The Mesopotamian Declaration of Independence

Unity in diversity

MESOPOTAMIA INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT

حركة استقلال الجزيرة

El Cezire Bağımsızlık Hareketi

Tevgera Serxebûna Cizîrê

روعو دشليطوث بیتو دکترتو

Միջագետքի Անկախության Շարժում

The Mesopotamian Declaration of Independence

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Sykes-Picot Agreement, which drew maps and borders in the region, besides the

subsequent international treaties, created states ignoring the local population

will. Thus the Mesopotamians people of Al Jazira region and the Euphrates basin

found themselves entangled within the modern Syrian state.

Diverse human groups have been living in Mesopotamia, continuously, since the

pre-Sumerian era. It is historically proven that agricultural clans, Assyrians,

Chaldeans, Hebrews, Arabs, Syriacs, Kurds and Turkmen have been residents of

this territory since pre-Islamic conquest, to say the least. Also, Armenians,

Chechens and Circassians subsequently migrated to this territory, in addition to

other small human groups and became indigenous to the region. Besides in-

migrants of individuals and families under the Syrian state from the other

provinces who settled in it permanently.

The continuous presence of the population on Mesopotamia from historical eras

extending for thousands of years, with lifestyles that were based mainly on

agriculture, produced age-old traditions that crossed the barrier of ethnic origin,

language and religion. These traditions produced common values, idioms,

proverbs and wisdom, as well as norms and customary laws; That organized the

internal relationship of each group, as well as the inter-relationship between the

neighbouring human groups, either in the absence of the state or its weakness.

This was the basis of common rich identity in sub-identities, which was never a

factor of conflict or warfare. Despite the exchange of leadership and power,

through ancient history, between these groups. The Mesopotamians of Al Jazira

and Euphrates basin lived under unified values; Within the diversity of language,

ethnic race, religion, sect and culture. The division of the population based on

ethnic, religious and sectarian factors created and fueled by the Syrian state.

Since the creation of the Syrian state, the rich and diverse cultural heritage of

Mesopotamians has been prevented from appearing in the public space, like the

media, cultural and educational institutions. The state banned the Kurdish

language and culture, as well as the cultural heritage of the Assyrians, Syriacs,

Armenians, Chechens, Circassians, Turkomen, besides their languages, and the

heritage and dialects of the Arab-speaking agricultural clans. The negative

perceptions and stereotypes of Euphratians people have been published widely.