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TURKEY'S SYRIACS LAY OUT VISION FOR NEW CONSTITUTION
Journal of Turkish Weekly
March 2 2012
In an unprecedented move, the political and community representatives
of the Syriac Christians visited parliament this week to express
their demands for a new civil constitution.
The delegation, consisting of representatives of the European Syriac
Union (ESU), Federation of Syriac Associations in Turkey, Mezo-Der
and the Federation of Syriac People in Germany (HSA), outlined the
problems and concerns facing the ancient Syriac community to the
Constitutional Conciliation Committee on Monday (February 27th).
"As Syriac community representatives, we emphasised that in the new
constitution there should be no reference to an ideological definition
of citizenship, but rather all people subject to the country by the
bonds of the constitution should be considered as citizens of the
Turkish Republic," Tuma Celik, the representative of Turkey within
the ESU, told SES Turkiye.
Unlike the Greek Orthodox, Armenians and Jews -- the official minority
groups according to the Treaty of Lausanne -- Turkey's remaining
25,000 strong Syriac community is not a recognised minority.
"The main problem encountered by the Syriacs of Turkey is the
recognition problem," Celik said. By being considered "normal citizens"
without special recognition as a non-Muslim minority, the Syriacs
have had obstacles placed before them in such areas as education in
their mother tongue, he explained.
Sabo Boyaci, a leading figure of the Syriac community and editor of
suryaniler.com, agrees with him, and said that the Syriacs in Turkey
have not benefited from equal citizenship rights.
The last school of the Syriac community in Turkey was closed in 1938.
One of the oldest languages of the Middle East, the Syriac's language
Aramaic is currently under UNESCO's list of World Languages in Danger.
"Only 10% of Turkey's Syriacs can speak in Aramaic while less than 1%
can write it," Boyaci told SES Turkiye.
Evgil Turker, the head of the Federation of Turkish Syriac
Associations, also said that unlike the other non-Muslim groups living
in Turkey, the Syriac people have no hospitals, which constitutes
discrimination against the community.
"Christian Greeks and Armenians have their own schools and hospitals.
We don't have any school or hospital which can serve our people living
in Turkey," Turker told SES Turkiye.
Concerning the key issue of foundations and property, the community
demands the return of their foundation lands as well as lands belonging
to churches and individuals that were expropriated or occupied when
Syriac people were forced to flee abroad or migrate within Turkey.
Since World War I, there has been a steady population decline in the
Syriac's homeland around Mardin - which now stands around 3,000 --
as a result of state policies, discrimination, economic factors and
the conflict with the PKK in the 1980s and 1990s.
"Only 10% of the foundations' properties that had been sold to third
parties could be returned to our community," Boyaci said. "The Syriac
people face significant cadastral problems in southeastern Anatolia
because when they emigrated from their homeland the lands they left
behind were used by others."
Similar to Turkey's Armenian and Greek minorities, in January the
Syriac community applied for compensation and the return of some
estates owned by the minority foundations. The move came following
the ratification by parliament of a new Foundations Law last year.
"Those lands had been ours for thousands of years, but when Syriac
people emigrated due to a number of reasons, these lands were
expropriated. There is wide media coverage for Mor Gabriel monastery,
however, we have plenty of similar cases waiting for a definitive
solution," Turker said.
Community representatives say there is a need for specific regulations
to resolve such problems, and that the foundations' estates should
be covered by constitutional guarantee.
Community members argue that steps need to be taken to rectify all
long-standing problems of the Syriacs and that a new constitution
would be a good opportunity to address their demands. They also
presented to the Commission a written list of constitutional demands.
"Our main expectation is that the deficiencies of the past are not
to be repeated again," Celik said, adding that the Syriac community
should be recognised in the new constitution and related laws.
Journal of Turkish Weekly
March 2 2012
In an unprecedented move, the political and community representatives
of the Syriac Christians visited parliament this week to express
their demands for a new civil constitution.
The delegation, consisting of representatives of the European Syriac
Union (ESU), Federation of Syriac Associations in Turkey, Mezo-Der
and the Federation of Syriac People in Germany (HSA), outlined the
problems and concerns facing the ancient Syriac community to the
Constitutional Conciliation Committee on Monday (February 27th).
"As Syriac community representatives, we emphasised that in the new
constitution there should be no reference to an ideological definition
of citizenship, but rather all people subject to the country by the
bonds of the constitution should be considered as citizens of the
Turkish Republic," Tuma Celik, the representative of Turkey within
the ESU, told SES Turkiye.
Unlike the Greek Orthodox, Armenians and Jews -- the official minority
groups according to the Treaty of Lausanne -- Turkey's remaining
25,000 strong Syriac community is not a recognised minority.
"The main problem encountered by the Syriacs of Turkey is the
recognition problem," Celik said. By being considered "normal citizens"
without special recognition as a non-Muslim minority, the Syriacs
have had obstacles placed before them in such areas as education in
their mother tongue, he explained.
Sabo Boyaci, a leading figure of the Syriac community and editor of
suryaniler.com, agrees with him, and said that the Syriacs in Turkey
have not benefited from equal citizenship rights.
The last school of the Syriac community in Turkey was closed in 1938.
One of the oldest languages of the Middle East, the Syriac's language
Aramaic is currently under UNESCO's list of World Languages in Danger.
"Only 10% of Turkey's Syriacs can speak in Aramaic while less than 1%
can write it," Boyaci told SES Turkiye.
Evgil Turker, the head of the Federation of Turkish Syriac
Associations, also said that unlike the other non-Muslim groups living
in Turkey, the Syriac people have no hospitals, which constitutes
discrimination against the community.
"Christian Greeks and Armenians have their own schools and hospitals.
We don't have any school or hospital which can serve our people living
in Turkey," Turker told SES Turkiye.
Concerning the key issue of foundations and property, the community
demands the return of their foundation lands as well as lands belonging
to churches and individuals that were expropriated or occupied when
Syriac people were forced to flee abroad or migrate within Turkey.
Since World War I, there has been a steady population decline in the
Syriac's homeland around Mardin - which now stands around 3,000 --
as a result of state policies, discrimination, economic factors and
the conflict with the PKK in the 1980s and 1990s.
"Only 10% of the foundations' properties that had been sold to third
parties could be returned to our community," Boyaci said. "The Syriac
people face significant cadastral problems in southeastern Anatolia
because when they emigrated from their homeland the lands they left
behind were used by others."
Similar to Turkey's Armenian and Greek minorities, in January the
Syriac community applied for compensation and the return of some
estates owned by the minority foundations. The move came following
the ratification by parliament of a new Foundations Law last year.
"Those lands had been ours for thousands of years, but when Syriac
people emigrated due to a number of reasons, these lands were
expropriated. There is wide media coverage for Mor Gabriel monastery,
however, we have plenty of similar cases waiting for a definitive
solution," Turker said.
Community representatives say there is a need for specific regulations
to resolve such problems, and that the foundations' estates should
be covered by constitutional guarantee.
Community members argue that steps need to be taken to rectify all
long-standing problems of the Syriacs and that a new constitution
would be a good opportunity to address their demands. They also
presented to the Commission a written list of constitutional demands.
"Our main expectation is that the deficiencies of the past are not
to be repeated again," Celik said, adding that the Syriac community
should be recognised in the new constitution and related laws.