WUNRN
Syrian women in the struggle
against President Bashar al-Assad's regime are outraged by the rise of
fundamentalist Islamists in the opposition. These men, they say, are
marginalizing women who helped bring the revolution to this brink of victory.
DAMASCUS,
Syria (WOMENSENEWS)-- As the Syrian opposition edges closer to winning the
civil war, some women who have been active in the struggle say a steady rise of
fundamentalist Islamists within their movement is spoiling the sense of
victory.
These men,
they say, are extremists who are expanding control, waving the black flag of
Jihad and excluding women in a way that mirrors the male domination of the
autocratic regime that is still clinging to power.
"All
opposing Syrian factions insist on marginalizing women," said Maya
al-Rahbi, a human rights activist, "which means that these factions are
not a true representation of the Syrian people. Half of the population is left
out."
Rahbi,
director of a Damascus-based women's research center, said "this indicates
how patriarchal these groups are and how unbelieving they are in democracy,
which can never be achieved without giving women their rights."
Another
woman, Majida, is an anti-government activist who does not want to use her real
name to protect her safety. She told Women's eNews in an email interview that
only three of the 60 leading members of the new Syria National Coalition, which
was established in November in
Women's rank in the opposition, in fact, mirrors that of the Syrian
establishment, where the few female ministers in the government are channeled
into "female" ministries such as Social Affairs and Labor.
We've 'Been Fooled'
"We,
women, have been fooled," Majida said. "How can such a weak
representation be accepted? Do three women reflect the role of the female
population in
Rahbi
echoed that outrage. "Where are all the mottos we've been hearing since
the beginning revolution? Where did the calls for 'freedom, dignity and justice
for all citizens' go?" she said.
She added
that, "This reminds us of the same oppressive regimes and of their same
policies against women. Why then did women take part in the revolution from the
very beginning? Why did they sacrifice and lose their loved ones? Why were they
killed, arrested, exiled and stranded? Why the revolution in the first
place?!"
After more
than a year and a half of deadly conflict, the regime of President Bashar al-
Assad
refuses to acknowledge a revolution by its own people. It claims to be at
conflict with extremist groups and armed terrorists.
The
cascading revolt that started in March 2011 has defeated the regime forces in
vast territories and has now brought the fight to the heart of the country, on
the peripheries of the capital of
On Dec. 11, the United States joined more than 100 other countries--
including Britain, France, Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council--in
acknowledging the opposition Syrian National Coalition as the country's
legitimate representative.
High Death Toll
The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights puts the overall death toll
from the conflict at more than 43,000, based on accounts from activists and
medics on the ground.
On Nov.
25, in a statement for World Day for the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women, the
Syrian human rights organization SAWASIA, which means equality in Arabic, said
the number of women whose "right to life" was denied by the
government's forces had reached 3,537. (SAWASIA is a human rights association
licensed in
Women have
also suffered as pro-Assad forces, according to SAWASIA, have used sexual
assault as a tool of war and committed these crimes in prison camps and during
assaults on people's homes. Some men and boys have also been victimized in this
way.
The Syrian
National Coalition, formed in November, took over the role of opposition
representation from a group called the Syrian National Council, which formed in
June 2011 in
The Council, however, quickly made women feel secondary, says Catherine,
who spoke with Women's eNews in an email interview. Her real name is being
withheld to protect the safety of her family who remain in
Fleeing
In early
2012 Catherine fled
Council,
but found the Muslim Brotherhood influence of the group discouraging.
"I
was working with one of the sub-committees and we used to meet with them
regularly at the Council and I used to feel embarrassed to wear the clothes I
used to wear in
Muslim
Brotherhood members dominate other elements in the opposition, she said.
"They
are very intimidating, because they are much more organized than us
seculars," she said. "They know exactly what they want and they abuse
the weakness and divide in the secular movement to get their way, which women
have no part in whatsoever."
By the
time Catherine joined the group she said it had already begun to marginalize
women. "The Muslim Brothers want to control everything in the National
Council. To say they are favoring their own interests over those of the nation
is not an exaggeration."
At a
certain point, after a shakeup, women were completely excluded from the
Council's leadership, Catherine said, adding that the development shocked many
men as well as women in the Syrian opposition community.
In April,
Catherine left the National Council feeling it no longer reflected the
diversity and spirit of the ground-level uprising.
When the
Coalition emerged as the new face of the revolution, many followers expected.
it to be more open to women. But Majida, the anti-regime activist, says a
3-in-60 representation of women in the leadership ranks shows that did not
happen.