Episode 6: The state of the Syriac community within Turkey

Today, my guest was Gül, a Syriac woman living in Turkey. She shared her experience growing up in Turkey as a Syriac. Having a double identity has undoubtedly shaped her upbringing. She mentioned that the Syriacs are generally welcomed positively within the Turkish community, mainly because they have not been as demanding and persistent in their minority rights as other significant groups like Armenians or Kurds. Therefore, mentioning Syriacs does not trigger any negative emotions in Turkish people. However, this assimilation into Turkish society has drawn the partial eradication of some of the cultural and historical treasures of the Syriac community. She believes that we need to enact greater measures to defend and preserve the Syriac culture and community by promoting more intra-marriages between Syriac people and seeking the support of UNESCO.