Michigan state legislature committee recommends Bakhdida resolution

The Word | Feb. 8, 2024

Members of Michigan’s Chaldean community Wednesday testified before the Michigan House of Representative’s Committee on Government Operations about the fire at an Assyrian wedding in Bakhdida, or Qaraqosh, that killed more than 100 in September.

In a Feb. 7 hearing, the Michigan House of Representatives’ Committee on Government Operations recommended a resolution calling for US aid to the victims of the fire that tore through the Al-Haitham Royal Hall in September last year.

House Resolution 148 “urges the President of the United States to provide assistance and medical aid to the community of Qaraqosh/Bakhdida, Iraq” following the fire. Christopher Salem, chairman of the board of the nonprofit Nineveh Rising, credits State Representative Joe Aragona and Joe Tinpan, a friend, with the idea to introduce state legislation on Bakhdida.

“They rolled up their sleeves and immediately got to work for our community,” Salem told The Word in an email.

The committee moved to report out the resolution with four affirmative votes, no negative votes and one abstention, effectively sending it to the state House for consideration.

Ranna Salem, president of the nonprofit Nineveh Rising, and Christopher Salem testified before the committee. Joseph Arabbo, also of Nineveh Rising and vice president of the Chaldean American Bar Association, as well as Alex Karana, president of the Assyrian Bar Association and Treasurer at the Chaldean American Bar Association, also testified, among others from different community organizations including the Baghdad Federation.

“While no amount of funding will ever replace the lives lost, there is a great deal we can do for the healing process,” Ranna Salem said, mentioning potential plans for  local mental health and recreational facilities.

“We received blueprints from Bishop Benedictus Younan in Bakhdeda for a capital project,” Christopher Salem told The Word. “The vision includes a healing center for mental health, a recreational center, and a daycare for children who lost one or both parents and are being raised by relatives. It will be completed in multiple phases, and we along with the Bishop are hoping this will be a collaborative effort between multiple organizations.”

Nineveh Rising is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization registered as tax-exempt in 2023.

Bakhdida, located in northern Iraq, was one of the predominantly Christian towns ravaged by ISIS during its offensive beginning in 2014.

Michigan is home to an estimated 100,000 Chaldeans, many with roots in Iraq, though counts vary. Its capital, Detroit, and the city of Dearborn, which recently garnered attention after heavy public criticism of a Wall Street Journal opinion piece dubbing it “America’s jihad capital”, are home to a sizable Middle Eastern population.

Accoring to Salem, some victims of the fire have extreme cases that still warrant medical attention.

“Besides that, bringing the town back to a sense of peace and normalcy is also desperately needed,” he said. “That’s why this capital project is so important.”