Key Ponts
- Iraq hosts a major event for the first time in a decade
- Many Arabic people have never seen Assyrian costumes before
- Fans say they are proud to parade the Assyrian identity
Mr Moshe travelled from Duhok in Northern Iraq to Basra, South of Iraq, to attend the games of the 25th edition of the Arab Gulf Cup.
Gulf people were curious about our costumes, they even invited us to visit their countryHermez Moshe
This is a significant event in Iraq as the country was prohibited for decades from hosting international games for security and safety reasons.
Eight teams representing the Gulf countries are participating in the tournament.
Mr Moshe told SBS he was so proud to go to Basra wearing the traditional Assyrian custom (Khomala).
Mr Moshe said: "People in Basra were astonished seeing me wearing this costume and started asking me, 'where are you from?' I was telling them 'I am Assyrian from Iraq, Assyrians are the original people of this land'".
Mr Moshe said: "People in Basra were very welcoming and showed so much respect and generosity to us."
I was so proud to go to Basra wearing the traditional Assyrian costume.Hermez Moshe
Mr Moshe told SBS Assyrian that "...even Arabs from the Gulf region were curious about my costume and one Kuwaiti Sheikh invited me to visit Kuwait."
The former athlete and Assyrian media personality says: "This event has brought so much happiness and joy, uniting the Iraqi people, who for decades have been deprived of such an international event."
Finally, Mr Moshe says he hopes Iraq will win the cup's final as they play Oman on Friday, 20 January.
