Sectarian assault on a Druze student inside Al-Jazeera Private University amid negligence by relevant authorities

On October 6, 2025, a documented sectarian assault took place at Al-Jazeera Private University, located on Ghbāghib Road. A group of students physically attacked Ribal Suleiman Barakeh, a Druze student from the town of Arneh in Mount Hermon, solely because of his religious affiliation.

According to testimonies from students inside the university, a group of individuals affiliated with extremist ideologies (inspired by ISIS thought) attacked the student in front of the university’s main gate using sticks and sharp objects. Security personnel at the university reportedly refrained from intervening and merely stood by watching.

During the assault, the attackers shouted sectarian slurs and issued direct threats against Druze students, warning them that they would “face the same fate” if they returned to campus.

Following the incident, a security patrol arrived at the scene but arrested the assaulted student instead of the perpetrators. He was later released in critical condition.
Medical reports confirmed that Barakeh sustained a fractured coccyx, severe contusions across his body, and head injuries requiring five surgical stitches.

The university administration later issued a brief statement claiming that it was “not responsible for incidents occurring outside the campus,” a response that drew sharp criticism from students and human rights observers who denounced it as an attempt to evade legal and moral responsibility for the safety of its students.

• Urgent Appeal: There is a person injured by gunshots who requires immediate medical attention.

📌 Location of the injured: In front of the Evangelical Church, at the intersection of the end of Saint Catherine Church Street and Al-Ashrafieh Slope.

⛑️ Note: Emergency medical teams are urgently needed to provide life-saving assistance.

• A civilian was killed instantly after a shell directly struck his head, reportedly fired by Jihadists of the de facto authority, resulting in his immediate death.
• The victim’s identity remains unknown due to severe disfigurement.

📌 Note: Images from the scene show the victim’s head remains. Viewer discretion is advised, as the content is graphic.

⛑️ Urgent Appeal: It is critical to document these violations and to warn civilians about the dangers of shells being deliberately targeted along sectarian and ethnic lines by the Public Security and Ministry of Defense forces of the de facto authority in residential areas.