You can in fact ignore "sql like syntax" and find "similar capabilities" in many other languages. After all, most C# coders ignore the "SQL like syntax" in C# itself.

And when languages imitate features of a different language, they tend to go for the features that people like and use. No-one is going to add "similar capabilities" to the feature that no-one wants in the first place. People who say "C#'s LINQ is awesome!" just aren't talking about "sql like syntax", and people who say "without sql like syntax it's just not on the same level as LINQ" are misguided.