Assyrian naming dispute

This article is about the conflict between Assyrian, Chaldean, and Aramean identities. For discussions and origins of these identities and labels for other Syriac Christians, see Terms for Syriac Christians.

Since the mid-to-late 20th century, there has been a debate over the most appropriate ethnic name for Assyrians. Such debates are divided into distinct arguments that fall on the declaration of three unique identities, especially in diaspora, and are usually defined by the Syriac Christian denomination one belongs to:

The emergence of the dispute is tied to the Ottoman millet system and the antagonistic divisions created based on church denominations. From the early 20th century onward, shifts in identity were greatly influenced by the Assyrian genocide, though the catalyst for the dispute is often cited as being the Simele massacre. The massacre prompted both the Chaldean Catholic and Syriac Orthodox churches to begin separating their adherents from Assyrian identity under fear of persecution. Starting from the 1960s and 70s, issues of identity became more apparent and resulted in high-scale conflicts between different factions, which constituted tribalist infighting, positions on secular or religious identity, and individual political interests. Since then, the dispute has been amplified by successive human rights violations against Assyrians in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

Disputes around ethnic identity are more over the question of the name itself, rather than a question of separate ethnicities (though advocacy for such exists in the minority). Nowadays, the dispute tends to be more political than historical or religious. Generally, Assyrian identity is more likely to be used by those who prioritize politics and secular initiatives, while Aramean and Chaldean identities are used by those who prioritize religious values and heritage. Names belonging to the community are recognized to represent one people who have different views on the subject of identity.

The naming dispute has contributed to greater division within the Assyrian community, often on a visibly social level. The rise of the Internet and other online communication technologies has made the dispute more visible and volatile than ever before, and the subject has since dominated their internal discourse. Additionally, the dispute is also noted as having been taken advantage of politically by external actors to undermine Assyrian political interests, and religious advocacy for separate Chaldean/Aramean identities have since been characterized by expressions of anti-Assyrian sentiment. Though compromises have been previously suggested, few have been implemented with varying degrees of success, but a comprehensive solution to the dispute has not yet been achieved. Today, the topic remains deeply controversial.

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