An official in the Syrian Coalition said that Iran has committed new violations against children in Syria, adding that it is added to the long litany of war crimes the Iranian terrorist militias are committing against Syrian civilians, most notably mass killings, destruction, and demographic change.
Secretary of the Coalition’s political committee Riad al-Hassan said that Tehran has most recently sought to teach Persian language children to children in the towns and villages of Deir Ezzor. He added that the move represented an attempt by Iran to “impose its sectarian culture in Syria.”
Hassan said that the new move is an attempt by Iran to find another means to consolidate its occupation of Syria after sensing that its military presence in the country is under growing threat. He noted that Tehran uses cultural hegemony as a new way to achieve its goals.
Local media outlets said that 250 children from Deir Ezzor has recently began attending Iranian schools to learn Persian, adding that the children are aged between 8 and 15 years old.
Iran has recently opened three schools in the town of Albu Kamal and one another in the town of Mayadin with an Iranian educational staff, according to the media outlets.
The schools will give each child 10,000 Syrian pounds a month to entice more children to attend these schools, which have also promised a large financial prize for children who achieve fluency in Persian language in a short period of time.
Hassan underscored that resorting to the sectarian brainwashing of children and preparing them to be fighters in the future are new war crimes. He called on the international community, human rights organizations, and UNICEF to protect children and stop Iran’s crimes against them.
Iran is exploiting the dire living conditions and impoverishment in the towns and villages of Deir Ezzor after years of suffering as a result of the tyranny of the Assad regime and the brutality of the ISIS extremist group. Iran also opened offices to recruit locals into the Al-Quds Brigade.
Similar moves have already been reported in Lattakia and the Syrian coast as well as in Damascus, which provided yet another proof that Iran is seeking to impose its cultural hegemony in Syria. Moreover, the Assad regime approved the opening of a branch of the Iranian Islamic Azad University in Syrian cities back in January. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
