The Assyrians are one of the oldest Christian communities in the Middle East,[1] with a population currently numbering over one million.[2]

In Turkey, Assyrian means Christian orthodox.[3]  They are also referred to as Syriacs[4] and Chaldeans,[5] the Assyrian Catholic subgroup.[6]  Chaldean Christians belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church[7] and go by many names such as Chaldean Assyrians, Chaldo-Assyrians, Assyro-Chaldeans, and occasionally Keldani in the Neo-Aramaic language.[8] 

Assyrian is also the name of a spoken language, derived from an extinct language[9] known as Syriac,[10] which was spoken in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.[11]  Another form of Syriac, known as Neo-Syriac, also continues to be spoken.  However, it is deemed a Neo-Eastern Aramaic language, and is not thought to be a direct descendant of the original Syriac language.[12]  According to recent survey results, three percent of the population in Turkey continues to speak Assyrian.[13]

The Assyrians have been Christians since the earliest days of the faith[14]; the Assyrian historical sites of Diyarbakir and Tur Abdin are located in Turkey.[15]

Demography/Geographic Distribution

Due to recent fighting between Kurdish militants and government forces, many Assyrians have fled to Germany and Sweden.  This has caused them to lose their Turkish citizenship, and kept them from returning back home to Turkey.[16]

Generally, Assyrians have migrated in phases. They first migrated from Iran and Turkey, arriving in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.  Eventually, the majority of Assyrians migrated to Lebanon.  Europe, the United States and Australia were the next destinations. [17]

Historic and Ongoing Hardship

According to Dr. Eden Naby of Harvard University, an expert on Assyrian origins, Assyrian Christians have “suffered the most among the Christians of the Middle East.”[18]

Among the darkest chapters in the group’s history was the Mongol invasion of the 14th century, which devastated Assyrians and their culture.[19]

In more recent times, Assyrians have been the victims of genocide. During World War I, Sultan Abdul-Hamid II and the young Turks of Ottoman Turkey exterminated minorities such as the Armenians, Pontic Greeks, and Assyrians.[20]  Two out of three Assyrians died in the episode, proof that the act was a form of mass ethnic cleansing.[21]

The genocide lasted from 1914 until 1920.  During this period, it is estimated that over 750,000 Assyrians were massacred, alongside 1.5 million Armenians and 350,000 Pontic Greeks.  As such, many have labeled the genocide as one against all of Turkey’s Christians.  It is estimated that 33 percent of the total Assyrian population died as a result of the tragedy.[22]

Though it remains a difficult memory to recount for Assyrians today, members of the group in Turkey cannot speak openly about the genocide for fear of harassment and imprisonment.[23]

Assyrians are one of the many ethnic minority groups in Turkey today.  Others include the Kurds, Laz, Roma, Alevis, Caferis, Reformist Christians, and Caucasians.  However, none of these groups is legally recognized as a minority; the risk of imprisonment exists for minorities who stand up for their rights.[24]

In 1923, Turkey signed the Treaty of Lausanne, which included protections for the nation’s minorities.  However, these provisions only applied to Armenians, Christians, Jews and Rum (Greek orthodox).  This has left unrecognized minorities facing, among other things, limitations on religious freedom and the use of their own languages in schools and in media.[25]

Turkey’s Assyrian population is dwindling and some say that the group might soon disappear.  In 1914, there were 400,000 Assyrians living in Turkey, but in 2006, that number had dropped to 30,000 – out of 70 million Turks.[26]  Dr. Naby has tied this decline to the “terrible repression exercised by the Turks…and…the collective massacres and ethnic cleansing in addition to the narrowing of cultural, economic and social outlets.”[27]

To make matters worse, Assyrians are facing new struggles as nationalism continues to grow in modern Turkey, according to a 2007 report issued by Minority Rights Group International.[28]

There is some cause for optimism though.  Some see Turkey’s proposal for a new constitution in 2008 and its bid to join the European Union as opportunities for greater minority rights.[29]

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