Syrian activists have called for action to preserve the language of Syriac Aramaic and to prevent the “erasure” of Syria’s indigenous people.
The Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011, plunged the nation into chaos and led to a plethora of armed groups representing the various ethnic and religious communities of the country. The largely Christian Syriac group were no exception.
During the war the Syriac Military Council (MFS) were a minor component of the Syrian Democratic Forces and took part in operations against ISIS. The group and its political wing are aligned with efforts by the transitional government, led by Islamist group HTS, to rebuild the country with a new constitution.
As part of that effort, Syriac activists have called for the protection of Syriac Aramaic to be enshrined in the new constitution.
Human rights activist Sardar Sharif, writing for Syriac Press, argued that constitutionally recognising the language would represent “a fundamental step in protecting this ancient cultural heritage and ensuring its continuity for future generations”. Syriac Aramaic is a later variant of the language spoken by Jesus Christ.
Protection and recognition for the language would be an “important step toward preserving one of the oldest linguistic and civilizational heritages in the region and toward strengthening coexistence among the various communities of the Syrian people”, Sharif wrote.
Activist group A Demand For Action (ADFA) made a similar call, urging the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to intervene to prevent the “erasure” of Syriacs.
“The Syriac language has been removed from signs on public buildings. In Hassakeh in northeastern Syria, only Arabic and Kurdish now remain. Some call it a minor administrative adjustment," it said.
“For the indigenous people of the country, it is something else entirely. It is grief. It is anger. It is the slow, familiar feeling of being erased, yet another act of diminishment. This time there are no weapons, no bloodshed, no images that reach the world’s front pages.”
ADFA noted that the Syriacs are the descendants of those who inhabited the region in biblical times, before the coming of the Arabs and other groups.
“Ursula von der Leyen, you are the most powerful politician in Europe. You speak of reform and a new path forward for Syria. But there can be no true progress in the quiet disappearance of a people’s identity. To erase a culture is not reform. It is loss. We call on you to stop the erasure of the indigenous people of Syria," the group said.
