Assyrian activists criticize U.S. Consulate in Erbil over omission of Assyrian identity in site visit
The U.S. Consulate General in Erbil has come under criticism from Assyrian activists and intellectuals after a social media post about a visit to historical sites in northern Iraq omitted any reference to Assyrian heritage.
Assyrian activists and intellectuals criticized the failure of the U.S. Consulate in Erbil to acknowledge the Assyrian identity of historical sites in a recent post on X.
Ambassador Steven Fagin, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, recently visited Assyrian historical sites in northern Iraq. The official account of the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil on X (formerly Twitter) shared photos of the visit but did not mention that the sites are Assyrian.
The omission prompted several Assyrians to react, viewing it as part of a deliberate, long-term strategy of cultural and ethnic erasure of the Assyrian identity of the region, in an effort to rewrite its history in favor of a Kurdish narrative.
"If you can't acknowledge these locations as Assyrian, you're better off staying in the consulate in Ankawa," one activist posted on X.
Assyrian writer and researcher Frederick Aprim also voiced his criticism, writing: "Kurdish historians corrupt the real history of the region..." He added: "We are sure that foreign officials are aware of the revision and corruption of the history of Assyria (northern Iraq) that is taking place by Kurdish officials."
Assyrian human rights researcher Max J. Joseph further observed: "When it comes to Assyrians, 'the incredible heritage and rich history of the region' seemingly has no cultural attribution."
