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SYRIACS HOPEFUL SCHOOL WILL REVERSE EXODUS TO EUROPE
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Oct 2 2013
Evgil Turker
2 October 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
A recent court decision which found that it is legal for Syriacs to
open their own schools just like other non-Muslim communities defined
as minorities in the law has given new hope to the Syriac community
that thousands of Syriacs who have left Turkey might return.
Syriac Christians are at a disadvantage compared to Turkey's Greek,
Jewish and Armenian communities because they cannot exercise some
of the rights enjoyed by other these groups that have "minority"
status as described in Articles 37-44 of the Lausanne Treaty of
1923. Opening schools is one of these rights. Recently though, the
Turabdin Syriac Culture and Solidarity Association applied to the
Mardin Education Directorate to open a school that will teach in
Syriac. The application comes shortly after a ruling of the Ankara
13th Administrate Court which said that Syriacs have the right to
open their own schools and they should be considered a "minority"
as defined by the Lausanne Treaty.
Syriacs hope this will reverse the exodus to Europe that started at
the beginning of the last century. In fact, many Syriacs from Europe
returned to Turkey in the mid-2000s, but instead of welcoming arms,
they were met with an attempt by the Turkish state to seize the Mor
Gabriel Monastery in Midyat -- a Syriac church in the region that
had existed for 1,600 years in 2005.
The government on Monday announced that the Syriac community will be
given back full ownership rights of Mor Gabriel. The package also said
private educational institutions will be allowed to use non-Turkish
languages as the main language of education.
Schools are extremely important to ensure that minority communities
thrive. Head of the Federation of Syriac Associations Evgil Turker
was quoted by the Vatan daily on Thursday: "There are more than 3,000
Syriacs in Mardin and Midyat. We don't want our language of 5,000
years to disappear. The reason why Syriacs stopped coming back was
because of the title issue with Mor Gabriel and because there are no
schools. We have talked to the teachers who teach Syriac at Mardin
Artuklu University, and they will also teach in the school."
Sait Susin, head of the Beyoglu Syriac Church of Mother Mary,
also said there were plans to open a Syriac-language kindergarten
in İstanbul for 150 students. "There are 25,000 Syriac Orthodox in
Turkey and 85 percent of them are in İstanbul. We are looking for a
building for the kindergarten. We are thinking of opening a primary,
secondary and high school after that."
According to a recent publication from the History Foundation, there
were 29 schools belonging to the Syriac Community in Turkey in 1914.
Syriacs, with members who sometimes also refer to themselves as
Assyrians or Arameans and occasionally the Qeldani, are an ethnic
community indigenous to Turkey's Southeast and other parts of
Mesopotamia.
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Oct 2 2013
Evgil Turker
2 October 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
A recent court decision which found that it is legal for Syriacs to
open their own schools just like other non-Muslim communities defined
as minorities in the law has given new hope to the Syriac community
that thousands of Syriacs who have left Turkey might return.
Syriac Christians are at a disadvantage compared to Turkey's Greek,
Jewish and Armenian communities because they cannot exercise some
of the rights enjoyed by other these groups that have "minority"
status as described in Articles 37-44 of the Lausanne Treaty of
1923. Opening schools is one of these rights. Recently though, the
Turabdin Syriac Culture and Solidarity Association applied to the
Mardin Education Directorate to open a school that will teach in
Syriac. The application comes shortly after a ruling of the Ankara
13th Administrate Court which said that Syriacs have the right to
open their own schools and they should be considered a "minority"
as defined by the Lausanne Treaty.
Syriacs hope this will reverse the exodus to Europe that started at
the beginning of the last century. In fact, many Syriacs from Europe
returned to Turkey in the mid-2000s, but instead of welcoming arms,
they were met with an attempt by the Turkish state to seize the Mor
Gabriel Monastery in Midyat -- a Syriac church in the region that
had existed for 1,600 years in 2005.
The government on Monday announced that the Syriac community will be
given back full ownership rights of Mor Gabriel. The package also said
private educational institutions will be allowed to use non-Turkish
languages as the main language of education.
Schools are extremely important to ensure that minority communities
thrive. Head of the Federation of Syriac Associations Evgil Turker
was quoted by the Vatan daily on Thursday: "There are more than 3,000
Syriacs in Mardin and Midyat. We don't want our language of 5,000
years to disappear. The reason why Syriacs stopped coming back was
because of the title issue with Mor Gabriel and because there are no
schools. We have talked to the teachers who teach Syriac at Mardin
Artuklu University, and they will also teach in the school."
Sait Susin, head of the Beyoglu Syriac Church of Mother Mary,
also said there were plans to open a Syriac-language kindergarten
in İstanbul for 150 students. "There are 25,000 Syriac Orthodox in
Turkey and 85 percent of them are in İstanbul. We are looking for a
building for the kindergarten. We are thinking of opening a primary,
secondary and high school after that."
According to a recent publication from the History Foundation, there
were 29 schools belonging to the Syriac Community in Turkey in 1914.
Syriacs, with members who sometimes also refer to themselves as
Assyrians or Arameans and occasionally the Qeldani, are an ethnic
community indigenous to Turkey's Southeast and other parts of
Mesopotamia.