German Assyrians
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2015) |
Total population | |
---|---|
over 130,000[1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Languages | |
German · Aramaic | |
Religion | |
Mainly Christianity (majority: Syriac Christianity; minority: Protestantism) |
German Assyrians are
The immigrant community of people of
History
Being oppressed and persecuted throughout the 20th century for their religion, many arrived from Turkey only seeking a life. The first wave arrived in the 1960s and 1970s as part of the German economic plan of "Gastarbeiter". As Germany was seeking immigrant workers (largely from Turkey), many Assyrians saw an opportunity for freedom and success and applied for visas along with Turks. Assyrians started working in restaurants or as construction workers for companies and many began running their own shops. The first Assyrian immigrants in Germany started organizing themselves by forming culture clubs and building churches. The second wave came almost immediately after the first, as a result of two events.
The first event was when the Assyrian mayor of
See also
- Swedish Assyrians
- Assyrian diaspora
- Assyrians in Turkey
References
- ^ a b "Diskussion zum Thema 'Aramäische Christen' im Kapitelshaus" Borkener Zeitung (in German) (archived link, 8 October 2011)
- ^ Reforging a Forgotten History: Iraq and the Assyrians in the Twentieth Century By Sargon Donabed
- ^ Lembert, Christiane (2002): Migranten aus dem Tur Abdin: Suryoye in einer diaspora community. In: Martin Tamcke (ed.), Daheim und in der Fremde: Beiträge zur jüngeren Geschichte und Gegenwartslage der orientalischen Christen. Münster: LIT Verlag, p. 143–162.
- ISBN 978-91-984101-7-4.