Founders:

Rami Ibrahim

Abgar Gourie nahroyo

HASAN İŞHADE 

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We the aforementioned persons found a non-profit association and give it the name: 

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The International Association for the Protection of the Syrian Linguistic and Cultural Heritage

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 Website: https://www.syrianheritage.org

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Articles of the Association:

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The Board of Directors:

1- Given the association is in the process of establishing itself and attracting members, the founding members can choose the members of the board of directors for one term (two years) and they can carry out the tasks of management during this stage, and therefore they are considered members of the board of directors. Mr. Rami Ibrahim is the only founder and director in charge of having the association registered in Switzerland. As soon as two years elapse from the date of the establishment of the association, the members of the board of directors shall be elected in a vote supervised by a committee consisting of three founding members or three members of the old board of directors.

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2- The number of members of the board of directers may not exceed seven.

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3- The board of directors takes all the decisions of the association, with the exception of the decision to dissolve the association which remains entirely dependent on the decision of the founding members.  However, the board of directors becomes empowered to take the decision to dissolve the association in the event that all the founders resign and the last remaining founding member of the association transfers the right to dissolve the association to the incumbent board of directors at the moment before his resignation by submitting a written and signed letter.

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4- The right to view member records, website passwords and special codes, if any, is limited to the board of directors and no member of the board of directors can be denied access. However, the board of directors does not have the right to share the codes and passwords with other people, except for security or legal imperatives in the country or countries in which the association is registered.

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5- The board of directors decides, with the agreement of the majority of its members, to authorize a member to publish or participate in its activities under a pseudonym if he or she requests so and sets out their reasons in written and signed letter.

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6- Any member of the board of directors may propose to terminate or cancel the membership of any of the members, but the membership may be terminated or cancelled only when agreed upon by  the majority of the members of the board of directors.

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7- A new board of directors is elected within the framework of a general assembly convened by the old board of directors, and held in the last month of each term and is valid whatever the number of members present. A  term lasts for a period of two years.

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8- The board of directors may call an extraordinary general assembly with the approval of a majority of the members of the incumbent board of directors, and its decisions are deemed valid regardless of the number of its members present.

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9- The president of the association should be a member of the board of directors and can be chosen by the board of directors or elected by the members of the associatiion in case the board of directors fails to agree on one of its members to be named president.

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10- The missions of the president of the association are limited to representing the association before the competent bodies and to being its official spokesperson.  His or her voice within the board of directors has no weight or added value at all. The president of the association has the right to propose another representative of the association or its spokesperson ( for either replacing  him or her  or sharing responsibilities) provided that the majority of all the members of the board of directors agree on that member.

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The objectives of the association:

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1. The production of literary, intellectual and journalistic content in Levantine, a contemporary Syrian language.

2. To reinforce interest in the languages and/or inscriptions ​​of ancient Syria: Sumerian, Ugaritic, Canaanite or Phoenician, Akkadian, Aramaic, Syriac, Hebrew, Hittite, Luwian, Hurrian, Koine Greek, Latin and Safaitic (and to study and teach them as far as possible).

3. Protecting ancient Syrian antiquities and manuscripts and defending them against smuggling, theft, destruction, tampering and illegal possession

4. To encourage and develop linguistic and historical research in regard to Syrian cultures and civilizations.

5. Supporting creative Syrians , developing their creativity, and publicizing their works.

 

The official languages ​​of the association:

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Syrian Levantine, Modern Standard Arabic, English, and French

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The vision and mission of the association:

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The vision of the association is to raise awareness among human societies of the importance of the linguistic, cultural and historical heritage of the civilizations that flourished in historic Syria before the spread of Islam. This includes Phoenicia and what is within the Fertile Crescent, but might not include it entirely in order to reduce the areas of interest to what the association can investigate and work on.  Furthermore, the association protects this heritage against damage, loss, ignorance and oblivion and is committed to a process of literary and intellectual reproduction based on this enormous and important heritage that has been neglected, fought and erased, unfortunately, with or without intention,  by successive Islamic states and empires which ruled  the Fertile Crescent, and the investigation of the relationships, interactions and conflicts this heritage has had with the ideas of the Islam, if any.

As for the mission of the association, it is to create the  necessary means to manifest, study and archive this linguistic, cultural and historical heritage, to mobilize efforts to re-use it culturally in literature and the contemporary arts, and to cooperate with associations, international organizations and associations to preserve it from loss, erasure, and to defend its consistency in contemporary cultures.

To achieve the vision and mission of the association, the association adopts the following approach:

1. Attracting people who are interested in the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Fertile Crescent in the hope that they become members of the association or cooperating with them

2. .Working according to the vision and objectives of the association and avoiding work which is rather motivated by personal interests or individual projects.

3. Avoiding directing the work or dedicating it to respond to particular political or cultural campaigns, unless the board of directors of the association decides so.

4. Cooperating in principle with all institutions and associations sharing a common interest or goal with the association, and cooperating in particular with the Swiss institutions and those in  the canton of Neuchâtel, where the association is going to be registered.

5. Search for the truth and dissemination of documented, logical and reasonable information to gain the trust of people and interested individuals

6. Refuting  ideas and information that serve political agendas or that are based on myths, unhistorical and unscientific speculations.

7. Introduce  the Syrian cultural and linguistic heritage ( as a human heritage and a cradle of human civilization ) to the Swiss population (through the official languages ​​of Switzerland) and encouraging their interaction with the association and its activities.

8. Encouraging honest and professional intellectual and journalistic work and avoiding controversies that would divert the association from its objectives.

9. Starting with the easy and the feasible, rejecting projects that require non-existent resources, and finishing what has been started, unless the board of directors decides to stop for lack of feasibility, difficulty or impossibility.

 

Membership:

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 Any major person aged at least 18 can become a member of the association regardless of their sex, nationality, religion, race, color and political opinions if he or she meets one of the following conditions:

1. Holds a university degree in Semitic languages, ancient or modern languages ​​of the Levant, or what is deemed equivalent and acceptable by the board of directors.

2. The applicant for membership has published articles, books, intellectual or literary works on the cultures, languages ​​or human heritage of the countries of the Levant.

3. A holder of a university degree in ancient history or the history of the modern Levant.

4. The candidate carries out a cultural, media or intellectual activity which intersects with the vision and mission of the association and falls within the framework of its objectives.

 

Membership fees are set at 50 US dollars ( or their equivalent ) annualy and are considered due unless the Board of Directors decides to exempt a certain member or certain members because of their voluntary services or contributions to the activities of the association or because of their inability to pay or transfer the amount of money for one reason or another.

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The board of directors has the right to grant honorary membership to any person whose work meets its goals and interests, provided that person agrees.

Each member must provide correct information in regard to their name, surname, nationality, place of birth and residence, e-mail or telephone number, and the board of directors has the right to reject the application for membership in the event of the absence of personal details or fraud or identity theft.

A member loses his membership in any of the following cases:

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1. To express in writing his or her wish to cancel their membership in a written and signed letter and to send it signed to the board of directors or any e-mail that belongs to the association.

2. That the Board of Directors cancels their membership based on the proposal of one of the Board members and the approval of the majority of the Board members, but anyone who proposes to cancel the membership of a member has to suggest that on the basis of the abuse , a manifested violation of the objectives or mission of the association,  or an attack on the dignity, freedom or independence of  the rest of the members of the association.

 

Dissolution:

 

The request for the dissolution of the association can only be considered if all the founding members resign. Therefore, the association continues to maintain its existence and consistency as far as one of the founding members is still a member. Furthermore, the last founding member remaining in the association can authorize the incumbent board of directors to dissolve the association in a written and signed letter addressed to that board of directors.

In the event that the association has a budget when it is dissolved, its board of directors undertakes to donate the available budget to associations having  goals similar to the goals of the association, or to help a writer to publish his or her book/books that meet the objectives and mission of the association.

The End