Afro-Syrians
Afro-Syrians are Syrian people of Black African heritage. They almost entirely live in Southwestern Daraa and the bordering Golan Heights with only a handful living in other parts of Syria and other parts of the world. Outside of Daraa, their existence is nearly unknown.
سوريون أفارقة | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| Unknown; never recorded[1][2][3] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Daraa, Golan Heights, Damascus[1][2][3] | |
| Languages | |
| Arabic[4] | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (mostly Sunni; with a significant Shia minority)[5] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Syrians, Sudanese Arabs, Afro-Jordanians, Afro-Palestinians, Afro-Iraqis, Afro-Saudis, Al-Akhdam, Afro-Omanis |
History
There are many different origins of Afro-Syrians, the most common ones are the Arab slave trade, African Muslims settling in Syria when it was one of the centers of education during the Islamic Golden Age,[6] African refugees that received Syrian citizenship,[7] Syrian refugees in Africa who mixed with the local Africans, Syrian refugees in Brazil who mixed with Afro-Brazilians,[8] and Interracial marriages between Syrians and black people. Sudanare listed as the most common place of ancestry for Afro-Syrians, with Sudan and Syria having connections since the spread of Islam and the rapidly-growing number of Syrian refugees in Sudan and Sudanese refugees in Syria.[2] Most Afro-Syrians fell under ISIS rule during the Syrian Civil War.[1] A community of Shia Afro-Syrians exists in Damascus.[3] A lot of Afro-Palestinians also reside in refugee camps in Syria.[3]
Social condition
The existence of Afro-Syrians is very little known in Daraa, and basically unknown in other parts of Syria. Afro-Syrians are highly concentrated in southwestern Daraa. They are the smallest Afro-Arab group.[9] On top of war and occupation, Afro-Syrians experience severe racism and discrimination, including not being given any representation at all. Syrians are heavily stereotyped across the Arab World as all being white or light skinned, which makes things even worse for Afro-Syrians. Their population is unknown an never been recorded.[10]
Notable Afro-Syrians
References
- Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (19 January 2017). "Black Syrians: The Case Of The Yarmouk Basin". Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "Sudanese-Syrians: Interview". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.
- Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "The West African Shi'a Community of Damascus: Interview". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.
- "Syrian Colloquial Arabic alphabet, pronunciation and language". omniglot.com.
- "Syrian Culture - Religion". Cultural Atlas.
- Liebich, Don. "What Can the Islamic Golden Age Teach Us about Migration and Diversity?". boisestate.edu/. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
- Bahati, Linnete (6 September 2017). "African refugees seeking safety in war-torn Syria". Africanews. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- "Fleeing Syrians lament the loss of their final refuge in Sudan". the Guardian. March 14, 2021.
- al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "Black Syrians: The Case Of The Yarmouk Basin". Middle East Forum.
- "Yasser Abdul Latif: The Syrian Sudanese … the marginal and rebellious". Saudi 24 News. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2021.