Candle-Light Vigil to Remember Looting
of Iraqi Museum

March 9, 08
www.assyriatimes.com

The Bet-Nahrain organization today announces that it will participate in the Global Candlelight Vigil for the Iraq Museum on April 11th joining museums, schools, and organizations around the world, members of Bet-Nahrain will pause to remember the fifth anniversary of the cultural crime of the century: the looting of the Iraq National Museum, which occurred in Baghdad on April 10th through 12th, 2003.

At venues from San Francisco to Baghdad, across the United States and around the world, the Global Candlelight Vigil will call attention to the thousands of stolen antiquities that are still missing from the Iraq Museum as well as the plunder of historical monuments and archaeological sites across Iraq and around the world.

Bet-Nahrain Candlelight Vigil event which would be in concurrent with its annual telethon will consist of lighting candles, a moment of silence, and a Christian prayer in Assyrian language and English. "We felt it was important to be part of this effort to raise public awareness about the growing crisis of cultural heritage destruction, which is of increasing concern to museums, universities and others to recognize the need to preserve the ultimate non-renewable resource, the intact evidence of our ancient past," says Shamiram Daniali, the Vice President of Bet-Nahrain.

"By organizing a global event on the fifth anniversary of this great tragedy, we can call the world's attention not only to the Iraq Museum, but to the ongoing destruction of global cultural heritage," says Cindy Ho, president of the US-based non-profit organization SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone, Inc., which has organized the Global Candlelight Vigil event with the endorsement of the Iraq Museum's former Director General, Dr. Donny George, who is featured in a 'call to action' video on the SAFE website (http://www.savingantiquities.org/candlelightvigils.php).

Cindy Ho says, "By working with Dr. George and museums, schools and organizations around the world, SAFE hopes to again focus the world's attention on these important issues."

The honorable President of Bet-Nahrain organization, Dr. Sargon Dadesho calls upon all Assyrian organizations to join SAFE's global candlelight vigil.

The video of the event will be available globally on AssyriaSat (Satellite Television Network) and locally on KBSV TV Channel-23 and also the new KBSV HDTV, Channel 15 Digital.

Local Contact
Assyrian Cultural Center of Bet-Nahrain
3119 S. Central Ave., Ceres, CA
Tel: 1-209-538-4130 & 1-209-537-0933
kbsv@aol.com

Global Contact
Cindy Ho, SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone
1-201-626-3460 (office)
1-917-916-5748 (cell)
cho@savingantiquities.org