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Alaska Dispatch
July 27 2013
Syrian, Egyptian Christians seek refuge in Caucasus, but not all plan to stay
Nicholas Clayton|GlobalPost.com|
July 27, 2013
TBILISI, Georgia - Ever since ouster of Egyptian strongman President
Hosni Mubarak two years ago, Adel has faced a difficult dilemma: Leave
behind a relatively cushy life in Egypt or stay and risk
discrimination and violence as religious and sectarian tensions rise.
Visa restrictions are narrowing his options, so the successful,
middle-class Coptic Christian and the father of two says he's
considering uprooting his family to start anew in an unlikely place: A
small ex-Soviet country with a different language, culture and climate
from his own.
`In Egypt, it's difficult to get visas to the U.S. or Europe,'
50-year-old Adel says. `We didn't chose Georgia, Georgia is choosing
us.'
He's not alone. Christian minorities from both Egypt and Syria are
starting to look to the South Caucasus countries of Georgia and
Armenia as a refuge from violence and uncertainly.
The choice isn't as random as it may seem. Sandwiched between Turkey,
Iran and Russia's predominately Muslim North Caucasus regions, both
Georgia and Armenia have ancient Christian traditions dating back to
the 4th century. Their churches are closely related to the Copts and
other Eastern Christian confessions.
Georgia has issued nearly 2,000 visas to Egyptians this year - almost
all to Coptic Christians - after giving out just 222 last year,
according to government figures cited by Eurasianet. The country of
4.5 million now estimates about 2,500 Egyptians live there.
Armenia has gone as far as announcing the creation of `New Aleppo' - a
housing development outside the capital Yerevan that has reportedly
drawn interest from 600 Syrian Armenian families.
More than 7,000 Syrian Armenians have already expressed the desire to
relocate to Armenia, according to the Armenian government, which sees
the possible immigrants as a potential boost to a stagnant economy and
population fall.
Adel, who asked that his last name not be used for fear of reprisals
against his family, said that although Christians faced discrimination
under Mubarak's long rule, the Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power in
2012 has increased pressure on religious minorities and led many of
Egypt's estimated 5 million to 15 million Copts to look for the exits.
Sipping tea in the offices of a legal consultancy in the Georgian
capital Tbilisi tailored to arriving Arabs - and set up by an Egyptian
Copt eight months ago - Adel is still weighing his options.
Although he supports the Egyptian military's ouster of the Muslim
Brotherhood government earlier this month, he says he fears the
Islamist organization will be `just as dangerous out of power.'
Despite having a son in university and another finishing high school,
he says he's already decided to leave Egypt. Both would face major
difficulties finishing their studies in Georgia, where the curriculum
differs greatly and would require proficiency in the Georgian
language.
Across Tbilisi, another Coptic immigrant smokes in lobby of the small
hostel he opened in April. Although he arrived just this January with
his wife and daughter, the 39-year-old, who asked to be named Ahmed,
said he already plans to return to his homeland as soon as he recoups
the $20,000 he invested in the venture.
Despite fears of a prolonged post-coup crisis, Ahmed says he's
confident the threats to Christian communities in Egypt will abate and
has warned other Copts not to come to Georgia.
`Georgia is a nice country with nice people, but it's not a suitable
place for business or a permanent stay,' he said.
The country's entrenched poverty and unemployment makes it a difficult
economy for immigrants and entrepreneurs, he explained.
Although the World Bank estimates Georgia's 2012 GDP per capita as
slightly higher than Egypt's at $3,508, 31 percent of Georgians said
in a June poll that they are `unemployed and looking for a job.'
The situation is similar in Armenia. Like the Copts in Egypt, Syrian
Armenians have long been supporters of the secular government of
President Bashar al-Assad. Many fear retribution from rebels should
the civil war drag on or if Assad falls.
Yerevan has gone as far as to offer passports to Syrians with Armenian
heritage at its consulates in Syria. But Richard Giragosian, director
of the Yerevan-based Regional Security Center, says that Armenia's
sluggish economy and endemic corruption make it an unattractive
destination for its worldwide diaspora - even for those fleeing war.
`Despite the apparent urgency of the crisis for Armenians in Syria,
Armenia remains a remote and distant focus,' Giragosian wrote in
Oxford Analytica in December. `Even some of those now coming to
Yerevan may be only treating it as a temporary refuge.'
Georgia's secessionist province of Abkhazia has also sought to attract
immigrants fleeing strife in the Middle East. Abkhazia has been free
from Georgian control since forcing out government troops in a
1993-1994 conflict and has been recognized as independent by Russia
and a few of its allies.
Largely depopulated after forcing out more than 200,000 ethnic
Georgians following the war, it has now invited Syrian Circassians to
settle there. Circassians are ethnically linked to the Abkhaz: they
were expelled from the Caucasus in the late 19th century by the
Russian Empire and many ended up scattered throughout the Middle East.
Abkhazia claims it has welcomed and housed about 400 refugee families
from Syria.
Back in Tbilisi, Adel says he'll return to Egypt to contemplate his
next move after four weeks checking out Georgia.
`It's a small, mostly poor country and none of us knew anything about
it until the Muslim Brotherhood [came to power],' he said.
`It's difficult to see how we'll be able to maintain our lifestyle
here. But it's better than Egypt.'
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130727/syrian-egyptian-christians-seek-refuge-caucasus-not-all-plan-stay
July 27 2013
Syrian, Egyptian Christians seek refuge in Caucasus, but not all plan to stay
Nicholas Clayton|GlobalPost.com|
July 27, 2013
TBILISI, Georgia - Ever since ouster of Egyptian strongman President
Hosni Mubarak two years ago, Adel has faced a difficult dilemma: Leave
behind a relatively cushy life in Egypt or stay and risk
discrimination and violence as religious and sectarian tensions rise.
Visa restrictions are narrowing his options, so the successful,
middle-class Coptic Christian and the father of two says he's
considering uprooting his family to start anew in an unlikely place: A
small ex-Soviet country with a different language, culture and climate
from his own.
`In Egypt, it's difficult to get visas to the U.S. or Europe,'
50-year-old Adel says. `We didn't chose Georgia, Georgia is choosing
us.'
He's not alone. Christian minorities from both Egypt and Syria are
starting to look to the South Caucasus countries of Georgia and
Armenia as a refuge from violence and uncertainly.
The choice isn't as random as it may seem. Sandwiched between Turkey,
Iran and Russia's predominately Muslim North Caucasus regions, both
Georgia and Armenia have ancient Christian traditions dating back to
the 4th century. Their churches are closely related to the Copts and
other Eastern Christian confessions.
Georgia has issued nearly 2,000 visas to Egyptians this year - almost
all to Coptic Christians - after giving out just 222 last year,
according to government figures cited by Eurasianet. The country of
4.5 million now estimates about 2,500 Egyptians live there.
Armenia has gone as far as announcing the creation of `New Aleppo' - a
housing development outside the capital Yerevan that has reportedly
drawn interest from 600 Syrian Armenian families.
More than 7,000 Syrian Armenians have already expressed the desire to
relocate to Armenia, according to the Armenian government, which sees
the possible immigrants as a potential boost to a stagnant economy and
population fall.
Adel, who asked that his last name not be used for fear of reprisals
against his family, said that although Christians faced discrimination
under Mubarak's long rule, the Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power in
2012 has increased pressure on religious minorities and led many of
Egypt's estimated 5 million to 15 million Copts to look for the exits.
Sipping tea in the offices of a legal consultancy in the Georgian
capital Tbilisi tailored to arriving Arabs - and set up by an Egyptian
Copt eight months ago - Adel is still weighing his options.
Although he supports the Egyptian military's ouster of the Muslim
Brotherhood government earlier this month, he says he fears the
Islamist organization will be `just as dangerous out of power.'
Despite having a son in university and another finishing high school,
he says he's already decided to leave Egypt. Both would face major
difficulties finishing their studies in Georgia, where the curriculum
differs greatly and would require proficiency in the Georgian
language.
Across Tbilisi, another Coptic immigrant smokes in lobby of the small
hostel he opened in April. Although he arrived just this January with
his wife and daughter, the 39-year-old, who asked to be named Ahmed,
said he already plans to return to his homeland as soon as he recoups
the $20,000 he invested in the venture.
Despite fears of a prolonged post-coup crisis, Ahmed says he's
confident the threats to Christian communities in Egypt will abate and
has warned other Copts not to come to Georgia.
`Georgia is a nice country with nice people, but it's not a suitable
place for business or a permanent stay,' he said.
The country's entrenched poverty and unemployment makes it a difficult
economy for immigrants and entrepreneurs, he explained.
Although the World Bank estimates Georgia's 2012 GDP per capita as
slightly higher than Egypt's at $3,508, 31 percent of Georgians said
in a June poll that they are `unemployed and looking for a job.'
The situation is similar in Armenia. Like the Copts in Egypt, Syrian
Armenians have long been supporters of the secular government of
President Bashar al-Assad. Many fear retribution from rebels should
the civil war drag on or if Assad falls.
Yerevan has gone as far as to offer passports to Syrians with Armenian
heritage at its consulates in Syria. But Richard Giragosian, director
of the Yerevan-based Regional Security Center, says that Armenia's
sluggish economy and endemic corruption make it an unattractive
destination for its worldwide diaspora - even for those fleeing war.
`Despite the apparent urgency of the crisis for Armenians in Syria,
Armenia remains a remote and distant focus,' Giragosian wrote in
Oxford Analytica in December. `Even some of those now coming to
Yerevan may be only treating it as a temporary refuge.'
Georgia's secessionist province of Abkhazia has also sought to attract
immigrants fleeing strife in the Middle East. Abkhazia has been free
from Georgian control since forcing out government troops in a
1993-1994 conflict and has been recognized as independent by Russia
and a few of its allies.
Largely depopulated after forcing out more than 200,000 ethnic
Georgians following the war, it has now invited Syrian Circassians to
settle there. Circassians are ethnically linked to the Abkhaz: they
were expelled from the Caucasus in the late 19th century by the
Russian Empire and many ended up scattered throughout the Middle East.
Abkhazia claims it has welcomed and housed about 400 refugee families
from Syria.
Back in Tbilisi, Adel says he'll return to Egypt to contemplate his
next move after four weeks checking out Georgia.
`It's a small, mostly poor country and none of us knew anything about
it until the Muslim Brotherhood [came to power],' he said.
`It's difficult to see how we'll be able to maintain our lifestyle
here. But it's better than Egypt.'
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130727/syrian-egyptian-christians-seek-refuge-caucasus-not-all-plan-stay