Esra Aydın-Ceylan Eraslan/JINHA

MÊRDÎN – Syriac people, who returned to their villages located in foothill of Bağok Mount after years, say, “We returned to here for dying not running away,” against the state’s imposition of a new migration with its war policies. Syriac Women's Association member Diba Gabriel stated that what happen today is not different than what happened in 1915. “The most, women have suffered from war as it was throughout history. We will raise our struggle for peace,” said Diba.

Syriac people, one of the oldest civilizations of Mesopotamia, were exiled to many countries in the world following Seyfo Massacre in 1915.Syriac people, who returned to their lands in 2000s, have forcibly been displaced again with the policy of changing the Kurdistan’s demographic structure. Syriac Women's Association member Diba Gabriel and her family, who returned to Turkey in 2001 and lives in Mardin, say they will never leave their lands whatever the consequences.

‘People are nervous and anxious’

Diba said Syriac people are also affected from the war in the Middle East and they often migrate. Diba said, “Many Syriac people have migrated due to the war in Turkey and Syria. The streets are not like before. You cannot see anyone when you go out, social life stopped. People are nervous and anxious. Syriac people and other peoples in Mardin and Midyat are like having a stroke. I am concerned about what happens now.”

Diba said she thought the pressures on women and different religious beliefs have been imposed by the state as a conscious policy. Diba also said nothing had been changed in the mindset from past to present and continued; “First, they attacked the women by using religious as an excuse and they used religious in order to legitimate the attacks. A massacre against Syriac people took place in 1915, again women were affected from the massacre and they were killed. When we look on 1915 and today, we see nothing is changed. The oppression against particularly minorities and different identities still continue to be imposed. If this darkness still continues in 21st century, this is a highly worrisome situation. These things shouldn’t be experienced anymore. Yu may say I am very hopeless but I don’t expect too much thing will change anymore.”

Diba described the war targeting cities and mountains for one year as ‘genocide’ and she said, “As Syriac women, we want peace in the world and region more than anything. We want that everyone has picnic on mountains freely without worrying. To make them actual, first the Constitution needs to be changed. Everyone should live with their language, religious and culture within the framework of human rights. We have fought in order to live these.

“We returned to here for dying not running away. Now, mountains in the region have been bombed. There are Syriac villages in foothills of Bağok Mount and this mount is often burned. This deliberate burning, they want to make people leave there. Syriac people, who live on Bagok Mount, are the people, who returned to their lands. Something should be done in order to stop that. We won’t leave our villages again. Jesus Christ passed from this ways. These lands are holy lands, we believe that. We won’t leave the holy lands where Jesus Christ walked on. We don’t hold a grudge. We want peace in this region.”

(fk/gd)