ISTANBUL The Syrian Qassar family living in Istanbul is expecting their first child. But the joy of the child is dimmed by the mother’s health problems and the fear of what the future will bring.
In Turkey, the attitude towards Syrians has changed drastically, among other things as a result of the country’s economic crisis. It has been alleged that Syrians are taking Turkish jobs and suppressing wages.
– At the beginning of my pregnancy, we were treated more kindly. Everything has changed quickly. When the situation got like this, I told my husband that I was sad for the child, Ru’a Qassar says.
The family lives in a small basement apartment in the densely populated Bağcılar district of Istanbul. Bağcılar is one of the areas where, according to the authorities, no more foreigners are allowed to move.
– We don’t have much choice, not everyone agrees to rent to Syrians, Zakariyya Qassar tells.
He works in a textile factory, where he earns 11,000 Turkish Liras, or about 500 euros a month, by working extra long hours. About half of the money goes to rent.
As a result of the civil war that started with the protests in Syria in 2011, there are just under four million Syrians in Turkey. The figure includes those who have acquired citizenship.
Half a million Syrians live in Istanbul. Even more people came across the border, but some of them continued their journey to Europe.
The small right-wing populist Zafer (Victory) opposition party promises to send all Syrians home within a year. Several other opposition parties have also said they will return the Syrians.
President Erdoğan is talking about a voluntary return as he appears to be seeking to restore relations with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
“My father tells me to stay away”
Ru’ua and Zakariyya both came across the border legally at a time when Turkey was still allowing Syrians into the country.
But they realize that they have no future in the country.
– I would really like to go to Canada. It would be a better option for Turkey and Syria, says Zakariyya Qassar.
There is no going back to Syria.
– How could you tell us to return to Syria when there is no home and nothing left, Ru’a Qassar wonders.
Even Zakariyya Qassari’s own father urges him to stay away from Syria, even though he is the only son in the family.
– We are all afraid. Al-Assad is merciless. Those who have returned there have disappeared without a trace. The situation would be different if al-Assad left.
Although Ru’a and Zakariyya want out of Turkey, they are not ready to board smugglers for Europe. They think it’s too dangerous.
200,000 Syrians granted citizenship
However, not all Syrians fear returns. Some of them have their own businesses, and about 200,000 Syrians have received Turkish citizenship.
Near the center of Istanbul, in the Fatih district, you can find restaurants and shops opened by Syrians right next door.
A small restaurant owner Usama Qadir not too worried about the future. He has received Turkish citizenship, so he is safe from return. He considers them unlikely anyway.
– I don’t think the Turkish government would do anything like this. From the beginning, Turkey has helped us more than the Arab countries, says Qadir.
In his opinion, Syrians miss home, but the return requires that Bashar al-Assad’s regime change.
– After all, there is a law here. If something happens, you can report it and find a lawyer. There are authorities here, not in Syria.
Erdoğan’s administration is rebuilding relations with Assad
Turkey opened its doors to Syrians when the protests that started in Syria in 2011 turned into a civil war. Syrians were spoken of as strangers. The idea was that they would go back.
However, the assumption was also that Bashar al-Assad would fall in a few months.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke as prime minister in 2012 about the soon-to-come prayer trip to “liberated” Damascus. The opposite happened, and the Syrians who crossed the border have become a political problem before the parliamentary and presidential elections, which are likely to be held in May.
Now Erdoğan’s administration is trying build relations with Assad again (you move to another service)and it may also foreshadow mass returns of Syrians.
A journalist who did his licentiate work on Syrians in Istanbul Emine Uçak Erdoğan says that during the elections some kind of show-like recovery operation might be organized.
– It may be that some groups of Syrians are loaded onto buses and the impression is created that now everyone is leaving.
The opposition is trying to use the Syrians as an election theme, but according to Emine Uçak Erdoğan, it should be remembered that President Erdoğan’s administration is quick-witted when necessary.
– The current administration is very pragmatic. When it gets into a tight spot, it can change its line quickly, turn against the Syrians and explain everything in a very reasonable way to the voters.
“The majority of Syrians remain in the country”
Emine Uçak Erdoğan believes that a significant part of Syrians will stay in the country anyway.
– I don’t think that many people leave voluntarily, although I can’t give any figures.
Uçak Erdoğan refers to Germany’s experience with Turkish “guest workers”.
– In Germany, it was thought that the Turks would go home very soon, but now there is already a generation of people with a Turkish background growing up there. It must be understood that the majority of Syrians will stay here permanently.
The coming months will show how big a question the fate of the Syrians will become in the election campaign.
After the earthquake disaster, claims were spread on social media that Syrians had actively looted shops in the earthquake area. Almost no evidence was found.
About one and a half million Syrians live in the earthquake area. A small part of them (you switch to another service) has moved to Syria, but at least some of those who left plan to return to Turkey.
Is also claims made (you switch to another service)according to which Syrians would have been denied access to emergency accommodation and in some cases denied food aid.
However, in the election campaign, the Syrians may take a back seat when the shortcomings of the earthquake rescue work become a big election issue. Another main theme is Turkey’s economic problems, in which the Syrians mostly play a secondary role.
The interviews for this story were conducted just before the earthquakes that hit Turkey on February 6.