The Syrian Future Movement considers Decision No. (284), issued yesterday, Saturday, 2025-05-10, by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, a positive step toward promoting civil peace and protecting the social fabric—especially in light of the challenges facing the country. We affirm that confronting sectarian and regional polarization requires comprehensive policies that address the root causes of the crisis, not merely its symptoms.
The Syrian Future Movement welcomes efforts aimed at protecting university campuses from hate speech, as they are vital spaces for building the future and shaping a unifying national identity. Preserving the educational environment from sectarian and denominational divisions is a national and moral duty—particularly following the unfortunate incidents that led to the withdrawal of students from our Druze community and others, as clearly referenced by the Movement’s president in a message addressed to Syrians on the matter.
The Syrian Future Movement aspires for these measures to be part of an urgent national strategy to reform the entire educational system by reviewing curricula, promoting the values of citizenship and dialogue, building equal opportunity policies, and ensuring fair representation of all Syrian components in academic and administrative bodies. Partial suppression of incitement rhetoric will not be effective unless the root causes of discrimination—such as the absence of justice—are addressed.
The Syrian Future Movement calls for full transparency in investigations into incidents of sectarian incitement, such as those that occurred in the university dormitories in Homs, and stresses the need to hold all those involved accountable, including those who failed to protect the students. We also demand the activation of victim support mechanisms and the opening of communication channels with students who were forcibly displaced, to ensure their safe return to their studies.
The Syrian Future Movement warns against turning such decisions into tools to restrict academic freedoms or suppress critical thought under vague pretexts. The solution does not lie solely in punitive laws but in promoting a culture of dialogue and pluralism, supporting student initiatives that uphold the values of coexistence, and involving civil society in designing awareness programs.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that ending sectarian polarization requires the launch of an inclusive and continuous national dialogue involving all parties to establish an ethical university charter, adopt legislation that criminalizes all forms of discrimination, and restructure educational institutions to reflect the diversity of the Syrian people and the unity of their destiny.
While the Syrian Future Movement supports every effort that strengthens national unity, it considers the true battle to be a “battle of awareness” built on justice and equality—not exclusion and coercion. We call on all Syrians to work together to transform universities from arenas of conflict into beacons of enlightenment that illuminate the path to liberation from tyranny and division.
