Enab Baladi – Hassan Ibrahim

Syrian woman Jumana, living in Germany, managed to buy a car after gathering about 2,700 euros through a mutual “Jam’iyya” with her neighbors and friends, considering it the most suitable way to save money and cover some costly financial needs.

Jumana couldn’t save money on her own and was unable to gather funds in the household money containers, as she broke many of them after short periods. She organizes or participates in “Jam’iyya”, a tradition she has become accustomed to over the past years.

The woman supervising the “Jam’iyya” stated that it is a way to solve crises and relieve individuals from financial distress, involving commitment and responsibility, away from debts or loans that can burden families and impose additional interests and amounts complicating their efforts to get out of debt.

“Jam’iyya” is an activity among a group of people, where they contribute an equal amount of money and one of them receives the total based on a draw or prior agreement. The “Jam’iyya” can be weekly, monthly, or yearly, depending on the participants’ wishes.

The “Jam’iyya” is a tradition followed by Syrians in their country, especially employees, aimed at meeting significant needs and accomplishing projects requiring financial investments, such as furnishing a home, opening a store, purchasing expensive goods, or saving gold. They have transferred this tradition to countries of asylum and expatriation.

Commitment and motivation

The woman mentioned that she has participated in and managed several “Jam’iyya” activities in Germany, adding that the smallest group should include ten people for the amount to be “good,” and the largest should be 15 people to avoid prolonging its duration and making its accounts complicated.

The primary reason for establishing the “Jam’iyya” is the difficulty individuals face in saving money, according to Jumana. There are women who struggle to save money or manage expenses. If they happen to have money at hand, they tend to spend it on clothes, shoes, or sales, thus the “Jam’iyya” obligates them and places the responsibility of timely payment on them, serving as a motivation to avoid excessive spending.

She explained that payment varies from one “Jam’iyya” to another, depending on the person’s financial situation, work, and salary, with amounts ranging from 100 to 1000 euros, noting that the increase in the amount is related to the specific savings goals of each individual.

She provided examples of goals women had in joining the “Jam’iyya” with her, such as purchasing a mobile phone, a gold bracelet for savings, renovating a bedroom or home furniture, obtaining a driver’s license, or buying a car as she did.

The timing of each person’s payment is according to agreement; it can be on the 5th or 15th of each month, emphasizing that all participants must be trustworthy and familiar with one another. She pointed out that having individuals who delay payments makes the “Jam’iyya” confusing and unwelcome.

One example Jumana cited was of a woman who wanted to join the “Jam’iyya” due to her business losses leading to debts, aiming to repay them through the “Jam’iyya,” considering this better than taking a loan that would impose interests and increase her debts.

Trust is key

Hussein, a 32-year-old Syrian living in Lebanon, regularly participates in “Jam’iyya” with his friends who work with him in a restaurant, believing that trust is a crucial component for establishing any “Jam’iyya,” once he ensures that participants can uphold their commitments, even if their jobs cease, especially in a country experiencing prolonged economic instability and job insecurity.

Hussein is part of a “Jam’iyya” composed of six members, totaling 1,200 US dollars, where each contributes 200 dollars monthly for six months. He noted that he knows four of the members well, while the fifth is a participant backed by one of the four.

He explained to Enab Baladi that reasons for joining the “Jam’iyya” vary, as some wish to purchase a car for work or buy land in Syria, adding that the price of a donum in his village controlled by the regime in rural Aleppo is 1,000 dollars, which can be secured through “Jam’iyya” to build on later.

Hussein described the “Jam’iyya” as a “tamra” (money box), highlighting its several advantages in achieving financial relief, settling debts, or realizing projects for those unable to save money themselves. He provided examples such as one member saving to complete necessary paperwork in Syria (marriage registration and obtaining a family booklet) and another preparing for his wedding.

According to Hussein, the “Jam’iyya” has a social aspect and a form of solidarity or moral support, as roles for collection are determined by a draw. However, if someone requires the funds urgently, their name can be prioritized with mutual consent, and then the draw can proceed without them, making the person feel that their friends stand by them during their crisis or need.

On the other hand, Mohammad, living in Turkey, rejects the idea of the “Jam’iyya” after a failed experience where he became a victim of fraud in one, having contributed 50 dollars every 15 days with 20 others (a total of 1,000 dollars). He was invited by a friend without knowing the others, who he recognized only through work in a restaurant and business.

The individual who received the initial amount, supposedly in need, left his job and traveled, leaving the others to discover it was a fraud. However, the loss was not significant for Mohammad, as it became clear after the first payment.

Setting priorities

Maria, a Syrian woman living in Germany, recently joined a “Jam’iyya” with her friends to secure the funds needed for baptism expenses for her daughter in a Greek Orthodox church, as baptism entails costs for church fees, hospitality, and candles given to guests as souvenirs.

Baptism is a ritual for followers of the Christian faith, involving submerging the child or parts of their body in water or sprinkling it, sometimes done by immersing three times and performed by a priest, believed to cleanse the child from sins. Some followers may not practice baptism.

According to Maria, the “Jam’iyya” comprises ten members, with a total contribution of 1,000 euros, and each member contributes 100 euros weekly. She sees it as a way to organize priorities and save money, as she tends to spend what she has if funds are available.

The 1,000 euros secured through the “Jam’iyya” eased her burden regarding the baptism costs and relieved her from complicated calculations, alleviating the stress of saving the amount by herself, as she stated.

They carried their traditions with them

“Jam’iyya” is one of the customs and traditions that Syrians have transferred from their homeland to countries of asylum and expatriation. The majority of refugees are distributed in Turkey (over three million refugees), followed by Arab and European countries, including Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Germany.

In the latest statistics from the United Nations, there are over 13 million forcibly displaced Syrians. In 2023, an additional 174,000 people were displaced internally in Syria, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons to 7.2 million, and 6.5 million refugees and asylum seekers abroad.

Syrians in these countries have formed communities that carry their unique characteristics, customs, and traditions. Some have launched projects reflecting their homeland’s identity, while they have also integrated into their host societies, despite various integration obstacles and hateful rhetoric in some places, alongside the politicization of their issue and its demonization in others.

Examples of such customs and traditions include opening Arab-themed restaurants, traditional gatherings and tents, holding popular weddings and celebrations, as well as various industries and commercial enterprises.