{
  "id": 13943583,
  "title": "Veteran politician calls for Kurdish rights to be enshrined in Syria’s constitution to prevent tension",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/veteran-politician-calls-for-kurdish-rights-to-be-enshrined-in-syrias",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T11:24:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/12/veteran-politician-calls-for-kurdish-rights-to-be-enshrined-in-syrias-constitution-to-prevent-tension/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A prominent Syrian Kurdish politician has urged the country's constitution to protect Kurdish rights, warning that the shift towards a more centralized state could incite tension. Ilham Ahmed, a leader from the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northeastern Syria, emphasized that while the integration of Kurdish forces into the military has advanced, there remains significant progress to be made in the political sphere as the Kurds assert their influence in Syria's evolving political landscape under President Ahmad Al Shara.\n\nAhmed, now a member of the Syrian parliament's foreign relations committee, highlighted that the process of merging the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with the Syrian military had facilitated the reopening of border crossings, reestablished links between cities, and laid the groundwork for heightened stability following the demise of Bashar Al Assad's regime. She underscored the critical role of women's participation in public life, which, despite the integration efforts, seems to be regressing within institutions and decision-making bodies.\n\nRecently, Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi from Qamishli declared that the integration of the Kurdish administration into Syria's state institutions was finalized, following an agreement brokered in January between Damascus and the SDF. This pact, facilitated by the United States, France, and Turkey, aimed to end hostilities between Kurdish forces and the new Syrian authorities while charting a course for the incorporation of the northeastern region into the state system. It also included provisions for linguistic and cultural rights as well as political representation for the Kurds.\n\nPresident Al Shara's recent decree, which came amid weeks of unrest, acknowledged Kurdish identity, language, and the community's status within Syria. It marked a historic milestone, yet Ahmed noted that certain aspects, particularly concerning the right to education in Kurdish, were still pending. The recognition of Kurdish identity and language in law was significant, she acknowledged, but the execution of the decree remained a work in progress.\n\nThe prospect of teaching in the Kurdish language has sparked discontent, as students protested the Ministry of Education's decision to restrict Kurdish-language instruction in several cities, including Hasakah, Qamishli, and Kobani. Ahmed attributed the recent spate of hostilities to discrimination and challenged the notion that decentralization constitutes a threat to Syria's territorial integrity. She argued that decentralization is often misconstrued as an existential threat, whereas it is actually a means to strengthen Syrian culture by embracing linguistic diversity.",
  "summary": "Syria's constitution must guarantee the rights of the Kurdish community, the country's largest ethnic minority group, a veteran politician has said, warning that the move towards a more centralised state risks fuelling tension. Damascus has worked to integrate Kurdish-led troops into the military. Ilham Ahmed, a Syrian Kurdish leader, told the Middle East Research Institute Forum in Erbil, Iraq,…",
  "key_points": [
    "Ilham Ahmed urges Kurdish rights enshrined in Syria’s constitution to prevent tension.",
    "Kurdish integration into Syrian military advances, but political sphere lags behind.",
    "Kurdish identity recognition in law pending, education protests ongoing."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Veteran politician calls for Kurdish rights to be enshrined in Syria’s constitution to prevent tension",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/veteran-politician-calls-for-kurdish-rights-to-be-enshrined-in-syrias-13945569",
        "published": "2026-10-12T11:24:58.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}