The Shuraya Party (
Syriac: ܫܘܖܝܐ
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 ...
: حزب شوريا) is a
political
Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
organisation that represents the Christian
Assyrian community in
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
and Syria since the late 1970s.
The party advocates the formation of an independent Assyrian State in the
Assyrian homeland
The Assyrian homeland is Assyria ( or ), the homeland of the Assyrian people within which Assyrian civilisation developed, located in their indigenous Upper Mesopotamia. The territory that forms the Assyrian homeland is, similarly to the rest ...
, in what is today Northern Iraq. The term "shuraya" means 'beginning'.
History

The Shuraya Party was first established on 25 July, 1978 in
Beirut
Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
, when the country was engulfed by the
civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. Since its foundation, it has worked closely together with
Bashir Gemayel, the founder and leader of the
Lebanese Forces militia (LF), in which it sees itself connected in the struggle and destiny for all Lebanese Christians.
It is composed of "free philosophers" of different
Eastern Church
Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations further east, south or north. The term does not describe a ...
origins, who regard themselves as Assyrians. The Shuraya leadership insists they are not bound by any Church, but rejects the reproach of being anti-Christian. It claims to represent all oriental Christians and stresses its commitment to maintain a coined Christian Lebanon.
The party established its own magazine in Lebanon in the 1980s, dubbed ''Shuraya'', and also opened its own radio show named ''My Voice'', to the wave of FM-radio.
During the
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon.
The religious diversity of the ...
, the Party also fielded a small militia, the Assyrian Battalion (AB), which fought alongside the other Christian militias of the
Lebanese Front
The Lebanese Front was a coalition of mainly right-wing Lebanese Nationalist parties formed in 1976 by majority Christian groups during the Lebanese Civil War. It was intended to act as a reaction force to the Lebanese National Movement (LNM) ...
.
See also
*
Assyrian nationalism
Assyrian nationalism is a movement of the Assyrian people that advocates for Assyrian independence movement, independence or autonomy within the regions they inhabit in northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, northwestern Iran, and southeastern Turkey. ...
*
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon.
The religious diversity of the ...
*
Lebanese Front
The Lebanese Front was a coalition of mainly right-wing Lebanese Nationalist parties formed in 1976 by majority Christian groups during the Lebanese Civil War. It was intended to act as a reaction force to the Lebanese National Movement (LNM) ...
References
External links
Der VGH Kassel über Aktivitäten und Bedeutung der „Shuraya“„Informationsangebot“ der Organisation
www.shuraya.de.vu*
1978 establishments in Lebanon
Assyrian nationalism
Assyrian political parties
Assyrians in Lebanon
Christian political parties in Lebanon
March 14 Alliance
Political parties established in 1978
Political parties of minorities in Lebanon
{{Lebanon-party-stub