State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2016 - Case study: Jordan: experiences of Syria's Christian and Druze refugees

By Kat Eghdamian

Of the more than 4 million Syrians internationally displaced by the crisis, little is known about the fate of religious minorities among the refugee population. This is of growing concern since the Syrian conflict is increasingly being waged across sectarian lines, directly influencing the experiences of displaced Syrians both within and outside its borders. Due to the lack of reliable figures on the number of Syrian refugees from different religious communities, it is unclear exactly how many religious minorities have been displaced by the conflict, though unofficial estimates based on the country's pre-conflict population equates to hundreds of thousands of people.

A recent study, published by the UCL Migration Unit, on the situation of Syrian Christian and Syrian Druze refugees living in urban centres across Jordan found that religious minorities face specific vulnerabilities and challenges in displacement. For instance, out of fear of targeted attacks, many are not entering refugee camps or registering with UN agencies. Instead, a large proportion choose to live in private homes or gather together in religious buildings such as monasteries, restricting their access to humanitarian services and protection. With rent prices rising with the influx of refugees, many are forced to move to the peripheries of cities.

For those who remain in Jordan and do not make the journey onward to Europe and elsewhere, many face social exclusion, stigmatization and discrimination. In particular, Syrian Christian and Syrian Druze refugees are regularly subjected to verbal and physical harassment, including being called kafir (infidel) and refused service at local supermarkets. In turn, the children of these families face bullying at school and compulsory religious training in Islam, while women have reported being questioned by neighbours and other refugees as to why they are not veiled.

Despite initial hopes of return to their homeland, many now feel there is no home to return to. Syrian neighbourhoods that were previously well known as Christian havens or clusters for Druze communities have either been razed to the ground or remain battlegrounds between different sides of the conflict. From the castle of Krak des Chevaliers in Homs to the ancient Saint Elian Monastery near Qaryatain founded over 1,500 years ago, many of the physical sites associated with ancient Christianity are being destroyed. In this context, the importance of maintaining religious freedom and cultural heritage is more important than ever, with minority refugees playing a vital role as carriers and preservers of their traditions.

Although religious communities, such as churches, offer extra support and help to these refugees, many express despair about their plight in Jordan and the prospects for the future. Recognizing the need to maintain their culture, local religious communities are offering language and culture classes for Syrian Christian refugees – a great source of support and familiarity. However, for Syrian Druze refugees, there appear to be few or no religious or cultural support networks directly available. Many also lamented the discrimination they experienced in their host communities as a result of misunderstandings about their religious beliefs.

As Jordan continues to host over 600,000 Syrian refugees, there is a need to ensure the divisions causing the displacement into the country do not continue to brew discontent and conflict within its borders. Targeted strategies are urgently required to support tolerance and religious freedom among refugee population. Indeed, the treatment of Syria's religious minorities will have wider implications, beyond security concerns, for the future of religious diversity and cultural heritage in the Middle East.