Afro-Syrians

Afro-Syrians
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

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.

History

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There are many different origins of Afro-Syrians, the most common ones are the Arab slave trade, African Muslims settling in Syria 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. Sudan is 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

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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. Their population is unknown and has never been recorded.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (19 January 2017). "Black Syrians: The Case Of The Yarmouk Basin". Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "Sudanese-Syrians: Interview". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.
  3. ^ a b c d Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "The West African Shi'a Community of Damascus: Interview". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.
  4. ^ "Syrian Colloquial Arabic alphabet, pronunciation and language". omniglot.com.
  5. ^ "Syrian Culture - Religion". Cultural Atlas.
  6. ^ Liebich, Don. "What Can the Islamic Golden Age Teach Us about Migration and Diversity?". boisestate.edu/. Archived from the original on 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  7. ^ Bahati, Linnete (6 September 2017). "African refugees seeking safety in war-torn Syria". Africanews. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Fleeing Syrians lament the loss of their final refuge in Sudan". the Guardian. March 14, 2021.
  9. ^ al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "Black Syrians: The Case Of The Yarmouk Basin". Middle East Forum.
  10. ^ "Yasser Abdul Latif: The Syrian Sudanese … the marginal and rebellious". Saudi 24 News. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2021.