- Immigrant Times
- Aug 6
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 8
MAYOR RYYAN ALSHEBI
Ryyan Alshebl, a Syrian refugee and mayor of a German town, discusses post-Merkel Germany and post-Assad Syria
Ryyan Alshebl was elected mayor of Ostelsheim, near Stuttgart, in southern Germany in 2023
August 2025: It is not often that a German small-town mayor makes the national and international news. But when Ryyan Alshebl was elected mayor of Ostelsheim, near Stuttgart in southern Germany in 2023, he did. The US broadcaster CNN led with the headline “Syrian refugee elected mayor of German town, eight years after fleeing the war”, while The Guardian in London wrote “Syrian refugee celebrates ‘sensational’ win in German mayoral race.” Der Spiegel, Germany’s most influential news magazine, described Ryyan Alshebl’s journey from southern Syria to his new home in Baden-Württemberg. London-based German Brief quoted the newly elected mayor as saying, “Today Ostelsheim has set a sign of tolerance and openness for all of Germany.”
The now 31-year-old, who fled Syria in 2015, is responsible for Ostelsheim, a town of 2,500 people. Although a member of the German Green party, Ryyan Alshebl stood as an independent candidate. He secured an absolute majority of more than 55 per cent of the vote in the election. In an interview with the German press agency DPA, the mayor described the election campaign as overwhelmingly positive.
Born in 1994, Ryyan Alshebl graduated from high school aged 18 before taking up studies in finance and banking. In his election campaign manifesto Alshebl described how, in 2015 at the age of 20 he was faced with two options: either be drafted into the Syrian army and fight for President Bashar al-Assad or flee the country. He chose to plan his escape and surrender his future to an uncertain fate. After several weeks of fleeing and being transferred from one refugee camp to another, Alshebl ended up in southern Germany where, in his own words, he met and was supported by many great and generous people who made it easier for him to stand on his own two feet again. Believing that one should always face reality in every situation of life and make the best of it, Alshebl is fond of quoting the ancient Greek philosopher Aristoteles “We cannot change the wind, but we can set the sails differently."
After the fall of the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Ryyan Alshebl was in demand by German media. In a lengthy interview by German national broadcaster ZDF, he was asked to comment on what the fall of Assad meant. He said: “Freedom. For me personally, my generation and that of my parents, it was hard to imagine a Syria without this brutal regime. That is over now. I am still overwhelmed.”
Since the regime change in Syria, many politicians on the right now suggest that Germany should Syrian refugees should be encouraged to return to their home country. The mayor of Ostelsheim believes there will be some of his compatriots who may wish to return. “But before that happens, my homeland will need to rebuild much that was destroyed during the war. And the country will need considerable international help. Syria also has to draft a new constitution and hold democratic elections.” Alshebl believes such a process may take three to four years.
The ZDF interviewer also asked the mayor about the possibility that Germany may lose many skilled workers and professionals, such as doctors and nurses. The mayor fears that such a debate is unhelpful. “This is a debate that only leaves damage in its wake. It is an individual decision whether to return to Syria or not. For example, if you have children who go to school here and speak better German than Arabic, you will want to stay. Young families will not give up their lives here lightly. Regardless of the question of war or peace. For others, Germany is just a transition.”
Ryyan Alshebl was also asked whether German acceptance of refugees has changed since he arrived in 2015. “The main difference I see between today and 2015 is the willingness of the population and the sense of community - the so-called welcoming culture (Willkommenskultur). The passion with which help was provided in the past is no longer found to the same extent today. There is a feeling of being overwhelmed by the number of refugees.
Another problem is that many of the refugee helpers who came forward in 2015 were already of retirement age at the time. They are slowly becoming unable to continue, and too few new volunteers are coming forward.”
Biography
Mayor Ryyan Alshebl was born in 1994 in the town of Alswaida in southern Syria and grew up with his two brothers in the small town of Era, around 12 kilometres from Alswaida. His father was an agricultural engineer and worked as a farmer on the side, while his mother worked as a secondary school teacher. Both parents are now pensioners and continue to live in Syria.
Ryyan Alshebl graduated from Syrian high school in 2011, the same year that the uprising against the Syrian regime began. He had enrolled to study finance at the university in Latakia, but was unable to complete his studies due to the escalating conflict.
In 2015, he left Syria to escape the threat of being called up for military service. After a challenging escape, he and three fellow refugees reached Karlsruhe, where he applied for asylum. He was granted refugee status in 2016.
A year later, he began training as an administrative assistant at the municipality of Althengstett, which he completed in 2020 as one of the best graduates in his year in Baden-Württemberg. He acquired German citizenship in 2022.
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Further reading: Foreign nationals in German states and cities |
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