Human Rights Council
Sixth Session Forum on Minority Issues
26-27 November 2013
The Christian minorities in the Middle East are indigenous to the countries in which they reside. They have been living in their respective countries for thousands of years. As an example, Assyrians are believed to be the first converts to Christianity, and to this day they still speak a dialect of ancient Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ. In Syria, Assyrian Christians are indigenous to the land of Syria and the country of Syria has taken its name from Assyrians. However, since the arrival of the Baath Party to power in Syria, it has continued to oppress the Assyrian Christians as well as all Syrian people.