Assyrians/Syriacs in Sweden

Assyrian/Syriacs in Sweden mainly came from Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, and, more recently, Iraq. Those who had already lived in Sweden for a longer period were finally granted residence permit for humanitarian reasons.^[2]

There is an ideological division of this group in Sweden between^[3]

• Aramaenists, adherents of the Syriac Orthodox Church (West Syrian Rite) who insist on the name Syrianer and an "Aramaean" heritage for the group.
• Assyrianists of various denominational backgrounds, 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 (similar to the US census, which opted for "Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac").

Södertälje, a municipality in Sweden, is often seen as the unofficial Assyrian/Syriac capital of Europe due to the city's high percentage of Assyrians/Syriacs. Sweden has also granted many rights for Assyrian/Syriacs including their own professional football (soccer) teams (Assyriska Föreningen, Syrianska Botkyrka IF, Syrianska FC and Valsta Syrianska IK), and international TV-channels (Suryoyo Sat and Suroyo TV).

Notable Swedish Assyrians/Syriacs

• Kennedy Bakircioglü
• Abgar Barsom
• Stefan Batan
• Ibrahim Baylan
• Nisha Besara
• Daniel Boyacioglu
• Fares Fares
• Josef Fares
• Andreas Haddad
• Yilmaz Kerimo
• Nuri Kino
• Josef Özer
• Gabriel Özkan
• Ninsun Poli
• Suleyman Sleyman
• Sharbel Touma
• Stephan Yüceyatak
• Aboud Zazi
• Elias Zazi

References