Illegal mosque construction in Syriac village of Zaz in Tur Abdin halted

ZAZ, Tur Abdin, Turkey — Generating criticism and condemnation, two Muslim families in the Syriac village of Zaz (İzbırak) in the historic region of Tur Abdin in southeastern Turkey began construction of a mosque on land unlawfully seized from a Syriac family that emigrated from the area. Authorities have since stepped in an stopped the illegal construction.

Nun Khatun Dogan, a resident of the village, denounced the construction as a blatant violation of Syriac rights. Speaking to our news desk, she stated that such incidents are not new.

“In the 1970s, the land of the Syriac David Akguc family was similarly seized, and a mosque was built on it,” Dogan explained. “However, that mosque remains abandoned, with no prayers held there.”