Syrian Cretan Muslim Greeks: Al-Hamidiyah town

Just before the Syrian war broke out, I managed to visit a Greek speaking Muslim town close to the border with Lebanon. Al-Hamidiyah was named for the Ottoman Sultan who took Cretan Muslims from Crete and settled them on the Syrian coast. There is a similar town in Lebanon as well. These were Greeks who coveted to islam but were told they must leave to yet another Cretan uprising. The Al-Hamidiyah Cretan people are about 60% of the town’s population. They maintain their language and customs.
I found this footage recently on an old lap top and in light how important it is to see peace in the Middle East, I thought Al-Hamidiyah is a good starting point as it covers Greek, Syrian, Muslim, Ottoman and nearby Lebanon, all living in peace.
The people here treated me well, typical Cretan or Arab hospitality. I was invited to return as a cousin but the war in Syria has ended that notion for now. I hope all these people are safe.
The son on this video and I think some of his relatives have all been and stayed in Crete and Cyprus, using the Greek language to communicate
We have just had Catholic Easter, Eid, Jewish Passover, Greek Easter. We need to find ways to keep our faiths, respect each other and find peace in the region
Sent from my iPhone

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Whatever a person’s religion, be it Jewish, Islam, Catholic or Jedi Knight, I’m not interested in the politics or bigoted views. A person to me is a person regardless of their religion and I can’t and won’t accept comments that are offensive to other religions particularly when my Jesus never once gave the go ahead to mock others