Toma Tomas (Syriac: ܬܐܘܡܐ ܬܐܘܡܐܣ) (1924-1996), also known by his nom de guerre Abu Joseph, was an Assyrian politician and the leader of al-Ansar, a communist, Marxist–Leninist militia in Iraq during the 1960s and 1970s which fought on behalf of the Iraqi Communist Party against the Iraqi government.

There he learned about communism and joined the Iraqi Communist Party in the early 1950s.

[2] He moved to his home town after the 14 July Revolution, which brought the Qasimists (who were allied with the Iraqi Communist Party) to power.

The situation didn't last long however, the Arab nationalists revolted and the prime minister Abd al-Karim Qasim was executed.

The communists where summarily executed and some led by Toma Tomas fled to the mountains of northern Iraq where they formed armed communist guerilla’s known as the Ansar and fought alongside the Kurds and Iraqi dissidents in their struggle against the central government.