سوريون أفارقة | |
---|---|
Total population | |
Unknown; never recorded[1][2][3] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Daraa, Golan Heights, Damascus[1][2][3] | |
Languages | |
Arabic[4] | |
Religion | |
Islam (mostly Sunni; with a significant Shia minority)[5] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Syrians, Sudanese Arabs, Afro-Jordanians, Afro-Palestinians, Afro-Iraqis, Afro-Saudis, Al-Akhdam, Afro-Omanis |
Afro-Syrians are Syrian people of Black African heritage. They almost entirely live in Southwestern Daraa and the bordering Golan Heights with only a handful living in other parts of Syria and other parts of the world. Outside of Daraa, their existence is nearly unknown.
There are many different origins of Afro-Syrians, the most common ones are the Arab slave trade, African Muslims settling in Syria during the Islamic Golden Age,[6] African refugees that received Syrian citizenship,[7] Syrian refugees in Africa who mixed with the local Africans, Syrian refugees in Brazil who mixed with Afro-Brazilians,[8] and interracial marriages between Syrians and black people. Sudan is listed as the most common place of ancestry for Afro-Syrians, with Sudan and Syria having connections since the spread of Islam and the rapidly-growing number of Syrian refugees in Sudan and Sudanese refugees in Syria.[2] Most Afro-Syrians fell under ISIS rule during the Syrian Civil War.[1] A community of Shia Afro-Syrians exists in Damascus.[3] A lot of Afro-Palestinians also reside in refugee camps in Syria.[3]
The existence of Afro-Syrians is very little known in Daraa, and basically unknown in other parts of Syria. Afro-Syrians are highly concentrated in southwestern Daraa. They are the smallest Afro-Arab group.[9] On top of war and occupation, Afro-Syrians experience severe racism and discrimination, including not being given any representation at all. Their population is unknown and has never been recorded.[10]