Anniversary of the founding of the first Kurdish university in Syria (July 26)

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the founding of the University of Afrin (July 26, 2015), the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns of the imminent destruction of the three remaining universities in the northern Syria. The university in Afrin was the first Kurdish university in Syria and existed for only three years. When Turkey launched its illegal occupation of the Syrian-Kurdish region of Afrin in the north-west of the country in 2018, the university and around 400 Kurdish schools were destroyed. “Following the fall of the Assad-regime, there is a growing danger that the new Islamist government in Damascus will take control of the north-eastern part of Syria. For the universities in the region, this would mean the end of academic freedom,” stated Dr. Kamal Sido, Middle East consultant of the Göttingen-based human rights organization.

Three universities remain in the northeastern areas of Syria that are not controlled by the Islamist government in Damascus,: the Rojava University in Qamischli, the University of Kobani, and the Al-Sharq University in Raqqa. The Rojava University in Qamishli – which was founded in 2016 – is considered the largest university under the autonomous self-administration of northern Syria. The University of Kobani was founded in 2017. In addition to the two universities in the predominantly Kurdish regions, the Al-Sharq University in the predominantly Arabic city of Raqqa was founded in 2021. All three universities not only teach different subjects, but also promote religious and ethnic tolerance and equal rights of men and women.

“Academic freedom is a cornerstone of democratic societies. We are calling on German universities to advocate for the academic freedom of Syrian universities. Currently, there is no cooperation between universities in northern Syria and Germany – although universities from many other countries have established such cooperations,” Sido stated. In his opinion, the reason for the lack of solidarity is the close relationship between German and Turkish universities. They reject any contact with the autonomous self-administration of northern Syria.

While women make up about 68 percent of students and 52 percent of professors at the three universities under the autonomous self-government of northern Syria, the universities under the control of the new Islamist government in Syria are showing increasing trends towards Islamism. “This development is jeopardizing the future of all of Syria’s universities,” the human rights activist warned.

According to the human rights organization, almost all universities in Syria are now – since the fall of the Assad regime – eager to build prayer rooms, especially in Damascus. Even reading rooms and university courtyards are demonstratively declared places of prayer: places where thousands of students perform Islamic prayers separately from women. Leaflets calling on students to adhere to Islamist rules have repeatedly been found in the reading rooms and on the walls of the universities – and the teachers are oft controlled by Sheiks who have connections to radical organizations such as the international terrorist network al-Qaida. “Calls to prayer are often made in a chaotic manner, and female students are urged to adhere to the Islamic dress code. For Christians, Alawites, Druze, but also for Kurds, these universities are becoming places of intolerance and breeding grounds for radical groups such as al-Qaida or the Muslim Brotherhood,” warned Dr. Sido, who visited Syria in April and May of 2025.

The increasing prevalence of Islamist ideas could also have far-reaching consequences for Syrians living in Germany. Increasing influence of Islamist ideologies on people from Syria living in Germany is particularly dangerous for members of minorities. Druze, Kurds, and other members of minority groups living in Germany are already facing increasing threats by Islamists.”