Hafez al-Assad Jr., the oldest son of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in 2017 and 2018 participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad held in Brazil and Romania respectively.
Named after his infamous grandfather, young Hafez’ poor results in the competitions raised eyebrows within regime circles. Yet, despite his lackluster performance, pro-regime media hailed young Assad’s academic prowess.
Born in December 2001, Hafez Jr. graduated with honors, obtaining a master’s degree in pure mathematics from Lomonosov Moscow State University. He accelerated his studies by completing the final two years at once.
And it seems nothing will prevent him from obtaining a PhD within a very short time, probably not more than one or two years. Young Hafez’ academic achievements are not an incident in the family.
His father is an eye doctor, while his mother has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and French literature. His late uncle, Captain Basil al-Assad, acquired a PhD. in military sciences from Moscow with honors and excellent grades. That was in 1991, a month before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
“Doctorization”
Bassil’s diplomas are part of a wider phenomenon, which I have ironically dubbed “doctorization.” It emerged during Hafez al-Assad’s reign in the 1970s. Acquiring a doctor’s title became an obsession for many Syrians. Numerous parents still dream for their sons and daughters to study medicine to be able to display the title “Doctor” on their doors.
When Bashar al-Assad assumed power, the country’s system of governance started to resemble that of a corporation, with often technocrats overseeing projects. The shift put even more pressure on people to present themselves as highly educated, just as “Doctor Bashar” himself.
Obtaining doctorate degrees became a means of securing prestigious positions within the government and the country’s administrative bodies – and not always in a legitimate way.
The obsession with titles gave rise to a culture of corruption and nepotism, while the pursuit of fraudulent degrees continues to persist in Syria. Looking at some cases of corruption of the past, we find some notorious examples.
Rifaat al-Assad
In 1982, Bahjat Suleiman, a major in the Defense Companies, an all-Alawite force within the Syrian army, made the surprising claim of holding a PhD in political economy he obtained in Budapest. Strange, given his strict military background, as well as being a tank commander that year occupied with countering the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
Rifaat al-Assad, leader of the Defense Companies and brother of then President Hafez al-Assad, took offense. Suleiman was a subordinate, who had apparently managed to obtain an advanced academic degree, while he had only a bachelor’s degree in history.
Rifaat was a powerful figure within Syria’s higher education system. He would arrive at the university on exam days accompanied by a contingent of guards. The observers were too intimidated to question or object to their presence.
Rifaat even had the audacity to do his exams while seated in the office of the university president, who would also provide him with both questions and answers, as Rifaat sipped his coffee.
Apart from leading the Defense Companies, which consisted of over 40,000 soldiers at the time, Brigadier-General Rifaat assumed the presidency of the Office of Higher Education and Scientific Research within the Regional Leadership of the ruling Ba’ath Party.
The position granted him significant influence in Syria’s academic landscape. His son-in-law Moein Nassif, commander of the 40th Brigade in the Defense Companies, followed in his footsteps by obtaining a PhD.
In 1974, Rifaat had established the Higher Studies Graduates Association (HSGA) to ensure university graduates’ loyalty to his brother’s regime. The association boasted over 5,000 members. Meant to control the higher education sector, it became a means for unqualified individuals to assume prominent positions in universities throughout Syria.
In addition to its task to defend the Assad regime and Damascus, the Defense Companies offered parachuting courses for members of the Baath Party’s Revolutionary Youth Union.
Those who successfully completed the course received 45 points for their final secondary school grades. As they needed a total of only 220 points, this greatly helped them to enter university.
After ten years of corruption and nepotism, the dispute between President Hafez and his brother Rifaat in 1984, brought an end to the HSGA, as the Baath Party ordered it to disband, effectively ending its influence.
The Defense Companies, which were responsible for the massacres in Aleppo, Hama, and Palmyra, were also disbanded, while the Syrian army and security forces underwent a “cleansing” process to remove Rifaat’s followers.
General Mustafa Tlass
During this period, Colonel Salim Barakat, who was in charge of the Defense Companies’ security apparatus and later commanded Battalion 170, responsible for protecting the Army General Command headquarters, sought refuge at Damascus University.
The renowned university had become a safe haven for officers such as Barakat. He obtained a PhD in political science from Damascus University and remains a professor there to this day. Other individuals with counterfeit doctorates include Fawaz Jamil al-Assad and Muhammad Tawfiq al-Assad, the president’s nephews.
Many of these incidents were first told by former Syrian Minister of Defense, General Mustafa Tlass. In 2002, he published a book in which he shed light on Rifaat’s practices. Tlass himself was a professor in military science, held three doctorates (in military science, history and human sciences), as well as a master’s degree in engineering.
The pursuit of academic accolades by regime officials has persisted. For example, after becoming head of the internal branch (251) in the General Intelligence Directorate, Major General Bahjat Suleiman in 1998 obtained a PhD in military sciences from Moscow.
Upon his appointment as Minister of Religious Endowments in 2007, Mohammad Abdul-Sattar al-Sayyed, obtained a Certificate of Merit and High Appreciation with the rank of Scholar and Thinker (equivalent to a PhD) from the Open University of Islamic Civilization in Canada.
The university does not exist, yet Sayyed continues to serve as the Minister of Religious Endowments to this very day.
Instances of forgery and fraudulent degrees continue to plague Syrian education. In 2018, Ahmad Humam Haidar, secretary of the Ba’ath Party Damascus Countryside branch, attempted to authenticate a forged doctorate that he had acquired through a local network.
His attempt was discovered by the Ministry of Higher Education. It led to being removed from his post. Citing “forging a university degree among other undisclosed factors,” the authorities did not disclose all reasons for his expulsion.
Haidar still managed to become a certified lawyer and member of the Syrian Bar Association It is said another person took the university exams on his behalf.
In his book, Tlass mentions receiving a complaint in 1975 from Dr. Muhammad Khair Fares, head of the history department at Damascus University, regarding Rifaat al-Assad arriving on exam days accompanied by a detachment of guards.
“Don’t do anything,” Tlass recalled responding. “Because he will not work as a history teacher for you.”
While Rifaat indeed never worked as a history teacher, he did leave behind a history of forged degrees and an tainted academic environment. Syrian universities are largely absent from any international academic rankings, while graduates face significant challenges in the job market due to the overall poor quality of education in most institutions.
The reputation of Syrian university graduates is further undermined by illegal networks specialized in certificate fraud. There are reports that Sweden is inundated with fake Syrian certificates, which has serious consequences for Syrians who did complete their education. Many are struggling to prove the authenticity of their degrees.
The one question that remains unanswered is why Syrian regime officials seek medical treatment abroad and send their children to study overseas if the country’s academic institutions are truly excellent.
Could it be that they are seeking a degree of honor?
