Activists criticize Interim Govt.'s decree: It has no constitutional value

The recent decree issued by the Syrian Interim Government sparked widespread criticism on social media, with activists, intellectuals, and artists expressing their rejection of its content. They noted that it strips Kurdish national rights of their true meaning, and comes within a tactical political context.

The artist and activist Munir Sheikhi harshly criticized the decree, stating, "Decree No. 13 of 2026 issued by al-Julani is not worth a Kurdish struggler," emphasizing that the Kurds are "an indigenous people living on their historical land and have the right to self-determination."

The media figure Mehyiddin Isso offered a critical analysis of the decree, explaining that it ignored recognizing the Kurds as a distinct ethnic group, merely describing them as having a "significant percentage" of the population in certain areas. He added that the decree emphasized "Syria's Arab identity" and transformed Nowruz into a "festival of spring and giving," effectively "emptying it of its national and historical significance."

The activist Issam Abdel Karim believes that the decree was issued "as a military tactic and nothing more, and as a tool of blackmail at this time," confirming, "We want a constitutional approval, not a presidential decree that can be revoked by another decree."

The activist Majd Dawi stated that the decree "reduced Kurdish national rights to cultural symbols," pointing to the absence of any recognition of decentralization or autonomous governance, and the lack of any provisions guaranteeing the return of the forcibly displaced or eliminating the consequences of exceptional policies.

For his part, the writer and thinker Najib Awad offered a different interpretation, explaining that the declaration "represents the beginning of transforming Syria into a federal republic with a decentralized administration," linking this to broader regional and international arrangements.

The poet Khunaf Ayoub ridiculed the timing of the decree, suggesting it stemmed from circumstantial reasons related to external political maneuvering. While the artist Aras Hami described it as a "poisoned decree and a dirty tactic," considering it part of a series of "deceptions, poison, and empowerment."

The activist Farouj Jeno emphasized that the decree lacks constitutional value and treats the Kurdish issue as merely a cultural matter, asserting that defining the Kurdish language and education in it "empties the linguistic right of its practical content."

The lawyer Jamal Bouzan clarified that the presidential decree is "an executive tool that cannot amend the constitution," indicating that what was issued "has no constitutional value and does not fulfill the political aspirations of the Kurdish people," as long as they are not recognized as a people with collective rights.

These positions reflect a widespread rejection of the decree, and confirm that the debate over the national rights of the Kurds in Syria remains open to the conflict of interpretations and political and constitutional demands.