A Syriac folklore group from Qamishli performs traditional folk dances during an event at the Faculty of Arts, University of Aleppo, November 1975. Source: Aramean Syriac Archive – Wikimedia Commons. Photographer unknown. Classified as public domain under Syrian copyright law.

Syrian People’s Assembly member Gabriel Moushi Kourieh stressed the need for constitutional and national recognition of the Syriac-Assyrians as an indigenous national component of Syria, and for guaranteeing their cultural and linguistic rights. He emphasized that these demands do not conflict with the unity of the country, but rather reflect its historical and civilizational richness, while calling for the revival of the Syriac language to be regarded as a shared national responsibility.

Ishtartv.com – Syria

Syrian People’s Assembly member Gabriel Moushi Kourieh presented his vision for the future of the Syriac-Assyrians in Syria during his participation in the “Syria Through Our Eyes” podcast on Soboro Channel. He highlighted the importance of enshrining their national, cultural, and linguistic rights in the Syrian Constitution and ensuring that their historical identity has a place in the building of the new Syrian state.

Moushi stressed the need to recognize the Syriac-Assyrians as an indigenous national component of Syria, noting that guaranteeing their rights is neither a factional demand nor a contradiction of the country’s unity. Rather, it is part of recognizing the national and cultural diversity that characterizes Syrian society.

Reviving Akitu and the Syriac Language

Moushi also addressed several developments he described as positive indicators in the current period, including the revival of national celebrations, foremost among them the Akitu New Year, as well as the issuance of decrees concerning the cultural rights of Syria’s components.

He stressed the importance of moving beyond symbolic steps towards clear legal and constitutional guarantees that protect cultural and linguistic rights, particularly the protection and teaching of the Syriac language and creating opportunities for its presence in public life and educational and cultural institutions.

He emphasized that reviving and preserving the Syriac language should not be the responsibility of the Syriac-Assyrians alone, but rather a shared national responsibility, as it forms part of Syria’s historical and civilizational heritage.

Addressing the Syrian President

Moushi spoke about his intervention before the President of the Republic during a joint meeting with members of the new People’s Assembly, during which he raised the demands of the Syriac-Assyrians and stressed the need to recognize their national and constitutional rights.

He noted that the response to his intervention exceeded his expectations, considering what he had presented not merely a speech at an official meeting, but an expression of a historic demand for which the Syriac-Assyrians have long struggled.

He said that what he had presented represented “a legitimate demand of the Syriac-Assyrians, which they have been calling for over decades,” referring to the continued calls for recognition of this people’s national identity and linguistic and cultural rights in Syria.

Demands That Go Beyond Symbolic Recognition

These statements come amid ongoing political efforts by the Assyrian Democratic Organization and Syriac-Assyrian political forces to secure the rights of their people in the new Syria.

On February 20, 2026, SyriacPress published a report on a meeting between the Assyrian Democratic Organization and the Syriac Union Party in Damascus. During the meeting, both sides stressed the importance of coordinating efforts and working together to guarantee the rights of the Syriac-Chaldean-Assyrian-Aramean people and enshrine them constitutionally within a democratic, pluralistic state that guarantees equality and genuine partnership among all components of Syria.

In an earlier statement to Welat TV on December 31, 2025, Gabriel Moushi also called for building a decentralized, democratic Syrian state based on equal citizenship and partnership among all Syrians, with the permanent constitution recognizing the national rights of Arabs, Kurds, Syriac-Assyrians, and Turkmen.

Moushi’s positions highlight the importance of the constitutional and political phase Syria is undergoing and the opportunity it offers to discuss the structure of the new state and guarantee the participation of its national and cultural components, in a way that safeguards their rights and historical identities while strengthening the principle of equal citizenship.