Toma Tomas () (1924-1996), also known by his nom de guerre Abu Joseph, was a

Chaldean Chaldean (also Chaldaean or Chaldee) may refer to: Language * an old name for the Aramaic language, particularly Biblical Aramaic. See Chaldean Catholic Church#Terminology, Chaldean misnomer * Suret, a modern Aramaic language spoken by Chaldean C ...

politician and the leader of al-Ansar, a

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

, Marxist–Leninist militia in Iraq which fought on behalf of the

Iraqi Communist Party The Iraqi Communist Party ( '; ) is a communist party and the oldest active party in Iraq. Since its foundation in 1934, it has dominated the left in Iraqi politics. It played a prominent role in shaping the political history of Iraq between it ...

against the Iraqi government from the 1960s until the 1980s.

Early life

Toma Sadek Tomas Kaka, known as Toma Tomas, was an ethnic

born in

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 ...

in 1924 to 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 ...

family. He witnessed the Simele massacre first-hand when Assyrians escaped the massacres to Alqosh. His father Sadek Tomas Kaka was one of the families who brought in Assyrians families into their homes and housed them and stood up in front with the other men from the village defending them and keeping them safe. This event was crucial in shaping his political ideas in the future. After finished elementary school in

, he moved to

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

where he finished high school and joined the Assyrian Levies. Before leaving Alqosh he married Almas Zilfa. He later found his way to

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

to work at an oil company. It was during his time in Kirkuk where he first learned about

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

and joined the

in the early 1950s.الأصيل توما توماس , لم يكن للكراهية مكانا في قلبه.
NirgalGate

Career and Struggle

Toma Tomas and his eldest son Joseph Tomas

He moved to his home town after the

14 July Revolution The 14 July Revolution, also known as the 1958 Iraqi military coup, was a ''coup d'état'' that took place on 14 July 1958 in Iraq, resulting in the toppling of King Faisal II and the overthrow of the Hashemite-led Kingdom of Iraq. The Ira ...

, which brought the Qasimists (who were allied with the Iraqi Communist Party) to power. The situation didn't last long however, the Arab nationalists revolted and the prime minister

Abd al-Karim Qasim Abdul-Karim Qasim Muhammad Bakr al-Fadhli Al-Qaraghuli al-Zubaidi ( ' ; 21 November 1914 – 9 February 1963) was an Iraqi military officer and statesman who served as the Prime Minister and de facto leader of Iraq from 1958 until his ...

was executed. The communists where summarily executed and some led by Toma Tomas fled to the mountains of northern Iraq where they formed armed communist guerilla’s known as the Ansar and fought alongside the Kurds and Iraqi dissidents in their struggle against the central government. For almost 30 years Toma Tomas led the ''Ansari Peshmerga'' in many battles against the Iraqi army in the region stretching from the Turkish borders of Northern Iraq in the region of Behdinan to

Tel Keppe Tel Keppe ( ', ', alternatively spelled Tel Kaif, Tilkepe, or Telkef) is a town in northern Iraq. It is located in the Nineveh Governorate, less than 8 mi (13 km) northeast of Mosul.Welcome to Tel Keppe at ChaldeansOnline http://www.cha ...

to the south.

Death and Legacy

He died in Syria on 15 October 1996 and was buried at the Chaldean cemetery in Nohadra. His remains were reburied in his home town Alqosh in 2010. In 2011, residents of Alqosh enacted a statue of Tomas in an official ceremony, where eulogies and poems were delivered in his honor. The celebratory event was attended by Hamid Majid Mousa of the ICP and representatives of the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council, as well as townspeople and journalists. Tomas' legacy is remembered by various figures in the Assyrian community to this day, including singer Talal Graish, who dedicated a song to him on his 2008 album ''X Love''.

References

External links

Toma Tomas' diaries
Zahrira * Song dedicated to Tomas (29:37) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tomas, Toma Iraqi guerrillas Iraqi politicians 1924 births 1996 deaths Iraqi Communist Party politicians People from Alqosh Iraqi Assyrian people Assyrian activists People of Iraqi-Assyrian descent Chaldean Catholics Iraqi revolutionaries Iraqi prisoners sentenced to death