Scholars for Syria

Scholars for Syria Increasing awareness, resisting sweeping generalizations, and advocating for a free, democratic Syria.

Scholars for Syria is an initiative founded in 2015 at the University of Evansville, now operating on the campus of Seton Hall University. We are a collective effort and opportunity for students and other community members, regardless of nationality, to learn and share information about Syria and work toward its free future. We engage in projects that pool resources, create ideas, and collaborate

with like-minded organizations to implement goals that will have concrete, positive effects on the lives of Syrians everywhere. We hope to change the disastrous results of this prolonged conflict however we can, and we strive to weave a chain of connection that will build bridges with the raw materials of humanity, compassion, justice, and love.

09/06/2026

Civic Ready: Midterms 2026 is coming to a community near you. 🇸🇾🇺🇸

Ahead of the midterms, SAC is bringing Syrian American communities across the country together to get informed, engaged, and ready to participate.

Through practical, nonpartisan virtual sessions, we’ll break down who represents you, what’s on the ballot, where candidates stand on issues that matter to our community, and how to make your voice heard — before and beyond Election Day.

📍 12 communities
📅 September–October
💻 Virtual sessions

Get informed. Get engaged. Get Civic Ready.

Registration details coming soon.

09/04/2026

Very Important Projects Fund 🩵💛🩷

08/28/2026

🎉SAC Welcomes Kareem Shora. 

The Syrian American Council (SAC) is pleased to welcome Kareem W. Shora, JD, LL.M., as our new Policy Director, joining SAC in this new capacity on a part-time basis.

Kareem brings 26 years of experience in Washington, DC, including 14 years rising to executive-level roles in the US Government national security and civil rights sectors. He offers significant public policy, and community advocacy expertise.  Kareem serves as Chief Operating Officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. His previous leadership roles include positions at FEMA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Human Rights First, and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Born in Damascus, Kareem has spent much of his career building bridges between communities, policymakers, government institutions, and civil society. He has testified before Congress, led international initiatives on behalf of the US Government, and worked extensively at the intersection of policy advocacy, human rights and violence prevention, and public engagement.

At SAC, Kareem will strengthen our policy advocacy work at a pivotal moment for Syria and U.S.–Syria relations, helping strengthen our engagement in Washington, deepen relationships with policymakers and partners, and enhance the organization’s policy advocacy efforts on behalf of the Syrian-American community and the national and economic security interests of the United States.

His work will be guided by a commitment to a constructive, strategic, and stability- and prosperity-focused U.S.-Syria relationship — one that benefits both his nation of choice and his nation of birth. He will work closely with SAC Policy Advisor Mohammed Alaa Ghanem and SAC’s Policy Team to advance the organization’s policy and advocacy priorities.

We are thrilled to welcome Kareem to the SAC team and look forward to the experience, leadership, and perspectives he brings to this next chapter of our work. 💚

08/24/2026

🎉A Historic Day for Syria!!!!! 🇺🇸🇸🇾🇸🇾🇸🇾

The Syrian American Council welcomes the United States’ official removal of Syria from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, ending a designation that had remained in place since 1979.

This historic decision recognizes a new reality in Syria and removes one of the most significant remaining legal and financial barriers to the country’s recovery and reintegration into the international community.

We welcome this important milestone and look forward to a free, stable, and prosperous Syria taking its rightful place in the international community.

يوم تاريخي لسوريا 🇸🇾

يرحب المجلس السوري الأمريكي بالقرار الرسمي للولايات المتحدة برفع سوريا من قائمة الدول الراعية للإرهاب، منهياً تصنيفاً استمر منذ عام 1979 لما يقارب 47 عاماً.

يمثل هذا القرار خطوة تاريخية تعكس واقعاً جديداً في سوريا، وتزيل واحدة من أبرز العقبات القانونية والمالية المتبقية أمام تعافي البلاد واندماجها مجدداً في المجتمع والاقتصاد الدوليين.

اليوم تُطوى صفحة أخرى من إرث نظام الأسد، وتُفتح مساحة أوسع أمام الاستثمار، والتعافي الاقتصادي، والانخراط الدولي، مع استمرار العقوبات والمحاسبة الموجهة ضد الإرهابيين ومرتكبي الانتهاكات والجهات التي تهدد أمن سوريا واستقرارها.

نرحب بهذه الخطوة المهمة، ونتطلع إلى سوريا حرة ومستقرة ومزدهرة تستعيد مكانتها التي تستحقها في المجتمع الدولي. 🇸🇾

Making America Third-Rate Again https://share.google/s9JJbGGqWf798aqm3https://share.google/oDDvBrKj5d48LPVXc
08/23/2026

Making America Third-Rate Again
https://share.google/s9JJbGGqWf798aqm3
https://share.google/oDDvBrKj5d48LPVXc

Common App data released August 20, 2026 confirmed international student applications to US colleges fell 10% for the 2026-2027 academic year, representing nearly 16,000 fewer students. The drop builds on an already alarming spring 2026 figure: NAFSA reported new international undergraduate enrollment plunged 20% and graduate enrollment 24% year-on-year, with 84% of surveyed schools citing "restrictive government policies" as the primary cause. The State Department revoked over 100,000 visas since January 2025, including roughly 8,000 student visas. DHS terminated the status of approximately 1,800 international students, many from Muslim-majority countries, and proposed a $100,000 fee for the H-1B visa pathway from student status to employment.

Forbes projects the sustained decline will cost US universities $3.4 billion in lost revenue and eliminate 40,000 jobs by the 2026-2027 academic year. International students contribute $43 billion annually to the US economy. European and Asian universities report rising international enrollment during the same period, signaling the talent pipeline is not disappearing but being redirected away from the United States.

Sources: Bloomberg, Common App, NAFSA, Forbes, Washington Post, August 20, 2026

Bayan is an essential and enthusiastic member of our Very Important Projects Fund comms team. I work with her regularly ...
08/21/2026

Bayan is an essential and enthusiastic member of our Very Important Projects Fund comms team. I work with her regularly on copyediting and English language content for our student campaigns and publications. It’s no surprise to me that her English has improved dramatically in the last couple of years because of her natural curiosity and motivation to give back and succeed. Please join us and supporting Bayan so she can finish her degree and help support her family. Thank you!

08/20/2026

Moutaz Ghrewati

Address

Middletown, NJ

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