The largest ethnic minority in Syria, Kurds are most often Sunni Muslims, though Christians and Yazidi and Alawi sects also exist.

Demography

According to the CIA World Factbook, Kurds, Armenians and others represent 9.7 percent of the total population in Syria, or almost 1.9 million people.[1]  The Voice of America estimates there are currently 1.5 million Kurds in Syria.

In 1976, an estimated 825,000 Kurds, or 11 percent of the total population, lived in Syria.[2]

Geographic Distribution

Kurds mostly live in northeastern Syria, while some live in the northwest or metropolitan areas of the country.

Historic Hardship

In 1921, the Franco-Turkish Treaty incorporated three Kurdish areas – Djezira, Kurd-Dagh and Arab-Pinar – into Syrian territory.[3]  In 1962, the government conducted a population census in Djezira, which was predominantly Kurdish, leading to a plan in 1963 to “Arabize” parts of the province.  As a result, around 120,000 Kurds were arbitrarily categorized as aliens, meaning, among other things, that they no longer could own any property.  The government also launched a media campaign with slogans such as ‘save Arabism in Djezira’ and ‘fight the Kurdish threat’.  In all, 20 percent of the Kurdish population was stripped of Syrian citizenship.

Also in 1963, the Syrian government took part in the Iraqi military campaign against the Kurds by providing aircraft, armored vehicles and 600 soldiers.  In 1965, the government created an Arab cordon in the Djezira region along the Turkish border; implementation began in 1973, when Bedouin Arabs were resettled in Kurdish areas.

Officially, the project of creating an “Arab belt” all along the frontier was dropped in 1976, but the Kurds remained without rights in Syria.[4]  In 1986, a few thousand Kurds wearing traditional Kurdish costumes gathered in the Kurdish part of Damascus to celebrate the spring festival of Newroz; police warned them that Kurdish dress is prohibited and fired on the crowd, leaving one person dead.

Ongoing Hardship

Kurds in Syria continue to face severe discrimination because of their ethnicity.  Many Kurds are denied the full provision of education, employment, health care and other rights enjoyed by Syrian nationalists.[5]

In March 2004, Syrian forces used live ammunition against civilians after clashes broke out at a football match between Kurdish and Arab fans; 30 people were killed and more than 160 injured. Amnesty International reported that hundreds of people, mostly Kurds, were arrested after the riots.

Amnesty International also claims that Kurdish human rights activists within Syria are mistreated and persecuted.[6]  Human Rights Watch has reported that Kurds cannot use the Kurdish language, are not allowed to register children with Kurdish names, and are prohibited to publish books and other materials written in Kurdish.[7]

Additionally, stateless Kurds, of which there are an estimated 200,000 to 360,000 in Syria today, don’t have the option of legally relocating to another country because they lack passports or other internationally recognized travel documents.[8] These Kurds can’t vote, work at government or state-owned enterprises or legally marry Syrian citizens.