As an Assyrian, I believe that we are often misrepresented. Proposing the emoji flag is not so much for the sake of having our flag join the vastness of other countries in the pixelated world, but for the sake of recognition. Much like the LGBT flag, our flag is not representative of a nation or country, but of a people and a community that to this day, despite continuous persecution, still strives and cherishes what it loves and believes.

The Assyrian people were once a powerful empire located in Mesopotamia, and to what many would consider the “cradle of civilization”. Their empire reigned from 2500BC to 605BC. Being one of the oldest recorded civilizations, Assyrians and Mesopotamians were responsible for many great scientific achievements both in a cultural and militaristic sense. Some of the profound achievements involved:

Aramaic (One of the oldest languages)

Writing (Cuneiform)

Beer

Ironworking

The Wheel

Royal Library of Ashurbanipal

Math systems (Hours/minutes)

Code of Hammurabi (Written law)

Siege Towers (Military vehicle)

Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Ancient World Wonder)

As fate would have it, Assyria and the region of Mesopotamia experienced its rise and fall which in more recent times involved the Assyrian Genocide and the systematic death of Christian Assyrians within Iraq by ISIS/ISIL. So, now I come to you and ask for your support to help make this a reality and aid us in creating a form of recognition that could spark something great for the generations of Assyrians to come.

Link to Proposal submitted to Unicode