Syria grants major rights to Kurds, recognizes language and Nowruz

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has issued a landmark decree granting sweeping cultural and civil rights to the Kurdish community. The measures include official recognition of the Kurdish language, mass citizenship grants, and declaring the Nowruz festival a national holiday.

In a significant political shift, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a special decree on Friday that formally guarantees the rights of the country's Kurdish population. The decree, announced via state media SANA, states that Kurdish Syrians are an "authentic and basic" component of the nation and commits the state to protecting their cultural, linguistic, and civil rights as part of Syria's diverse national identity.

Sweeping Legal and Cultural Reforms

The decree introduces several concrete and transformative measures. It grants Syrian citizenship to all residents of Kurdish origin, including tens of thousands who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census in Hasakah province. The Kurdish language is officially recognized as a "national language," with provisions for its teaching in public and private schools in Kurdish-majority areas. In a major symbolic gesture, the Nowruz festival on March 21 is designated a paid official holiday nationwide, described as a celebration of spring and social cohesion.

A Direct Appeal for National Unity

In a recorded video message, President al-Sharaa made a direct and emotional appeal to the Kurdish community. "Our Kurdish people, descendants of Saladin, beware of believing claims that we seek harm against you... Your life is our life," he stated. He called for the return of displaced people "without condition or restriction other than laying down arms" and urged active Kurdish participation in rebuilding the country. The decree also explicitly prohibits ethnic discrimination in state media and education and criminalizes incitement to ethnic strife.

Context of Security Challenges and Geopolitical Implications

This rights decree unfolds against a tense security backdrop. The Syrian Army recently reported that threats from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo province persist, despite a March 2025 agreement for the group's integration into state institutions—a deal authorities say the SDF has failed to honor. The new decree appears to be a parallel political strategy aimed at undercutting separatist sentiments by addressing long-standing Kurdish grievances. For neighboring Türkiye, which views the SDF's dominant faction, the YPG, as a terrorist organization, the key question will be whether these reforms meaningfully disentangle the civilian Kurdish population from the armed group and contribute to regional stability, or simply reframe an ongoing internal conflict.