ABSTRACT
Syrian Orthodox Christians belong to an ancient Eastern Church and live mainly in Syria, Turkey and Lebanon but also in the Western diaspora. This chapter discusses how family, family law and the church are debated among the Swedish Syrian Orthodox in the diaspora. It begins by providing a historical background of the Syrian Orthodox in Turkey and the Middle East and takes a look at the establishment of the Syrian Orthodox community in Sweden and other countries in the West. The chapter explores family, kinship and transnational marriage links between the Syrian Orthodox in Syria and Sweden, and it addresses the role of the Syrian Orthodox Church and pluri-legal family law. It concludes by discussing how the image of the Syrian Orthodox and their lifestyles in Sweden has changed in the past three decades and if lessons of pluri-legality can be learned from this particular case.
