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SYRIAN ARMENIANS FROM SILK ROAD TO PRESENT DAY
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 18 2013
by Alin Ã~Vzinian*
The Armenians who survived in Anatolia in 1915 were exiled to the
deserts. Those who were able to pass through Ter-Dzor arrived in
Aleppo. Some headed to other places, and some stayed in this city.
The Armenians who migrated from Aleppo to different parts of the world
in the 20th century constituted the final wave of the diaspora. Those
who stayed in Aleppo, following in the footsteps of the Armenian
traders who settled there before, created a life for themselves in
the city. However, their struggle was a little different from their
ancestors, who were impressed by the magic of the Silk Road and took
the road to Aleppo.
They tried to heal their wounds associated with exile from their
homeland by relying on the mercy and compassion shown by the Arabs,
another Muslim nation. They worked to preserve their religion and
languages. They built schools and churches in Aleppo, Qamishli,
Damascus, Kesab, Yakubiyah and Latakia. They opened cultural centers
and published newspapers. They convinced senior members of their
families that they were unable to return to Urfa, Antep, Diyarbakır,
MuÅ~_ and Van, and that this was their home now.
Daily life in Syria The number of Armenians in Syria declined
from 250,000-300,000 to 60,000 in the early 2000s. Most of the
Armenians migrated to the US and Europe as well as to Canada. The
socioeconomic status and outlook of the Armenians today is similar
to other communities; it is interesting to observe that cultural and
social integration with the Arabs among the middle class is still
negligible. Most Armenians still live in the same districts and
have Armenian neighbors. In addition to self-employed Armenians,
there are also successful Armenian businessmen, but this does not
necessarily mean that overall the Armenians in Syria are economically
well off. Unlike commonly held views, a substantial part of the
Armenians in this country barely survive.
Most of the women remained as housewives up until recently, and they
have tended to work in office jobs after the emergence of a private
sector in Syria. Also, like in other Armenian communities in other
parts of the world, women assume positions and jobs in schools,
cultural centers and newspapers as teachers, mentors or volunteers.
Armenians still marry other Armenians; even though there are marriages
with Christian Arabs, in the Armenian community marriages with Muslims
are still taboo. Armenian women who marry Muslims are not welcomed.
The primary reason is the condition for marriage. In Syria, to file
an application for an official marriage, a religious ceremony must
be held first. When the religious ceremony becomes the only option
for marriage, things get more complicated. The wealthier Armenians
may have a different lifestyle; they most probably have nothing to
be afraid of, they comfortably develop closer ties with Muslims and
lead a luxurious lifestyle. Undoubtedly, these close ties may also
lead to cooperation in different fields, including commerce.
The life of the Armenians in Syria, particularly in Aleppo, has
been shaped by the political parties of which they are members. The
Dashnak movement -- the strongest among the Armenians in the world
-- is popular among only three-four families; in other words, it is
not influential in Syria. Though unofficially, schools and churches
are also influenced by the political views and express support for
a certain political party.
Syria is one of the countries where Western Armenian has been well
preserved. The Armenian young people in Europe, the US and even Turkey
speak the language prevalent in the country they live in, whereas the
young people in Aleppo and Damascus prefer their native language,
Western Armenian. For this reason, girls in particular who do not
attend schools have difficulty speaking the Arabic language. Even
when they are in Armenia, they do not switch to the Eastern Armenian
language. In addition, there is another language they are familiar
with: Turkish. There is a strong connection between them and this
language despite their objections to it.
Why does an Aleppo Armenian speak Turkish so eloquently?
A young Aleppo Armenian man, who notes that the number of Armenians in
Syria declined to 40,000 after the Arab Spring, says: â~@~\The majority
of the Armenians are supporters of [Bashar al-] Assad. If you ask them
why, they will not identify a reason. They will most probably say they
have been comfortable since he has been in power. However, research
will show that the Armenians were actually more comfortable before the
Baath regime in Syria. In addition, we cannot see that their standards
of living have improved and what rights they have acquired under the
Baath regime. There is an illusion: These Baathists are secular so
they are good. But Armenians have no idea of what people are trying
to change and what they are fighting for. They do not understand and
they do not want to understand. They passively support Assad, maybe
because they are unable to predict the outcome of the change. But I
think the primary reason is the fear of Muslims that emerged in 1915
and the image of Muslims in their minds.â~@~]
He uses some Turkish during our conversation; I thought he heard these
words from his grandmothers and grandfathers and from the people whose
families were exiled from Urfa to Aleppo because this is the fate of
Armenians. Even the most ardent opponent of Turkey knows these Turkish
words. They are the words of home, kitchen and love. However, I notice
that this man uses some different words than these nostalgic words
and terms. I switched the conversation to Turkish. We made a swift
but odd move to the Turkish language. I was surprised by his fluency;
my surprise grew when I heard slang words coming out of his mouth.
I asked him how come he spoke the Turkish language so eloquently
and where he had learned it. I even asked whether he had stayed in
Ä°stanbul for a while. With a smile, he says: â~@~\I am a product of
TRT.â~@~] Then he gets serious: â~@~\You can't get anywhere watching
the Syrian state television. There was no other option; I have watched
Turkish TV stations since my childhood. First, TRT and Kemal Sunal
movies were my favorites, and then I developed an interest in all
Turkish movies, soap operas and other shows. This is how I excelled
in the Turkish language.â~@~]
I had difficulty understanding this. I find it hard to understand these
children who felt the pain in their hearts because of hearing of the
genocide reality, the young people who hear nothing but barbarity in
respect to Turks and their families having such a great interest in
Turkey and the Turkish language.
We both laughed when he said they were strongly recommended not to
watch Turkish television in the Armenian schools, but as soon as
the teacher left the room they would talk about a Kemal Sunal movie
that aired the previous night. I asked him whether they were watching
Turkish shows because the Syrians are interested in them or whether
all Armenians would do the same. He said: â~@~\No, why would an Arab
watch Turkish TV? Why would he speak Turkish? This is something unique
to the Armenians.
â~@~\There was nothing else to do. Back then, TRT was the only hole
we could breathe through in that regime. TRT was a huge factor that
expanded our vision. A leading figure started to criticize the Turkish
leader [Bülent] Ecevit; and all the young people listened carefully.
He said: â~@~XDo you know the latest statements of Bülent Ersoy? Do
you know what he said?' Everybody started to laugh. This incident is
then covered up. Who would they blame? The students? The speaker? Turns
out everybody was secretly listening to Bülent Ersoy.â~@~]
*Alin Ã~Vzinian is an independent analyst.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-307436-syrian-armenians-from-silk-road-to-present-dayby-alin-ozinian-.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 18 2013
by Alin Ã~Vzinian*
The Armenians who survived in Anatolia in 1915 were exiled to the
deserts. Those who were able to pass through Ter-Dzor arrived in
Aleppo. Some headed to other places, and some stayed in this city.
The Armenians who migrated from Aleppo to different parts of the world
in the 20th century constituted the final wave of the diaspora. Those
who stayed in Aleppo, following in the footsteps of the Armenian
traders who settled there before, created a life for themselves in
the city. However, their struggle was a little different from their
ancestors, who were impressed by the magic of the Silk Road and took
the road to Aleppo.
They tried to heal their wounds associated with exile from their
homeland by relying on the mercy and compassion shown by the Arabs,
another Muslim nation. They worked to preserve their religion and
languages. They built schools and churches in Aleppo, Qamishli,
Damascus, Kesab, Yakubiyah and Latakia. They opened cultural centers
and published newspapers. They convinced senior members of their
families that they were unable to return to Urfa, Antep, Diyarbakır,
MuÅ~_ and Van, and that this was their home now.
Daily life in Syria The number of Armenians in Syria declined
from 250,000-300,000 to 60,000 in the early 2000s. Most of the
Armenians migrated to the US and Europe as well as to Canada. The
socioeconomic status and outlook of the Armenians today is similar
to other communities; it is interesting to observe that cultural and
social integration with the Arabs among the middle class is still
negligible. Most Armenians still live in the same districts and
have Armenian neighbors. In addition to self-employed Armenians,
there are also successful Armenian businessmen, but this does not
necessarily mean that overall the Armenians in Syria are economically
well off. Unlike commonly held views, a substantial part of the
Armenians in this country barely survive.
Most of the women remained as housewives up until recently, and they
have tended to work in office jobs after the emergence of a private
sector in Syria. Also, like in other Armenian communities in other
parts of the world, women assume positions and jobs in schools,
cultural centers and newspapers as teachers, mentors or volunteers.
Armenians still marry other Armenians; even though there are marriages
with Christian Arabs, in the Armenian community marriages with Muslims
are still taboo. Armenian women who marry Muslims are not welcomed.
The primary reason is the condition for marriage. In Syria, to file
an application for an official marriage, a religious ceremony must
be held first. When the religious ceremony becomes the only option
for marriage, things get more complicated. The wealthier Armenians
may have a different lifestyle; they most probably have nothing to
be afraid of, they comfortably develop closer ties with Muslims and
lead a luxurious lifestyle. Undoubtedly, these close ties may also
lead to cooperation in different fields, including commerce.
The life of the Armenians in Syria, particularly in Aleppo, has
been shaped by the political parties of which they are members. The
Dashnak movement -- the strongest among the Armenians in the world
-- is popular among only three-four families; in other words, it is
not influential in Syria. Though unofficially, schools and churches
are also influenced by the political views and express support for
a certain political party.
Syria is one of the countries where Western Armenian has been well
preserved. The Armenian young people in Europe, the US and even Turkey
speak the language prevalent in the country they live in, whereas the
young people in Aleppo and Damascus prefer their native language,
Western Armenian. For this reason, girls in particular who do not
attend schools have difficulty speaking the Arabic language. Even
when they are in Armenia, they do not switch to the Eastern Armenian
language. In addition, there is another language they are familiar
with: Turkish. There is a strong connection between them and this
language despite their objections to it.
Why does an Aleppo Armenian speak Turkish so eloquently?
A young Aleppo Armenian man, who notes that the number of Armenians in
Syria declined to 40,000 after the Arab Spring, says: â~@~\The majority
of the Armenians are supporters of [Bashar al-] Assad. If you ask them
why, they will not identify a reason. They will most probably say they
have been comfortable since he has been in power. However, research
will show that the Armenians were actually more comfortable before the
Baath regime in Syria. In addition, we cannot see that their standards
of living have improved and what rights they have acquired under the
Baath regime. There is an illusion: These Baathists are secular so
they are good. But Armenians have no idea of what people are trying
to change and what they are fighting for. They do not understand and
they do not want to understand. They passively support Assad, maybe
because they are unable to predict the outcome of the change. But I
think the primary reason is the fear of Muslims that emerged in 1915
and the image of Muslims in their minds.â~@~]
He uses some Turkish during our conversation; I thought he heard these
words from his grandmothers and grandfathers and from the people whose
families were exiled from Urfa to Aleppo because this is the fate of
Armenians. Even the most ardent opponent of Turkey knows these Turkish
words. They are the words of home, kitchen and love. However, I notice
that this man uses some different words than these nostalgic words
and terms. I switched the conversation to Turkish. We made a swift
but odd move to the Turkish language. I was surprised by his fluency;
my surprise grew when I heard slang words coming out of his mouth.
I asked him how come he spoke the Turkish language so eloquently
and where he had learned it. I even asked whether he had stayed in
Ä°stanbul for a while. With a smile, he says: â~@~\I am a product of
TRT.â~@~] Then he gets serious: â~@~\You can't get anywhere watching
the Syrian state television. There was no other option; I have watched
Turkish TV stations since my childhood. First, TRT and Kemal Sunal
movies were my favorites, and then I developed an interest in all
Turkish movies, soap operas and other shows. This is how I excelled
in the Turkish language.â~@~]
I had difficulty understanding this. I find it hard to understand these
children who felt the pain in their hearts because of hearing of the
genocide reality, the young people who hear nothing but barbarity in
respect to Turks and their families having such a great interest in
Turkey and the Turkish language.
We both laughed when he said they were strongly recommended not to
watch Turkish television in the Armenian schools, but as soon as
the teacher left the room they would talk about a Kemal Sunal movie
that aired the previous night. I asked him whether they were watching
Turkish shows because the Syrians are interested in them or whether
all Armenians would do the same. He said: â~@~\No, why would an Arab
watch Turkish TV? Why would he speak Turkish? This is something unique
to the Armenians.
â~@~\There was nothing else to do. Back then, TRT was the only hole
we could breathe through in that regime. TRT was a huge factor that
expanded our vision. A leading figure started to criticize the Turkish
leader [Bülent] Ecevit; and all the young people listened carefully.
He said: â~@~XDo you know the latest statements of Bülent Ersoy? Do
you know what he said?' Everybody started to laugh. This incident is
then covered up. Who would they blame? The students? The speaker? Turns
out everybody was secretly listening to Bülent Ersoy.â~@~]
*Alin Ã~Vzinian is an independent analyst.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-307436-syrian-armenians-from-silk-road-to-present-dayby-alin-ozinian-.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress