‘This is my purpose now’: The Syrian academic who left Scotland to rebuild

IN a suburb north of Damascus, Mohammad Al Ashmar watches his daughter sound out words from a new children’s Arabic book. Her small hands grip the pages as she works through each sentence. Her bedroom, freshly painted pink, is a battlefield of toys, clothes and blankets. Every Saturday, before her gymnastics class, they sit together and practise reading. Seven months ago, Al Ashmar could only have imagined this scene. In February, after five years in Scotland, he, his wife and their two daughters decided to leave their life in St Andrews and return to Syria. READ MORE: Israel is hunkering down in south Lebanon despite so-called ceasefire That has meant coming back to a country still emerging from years of war, where about seven million people remain internally displaced, and homes lie in ruins. The Syrian refugee crisis began in 2011 after the Assad regime violently suppressed peaceful protests and the country descended into a devastating civil war. More than 13m Syrians were subsequently forced from their homes, fleeing across the borders into Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and beyond. After the height of the crisis in 2014, Scotland became home to an estimated 3500 Syrians, about 16% of the total arriving in the UK under the Vulnerable Persons and Vulnerable Children Resettlement Schemes. Unlike many Syrian refugees who came to Scotland through resettlement schemes, Al Ashmar arrived as a student to pursue a PhD at the University of St Andrews. His opposition to the Assad regime influenced his decision to leave Syria. “I wanted a stable life for my daughter and I knew this would only be possible at that time outside of Syria,” he said. In Scotland, he found the stability he had wanted for his family. “I have so many fond memories of Scotland,” he says. He remembers the treatment his wife received in hospital in Dundee when she gave birth to their second daughter. Al Ashmar remembers seeing Humza Yousaf become first minister of Scotland. “That showed me that everyone is welcome and accepted in this country,” he said. However much as he came to feel part of Scotland, Al Ashmar returned to Damascus alone each year to check on his family. Each journey carried risks – as an opponent of the Assad regime who had previously been imprisoned, he knew he could be detained again. “To be honest, I was ready to go back to Syria someday and stay even under that situation,” he said. “My parents were living in Syria and they were older. I had a duty to help them.” Two days before the Assad regime fell in December 2024, Al Ashmar was in London at a conference with Syrian scholars and activists. “We had been very pessimistic about the future,” he says. His pessimism quickly turned to disbelief. “I watched the news for 10 days straight. It was unbelievable. It was, you know, a moment where we felt like, ‘OK, it’s time to go back now’.” Al Ashmar now runs a consultancy business for UN agencies in Damascus, working with Syrians who have returned from surrounding countries struggling to rebuild their lives. Al Ashmar is aware that his return was unusual compared to the vast majority who have gone back over the past year. “I could make some money,” he said. “Others are not able to benefit from this.” With an apartment waiting, a car available and family nearby, returning with his daughters – one just a month old – felt relatively easy. For many others, however, there is simply nothing to return to. In Yarmouk, south of Damascus, the scale of destruction is stark. Once home to around 160,000 people, the Palestinian neighbourhood was largely emptied by years of fighting, siege and bombardment. UNRWA estimates that 72% of its homes were destroyed. A few miles away in Jobar, the destruction is even more extensive. The Damascus suburb was heavily targeted during the war, leaving homes and infrastructure destroyed and unexploded ordnance still posing a danger. An estimated 95% of Jobar was destroyed, leaving 300,000 people without homes. Syria’s reconstruction is estimated to cost $216 billion, while nearly two-thirds of the population still requires humanitarian aid. While millions have returned from neighbouring countries, only a fraction of those have been Syrians who were residing in Europe. Across the continent, governments have increasingly had to confront the question of what happens to Syrian refugees now. Several countries, including Sweden and Germany, have suspended or reconsidered asylum arrangements for Syrians and begun discussing returns. Al Ashmar said: “The Syrian government is not ready to, you know, welcome hundreds of thousands. There are no jobs for them, no services, no electricity, no water. People especially outside of Damascus are struggling – really struggling.” For Al Ashmar, the future may be a closer relationship between Syria and its diaspora, with Syrians abroad sending money, investing and returning for holidays rather than relocating permanently. Tony Collins, founder of the Scottish charity Mishwar, has spent more than a decade working with Syrians in Lebanon and Scotland. He says he has seen little evidence of Syrians settled in Scotland choosing to return permanently. “I know Syrians who have returned to check on their families last year and this summer and help them start to rebuild, but these are just visits.” READ MORE: Pro-Palestine comedian banned from YouTube 'with no warning' Scotland’s Minister for Equalities and International Development, Simita Kumar, said some people will naturally choose to return as Syria rebuilds and that Scotland will continue to support the country through targeted humanitarian aid and grants to international and local relief organisations. “Our funding for humanitarian response makes a contribution to creating the conditions for countries to rebuild following conflict, including Syria.” Asked whether Syrians in Scotland could still expect to feel welcome and supported, she added: “Our commitment remains as strong today as ever.” For Al Ashmar, returning and rebuilding has given him a newfound hope that had previously lain dormant. “I feel kind of optimistic about the future. Doing my consultancy business is good for this country. It means I can create jobs. This is my purpose now.” Share