Scholarships and Hussainiyahs: Iran's Soft Power Tools in Syria

Scholarships and Hussainiyahs: Iran's Soft Power Tools in Syria
The spread of Iranian educational centers in eastern Syria reveals a systematic strategy to change cultural identity by targeting the young generation
November 26, 2024, 9:29 pm

البوكمال

Iran has begun implementing new educational policies in Syria's Al-Bukamal, where "Children of the Future" kindergarten has become a striking example of teaching Persian history and language to children, while limiting their future educational prospects to scholarships in Iran.

Amid the collapse of the educational system and widespread poverty in war-torn Syria, Tehran is investing in spreading its doctrine and culture through funded educational and religious institutions.

Attempts to spread Shiite thought among youth are prominent in "Children of the Future" kindergarten in Al-Bukamal, where young children receive lessons in Persian language and history from an Iranian perspective.

Tehran attracts school students and people in their thirties through scholarships in Iran, expanding its influence, according to experts who confirm Iran's efforts to transform religious and cultural identity in its controlled areas in Syria.

Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, emphasized that "teaching Persian language in Deir ez-Zor province, which is not a popular incubator for Iranians, comes within Tehran's framework of dominating this region of Syrian geography."

Speaking to "Al-Hurra" channel, Abdulrahman discussed the enticement methods used through money and employment, pointing to the exploitation of children eager to learn through trips and courses to indoctrinate them with Wilayat al-Faqih ideology.

Iran's strategy manifests in spreading its influence through a network of shrines and Hussainiyahs, including Imam Jaafar al-Sadiq Hussainiyah in Deir ez-Zor, and "Abu al-Fadl" Hussainiyah managed by Hezbollah.

Iranian religious centers extend to Damascus, where Sayyida Zainab shrine, Syria's most prominent Shiite shrine, and Sayyida Ruqayya shrine are located, along with efforts to develop Ammar bin Yasser shrine in Raqqa.

The size of Iranian military presence in Syria reached about 100,000 fighters, according to a 2022 UN report, while Tehran provided loans to the Syrian regime worth $6 billion, contributing to the deterioration of the Syrian economy, according to a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace report in 2023.

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