Syrian Arabs in North America
Syria, officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic, is an ancient civilization. Its capital, Damascus, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Syria has remained a volatile area as part of the Arab-Israeli conflict and a civil war that began in 2011. The result of the civil war is the displacement of over half of the population. According to World Vision, over 5.5 million Syrians are refugees and asylum seekers, and over 6.8 million are displaced in Syria.
Most Syrian immigrants who arrived in the early 1900s were Christians seeking more religious freedom. Most Syrians living in North America came after 1965 when the US allowed Arab migration again. Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, over 75,000 refugees have arrived in Canada, with many settling in Toronto and Montreal, and nearly 30,000 have arrived in the US.
The official language of Syria is Arabic, with several sub-dialects spoken in different regions of the country. Other languages spoken include Kurdish, Turkish, Neo-Aramaic, Armenian, and French.
The Syrian Arab diaspora in North America numbers around 221,000 according to recent census data from the US and Canada. Syrian Arabs have settled mostly in urban centers, including New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, Montreal, and Toronto.
The Syrian diaspora is not homogenous, and before 2011, the different segments did not interact. Since 2011, Syrians in North America have come together to provide humanitarian aid to those displaced worldwide. The different segments still do not socialize with one another because of political and religious differences but have worked together to aid their countrymen who suffered greatly during the civil war.
Syrian families tend to be close-knit and patriarchal, with the oldest son holding a high place in the family. The men are well-educated and earn a higher average than other immigrant populations. Approximately 11% of Syrian immigrants are business owners. Women have traditionally stayed at home and cared for the family, but as they become more assimilated, women often work outside the home.
Religious Life
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The majority religion in Syria is Islam of the Sunni sect comprising 75 percent of the population. There are also Alawite Muslims, a sect of Shi’ite, and Druze, a breakaway Muslim sect. Many of the earliest Syrians settled in North America were Druze, and most Syrian Muslims came after 1965. Most Christians in Syria are Catholic, Melkites, and Maronites and made up most of the first immigrants to North America. They built and maintained churches in New York, Chicago, and Montreal. Aleppo and Damascus had Jewish communities during Late Antiquity. As anti-Semitic sentiments increased in the 19th century, many Jews left the country. Immigration continued through the next century, leaving less than a hundred Jews in Syria by 2005. Today, the largest community of Syrian Jews lives in Brooklyn, NYC numbering around 75,000. Although the number of Syrian Muslims from the Ottoman Province of Syria who immigrated in the latter part of the 19th century was small, it was large enough to establish mosques in Maine, North Dakota, and Michigan. The oldest purpose-built mosque still in use is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which Syrian-Lebanese Muslims built in 1934. Since the mid-1960s, Syrian Muslim immigrants have helped establish mosques in large cities and often gather with other Arab immigrants in smaller cities. As Syrian Muslims have assimilated into American life, they have become more secular. |
These are the Syrian Muslim communities in North America most in need of gospel witness
| People Group | Metropolitan Area | Population Size | Concentrated Area | Priority Score |
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Helpful resources for sharing Jesus with Syrian Muslims
| Resource | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| YouVersion Electronic Bible | Electronic Bible in North Levantine Arabic |  |
| JESUS Film | JESUS film video in Modern Standard Arabic |  |
| Magdalena | JESUS Film adaptation with honor/shame theme. Particularly helpful sharing with women. In Modern Standard Arabic |  |
| The Prophet's Story | This video presents the gospel in Standard Modern Arabic dialect simply and quickly through the stories of the Biblical prophets. |  |
| King of Glory Film | A gospel resource video from Rock International in Standard Arabic |  |
| Global Recordings Network | Audio Bible stories and resources in North Levantine Arabic. |  |
| Know God | Tools for faith conversations in Arabic. |  |
| Arabic Bible Outreach Ministry | A variety of resources including audio Bibles, apps, and books for Arabic speakers. |  |
| Lumo Project | Biblical Videos in Standard Arabic |  |
| Bible for Children | Audio and Video Biblical Resources for Children in Standard Arabic |  |