Syria's Al Shara Recognizes Kurdish Language, Citizenship and Nowruz
Move follows deadly clashes in Aleppo and marks major shift in Syria’s policy toward Kurdish rights.
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara has issued a presidential decree recognising Kurdish citizenship and language rights, while officially declaring the Nowruz festival a paid national holiday, in a move that signals a major policy shift toward Syria’s largest minority community.
In a speech on Friday, Al Shara said: "I have the honour to issue a decree especially for our Kurdish people, which guarantees their rights and some of their privileges in accordance with the law," referring to Kurds as “the grandchildren of Salahuddin”.
According to Syria’s state news agency Sana, the decree formally recognises Kurdish identity as part of Syria’s national fabric and designates Kurdish as a national language alongside Arabic. It also allows Kurdish to be taught in schools for the first time.
The decree further restores citizenship to thousands of Kurdish Syrians who were stripped of nationality following a controversial 1962 census in Hasakah province. It grants Syrian nationality to residents previously registered as stateless and abolishes related administrative measures.
In addition, the new legislation bans ethnic and linguistic discrimination, obliges state institutions to adopt inclusive national messaging, and introduces penalties for incitement to ethnic or sectarian tensions. The declaration of Nowruz as a paid public holiday marks the first time the traditional Kurdish New Year has been officially recognised by the Syrian state.
The announcement comes days after clashes erupted between Syrian government forces and the mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo. According to Syria’s Health Ministry, at least 23 people were killed, while more than 150,000 residents were displaced from two Kurdish-administered areas of the city before fighting subsided following the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters.
Mohammed Salih, a researcher specialising in Kurdish affairs, described the decision as “remarkable” given Syria’s long-standing policies since 1946. He cautioned, however, that the decree should not be “a tactical or insincere move by the government aimed at distracting from the military campaign it has launched since January 6 against the SDF and Kurdish areas”.
Talks between Damascus and the SDF over the integration of Kurdish-led military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state were held last year, with an initial target of completion by the end of 2025. Progress has remained limited.
Since assuming power following the fall of Bashar Al Assad’s government, Al Shara has repeatedly pledged to reunify Syria and rebuild state institutions after years of conflict.