Assyrian diaspora
Encyclopedia
The Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac diaspora refers to the estimated population of Assyrian/Syriac
Christians in the world that migrated outside of the Middle East
or their original homeland
. The worldwide diaspora of Syriac Christian communities begins during World War I
, with the mass-killings of Christian minorities
by the Young Turks
government. The emigration of Christians out of the Middle East accelerated further since the 1980s, fleeing persecution in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in Ba'athist Iraq
, and again in the wake of the Iraq War during the 2000s.
Assyrians came to Russia
and the Soviet Union
in three main waves: The first wave was after the Treaty of Turkmenchay
in 1828, that delineated a border between Russia
and Persia. Many Assyrians found themselves suddenly under Russian sovereignty and thousands of relatives crossed the border to join them.
The second wave was a result of the repression and violence during and after World War I.
The third wave came after World War II, when Moscow unsuccessfully tried to establish a satellite state in Iran
. Soviet troops withdrew in 1946, and left the Assyrians exposed to exactly the same kind of retaliation that they had suffered from the Turks 30 years earlier. Again, many Assyrians found refuge in the Soviet Union, this time mainly in the cities. From 1937 to 1959, the Assyrian population in USSR grew by 587.3%
The Soviets in the thirties oppressed the Assyrians' religion and persecuted religious and other leaders.
In recent years, the Assyrians have tended to assimilate with Armenians, but their cultural and ethnic identity, strengthened through centuries of hardships, found new expression under Glasnost
.
1932 census and further estimates
2009 Census Detroit: 113,000
came mostly as refugees from the Turkish
towns of Midyat
and Mardin
in Tur Abdin
, most of them are Syrian Orthodox (Süryani), some Chaldeans (Keldani). Their three main settlements are in Brussels (municipalities of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
- where they've got their only elected municipal councilman, the Christian Democrat Ibrahim Erkan, originally from Turkey -, Brussels
and Etterbeek
), Liège and in Mechelen
. Since the October 8, 2006 municipal elections they've got two more councilmen, in Etterbeek, the Liberal Sandrine Es (whose family came from Turkey) and the Christian Democrat Ibrahim Hanna (originally from Syria's Khabur region). The Christian Democrat candidate in Mechelen, Melikan Kucam, was not elected. The Flemish writer August Thiry wrote the book Mechelen aan de Tigris (Mechelen on Tigris) about the Assyrian/Syriac refugees from the village of Hassana in SE Turkey, district of Silopi. Melikan Kucam was one of them.
, where several thousands Chaldean Catholics live, and also in Gonesse
and Villiers-le-Bel
. They are drawn from the same few villages in what is now south-east Turkey.
(today uninhabited), Keratsini
(Pireus), Egaleo
and Kalamata
. Today, the vast majority of Assyrians live in Peristeri
, a suburb of Athens
, and they number about 2,000.
There are five Assyrian Christian marriages recorded at St. Pauls Anglican Church in Athens in 1924-25 (the transcripts can be viewed on St. Pauls Anglican Church website), thus indicating the beginning of the appearance of refugees at that time. The absence of further marriages at St. Pauls possibly indicates the arrival of a Nestorian clergyman in Athens shortly after 1925.
The first Assyrians came to the Netherlands in the 1970s; most of them belonged to the West Syrian Rite
from Turkey. Today the number of Assyrians is estimated to be between 25,000 and 35,000 and they mainly live in the east of the country, in the province of Overijssel
, in such cities as Enschede
, Hengelo
, Almelo
and Borne.
, Turkey
and Syria
immigrated to Sweden
. They considered themselves persecuted for religious reasons but were never acknowledged as refugees. Those who had already lived in Sweden for a longer period were finally granted residence permit for humanitarian reasons.
As with other Northern European countries, there is a dividing line in Sweden between the Assyrian speaking Christians. While the vast majority consider themselves Aramean-Syriacs, there is a sizable minority who refer to themselves as Assyrians. They are mostly members of the Syriac Orthodox Church
, but its important to note that not all Syriac Orthodox members identify with being Syriacs only, as the majority of those who call themselves Assyrian are Syriac Orthodox as well.
Södertälje
in Sweden
is often seen as the unofficial Assyrian capital of Europe due to the city's high percentage of Assyrians. The international TV-channels Suryoyo Sat
and Suroyo TV
are also based in Södertälje
.
Between 2005 and 2006, there was an Assyrian/Syrac minister in the Swedish government, Ibrahim Baylan
.
came mostly as refugees from the Turkish
towns of Midyat
, Mardin
, Miden and Azakh (Beth-Zabday)(Idil)
in Tur Abdin
, most of them are Syriac Orthodox
(about 1'600 Families). They mainly live in the east of the country in the Canton
of St. Gallen (Wil-Area)
and in Baden
about 20 km from Zurich
. A big part of the Assyrians in Switzerland also live in the Italian part of Switzerland
in the Canton
of Ticino, mostly in Lugano
and Locarno
.
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
Christians in the world that migrated outside of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
or their original homeland
Assyrian homeland
Assyrian homeland refers to a geographic and cultural region inhabited traditionally by the Assyrian people; who call it Assyria . It is largely coterminous with the Kurdish homeland, including parts of what is now northeast Syria, northern Iraq, northwestern Iran and southeastern Turkey.The area...
. The worldwide diaspora of Syriac Christian communities begins during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, with the mass-killings of Christian minorities
Assyrian genocide
The Assyrian Genocide refers to the mass slaughter of the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac population of the Ottoman Empire during the 1890s, the First World War, and the period of 1922-1925...
by the Young Turks
Young Turks
The Young Turks , from French: Les Jeunes Turcs) were a coalition of various groups favouring reformation of the administration of the Ottoman Empire. The movement was against the absolute monarchy of the Ottoman Sultan and favoured a re-installation of the short-lived Kanûn-ı Esâsî constitution...
government. The emigration of Christians out of the Middle East accelerated further since the 1980s, fleeing persecution in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in Ba'athist Iraq
Ba'athist Iraq
The History of Iraq , referred to as Ba'athist Iraq, covers the period of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party's rule over Iraq. Ba'athist rule in Iraq first occurred briefly in 1963 under Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr until overthrown that same year. Ba'athism was restored to power five years later after...
, and again in the wake of the Iraq War during the 2000s.
Demographic estimates
| Country or Region | Most Recent Census | Estimated Assyrian Population (2008) |
Total Country or Region Population (2008) ** |
% Assyrian | Further information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iraq Iraq Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.... |
- | 500,000-1,500,000 | 30,711,152 | 2%-5% | Assyrians in Iraq Assyrians in Iraq Assyrians in Iraq are those Assyrians still residing in the country of Iraq. They are the indigenous people of Iraq, descending from the ancient Mesopotamians, in particular from the Akkadian peoples and the Aramean tribes who intermingled with them from the 10th century BC onwards... |
| Syria Syria Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.... |
- | 877,000-1,200,000 | 20,581,290 | 4.9% | Assyrians in Syria Assyrians in Syria Assyrians/Syriacs in Syria have lived in north eastern Syria since 2000 BC, parts of the region were an integral part of Assyria proper, and during the Neo Assyrian Empire the entirety of the modern country of Syria was under Assyrian rule... |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
82,355 (2000) | 100,000-500,000 | 307,006,550 | 0.03%-0.17% | Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac American |
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
- | 100,000-120,000 | 9,219,637 | 1.2% | Assyrians/Syriacs in Sweden |
| Jordan Jordan Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing... |
- | 44,000-150,000 | 5,906,043 | 0.7% | Assyrians in Jordan |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
- | 70,000-100,000 | 82,110,097 | 0.12% | Assyrians in Germany Assyrians in Germany Assyrians/Syriacs in Germany are people of Assyrian/Syriac ethnicity living in Germany. They are estimated to number more than 100,000 with most living in Munich, Wiesbaden, Paderborn, Essen, Augsburg and Gütersloh.Being oppressed and persecuted throughout the 20th century, many arrived from the... |
| Iran Iran Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia... |
- | 74,000-80,000 | 71,956,322 | 0.11% | Assyrians in Iran Assyrians in Iran Assyrians in Iran was a thriving community, but was diminished from around 200,000 prior to the Islamic Revolution in Iran to a mere 50,000.... |
| Lebanon Lebanon Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among... |
- | 37,000-100,000 | 4,193,758 | 0.9%-2.38% | Assyrians in Lebanon |
| Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe... |
- | 24,000-70,000 | 73,914,260 | 0.03%-0.1% | Assyrians in Turkey Assyrians in Turkey Arameans in Turkey were once a large ethnic minority in the Ottoman Empire, but following the Syriac Genocide, many were murdered or emigrated. Now, they live in small numbers in eastern Turkey and Istanbul.-Ottoman era:... |
| Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
13,649 (2002) | 70,000 | 141,950,000 | 0.05% | Assyrians in Russia Assyrians in Russia - History :Assyrians came to Russia and the Soviet Union in three main waves:*The first wave was after the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, that delineated a border between Russia and Persia... |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
24,505 (2006) | 60,000 | 21,431,800 | 0.28% | Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Australian |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
8,650 (2006) | 38,000 | 33,311,400 | 0,11% | Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Canadian |
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
- | 20,000 | 16,445,593 | 0.12% | Assyrians in the Netherlands |
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
- | 20,000 | 62,277,432 | 0.03% | |
| Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
- | 15,000 | 10,708,433 | 0.14% | |
| Georgia Georgia (country) Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of... |
3,299 (2002) | 15,000 | 4,385,400 | 0.34% | Assyrians in Georgia Assyrians in Georgia Assyrians in Georgia number over 3,000, and most arrived in the Southern Caucasus in early 20th century when their ancestors fled present-day Turkey and Iran during the Assyrian genocide.-History:... |
| Armenia Armenia Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia... |
3,409 (2001) | 15,000 | 3,077,087 | 0.48% | Assyrians in Armenia Assyrians in Armenia Assyrians in Armenia make up the country's third largest ethnic minority, after Yazidis and Russians. According to the 2001 census, there are 3,409 Assyrians living in Armenia, and Armenia is home to some of the last surviving Assyrian communities in the Caucasus... |
| Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
- | 10,000 | 193,733,795 | 0.05% | |
| Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
- | 10,000 | 7,647,675 | 0.13% | |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
- | 10,000 | 5,493,621 | 0.18% | |
| Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
- | 8,000 | 11,237,094 | 0.07% | |
| Great Britain Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... |
- | 8,000 | 51,446,000 | 0.02% | Assyrians in the United Kingdom Assyrians in the United Kingdom Assyrians in the United Kingdom include ethnic Assyrians born or residing in the United Kingdom. Concentrations of Assyrians are found in Greenford and Hanwell, small towns in the London Borough of Ealing... |
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
- | 7,000 | 8,336,926 | 0.08% | |
| Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
- | 3,000 | 59,832,179 | 0.005% | |
| Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to... |
- | 1,400 | |||
| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
1,683 (2006) | 3,000 | 4,268,900 | 0.07% | |
| Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... |
- | 2,000 | 106,350,434 | 0.002% | |
| Other | - | 100,000 | |||
| Total | - | 3.3 million-4.2 million |
History
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in three main waves: The first wave was after the Treaty of Turkmenchay
Treaty of Turkmenchay
The Treaty of Turkmenchay was a treaty negotiated in Turkmenchay by which the Qajar Empire recognized Russian suzerainty over the Erivan khanate, the Nakhchivan khanate, and the remainder of the Talysh khanate, establishing the Aras River as the common boundary between the empires, after its...
in 1828, that delineated a border between Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Persia. Many Assyrians found themselves suddenly under Russian sovereignty and thousands of relatives crossed the border to join them.
The second wave was a result of the repression and violence during and after World War I.
The third wave came after World War II, when Moscow unsuccessfully tried to establish a satellite state in Iran
Republic of Mahabad
The Republic of Mahabad , officially known as Republic of Kurdistan and established in Iranian Kurdistan, was a short-lived, Kurdish government that sought Kurdish autonomy within the limits of the Iranian state. The capital was the city of Mahabad in northwestern Iran...
. Soviet troops withdrew in 1946, and left the Assyrians exposed to exactly the same kind of retaliation that they had suffered from the Turks 30 years earlier. Again, many Assyrians found refuge in the Soviet Union, this time mainly in the cities. From 1937 to 1959, the Assyrian population in USSR grew by 587.3%
The Soviets in the thirties oppressed the Assyrians' religion and persecuted religious and other leaders.
In recent years, the Assyrians have tended to assimilate with Armenians, but their cultural and ethnic identity, strengthened through centuries of hardships, found new expression under Glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
.
USSR census
- 1897 census: 5,300 "Syrio-Chaldeans" (by language)
- 1919 refugee status:
- 8,000 - 7,000 "Assyrian" refugees in Tbilissi
- 2,000 Assyrians in YerevanYerevanYerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
- 15,000 Assyrians from HakkariHakkariHakkâri , is a city and the capital of the Hakkâri Province of Turkey. The name Hakkâri is derived from the Syriac word, Akkare, meaning farmers...
, 10,000 from UrmiaUrmia- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
and SalmasSalmasSalmas is a city in and the capital of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 79,560, in 19,806 families....
in the Russian region of RostovRostovRostov is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:...
- 1926 census: 9,808 Assyrians (Aisor)
- 1959 census: 21,083 Assyrians
- 1970 census: 24,294 Assyrians
- 1979 census: 25,170 Assyrians
- 1989 census: 26,289 Assyrians
Russia
- 1989 census: 9,600 Assyrians, of whom 4,742 spoke the Syriac LanguageSyriac languageSyriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
; 1,738 in the KrasnodarKrasnodarKrasnodar is a city in Southern Russia, located on the Kuban River about northeast of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. It is the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai . Population: -Name:...
region - 2002 census: 13,649 Assyrians (ассирийцы)
Armenia
- 1926 census: 21,215 Assyrians
- 1989 (Soviet) census: 5,963 Assyrians
- 2001 census: 3,409 Assyrians (3rd minority ethnic group after Yazidis and RussiansRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
): 524 urban, 2,485 rural
Georgia
- 1926 census: 2,904 Assyrians
- 1989 census: 6,206 Assyrians
- 2002 census: 3,299 Assyrians
Lebanon
estimates on December 31, 1944, by province (Muhafazat)| denomination | Beyrouth | Mount Lebanon | North Lebanon | South Lebanon | Biqa' | Total |
| Syriac Catholics | 4,089 | 275 | 169 | 9 | 442 | 4,984 |
| Syriac Orthodox | 2,070 | 209 | 100 | 22 | 1,352 | 3,753 |
| Chaldean Catholic | 974 | 120 | 1 | 10 | 225 | 1,330 |
1932 census and further estimates
| denomination | 1932 census | 1944 estimates | 1954 estimates |
| Syriac Catholics | 2,675 | 4,984 | .. |
| Chaldean Catholics | 528 | 1,330 | .. |
| Syriac Orthodox | 2,574 | 3,753 | 4,200 |
| Church Of The East | 800 | 1,200 | 1,400 |
Canada
- 2001 Census: Assyrian - 6,980
- 2006 Census: Assyrian - 8,650
United States
- 1990 census: 46,099 Assyrians
- 19,066 born in the US
- 16,783 arrived before 1980
- 10,250 between 1980 and 1990.
- 27,494 Syriac as the "Language Spoken at Home"
- Unemployment: 9.1%
- 2000 census: 82,355 Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac
2009 Census Detroit: 113,000
-
- 34,484 in Michigan
- Sterling Heights, MichiganSterling Heights, MichiganSterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan, and one of Detroit's core suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 129,699...
: 5,515 (4.4% of the city) - West Bloomfield, Michigan: 4,874 (7.5%)
- Southfield, MichiganSouthfield, MichiganAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.04% is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road, its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road...
: 3,684 (4.7%) - Warren, MichiganWarren, MichiganWarren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2010 census places the city's population at 134,056, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb....
: 2,625 (1.9%) - Farmington Hills, MichiganFarmington Hills, MichiganFarmington Hills is a community in southeastern Michigan. It is the largest city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 79,740 at the 2010 census...
2,499 (3.0%) - Troy, MichiganTroy, MichiganTroy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...
: 2,047 (2.5%) - Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
113,000 - Oak Park, MichiganOak Park, MichiganAs of the census of 2000, there were 29,793 people, 11,104 households, and 7,595 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,863.8 persons per square mile . There were 11,370 housing units at an average density of 2,263.9 per square mile...
1,864 (6.3%) - Madison Heights, MichiganMadison Heights, MichiganMadison Heights is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, its population was 29,694.- History :...
: 1,428 (4.6%) - Orchard Lake Village, MichiganOrchard Lake Village, MichiganOrchard Lake Village is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a small, exclusive suburb on the outskirts of Metro Detroit. The population was 2,375 at the 2010 census....
: 241 (10.9%)
- Sterling Heights, Michigan
- 22,671 in California
- 15,685 in Illinois
- Chicago, Illinois: 7,121 (0.2%)
- Niles, IllinoisNiles, IllinoisNiles is a village in Maine and Niles Townships, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The 2010 population from the U.S. Census Bureau is 29,803.The current mayor of Niles is Robert M. Callero.-History:Niles was first settled in 1827....
: 3,410 (3.3%) - Maine Park, Illinois: 1,035 (0.8%)
- 34,484 in Michigan
-
- Syriac language: 46,932
Belgium
Assyrians in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
came mostly as refugees from the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
towns of Midyat
Midyat
Midyat is an originally Assyrian/Syriac town in Mardin Province of Turkey. The ancient city is the epicenter of a centuries-old Assyrian/Syriac enclave in Southeast-Turkey, widely familiar under its Syriac name Tur Abdin. A cognate of the name Midyat is first encountered in an inscription of the...
and Mardin
Mardin
Mardin is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for its Arabic-like architecture, and for its strategic location on a rocky mountain overlooking the plains of northern Syria.-History:...
in Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin is a hilly region of south east Turkey incorporating the eastern half of Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the border with Syria. The name 'Tur Abdin' is from the Syriac language meaning 'mountain of the servants '. Tur Abdin is of great importance to Syriac...
, most of them are Syrian Orthodox (Süryani), some Chaldeans (Keldani). Their three main settlements are in Brussels (municipalities of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
Sint-Joost-ten-Node or Saint-Josse-ten-Noode is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium....
- where they've got their only elected municipal councilman, the Christian Democrat Ibrahim Erkan, originally from Turkey -, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and Etterbeek
Etterbeek
Etterbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It neighbours the municipalities of the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Auderghem, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Schaerbeek....
), Liège and in Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
. Since the October 8, 2006 municipal elections they've got two more councilmen, in Etterbeek, the Liberal Sandrine Es (whose family came from Turkey) and the Christian Democrat Ibrahim Hanna (originally from Syria's Khabur region). The Christian Democrat candidate in Mechelen, Melikan Kucam, was not elected. The Flemish writer August Thiry wrote the book Mechelen aan de Tigris (Mechelen on Tigris) about the Assyrian/Syriac refugees from the village of Hassana in SE Turkey, district of Silopi. Melikan Kucam was one of them.
France
There are believed to be some 20,000, mainly concentrated in the northern French suburbs of SarcellesSarcelles
Sarcelles is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Sarcelles is a sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Sarcelles....
, where several thousands Chaldean Catholics live, and also in Gonesse
Gonesse
Gonesse is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.The commune lies immediately north of Le Bourget Airport and southwest of Charles de Gaulle International Airport.-History:...
and Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, in the northern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the center of Paris.-Transport:...
. They are drawn from the same few villages in what is now south-east Turkey.
Greece
The first migrants of Assyrian stock in Greece came in 1934, and settled in the areas of MakronisosMakronisos
Makronisos is an island in the Aegean sea, in Greece and is located close to the coast of Attica, facing the port of Lavrio. It has an elongated shape and its terrain is arid and rocky. In ancient times the island was called Helena. It is part of the prefecture of the Cyclades but it is not part...
(today uninhabited), Keratsini
Keratsini
Keratsini is a suburb in the western part of Piraeus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Keratsini-Drapetsona, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.-Geography:...
(Pireus), Egaleo
Egaleo
Aegaleo, commonly Aigaleo or Egaleo is a municipality west of Athens, Greece, situated west of the Cephissos river and southeast of Mount Egaleo...
and Kalamata
Kalamata
Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...
. Today, the vast majority of Assyrians live in Peristeri
Peristeri
Peristeri is a suburban municipality in Athens, Greece, located about 5 km NW of the downtown area. The municipality is bordered by the Cephissus/Cephissos River, Athinon Avenue , Chaidari in the west and Petroupoli in the northwest, with a size of around...
, a suburb of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, and they number about 2,000.
There are five Assyrian Christian marriages recorded at St. Pauls Anglican Church in Athens in 1924-25 (the transcripts can be viewed on St. Pauls Anglican Church website), thus indicating the beginning of the appearance of refugees at that time. The absence of further marriages at St. Pauls possibly indicates the arrival of a Nestorian clergyman in Athens shortly after 1925.
Netherlands
West Syrian Rite
The West Syrian Rite, also known as the Syrian Rite or the Syro-Antiochene Rite, is a Christian liturgical rite chiefly practiced in the Syriac Orthodox Church and churches related to or descended from it. It is part of the liturgical family known as the Antiochene Rite, which originated in the...
from Turkey. Today the number of Assyrians is estimated to be between 25,000 and 35,000 and they mainly live in the east of the country, in the province of Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
, in such cities as Enschede
Enschede
Enschede , also known as Eanske in the local dialect of Twents, is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region...
, Hengelo
Hengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...
, Almelo
Almelo
Almelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The main population centres in the town are Aadorp, Almelo, Mariaparochie and Bornerbroek....
and Borne.
Sweden
In the latter part of the 1970s, about 12,000 Syrian Orthodox Syriacs from LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
immigrated to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. They considered themselves persecuted for religious reasons but were never acknowledged as refugees. Those who had already lived in Sweden for a longer period were finally granted residence permit for humanitarian reasons.
As with other Northern European countries, there is a dividing line in Sweden between the Assyrian speaking Christians. While the vast majority consider themselves Aramean-Syriacs, there is a sizable minority who refer to themselves as Assyrians. They are mostly members of the Syriac Orthodox Church
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
, but its important to note that not all Syriac Orthodox members identify with being Syriacs only, as the majority of those who call themselves Assyrian are Syriac Orthodox as well.
Södertälje
Södertälje
Södertälje is a city and the seat of Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 86,069 inhabitants in 2010.The industrial city, about south of Stockholm, is the home to truck maker Scania AB and a top 10 pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca....
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
is often seen as the unofficial Assyrian capital of Europe due to the city's high percentage of Assyrians. The international TV-channels Suryoyo Sat
Suryoyo Sat
Suryoyo Sat is a Syriac TV-Channel sending from Södertälje, Sweden. Reaching and sending in more than 80 countries, the channel wants to unite the people under the Syriac name...
and Suroyo TV
Suroyo TV
Suroyo TV is an Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac satellite television channel. Suroyo TV broadcasts from their studios in Södertälje, Sweden.Suroyo TV is a voice for the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac people and their cultural heritage, history and language...
are also based in Södertälje
Södertälje
Södertälje is a city and the seat of Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 86,069 inhabitants in 2010.The industrial city, about south of Stockholm, is the home to truck maker Scania AB and a top 10 pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca....
.
Between 2005 and 2006, there was an Assyrian/Syrac minister in the Swedish government, Ibrahim Baylan
Ibrahim Baylan
Ibrahim Baylan, is a Swedish politician and a member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He was Minister for Schools in the cabinet of Göran Persson from 2004 to 2006 and was replaced by Jan Björklund of the Liberal People's Party following the defeat of the Social Democrats in the 2006 election...
.
Switzerland
Assyrians in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
came mostly as refugees from the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
towns of Midyat
Midyat
Midyat is an originally Assyrian/Syriac town in Mardin Province of Turkey. The ancient city is the epicenter of a centuries-old Assyrian/Syriac enclave in Southeast-Turkey, widely familiar under its Syriac name Tur Abdin. A cognate of the name Midyat is first encountered in an inscription of the...
, Mardin
Mardin
Mardin is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for its Arabic-like architecture, and for its strategic location on a rocky mountain overlooking the plains of northern Syria.-History:...
, Miden and Azakh (Beth-Zabday)(Idil)
Idil
İdil is a district of Şırnak Province of Turkey. The predominant religion in the region is Islam, although it was once the home of many Anatolian Assyrian/Syriac Christians, who are part of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and who were speakers of the Syriac language an Aramaic dialect...
in Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin is a hilly region of south east Turkey incorporating the eastern half of Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the border with Syria. The name 'Tur Abdin' is from the Syriac language meaning 'mountain of the servants '. Tur Abdin is of great importance to Syriac...
, most of them are Syriac Orthodox
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
(about 1'600 Families). They mainly live in the east of the country in the Canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of St. Gallen (Wil-Area)
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
and in Baden
Baden, Switzerland
Baden is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Aargau, on the west bank of the river Limmat, located in the Limmat Valley , northwest of Zürich. It is the seat of the district of Baden...
about 20 km from Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. A big part of the Assyrians in Switzerland also live in the Italian part of Switzerland
Linguistic geography of Switzerland
The four national languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Only three of these languages, however, maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation: German, French, and Italian.Native speakers...
in the Canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Ticino, mostly in Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
and Locarno
Locarno
Locarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore in the Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona at the foot of the Alps. It has a population of about 15,000...
.
Australia
- 2006 census: 20,931 who spoke SyriacSyriac languageSyriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
- 12,595 in New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
- 8,177 in Victoria (Australia)Victoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
- 15,000 originally from Iraq and 5,000 originally from Iran and Syria.
- 27% are Chaldean Catholic
- 2009 Census: 24,950
- 9,000 followers of the Assyrian Church of the EastAssyrian Church of the EastThe Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
- 12,000 followers of the Chaldean Catholic ChurchChaldean Catholic ChurchThe Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
- 3,000 followers of the Syriac Orthodox ChurchSyriac Orthodox ChurchThe Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
-
- 45.9% Catholic, 49.0 Orthodox
- 74.3% Catholic, 24.0% Orthodox
- 2010 Census: 33,505 Assyrians (Different Churches)
- Language; SyriacSyriac languageSyriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
spoken by 24,900 - Religious sects
- Assyrian Church of the EastAssyrian Church of the EastThe Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
: 12,000 - Chaldean Catholic ChurchChaldean Catholic ChurchThe Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
: 14,000 - Syriac Orthodox ChurchSyriac Orthodox ChurchThe Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
: 5,000 - Ancient Church of the EastAncient Church of the EastThe Ancient Church of the East was established in 1968. It follows the traditions of one of the oldest Christian churches, the Church of the East, whose origins trace back to the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in central Mesopotamia...
: 2,000
New Zealand
- 1991 census: 315
- 1996 census: 807
- 2001 Census: 1,176
- 465 in AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
Region - 690 in WellingtonWellingtonWellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
Region - "Unemployment rates highest for Somalis (37.2 percent) and Assyrians (40.0 percent)."
- "The particular ethnic groups with the highest proportions affiliated to a Christian denomination were Assyrian (99.0 percent) and Filipino (95.1 percent)."
- English spoken: 774, no English: 348; Number of Languages Spoken: 1: 225, 2: 405, 3: 423, 4: 63, 5: 3
- 465 in Auckland
- 2006 census: 1,683
Syria
- United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesUnited Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesThe Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
(UNHCR) on October 2005 reported that out of the 700,000 Iraqis who took refuge in Syria between October 2003 and March 2005, 36% were "Iraqi Christians."