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Position:Home>Genealogy> Can you be full-blooded syrian (from Homs) and have red hair?


Question:I am doing a family tree, and my great-great grandfather was from Homs, Syria. He spoke Arabic, had an Arabic last name, but he also proclaimed he had red hair on a draft registration card.

Also he was Greek Orthodox Catholic.


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I am doing a family tree, and my great-great grandfather was from Homs, Syria. He spoke Arabic, had an Arabic last name, but he also proclaimed he had red hair on a draft registration card.

Also he was Greek Orthodox Catholic.

Well I think it is funny for someone to call themselves full blooded anything. It always sounds like they are talking about their pedigree horse or dog.

You probably won't find people of any national origin that are full blooded. At one time all of our ancestors were nomads. There have been armies invading all countries leaving their seed behind. There have been border changes. A full blooded Irishman, Scotsman, Englishman, Italian, Spaniard, Syrian, Pole or whatever really doesn't exist.

At the time of the Crusades many Europeans had children with the Muslims, most by rape bur some by marriage. And don't forget that at the end of the Crusades the Pope sent children to fight the Muslims. Yes, children. Of course these kids were captured. The girls were sold as slaves. The boys if they were young enough were made into assassins and taught to hate anything Christian. Which they did with a passion. Who can blame them. Some were allowed to marry and have children and I am sure the little girls had children. So don't be surprised by having red hair in the family. Or blue eyes. In the Arab world there is a tradition the Judas had red hair.

Red hair can occur in any population. It is one of the rarest colors in ANY population (Scotland is the highest with 13%) but worldwide it is about 8%.

There are even semitic or mid-eastern populations that have a relatively high occurence (for red hair that is). Ashkenazi Jewish populations, Pashtun populations, even populations in India and Pakistan.

It can (and does) occur in any population. One thing that does occur, is relativistic coloring. Because hair color is due to two types of melanin, there are essentially infinite shades. But we have pretty much collected them into a few colors (Black, Brown, Brunette, Red, Blond, White). Because of this limited collection (and rather arbitrarily defined) of "standard" colors used to describe virtually infinite shades, you find what some would call "red", others would call "Brunette". In populations which a very high proportion of people with near black hair, they often describe someone with just a little red in their hair as "red" because it is so noticable against the general population. The same person in Scotland would be described as maybe Brunette because a much larger proportion of the population has "redder" hair.

But this can occur in any population.