Ask sacha anything

[rothaer]

Druze (...)
I really do not feel strongly about them. I understand that they have this loyalty to their land and make this this first priority, and that many of their actions that I disagree with have been taken to ensure their survival there, but their beliefs are very weird and their loyalties are unclear. Even though I do not like to judge people by their specific religion or sect, I am a bit wary of those who strongly identify with their own group instead of a larger country mentality, whether it be Druze or Christian or Shia or Sunni. (...)

1. What are their "weird beliefs"? Are they a Muslim sect? I could never figure out and to me it's pretty intransparent.

2. What's your life plan, what's your plan for your descendants? Shall they long term be cut off from your 2000 years old roots in Syria? Someone that makes such a deep cut like an emigration will likely have some thoughts on that.

3. Considering that there originally were no Arabs in Syria and Lebanon and they came to there at a stage where they were Muslims only and Arabised the indigenous population, do you as an indigenous to Syria Christian identify without reservations as an Arab?

4. What language did the majority of your ancestors speak prior to the Arab expansion?

5. How deeply rooted had the Greek language become after the pre Roman Hellenism and the Roman Empire including succeding Byzantine Greek language sphere? That ought to be roughly 1500 years.

6. Does your appreciation for Cyprus have anything to do with you feeling it to be a proxy for your own origin as Eastern Mediterranean Hellenised (maybe) Christians?

7. What religious belief did the majority of your ancestors have prior to the expansion of Christianity?

8. What's your opinion on the medieval Crusades in your region including the founding of various respective states?

9. What's your opinion on the founding of a Jewish state like Israel in the region?

10. Do you consider and perceive Ashkenazi Jews indigenous to the Levant?

11. What's your opinion on alien to the region Turks hailing ultimately from Central Asia coming and ruling also your area for centuries?

12. What's your opinion on Arabs (today ethnic Arabs or say traditional Arabic speakers) being split up in many states? Is it good or bad?

13. What's your opinion and what are your feelings regarding Malta that is an Arabic speaking fully Christian (Catholic) state?

14. How important is the Arabic script for your - likely Arab - identity? Could you imagine to relate to the Latin letters like Maltese use them for their Arabic language? Or even to Greek letters? (Both letters could even be considered having been - at least partially - existent in Syria before Arabic letters, although not before the Aramaic letters from which also the Arab ones are derived.)

[sacha]

Do you feel like Syrian Christians or Middle Eastern Christians in general who live the West are 'too westernized' for their own good?

For the most part, I would actually say no. Of course, there are many cases out there of people who have completely forgotten everything, and that is wrong as well. But the vast majority of us in the West are not this way, I think it is just unfairly put onto us as a label. This accusation of being 'too Westernized' is often aimed at Middle Eastern Christians in the West who have simply assimilated into the culture around them when they live, because already we are seen as 'too Westernized' even if we live exactly like our ancestors did.

Specific cases, like the extreme Latinization of some Maronite Rite churches, are stupid and should not occur, this is true. I still think you should teach your children the language you speak, this is important to me, it is foolish to lose this, especially when being raised multilingual only has benefits for a person as long as they are at a fluent level in the language spoken around them as well. Self-isolation for the sole purpose of keeping your culture outside your homeland does not make sense, this is why we are seeing racial and religious conflicts today! In reality, our value systems, beliefs et cetera do align better than some of our countrymen's with the secularized Christian nations of the West. You should in no way forget your roots or where your ancestors came from, but being against integration is nonsense— 'Westernization' comes from this. It is like when there were Ukrainians complaining about there being too many Blacks in Britain; they came to the UK for free, they were welcomed in, they can't complain about this. If you move somewhere in the first place, you have to understood that there are sacrifices to be made.

[Celestia]

What do you think is the biggest misconception (if any) that other countries have about Syria?

[sacha]

How did you find out about this Apricity forum and decide to join it.
If you have studied population genetics from your region , is there a marked difference between for eg Syrian and Lebanese DNA results.
Can you tell from looks or accent or any other cultural or characteristic traits a Syrian and Lebanese person apart ?

I was a very dedicated Anthrogenica lurker and whilst this forum is not the same as that place used to be, it does have a bit of a genetics base in it, so I came for that really. I was also interested in reading/interacting with people with different opinions than my own,

Genetically it is more like, Lebanese is a sub-set of Levantine while Syrian as a whole intersects with Levantine (or how I am thinking of it in my head if you are a nerd, Lebanese ⊆ Levantine but Syrian ∩ Levantine ≠ ∅). 'Syrian' is extremely hard to classify as one race because it is about a thousand bazillion peoples thrown together in a pot of boiling hot water, the sort of unappetizing mixture you get when you let little kids make mud potions. So most 'Syrian' population samples are heavily flawed for this reason; on a PCA plot I am the red dot with lines and I don't even show up as part of the Lebanese 'bubble,' much less the Syrian, but you can kind of see from it that in essence everything is overlapping.



On modern population DNA tests I do see that Lebanese Muslims (generalized) tend to score higher than Syrian Muslims (generalized) on 'Levantine' categories, I think they are generally closer to ancient Levantine populations with the least admixture for Muslim groups in the region.

Lebanese tend to be sexier, I will not lie, I have no idea why there are so many that are so attractive considering they are essentially just a special snowflake part of Syria (and I mean no offense, but it is true). For some reason whenever I see a pretty man or woman I will assume, Ah yes this is a Lebanese. It is a bad habit, I also tend to read random blonde and red haired people as Syrian for zero reason other than they look kind of sort of like a cousin of mine with that sort of coloration, and thus they must be Syrian, obviously this is the only possibility. Needless to say, I am not the best with faces...

But really I do observe a difference in mannerisms. It is less between two old men from Akkar (a governate of Lebanon that even the Lebanese who live there say 'this is basically Syria' because it was given as part of the 'Greater Lebanon' plan) and Tartous (my region, it borders Akkar to the South) but the Lebanese from the Beirut, Mount Lebanon area, they carry themselves differently, I can't put my finger on what it is. Generally in the coastal areas and Western Syria we all look the same as Lebanese, but I think light eyes and especially light hair is more common amongst Syrians even though it is not that common in Syria, I've never met a Lebanese with light hair who was not mixed with European even though I do know a few with light eyes. '

Accent for sure there is a difference. Less so amongst younger generations, I am a 'Frenchie' so I can keep up with the insane Lebanese slang that seems to pop up. Comparing something like Lebanon Beirut dialect to a Mesopotamian Syrian dialect is very far still though. There is also a lot of Syria specific slang that I understand and know people who use but I don't use myself ('shlonak' you would never hear in Lebanon, 'kifak' we use as well and this is the one of choice where I am from). They also turn everything into "ee", you want to say "naas" and they will say "nees," it is a little aggravating.

(And if he sounds gay, he is Lebanese. This is the Arab myth that will never fail you. Except my brother speaks in a 'gay' way, and he is Syrian, but he is an exception to the rule, it works most of the time.)

[Melkiirs]

I was a very dedicated Anthrogenica lurker and whilst this forum is not the same as that place used to be, it does have a bit of a genetics base in it, so I came for that really. I was also interested in reading/interacting with people with different opinions than my own,

Out of curiosity why did you remain only a lurker? How long did you follow the site? I myself only made a few posts there when I felt there was solid justification for my input. This was well before I or my father participated in commercial testing so my interest in the more personal aspects of the site was more limited.

[Pulsa Dinura]

I do not mind a few questions ... if I do not like it I will simply not answer it

I guess you will not answer my questions…. but let’s cross fingers and toes.

special snowflake part of Syria (and I mean no offense, but it is true)

Special snowflake part of the "Roman province of Syria" (and I mean no offense, but it is true).

Akkar (a governate of Lebanon that even the Lebanese who live there say 'this is basically Syria'

Wasn’t the WHOLE of actual Lebanon part of the "Roman province of Syria" ? why single out Akkar? Weren’t the majority of actual European countries provinces in the Roman Empire?

'this is basically Syria' because it was given as part of the 'Greater Lebanon' plan)

Who gave it? and from whom did they take it?

[oszkar07]

I was a very dedicated Anthrogenica lurker and whilst this forum is not the same as that place used to be, it does have a bit of a genetics base in it, so I came for that really. I was also interested in reading/interacting with people with different opinions than my own,

Genetically it is more like, Lebanese is a sub-set of Levantine while Syrian as a whole intersects with Levantine (or how I am thinking of it in my head if you are a nerd, Lebanese ⊆ Levantine but Syrian ∩ Levantine ≠ ∅). 'Syrian' is extremely hard to classify as one race because it is about a thousand bazillion peoples thrown together in a pot of boiling hot water, the sort of unappetizing mixture you get when you let little kids make mud potions. So most 'Syrian' population samples are heavily flawed for this reason; on a PCA plot I am the red dot with lines and I don't even show up as part of the Lebanese 'bubble,' much less the Syrian, but you can kind of see from it that in essence everything is overlapping.



On modern population DNA tests I do see that Lebanese Muslims (generalized) tend to score higher than Syrian Muslims (generalized) on 'Levantine' categories, I think they are generally closer to ancient Levantine populations with the least admixture for Muslim groups in the region.

Lebanese tend to be sexier, I will not lie, I have no idea why there are so many that are so attractive considering they are essentially just a special snowflake part of Syria (and I mean no offense, but it is true). For some reason whenever I see a pretty man or woman I will assume, Ah yes this is a Lebanese. It is a bad habit, I also tend to read random blonde and red haired people as Syrian for zero reason other than they look kind of sort of like a cousin of mine with that sort of coloration, and thus they must be Syrian, obviously this is the only possibility. Needless to say, I am not the best with faces...

But really I do observe a difference in mannerisms. It is less between two old men from Akkar (a governate of Lebanon that even the Lebanese who live there say 'this is basically Syria' because it was given as part of the 'Greater Lebanon' plan) and Tartous (my region, it borders Akkar to the South) but the Lebanese from the Beirut, Mount Lebanon area, they carry themselves differently, I can't put my finger on what it is. Generally in the coastal areas and Western Syria we all look the same as Lebanese, but I think light eyes and especially light hair is more common amongst Syrians even though it is not that common in Syria, I've never met a Lebanese with light hair who was not mixed with European even though I do know a few with light eyes. '

Accent for sure there is a difference. Less so amongst younger generations, I am a 'Frenchie' so I can keep up with the insane Lebanese slang that seems to pop up. Comparing something like Lebanon Beirut dialect to a Mesopotamian Syrian dialect is very far still though. There is also a lot of Syria specific slang that I understand and know people who use but I don't use myself ('shlonak' you would never hear in Lebanon, 'kifak' we use as well and this is the one of choice where I am from). They also turn everything into "ee", you want to say "naas" and they will say "nees," it is a little aggravating.

(And if he sounds gay, he is Lebanese. This is the Arab myth that will never fail you. Except my brother speaks in a 'gay' way, and he is Syrian, but he is an exception to the rule, it works most of the time.)

Thankyou for the great detailed response.

I agree with you at least about Lebanese females, in my oppinion many of them are attractive, there is quite significamt Lebanese population in the city I live. I personally would not know in what way Syrians may look different as far as I know I have not personally encountered many Syrians. My assumption would be they look somewhat similir to Lebanese.

As you mentioned how Syrian ethnogenesis or rather ethnic make up is more complex has this had any influence on the Syrian cuisine.



I really enjoy eating Lebanese food but I have not specifically been to Syrian eateries/restaurants.

Is there in general some differences between Syrian and Lebanese cuisine.

How do Syrians in general regard the history of being under the Ottoman empire, is this regarded
either in positive or negative way ?

[sacha]

I will answer the questions I skipped at some other time, I like these all very much, but I am a bit sleepy and a little drunk lol. Honestly goes for everything in this thread as well, when I feel like it I will do it, I think this is a good chill approach

1. What are their "weird beliefs"? Are they a Muslim sect? I could never figure out and to me it's pretty intransparent.

They are not Muslim, even Druze do not know what they are. Their religion is kept secret from the majority of members, I think only 10% of Druze know it. Their whole philosophies are in my opinion kind of like weird Buddhism. They believe in things like reincarnation, that God is connected to nature in some way... I think? There are different groups with different beliefs, I have given up on fully understanding it as well.

3. Considering that there originally were no Arabs in Syria and Lebanon and they came to there at a stage where they were Muslims only and Arabised the indigenous population, do you as an indigenous to Syria Christian identify without reservations as an Arab?

There were Arabs in the Levant, they were not the majority by any means but they were still here, we are too close to have been completely isolated. 'Arab' now is a broader identity. Some people try to turn it into a bad word, something to reject, but I am a native Arabic speaker, therefore I am an Arab. You can be two things at once. To reject this identification is silly, because we can be honest— of course I will always be an Arab in the scheme of things. It is like calling yourself European, there are many groups under this, and you will always be a part of this, despite your individual identity and if there is historical seperation.

4. What language did the majority of your ancestors speak prior to the Arab expansion?

Greek and probably Aramaic, though they knew more than just that because so many languages passed through, and there are records of some of my ancestors being translators. Just a few hundred years ago, there were some weird pidgin languages still floating about, but they fizzled out long before I was born.

There was some weird German-influenced Arabic writing in diaries I found from some of my ancestors stored in our old house, it would use German words and some grammar on like an Arabic base with the alphabet. My grandfather could pronounce it quite well (or at least convincingly well), he had a relative who spoke somewhat in this way. The writing is older than even that guy. You found a lot of individual terms like هوند -> hwnd -> hund, but also understandable while unusual sentence structures and conjugations.

I don't speak German, it was mostly guesswork working off a dictionary and German textbook, but the pattern was real. I guess it is interesting. I only did a little back then because I had to focus on school. Now that I have some free time, I want to archive the books... but my sister cannot find them This is a common theme in my attempt to archive our history, things just get lost and make my life so much harder than it has to be. If I can find it I will transliterate and post some things for help with the actual content. It was somewhat understandable as Arabic but more "main idea" understandable, was probably some kind of localized influence that faded away. I think it is too recent for it to be Crusader origin, not possible for any sort of Frankish to survive that long that my great-great-great grandfather picked it up somewhere in the 1800s and the writing is probably early 1700s though I am not sure on that, but probably not too much earlier because the condition would be worse and not much later because of the history of the house they were found, it was abandoned and then fixed

7. What religious belief did the majority of your ancestors have prior to the expansion of Christianity?

I think my ancestors have been Christian since ~300 or 400 AD. Before this, either pagan or Jewish.

9. What's your opinion on the founding of a Jewish state like Israel in the region?

It is stupid, and it being 'Jewish' is not the reason why it exists, it is a geopolitical tool. I have no issues with Jews, but any state founded on supremacist ideals will be supremacist, and artificially pumping a foreign population into a region is absurd.

10. Do you consider and perceive Ashkenazi Jews indigenous to the Levant?

This "indigenous" term is stupid and they are only using it because people are woke now, and this appeals to the woke. When it was in fashion to label yourself a colonizer, they labelled themselves a colonizer. I think all of this stupid "colonization" drama is pointless in general and I cringe when I see it, it is just a way for people to feel special or victimized. I don't care if your great x100 grandparents lived here if you have not been here since you don't get to suddenly claim 'Ohhhh haha this was mine the whole time, look at me using my funny buzzword.' I feel the same way for Jewish from Iraq or Egypt or India or wherever you would like.

[HelloGuys]

What did you drink?

[sacha]

What did you drink?

Earlier I had a fair bit of wine, and then I did Kamikazes at a party... I actually have a pretty good alcohol tolerance for my size, I am not 'drunk' drunk, but I do feel inhibited. For me this tends to be more physical, until I am verryyy deep in I can still do cognitive stuff like reading and writing, but everything feels very heavy and speaking out loud, walking, coordination gets much harder. It is going away now though. Probably won't drink any more tonight