Seraphim Maamdi is a Kurd whose
ancestors fled from the Turkish genocide into the Caucasus region 100
years ago. The charming combination of a Kurdish last name and a
Greek first name, Seraphim, owes to the fact that he was baptized
Orthodox ten years ago, after having moved to Russia.
In the summer of this year, Seraphim organized a meeting of Orthodox
Kurds in Tbilisi. Seraphim told our correspondent from Pravmir
about the conversion of his fellow Kurds - Yezidis and Muslims - to
Orthodoxy, about Kurds and Kurdistan, about relations between
Georgians and Russians and much more.
“There was murmuring from a
few: how is it that they allowed him to enter the sanctuary?”
Seraphim, why did you choose
the name Seraphim in particular for your baptism, rather than, say,
a Georgian name. After all, your ancestors had lived in Georgia for
four generations.
-From early childhood I had heard of
Saint Seraphim of Sarov,
however, I could not understand what his spiritual feat consisted of.
When I learned that he spent 1000
days and nights on a stone in prayer… I was amazed! While looking
at his eyes on an icon, I was captivated by their gaze: they were so
bright, kind, and had such depth. I felt affection and shame, ashamed
that I was so unworthy. When I chose to be baptized, I was unable to
imagine another name for myself. He is for me the model of the
holiness to which we should aspire.
“Seraphim” means “fiery”.
It is also the name of one of the orders of Angels close to God.
I am still a neophyte, little
before God, yet I know that there is a perfection to which we must
all strive. One either strives to become a saint or he remains
nobody, there is not a third path. A person, if he is Christian,
never ceases to strive in this way because there is no limit to
Christian perfection.
-The most meaningful impression,
and experience, was when I received the blessing to serve in the
sanctuary. At that time, I had only been a member of the Church for
one year, so there were many who murmured, “how is it that they
allowed him to enter the sanctuary so early.” But the senior priest
of our parish in Khimki
gave me his blessing. When I entered the sanctuary for the first time
I instantly felt the Grace of God! I felt as if I were slowly
climbing a staircase when, all of a sudden, I was transported ten
steps higher. I understood that I had been granted an enormous honor
- to serve at God’s Throne. It is a service of Grace, but it is
also a terrifying service and an immense responsibility.
I remember my first Liturgy (after
having served in the sanctuary for two Liturgies in a row). I felt as
if I was flying! The priest asked, “are you tired?” And I
answered him, “father, I am ready to help with two more Liturgies
in a row!”
Sometimes I went to church every
day, which gave me the opportunity to study Church Slavonic more
deeply, to learn to pray. Church Slavonic, while being a delightful
language, was very difficult to understand. I read the Book of Hours
and Akathists and thus gradually began to learn Slavonic.
Once the Lord showed me how tragic
it is for a Christian to live without Holy Communion. I went to the
country to relax, but in the place where I found myself there wasn’t
an Orthodox church. Having spent ten days there, I felt not joy, but
rather melancholy. And although I was supposed to stay longer, I
decided to leave early. Without Holy Communion I dry up, just like a
flower without water. I live on Holy Communion. Since entering the
Orthodox faith five years ago, I have missed five, maybe seven Sunday
Services. For me that is always a major loss. Father Daniel Sysoev
told me: “Take Communion no less than once a month, and no more
than once a day - that is the foundation of spiritual life.”
Center of attention
-I had dreamed of meeting him! He
was one of the two marvelous priests who I’ve known (the first
being the priest from Novgorod Dmitri Bezumov who prepared my
Baptism). Looking at them, I understood what the service of a priest
is about and how it should be carried out. Fr. Daniel was an example
for me, he was fiery and zealous. He always found time for his
parishioners. It was very interesting to talk with him, he was such
an erudite, he possessed such an excellent knowledge of history and
of Scripture. I bombarded him with questions and he would patiently
explain. It was Fr. Daniel who gave me a Gospel in Kurdish, which
motivated me to study Kurdish. It was God’s mercy that allowed me
to meet Fr. Daniel.
-It was very sad. My first
thoughts were selfish: “If he had lived just a few more years, he
could have taught us so much.” He helped and inspired people so
much, supported them in all their endeavors. But at the same time, I
was overjoyed! At some point I came to understand that we now had an
intercessor and martyr in Heaven who, seeing our needs, will pray for
us. This is God’s mercy! In the church we didn’t feel that before
us stood a coffin with the departed lying in it, but rather a shrine
with holy relics. My friends said, “We don’t feel like he is
dead.” I stayed in the church all day and all night while the
Gospel was read over him, I stayed with his spiritual children and
his family. When I left, it felt like I’d left a little part of me
there in the church. But in my soul I felt calm and joyful.
- The priesthood is a divine
calling. I have always felt and been conscious of the fact that we
Kurds are in dire need of a priest, but as far as I am concerned
personally, I don’t feel that I have the right to be influenced
solely by my own desires and tendencies as regards that question.
While I do consider the priesthood, here one must seek God’s will
rather than his own. Time will tell what God wishes.
However, I do feel the call. And
the Patriarch of Georgia has told me: “A priest is very important
to the Kurdish people, they need a shepherd who will unite the
flock.” This is an enormous responsibility! A priest is an icon of
Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ made priests partners in His actions,
such as the Sacraments, preaching and pastoral work. People from all
over Judea flocked to Christ! A good priest is meant to be just such
a “center of attention.”
The Kurdish path to Orthodoxy
- Seraphim, relying on the fact
that you’ve recently been to Georgia, I’d like to ask you: has a
division really formed which alienates Russians from Georgians?
-Do you know what Georgians ask me?
“Is it true that Russians hate us?” And do you know what
Russians ask me? “Is it true that Georgians hate us?” This is
the result of the political manipulation of two Orthodox nations.
How can we maintain enmity if we are of one faith? When we are
united in Christ, in sacred truth, nationality is a secondary issue.
- When I arrived in Georgia to
take care of some personal affairs, I had the good fortune of
meeting His Beatitude Catholicos of Georgia, Ilia II. He gave his
blessing in order for me to assemble the Orthodox Kurds in the
Cathedral of Sameba, where he serves. For me all this was something
completely new and unexpected. I needed to take care of all the
organization, bring the people together. I had never undertaken
anything like that before, I was totally inexperienced. But with
God’s help everything worked out. The information spread like a
chain reaction, from person to person, and around 40 people
gathered. There were also some Georgian guests, and we were
delighted to have fr. Ilia Chankvetadze. I gave a lecture about the
history of Kurdish Christians and told the audience the stories of
modern Kurds who had converted to Orthodoxy; I also answered
questions. Towards the middle of the assembly some Kurds gathered up
the courage to tell the audience about their personal path to
Orthodoxy.
There was also an unexpected and
joyous episode. An elderly Kurdish lady stood up and asked to be
allowed to speak. She said, “All my life I had been searching for
the truth, knowing that it must exist somewhere, but I couldn’t
find it. I was taken to the Pentecostal Church, to the Jehovah's
Witnesses and to other sects, but I understood that something there
just wasn’t right… But now, at age 65, I feel that for the first
time I have found the truth! It is so obvious that I am unable to
oppose it.” The woman declared that she had decided to be baptized.
-It happens in various ways. Some
convert after having read the Bible or speaking to a priest,
attempting to find the truth. Some are even moved by a mystical
experience. For example, a relative of mine, who at the time of the
story was 15 or 16, used to be tormented by a nightmare in which
someone was chasing him, someone black would chase him into a
corner. And when he was finally trapped, a white cross would appear
and the darkness dissipated. This dream repeated several times! This
young man told the dream to his father, who didn’t take it
seriously: “an impressionable teenage boy will dream about all
sorts of things.” But then the father was in a terrible car
accident from which he miraculously survived. He came home at night
and went to bed. He dreamed that a tall black being said: “I
wanted to take you away, but He wouldn’t let me.” In the end the
whole family was baptized.
Kurdish Yezidis become Orthodox
rather easily. However, for Kurds coming from Muslim families it is
more complicated. I know a girl from Kazakhstan from a Muslim Kurdish
family. She developed the desire to be baptized, but she couldn’t
decide out of fear. Her brother gathered up his courage and was
baptized. I corresponded with the girl, who finally said, “I don’t
know what my parents will do when they find out that no matter what I
want to be baptized.” I recently learned that she was joined to the
Church on Pentecost. Overall it should be noted that Kurds are
actively becoming Orthodox.
-It’s happened, but thank God I
am not afraid. It is also worth noting that in Russia and Georgia
Kurds have a more gentle and tolerant attitude towards Orthodoxy.
But take for example Kurdish Yezidis in Iraq; they are capable of
stoning an apostate to death, especially one who has converted to
Islam. Yezidis have a bitter hatred towards Muslims because of the
Turkish genocide at the start of the 20th century. Not so long ago,
it seems it was in 2007, a story took place in Iraq. A Yezidi girl
fell in love with a Muslim boy. Against their parents’ will, the
couple were married and the young lady became Muslim. According to
the Yezidis, in doing so she committed a mortal sin. After learning
of the marriage and conversion, the Yezidis killed her. 15 young men
got together and committed this heinous act. In their turn the
Muslims took revenge. They caught the murderers and killed every
last one of them execution style. So as you see, in Iraq the
attitude towards changing your religion is a very categorical one.
In Russia such radicalism doesn’t exist. Yezidis are very
sympathetic to Orthodoxy, although they prefer to maintain a
distance and not penetrate into [the faith]. Father Ilia said that
after the fall of the Soviet Union one of the first Orthodox
churches in Tbilisi was built by Kurdish Yezidis.
-The Kurds are one of the oldest
peoples of the Orient. Kurds are also one of the largest ethnic
groups in the world, deprived of the rights to autonomy and
political sovereignty. In the 20th century the territory where Kurds
have lived for countless centuries (Kurdistan) was divided between
four states: Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Furthermore, a number of
countries in the region are openly hostile to Kurdish people and try
to force them to assimilate.
Whilst living in their homeland,
my ancestors were not allowed to speak the Kurdish language. If a
textbook of Kurdish language were found in the home, the family would
receive 10 years in prison. During the 20th century a genocide took
place, due to which my people were forced to flee to Georgia,
Armenia, Russia, Europe, the USA and other countries. After Christian
nations began to accept Kurdish refugees, our written language
gradually began to develop. In the USSR, for the first time Kurdish
theatre, radio and newspaper appeared. And in France the “Academy
of Kurdish Language” even came to exist. It was precisely during
the emigration that all of this was achieved.
There was a time when our people
knew Christianity. But, finding themselves in a Muslim environment,
the majority became Muslim. I believe that had the Kurds remained
faithful to Christ, our history would have been different.
Nevertheless, these persecutions were providential. Many Kurds were
able to be fearlessly baptized. In the 2000’s, translations of
Holy Scripture and Orthodox prayers were made into Kurdish. Finally,
it became more possible to preach the Gospel to Kurds.
A Silent Sermon
-Do
you feel that this is your calling - to speak about Christ to your
compatriots?
- When I was still preparing to be
baptized [studying the Catechism] I had already begun to take part in
the mission. Fr. Dmitri Bezumnov was my teacher, we would spend three
or four hours in discussion. I absorbed information like a sponge and
have remembered everything he taught me to this day! Thus, without
realizing it, fr. Dmitri enlightened not one, but many people.
- Have
your relatives been baptized?
- Many have been, while others have
not. Some are still preparing for it. Actually, one of the reasons I
decided to take part in the mission is because of the pain I feel for
my family. When I was baptized, I was troubled by the thought that
they will live and die outside of Christianity. I was hurt and
frightened for their sake. But on the other hand, I understood that
one should never force their beliefs on others, nor should one go
around with the attitude that he is better than his relatives because
he knows Christ and they do not. There is a silent sermon - your
life, there is also prayer. And that is what is most important. If my
words are not supported by my actions, then all is useless.
Preaching would be impossible
without the love for God and for one’s neighbour. It is this that
gives me the strength not to despair while pursuing this difficult
path. Compassion alone will not help in this work, I preach for the
Glory of God.
-We accomplish everything with
God’s help. My priority is to preach, and also to enlighten and
strengthen the faith in those recently baptized Christians. Some
Kurds become Christian but continue to perform Pagan rituals. For
example, they go to places which are sacred only to Kurds - such
places could be merely a pile of stones -they leave money there in
exchange for “luck.” They also practice fortune-telling, etc.
All of this stems from ignorance. Therefore, these things need to be
spoken and written about, which is what I try to do to the best of
my ability.
-There are a great many baptized
Kurds. However, a unified, active community does not yet exist. But
it will emerge. Our people are somewhat passive. Kurds are waiting
for a priest to come, for a church to be built… When an enormous
palace is being built, nobody goes to work on it. When the building
is finished, then the people gather with pleasure. Starting from
nothing is difficult, but everything at one time or another began
from nothing! Islam spread eastward like the plague, taking pity on
nothing and on no one. That is why only mere crumbs are left of
Kurdish Christianity. Therefore, we are faced with a great task for
the future - reviving the faith in Christ amongst Kurds. At times it
seems impossible, but God would not entrust people with an
unachievable task. And He gave Christians the task to be the light
of the world. It is hard, but it is possible. We often forget that
it is God who accomplishes great things, but he does so with our
hands.
The opinions of the author may
not necessarily coincide with those of the editor.
Source:
pravmir.ru
Translated from Russian by Aviv Saliou
