Syria’s new rulers restrict women’s access to universities

New admission rules have sparked claims of gender discrimination by the country’s Islamist government Syria’s new Islamist government has barred women from enrolling in several university and technical programs, drawing public criticism.The rules for the 2026-2027 academic year affect several institutions, including two universities established in July under Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.Al-Sharaa, a former leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), rose to power following the overthrow of Bashar Assad in December 2024. He was appointed transitional president in January 2025 and has since pledged to build an inclusive government.According to documents published by the Ministry of Higher Education, women are excluded from military engineering programs, as well as legal and social sciences, management, and economics at the National University for Defense Sciences. Another institution, the Syrian University for Security Sciences, reserves several programs for men, although women remain eligible to study cybersecurity.The restrictions extend to technical institutes specializing in oil and gas, railway transport and radio and television directing. Under the previous aca...