“Syrians are stealing our jobs and are the reason the economy is in ruins”

Syrian refugees in Turkey face challenging working conditions; many work illegally without proper documentation or labor rights, earning less than locals (and below minimum wage) despite longer hours. Researchers at TUIK (Turkish Statistical Institute) note that migrants often fill gaps in sectors where locals are reluctant to work, contributing to internal consumption and boosting the Turkish market. The influx of Syrian refugees has led to excess demand in the goods market, increasing labor demand. Around 10,000 companies established by Syrian entrepreneurs have resulted in approximately 100,000 new jobs, contributing to increased capital stock and even exporting products abroad. Furthermore, a significant number of highly skilled Syrians, including doctors, engineers, lawyers, architects, etc. have immigrated to Turkey, many with bilingual or trilingual abilities, enabling them to bridge the gap between national institutions and foreigners, providing services that Turks are unable to offer and further contributing to boosting one of the major tourism hubs in the world.

“Syrians receive a salary from the Turkish government”

The government has never allocated a monthly salary to Syrians from its own budget. People under Temporary Protection or International Protection in Turkey who meet certain criteria are given a monthly allowance of 700 TL (appx $21 USD, i.e. 4% of the minimum wage in Turkey) per person via the Emergency Social Safety Net program. This program is implemented by the Turkish Red Crescent (Turk Kızılayı), the Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Services, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), but is financed by the Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). This money is not given to all Syrians living in Turkey, but only to people who meet certain criteria. Kızılay mediates the delivery of this money to people in need with the Kızılay Card system.

“Syrians do not pay utility bills”

The claim that Syrians do not pay bills is based on a massively shared (around 24,000 people), but misleading post shared by a social media user in 2018. In this post, the user stated that a Syrian living in Konya did not pay his water bill as it was marked as 0 TL. The statement “not billed due to low consumption” at the bottom of the invoice was specifically covered during sharing, and it was stated that Syrians were not charged for water, electricity, and natural gas. After investigating this claim, it was found that the Syrian named on the bill moved from the house and terminated his subscription, and a zero (0) TL invoice was sent because only 1 cubic meter of water was consumed in the water meter in the last month. This rule is applied to every subscriber who consumes less than 3 cubic meters. Many statements were then published by private and public institutions that water, electricity, and natural gas are chargeable for everyone.

“There are over 10 million Syrian refugees in the country”

This number is highly exaggerated and is triple the actual number registered; it is popularly circulated by racists online to further spread misinformation that contributes to hatred and violence. According to statistics published by the UNHCR and Turkish government institutions, there are approximately 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees in Turkey as of 2024.

“There is no more war; Syrians should go back and live comfortably in their country”

Due to the false narratives of travel content creators who have been visiting Syria and focusing on tourist attractions, a very unrealistic image of the reality of Syrian life has circulated. Many refugees in Turkey have lost their homes and towns, others have had their businesses or factories looted, and many fear return for multiple reasons. The humanitarian situation is generally horrible, as years of war have resulted in a crumbling infrastructure and a lack of provision of basic services like electricity and water. 90% of Syrians in Syria live in insecurity.

“All Syrians look the same”

It is widely assumed that all Syrians look alike. They are often demonized for their tanned skin and dark features, and there are assumptions that their women are forced to wear a hijab and dress in a certain way. However, Syrians boast an incredibly diverse history like no other West Asian peoples in the region. It is incorrect to reduce that history to one typical skin color, facial feature, and way of dressing. Our history and diversity are no less than that of Turkey, where there is also no such thing as one typical Turkish look. Many Syrians pass for Turkish, and many Syrians are “white-passing” and have light features and colored eyes, and there is no one way of life and religion that Syrians follow. It is noteworthy that there are many Turks with darker features too! It’s important to recognize as well that many non-Syrian refugees, including Afghans, Iraqis, and Iranians, are often stereotypically lumped together as “Syrians” by Turks who are uninformed about these communities, aiding in the extreme misrepresentation of Syrians.

“Syrians are traitors”

Many Turkish nationalists refer to Syrians as traitors. This goes back to the early 1900s, after the Syrians and Lebanese paved their way to independence following 400 years of Ottoman rule. While many Syrians are proud of this heritage, many Syrians recognize the harm and oppression inflicted upon them by the Turks in the latter years of the Ottoman era. This included the suppression of Arabic journalism and literature, the oppression of religious and ethnic minorities, and the murder of Syrian politicians and activists. Activists and politicians of the time collaborated with foreign powers to pave the way for their independence from Turkish occupation, resulting in the idea that Syrians are treacherous.

“Syrian students can enter any university and study in any department with no costs”

Every student who is not a Turkish citizen falls under the foreign student status. Syrians do not have an advantage over other foreign students at either state or private universities. For a foreign student to enter a state university, he or she must take the Foreign Student Exam (YÖS). In other words, the claim that they can study at any university they please without taking any exams is false. Depending on the higher education university, as well as the academic year a Syrian student is registered, tuition in certain instances is waived. Educational scholarships given to foreigners, including Syrians, who study in Turkey are financed by the Türkiye Scholarships program. This scholarship is not a special scholarship for Syrians, and not all Syrians who attend university are given scholarships.

“ Syrians are rapists/criminals”

This is a hideous claim based on isolated events that could involve a Syrian, and many times other nationalities. No care or effort is put into distinguishing any differences and Syrians are immediately pointed at as the perpetrators, a favorite of Turkish nationalists who paint Syrians as a special threat to Turkish security. Syrians are absolutely not inherently more likely to commit crimes than any other group. On the contrary, a 10-year-long study conducted by Istanbul Technical University Professor Aysegul Kayaoglu indicates that Syrian refugees in Turkey have a lower likelihood of committing crimes compared to native Turks, and their presence does not significantly impact overall crime rates among the local population, suggesting that any influence on native criminality is minimal, and such incidents are isolated and have nothing to do with being Syrian.