This thread will take a look at Asia, if, for some reason, the Church of the East manages to remain present in Asia, although its position is way too far from that of Christianity in Europe.
Syria,Iraq and the Levant
Syria

Syria has never had a significant Nestorian population outside Hasakeh province. Within the territory of Syria,there are nominally six dioceses:
- Hasakeh (ܚܣܟܗ)
- Beth Zalin (ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ), also known as Qamishlo
- Callinikus/Raqqa
- Manbij (ܡܒܘܓ)
- Beroea/Aleppo (ܚܠܒ)
- Damascus (ܕܪܡܣܘܩ) Darmsúq
Effectively, the faithful of the Church of the East make some 30% of Hasakeh province, perhaps made 5% of Raqqa province (before the war), and 7% of Aleppo province. Less than 5% of Damascus city and countryside belongs to the Church of the East.
The faithful along the Khabour river speak mostly Aramaic (Syriac), while those of Aleppo and Raqqa provinces would use Syriac in church and Arabic for daily life. The parishioners in Damascus would use Western Aramaic for liturgy and sometimes they would speak it at home as well. Many in Aleppo, Manbij, or Raqqa have arrived after WW1.
The civil war has hit the Nestorian population in Syria quite hard: the Dioceses of Manbij and Raqqa are in name only; most of their Christians have fled from ISIS. Aleppo is severely dameged as well.
The Christian - populated areas of Hasakeh province have remained for quite a long time an exclave of government-held territory; subsequently, its leaders have unilaterally declared autonomy from Damascus, exchanged all Arabic labels for Syriac ones, but otherwise remained loyal to Assad.
Occasional clashes with YPG have confirmed the status quo on the ground, and led to an Agreemend of Ras-al-Ayn.
The retaking of Manbij and Raqqa from ISIS after heavy fighting did notresult in return of Christians (although a few families have returned to Manbij). Those who did, sold their estates as fast as possible, while buying houses in the Khabur region.
Lebanon
In Lebanon, there is only one Diocese, located in Beirut. In general, most adherents to the Church of the East have arrived after WW1. They make around 2% of Lebanese population, and have one deputy in the parliament. Most were at first Arabised, but later picked up the Western Aramaic dialect (The Maronites were very eager to propmote the Aramaic language, for which they employed instructors from Maaloula).
Iraq
Iraq is considered to be the hearland of the Nestorian Church. The seat of the Patriarch of the East is located in Seleucia-Ctesiphon, while his offices are in Baghdad.
Within Iraq , there are the following doceses:
- Nohadra (ܢܘܗܕܪܐ)
- Bakhdida (ܒܲܓܼܕܹܝܕܵܐ)
- Niniveh (ܢܝܢܘܐ)
- Tagrit (ܬܓܪܝܬ)
- Arbela (ܐܲܪܒܝܠ)
- Kerka d Beth Slok (ܟܪܟܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܣܠܘܟ)
- Baghdad (ܒܓܕܐܕ)
- Anbar (ܐܢܒܐܪ)
- Hira (ܚܝܪܐ) -SW Iraq
- Kashkar (ܟܫܟܪ) near Wasit
- Prath d´Maishan (ܦܪܬ ܕܡܝܫܢ) / Basra
The Christians of Iraq can be divided roughly into two communities: those who inhabit the northern parts of Iraq, and those south of Baghdad. The osutherners have largely adopted Arabic, while the northerners for most part speak Assyrian Neo-Aramaic. The Assyrians make around 15% of Iraq; their major cities were Zakho, Nohadra, Bakhdida and around the Piedmont all the way to Kerkuk, and Tagrit as well.
More precisely:
- Nohadra governorate:65%
- Ninewah governorate: 25%
- Erbil governorate: 45%
- Kirkuk governorate: 25%
- Saladin governorate: 30%
- Anbar: 5%
- Maysan 15%
- Wasit 8%
- Babil governorate 6%
- Basra 8%
- Baghdad city: 11%
The rest have a proprortion below 10%.
Legislatively, one tnetg of the seats in tge Iraqi parliament is reserved for Christians;'another twentieth for Yazidis, Jews, Mandeans and Zoroastrians. On the ID documents, the religious affiliation of the citizens is shown. The Nohadra and Arbela governorates have had Christian governors for quite some time; while the large Sunni population of Mosul greatly outnumbers the rural Christian population of Nineveh. Christias have angrily protested proposals of banning of alcohol and other Muslim laws;'in many places they have held large demos. Assyrian strikes led to revocation of the passages speaking of islam being state religion, to saying: "The national religions of the Republic of Iraq are Islam and the Church of the East, which are considered equal in rights and privileges".
Syriac is considered official in some of the governorates.
After the 2003 war, many Christians have fled northwards,to the Nineveh plains. With the coming of ISIS, Assyrians have held the Tigris line in Mosul for four years; with its northeastern bank being defended heavily, while the soutwestern was occupied by ISIS. The coming of ISIS meant the abandonment of Tagrit and the diocese of Anbar as well, while internal refugees continued to arrive in Arbela and Kerka.
With the defeat of ISIS, things are gradually returning back to normal, and the government in Baghdad is thinking of recognizing the Assyrian Regional Government in the governorates of Niinveh, Dohuk, Erbil , Tikrit and Kirkuk (with border alterations so that Kurduish inhabited moutains can be excluded).
The group "Sons of Marduk" is an Assyrian nationalist organization, not so much affiliated with Christianity, but holding the principle of retaliation for terrorist attacks against Christians. Their slogan is ten for one; and have made a name during the Saladin (Tirhan) campaign. While denounced by the Church hierarchy and politicians, they have sympathy among Assyrians in areas susceptible to attacks, or who suffered under ISIS.
Relations with the Sunnis are very bad; the relations with Shias are careful and distrusting; threats from Shia extremists were responded by counterthreats by Sons of Marduk; usually the issues were then solved by the provincial governors who insisted on calming of tensions.
Currently, Assyrian militias who have participated greatly in the Mosul offensive are trying to convict as many collaborators as possible;'while preventing and detering the return of refugees. Their aim is to make a demographic change in the Nineveh province (it is estimated that today the proportion of Christians is at 42%).