| Part of a series on |
| Assyrians |
|---|
 |
| Assyrian culture |
| By country |
| Assyrian diaspora |
| Language |
| Subgroups |
| Religion |
| By location |
| Persecution |
Assyrians in Belgium are Belgian citizens ofAssyrian descent. Belgium's Assyrian diaspora is concentrated in the Flemish cities ofMechelen andAntwerp, although there are also significant numbers living inLiège andBrussels. The majority of the Assyrian diaspora living in Belgium are of Turkish descent, mostly from the towns ofBohtan (Beth-Qardu),[1]Tur-Abdin andHakkâri.[2][3]
The first Assyrians came to Belgium around 1980; mostly fromTur Abdin in Turkey. They were political immigrants fleeing theTurkish-Kurdish conflicts in Southeast Turkey. They left their houses and moved to Europe for a brighter future.[3] Following theFirst Gulf War, the majority of Assyrian immigrants have come to Belgium from Iraq and Syria. In the 1980s (as with otherimmigrants in Europe),nationalism started to develop in Belgium among the Assyrians,[citation needed] who have continued to be oppressed in Turkey since theAssyrian genocide duringWorld War I.[4][5][6]
Assyrians from Belgium, in common with other Assyrian communities around the world, have been involved in demonstrations aiming to raise awareness of theAssyrian Genocide.[2]
Assyrians integrated into Belgian society while maintaining their cultural identity, supporting social events organized by Assyrian clubs. Assyrians in Belgium have started projects including the publishing of an Assyrian grammar book by Efrem Yildiz, the organisation of trips in association with the Association of Assyro-Chaldeans in Belgium, the production of an Assyrian movieAkitu[7] and the founding of the Assyrian Belgian Youth (AJB). Additionally, politicians of Assyrian descent take part in Belgian politics:municipal councillors of Assyrian descent have taken office in Brussels,Etterbeek, Liège and Mechelen, including Ibrahim Erkan (Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Christian Democrats), Sandrine Es (Etterbeek, Liberal Party) and Ibrahim Hanna (Etterbeek, Christian Democrats).New Flemish Alliance councilman Melikan Kucam is featured inMechelen aan de Tigris (Mechelen on the Tigris), a book by Flemish author August Thiry about Assyrian refugees from Hassana in the southeastern Turkish district ofSilopi.
Many Assyrians in Belgium belong to either theChaldean Catholic Church or theSyriac Orthodox Church, with smaller numbers belonging to theAssyrian Church of the East.[8] The first Assyrians mainly worked in factories or opened restaurants, but today, most attend university and work in all economic sectors.[9]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)The people we know today as Assyrians are largely Chaldeans and Arameans / Syrian Orthodox. In Belgium there are hardly any Assyrians who belong to the Assyrian Church.
Media related toAssyrians in Belgium at Wikimedia Commons
.svg)
