North to Another Country : The Formation of a Suryoyo Community in Sweden

One theme of this study describes how the Suryoye of Tur 'abdin in the 1970's abandoned their native land, making their way northwards to another country - Sweden. Another theme is this other country and its encounter with an unknown Christian minority group from the Middle East. An increase in the stream of immigrants resulted in lokal agitation because so many of the newcomers settled in one and the same town in Sweden. When attempts to restrict the flow proved unsuccessful, the Suryoye, or Assyrians, rapidly became a nation-wide problem. The unexpected guests aroused both aggression and sympathy. The soon became the subject of headlines in the press, as well as victims of stereotyping. Naturally I hope tha this study will contribute to the understanding of the departure of the Suryoye from Tur 'abdin, their migration and building up of a community in Sweden. Even more would be gained if the study could also shed some light on their reluctant new host country.