, or Alqush) is a town in the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq, a sub-district of the Tel Kaif District situated 45 km north of the city of Mosul. The inhabitants of Alqosh are Assyrian peopl ...

. He attended the

University of Kurdistan Hewler The University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH) is an educational institution in Erbil/ Hewlêr, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. UKH is a public university that was established in 2006. The University Of Kurdistan Hewler obtained top ranking throughout ...

, where he subsequently held a

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

, and PhD candidacy in Politics and International Relations. Abdoka has been a lifelong member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, first encountering the party through his involvement in the Kurdistan Student Union organization when he was a teenager.

Career

Before swearing in to his position as Transportation and Communications Minister, Abdoka took his oath on a centuries-old manuscript damaged by

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

as a symbolic gesture. Ano stated prior to his ceremony, "It is a challenge that we as Christians, Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Syrians are remaining in the land of our ancestors...The Nineveh Plains, Iraq, Mesopotamia, and Kurdistan are our lands, and we are remaining here with the help of our friends in the Kurdistan Region.” During his tenure as Minister, the Ministry began reforming the transportation sector by outlawing smoking in taxis and buses. Moreover, the Ministry successfully pushed internet companies to reduce the price of internet and also improve its speed. In February 2020, Abdoka took part in an official Kurdish delegation to the

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

to meet

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

and strengthen relations. Abdoka currently serves as the head of the Shlama Trend for Christian Affairs, and has also been a government representative of the KRG's Assyrian community in the past. He has attended several ceremonies promoting cultural and autonomous development of Assyrians in the Kurdish region, including the inauguration of Ankawa as a dedicated district. Other events that he has attended include the inauguration of a Syriac language

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

Salahaddin University Salahaddin University-Erbil (''Zankoy Selaheddîn-hewler'', ''زانکۆی سەلاحەدین-هەولێر'' in Kurdish) is one of the public higher education institutions in the Kurdistan region It is located in Erbil ( Hewler), capital of the ...

, and ordinations for new

bishops A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

in the

Chaldean Catholic Church The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites, particular church (''sui iuris'') in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is ...

and the

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, is an Eastern Christianity, Eastern Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian denomin ...

. In 2024, he had participated in the arrest of an unnamed Kurdish man who posted a Tiktok video of himself desecrating a Christian cemetery in

Shaqlawa Shaqlawa (, , ) is a historic city and a hill station in the Erbil Governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Shaqlawa, a city of approximately 25,500 people, lies 51 km to the northeast of Erbil, at the bottom of Safeen mountain. Shaqlawa i ...

, an event which sparked outrage in Iraq.

Controversy

Abdoka has been previously criticized by Assyrian communities due to his role in the

Kurdish Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish polit ...

. In 2022, a picture of Abdoka presenting a picture of

Mar Shimun XIX Benyamin Mar Shimun XXI Benyamin (1887– 3 March 1918) () served as the 117th List of patriarchs of the Church of the East, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Church of the East. Life He was an ethnic Assyrian people, Assyrian, born in 1887 in the village ...

surfaced, in which Assyrian communities took offense due to the historical implications surrounding Shimun's death by

Simko Shikak Ismail Agha Shikak (, ), also known as Simko (, ; 1887–1930), was a Kurds, Kurdish chieftain of the Shekak (tribe), Shekak tribe. He was a nationalist warlord who controlled significant land and led thousands of Kurdish rebels who defeated th ...

. In May 2024, Abdoka created a new Christian alliance composed of several organizations and political parties representing

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

and Assyrians. The alliance was created following the removal of minority seats in the 2024 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election, which caused criticism and boycott of the elections by the Kurdistan Democratic Party. The formed alliance was built off of Abdoka's Hammurabi Alliance, which includes the

Syriac Assembly Movement The Syriac Assembly Movement () (), formerly known as the Syriac Independent Gathering Movement (), is an Assyrian political party from Iraq. The party's membership comprised mostly Assyrian Christians, particularly those who belonged to the Syria ...

, Chaldean National Congress and

Chaldean Democratic Party The Chaldean Democratic Party (), also known as the Chaldean Democratic Union or the Chaldean Democratic Union Party, is an Assyrian Christian democracy, Christian democrat political party from Iraq and within the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Kurd ...

, and the Chaldean League, and starting with the Christian alliance, additional representatives from the

Armenian Orthodox Church Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

and Armenian Culture Association. The alliance has previously been criticized for the lack of support of the political parties that were involved, and the formation of the Christian alliance renewed these criticisms against Abdoka. In 2024, Abdoka continued to face criticism over continued corruption in the Kurdish region and the presence of

land grabbing Land grabbing is the large-scale acquisition of land through buying or leasing of large pieces of land by domestic and Multinational corporation, transnational companies, governments, and individuals. While used broadly throughout history, land g ...

against Assyrians in Ankawa. Speaking to Channel 8, Joseph Sliwa, former member of Parliament, expressed his frustrations with the KDP and land grabbing, including personal regret over his family's involvement in the Iraqi-Kurdish conflict due to the persecution of Assyrians that followed after. Following the rampant criticism, Abdoka made a public statement promising structural and governmental changes to the city of Ankawa, including promotion of the city's municipality and the establishment of a health directorate, among other changes.

Personal life

Abdoka is a

Chaldean Catholic The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic particular church ('' sui iuris'') in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is headed by the Chaldean Patriarchate. Employing in its liturgy the East Syri ...

and is fluent in Syriac, English,

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

and

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

. Abdoka is also married.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdoka, Ano Living people Chaldean Catholics Iraqi Christians Assyrian politicians Iraqi Assyrian people People from Erbil Governorate Kurdistan Democratic Party politicians 1984 births People of Iraqi-Assyrian descent

Early life

Career

Controversy

Personal life

See also

References