Assyrians in Sweden
Encyclopedia
Assyrians/Syriacs in Sweden are people of residing in Sweden
. Initially, most came from Turkey
, Lebanon
and Syria
. During the 2000s, an unprecedented immigration wave from Iraq
reached Sweden as a result of the Iraq War (see Iraqis in Sweden
).
and the others belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church
, the Assyrian Church of the East
, the Syriac Catholic Church
and the Ancient Church of the East
. Of the 50,000 Assyrians living in Stockholm County
, 30,000 live in the city of Södertälje
and 8,000 in Botkyrka Municipality
. Other cities with high concentrations of Assyrians are Jönköping
, Norrköping
, Gothenburg
, Eskilstuna
, Linköping
, Örebro
, Västerås
, Märsta
and Skövde
. There are around 40 Syriac churches in Sweden, including six churches in Södertälje
.
teams are Assyriska Föreningen
, Syrianska FC
, Syrianska Botkyrka IF, and Valsta Syrianska IK
. The international TV-channels Suryoyo Sat
and Suroyo TV
are also based in Södertälje
. There are currently five Assyrians that are representatives in the Parliament of Sweden
. Ibrahim Baylan
currently Sweden Parliament Representative, was Sweden Minister of Education 2004-2006 and the first ever minister of Sweden originating from a non-European country.
To account for this division, official Swedish sources refer to the group as "Assyrier/Syrianer", with a slash
(similar to the US census, which opted for "Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac").
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Initially, most came from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. During the 2000s, an unprecedented immigration wave from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
reached Sweden as a result of the Iraq War (see Iraqis in Sweden
Iraqis in Sweden
Iraqis in Sweden numbered at 118,000 people as of 2009, or 1.3% of the total population of Sweden.They are one of the largest ethnic minority groups living in Sweden, second to the Sweden Finns ....
).
Distribution
About 60% of the 120,000 Assyrians/Syriacs in Sweden belong to the Syriac Orthodox ChurchSyriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
and the others belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
, the Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
, the Syriac Catholic Church
Syriac Catholic Church
The Syriac Catholic Church is a Christian church in the Levant having practices and rites in common with the Syriac Orthodox Church. They are one of the Eastern Catholic Churches following the Antiochene rite, the Syriac tradition of Antioch, along with the Maronites and Syro-Malankara Christians...
and the Ancient Church of the East
Ancient Church of the East
The Ancient Church of the East was established in 1968. It follows the traditions of one of the oldest Christian churches, the Church of the East, whose origins trace back to the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in central Mesopotamia...
. Of the 50,000 Assyrians living in Stockholm County
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
, 30,000 live in the city of Södertälje
Södertälje
Södertälje is a city and the seat of Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 86,069 inhabitants in 2010.The industrial city, about south of Stockholm, is the home to truck maker Scania AB and a top 10 pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca....
and 8,000 in Botkyrka Municipality
Botkyrka Municipality
Botkyrka Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, not far from the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the town of Tumba....
. Other cities with high concentrations of Assyrians are Jönköping
Jönköping
-Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian...
, Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
, Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
, Linköping
Linköping
Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
, Örebro
Örebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
, Västerås
Västerås
Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm...
, Märsta
Märsta
Märsta is a suburb of Metropolitan Stockholm, a locality and the seat of Sigtuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 23,416 inhabitants in 2008. The town is situated close to Stockholms main international airport, Arlanda. Even if its origins go back to around 500 AD Märsta is a wide spread...
and Skövde
Skövde
Skövde is a locality and the seat of Skövde Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 34 446 inhabitants .Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of Gothenburg, between Sweden's two largest lakes, Vänern and Vättern. It sits on the eastern slope of a low mountain ridge Billingen ,...
. There are around 40 Syriac churches in Sweden, including six churches in Södertälje
Södertälje
Södertälje is a city and the seat of Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 86,069 inhabitants in 2010.The industrial city, about south of Stockholm, is the home to truck maker Scania AB and a top 10 pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca....
.
Culture and sport
Assyrians are regarded as the most successful immigrant group in Sweden. It is about three times more common for Assyrians to start a company than others in Sweden. Some famous Swedish professional football (soccer)Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
teams are Assyriska Föreningen
Assyriska Föreningen
Assyriska Föreningen is a Swedish football club based in Södertälje. The club, formed in 1974 by Assyrian immigrants, has advanced through the league system and is currently playing in the second highest Swedish league, Superettan. They played in the highest Swedish football league Allsvenskan in...
, Syrianska FC
Syrianska FC
Syrianska Football Club, known as Syrianska FC and Suryoye , is a Swedish professional football club from Södertälje, a city south of Stockholm, Sweden. The club was formed in 1977, by Syriac immigrants as Suryoyo Sportklubb...
, Syrianska Botkyrka IF, and Valsta Syrianska IK
Valsta Syrianska IK
Valsta Syrianska IK is a Swedish based football club in Märsta, a suburb of Stockholm. The club, formed in 1993 by Syriac immigrants arriving from Turkey has advanced through the league system and is currently playing in the third highest Swedish league, Division 1 Norra. The club is affiliated to...
. The international TV-channels Suryoyo Sat
Suryoyo Sat
Suryoyo Sat is a Syriac TV-Channel sending from Södertälje, Sweden. Reaching and sending in more than 80 countries, the channel wants to unite the people under the Syriac name...
and Suroyo TV
Suroyo TV
Suroyo TV is an Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac satellite television channel. Suroyo TV broadcasts from their studios in Södertälje, Sweden.Suroyo TV is a voice for the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac people and their cultural heritage, history and language...
are also based in Södertälje
Södertälje
Södertälje is a city and the seat of Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 86,069 inhabitants in 2010.The industrial city, about south of Stockholm, is the home to truck maker Scania AB and a top 10 pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca....
. There are currently five Assyrians that are representatives in the Parliament of Sweden
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
. Ibrahim Baylan
Ibrahim Baylan
Ibrahim Baylan, is a Swedish politician and a member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He was Minister for Schools in the cabinet of Göran Persson from 2004 to 2006 and was replaced by Jan Björklund of the Liberal People's Party following the defeat of the Social Democrats in the 2006 election...
currently Sweden Parliament Representative, was Sweden Minister of Education 2004-2006 and the first ever minister of Sweden originating from a non-European country.
Name and division
There is an ideological division of this group in Sweden between- Aramaenists, adherents of the Syriac Orthodox ChurchSyriac Orthodox ChurchThe Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
(West Syrian RiteWest Syrian RiteThe West Syrian Rite, also known as the Syrian Rite or the Syro-Antiochene Rite, is a Christian liturgical rite chiefly practiced in the Syriac Orthodox Church and churches related to or descended from it. It is part of the liturgical family known as the Antiochene Rite, which originated in the...
) who insist on the name Araméer/Syrianer and an "AramaeanAramaeansThe Aramaeans, also Arameans , were a Northwest Semitic semi-nomadic and pastoralist people who originated in what is now modern Syria during the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age...
" heritage for the group.
- AssyrianistsAssyrianismThe term Assyrianism refers to Assyrian nationalism which increased in popularity in the late 19th century in a climate of increasing ethnic and religious persecution of the indigenous Assyrians of the Middle East....
of various denominational backgrounds including the who de-emphasize religious adherence in favour of pre-Christian antiquity, who insist on the name Assyrier and an Assyrian heritage for the group.
To account for this division, official Swedish sources refer to the group as "Assyrier/Syrianer", with a slash
Slash (punctuation)
The slash is a sign used as a punctuation mark and for various other purposes. It is now often called a forward slash , and many other alternative names.-History:...
(similar to the US census, which opted for "Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac").
Notable individuals
- Kennedy BakircioglüKennedy BakircioglüKennedy Bakircioglü is a Swedish footballer who plays for Racing de Santander in Spain, as a right midfielder.-Early life:...
- Abgar BarsomAbgar BarsomAbgar Barsom is a Swedish football-player of Syriac origin, currently playing for Syrianska FC.He made his first spell at Djurgårdens IF from 2000 to 2002, after having joined DIF from BK Forward. He was later sold to SC Heerenveen in the Netherlands, but his time at the Abe Lenstra Stadion was no...
- Stefan BatanStefan BatanStefan Batan is a Swedish football player of ethnic Assyrian/Syriac origin who currently is playing for Assyriska FF- Career :...
- Ibrahim BaylanIbrahim BaylanIbrahim Baylan, is a Swedish politician and a member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He was Minister for Schools in the cabinet of Göran Persson from 2004 to 2006 and was replaced by Jan Björklund of the Liberal People's Party following the defeat of the Social Democrats in the 2006 election...
- Fares FaresFares FaresFares Fares in Beirut, Lebanon, is a Swedish film actor with Assyrian/Syriac origin. He is the brother of film director Josef Fares, and has several times played major parts in his movies, including Jalla! Jalla! and Kopps. He has also starred in Bang Bang Orangutang and Kill Your Darlings...
- Josef FaresJosef FaresJosef Fares is a Crystal-Simorgh winning Swedish film director with Assyrian/Syriac origin. His brother is the actor Fares Fares, who has appeared in many of his films....
- Andreas Haddad
- Yilmaz KerimoYilmaz KerimoYilmaz Kerimo is an Assyrian/Syriac and a member of the Riksdag and a member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He was first elected in the Swedish parliament in 1998 and was re-elected in 2006.-References:...
- Nuri KinoNuri KinoNuri Kino is an Assyrian-Swedish freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker.-Biography:...
- Josef ÖzerJosef ÖzerJosef Özer is a Syriac musician. He was born 18 July 1983 in Västerås, Sweden. In 2005 he made his debut in Melodifestivalen with the song Rain, written by Bobby Ljunggren...
- Gabriel ÖzkanGabriel ÖzkanGabriel Özkan is a Swedish football player of Assyrian/Syriac descent who plays for AIK Fotboll. Gabriel joined AIK in the summer of 2006 from Brommapojkarna, after coming through their youth academy and eventually becoming a first-team player, although still being a teenager.-Biography:On...
- Ninsun PoliNinsun PoliNinsun Poli is an Assyrian singer and songwriter raised in Botkyrka, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden. This soul and R&B artist made her debut at Hultsfred Festival 2004 in Sweden followed by performances at Stockholm's Berns, Lydmar, Alcazar and Nalen and at Malmö Festival in Malmö in summer of...
- Suleyman SleymanSuleyman SleymanSuleyman Sleyman is a Swedish football defender of Assyrian/Syriac origin who currently is playing for Syrianska FC. With a degree in economics from the Stockholm School of Economics, he works part-time as an auditor for Ernst & Young....
- Sharbel ToumaSharbel ToumaSharbel Touma is a Lebanese-born Swedish footballer of Aramean descent who plays for Syrianska FC in the Allsvenskan.-Early life:...
- Elias ZaziElias ZaziElias Zazi is an Assyrian composer and a theorist in music. Zazi also teaches music and works as a music critic and writer to a daily newspaper in Södertälje, Sweden.- History :...