Syrian Women Fear For Their Status And Rights Under Rule Of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham

The takeover of Syria by the Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) organization, headed by Ahmed Al-Sharaa (until recently known as Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani), has sparked many concerns regarding the status and role of women under the new regime. These fears stem from HTS’ rigid and even abusive treatment of women in the past, when it was affiliated with the Al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorist organizations and later when it controlled the Idlib district in northwest Syria after severing its relations with those organizations.[1] 

With the organization's takeover of Syria and the establishment of its transitional government, senior officials in the new administration began sending reassuring messages regarding the status of women, stating that the new regime would grant women all their rights and not exclude them from any domain. It is not clear, however, that these declarations reflect a genuine change in the organization's views on the issue of women. They are more likely meant to appease the international community and the West in order to gain legitimacy for the new regime and achieve the lifting of sanctions and the delivery of aid that is urgently needed for Syria’s reconstruction.

Western officials who visited Syria and met with its new leadership expressed the West's expectations that the new regime will respect the rights of women and minorities, and in fact presented this as a condition for supporting it. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, for example, who visited Damascus along with her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, said after a  January 3, 2025 meeting with Al-Sharaa, in which he refrained from shaking her hand, that she and her colleague had made it clear to the new Syrian government that the status of women is not just a matter of their rights, but is a measure of the degree of freedom in society, and that women, as well as all groups and sects, must be included in the country's transition process if Damascus wants European support.[2]

Alongside the positive signals sent by the new Syrian regime regarding women's rights, several of its leaders have made statements and taken measures that raised concerns within Syria and beyond regarding its stance on the status of women. For example, in several instances women – including non-Muslim women – were required to cover their hair when meeting with Ahmed Al-Sharaa. In other cases Al-Sharaa and senior members of his government avoided shaking hands with women, including Western diplomats, as happened with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. There are also reports that in various areas of Syria women are being encouraged to conform to the Muslim dress code, and that HTS activists are acting to prevent men and women from mixing in public places.

Moreover, the new administration has so far appointed only one woman to a government position: Aisha Al-Debs, who has been named “head of the Women's Affairs Office.” It is noteworthy that, unlike the male members of the government, she has not been given the title of minister. Furthermore, Al-Debs, whose appointment is apparently meant to allay concerns regarding the status of women under the new regime, is actually known for her anti-liberal positions and rejection of gender equality.[3] Another administration official stated that women are unable to perform certain roles in society due to “their biological and psychological characteristics.” A further worrying development is the appointment of Shadi Al-Waysi as Justice Minister in Syria’s transitional government. In 2015 Al-Waysi, then a qadi in the  Idlib province, participated in the execution of women on charges of adultery.[4]

Against this backdrop, protests were recently held in various parts of Syria by women and men demanding to respect the rights of women and include them in the shaping of the new Syria. In addition, many voices on the media and social media criticized the new regime’s positions on women and the conservative views of its officials. Syrian women activists stressed that they will not allow such reactionary views to restrict them demanded that women’s rights be enshrined in the new constitution, so that “Syria will be a safe place for women.”

Protest in Damascus (Facebook.com/asharqnews, December 20, 2024)

This report reviews HTS’s contradictory handling of the issue of women and reactions from Syrian women who fear for their inclusion and rights under the new regime.

The New Syrian Administration Promises To Uphold Women’s Rights And Include Them In All Domains

As stated, upon taking power, the heads of the new Syrian regime, headed by Ahmed Al-Sharaa, confirmed their commitment to upholding women’s rights and appointed several women to public positions, apparently in order to allay concerns inside and outside the country regarding the status of women under the new administration. Some of these statements came from Ahmad Al-Sharaa himself, who on January 29, 2025 was named president for the translational period. In a December 19, 2024 interview with the BBC, he stressed that he believed in education for women and noted that more than 60 percent of students in universities in Idlib, his powerbase, were female.[5]  Asa’ad Al-Shaibani, the Foreign Minister in Syria’s transitional government, was more explicit, writing on his personal X account in December 29: “Syrian women have fought for decades for a free homeland that will protect their honor and status. We will act to uphold women’s causes and support all of their rights. We believe Syrian women should play an active role in society and are confident in their abilities and skills, for [today’s women] are the direct successors of generations of giving and contributing [women].”[6] Ali Al-Rifa’i, press relations manager at the Syrian Communications Ministry, told the Al-Arabiya channel: “In Idlib [a province that has been controlled by HTS for several years] women enjoy full rights. They are doctors, teachers and legal experts, and are present in every domain… In the new Syria,... women’s contribution will not be confined to any single domain; all domains in the country [will be open to them].”[7]

In addition to Aisha Al-Debs, who is head of the Women's Affairs Office in the Syrian government, several other women have been appointed to public positions: Maysaa Sabareen is Governor of Syria’s Central Bank, and is the first woman to ever serve in this role,[8] and Diana Al-Asmar has been appointed Executive Director of the Damascus Children's University Hospital.[9]

Despite Some Positive Indications, Statements And Measures By The New Regime Spark Concern For Women’s Freedoms

Alongside the positive messages conveyed by some members of the new regime regarding women’s rights, statements and measures by other officials reflect a conservative position that restricts women’s freedoms, sparking concern among many inside and outside the country. For example, when interviewing Al-Sharaa on December 6, two days before the fall of the Assad regime, CNN correspondent Jomana Karadsheh wore a head covering,[10] and it was later reported that Al-Sharaa had specified that women who met with him, especially Arab and Muslim ones, should cover their hair.[11] As stated, Al-Sharaa has also avoided shaking hands with women.[12] Later on, however, perhaps in response to the criticism sparked by these incidents, Al-Sharaa apparently dropped these requirements. Several Syrian women from the U.S. who met with him on January 27 who were not wearing head coverings, nor was Bahia Mardini, a London-based Syrian journalist and researcher who met with him on January 6.[13] At a foreign ministers’ summit on the Syrian issue, held in Saudi Arabia on January 12, Syria’s Foreign Minister Asa’ad Al-Shaibani did shake the hand of his German counterpart.[14]

Young woman from Damascus was asked to cover her hair when meeting with Al-Sharaa (Raialyoum.com, December 19, 2024)

Al-Sharaa meets with a delegation of Syrian women from the U.S., many of them not wearing a head covering (X.com/G_CSyria, January 27, 2025)

Conversely, Obaida Arnaout, Syria's new government spokesman, showed no flexibility at all regarding the status of women. In a December 18, 2024 interview with the Lebanese Al-Jadid channel, he said that it was too early to discuss the inclusion of women in the government and parliament, for "this must be left to the judicial and constitutional experts that will discuss the character of the new Syrian state. Women are important and should be treated with respect," he added, "and therefore the roles must be suitable for them…" As for women serving as judges, he likewise said that "the relevant authorities must examine and review this and it is too early to discuss this detail." Furthermore, "there are biological, psychological and mental characteristics that must be taken into consideration in certain roles. It is a mistake to say that a woman should handle weapons, for example, or should be in a position that does not suit her abilities, her physique or her nature."[15]

Arnaout's statements drew fire in Syria, especially from women, as well as abroad. Attempts by HTS officials to contain the damage only intensified the women's fears in some cases. For example, Ali Al-Rifa’i, the press relations manager in the Syrian Communications Ministry, said that Arnout's remarks had been misrepresented and that he had only meant that "the woman's honor does not allow Syria to place her in the front line of fighting as minister of defense."[16] Aisha Al-Debs, head of the Women's Affairs Office, appointed as part of HTS' attempts to make a show of including women in decision-making roles, said in a December 28  interview with Turkey's TRT channel that the new regime seeks to "create a model suitable to the situation and condition of the Syrian woman, with the Islamic shari'a forming the basis for any model." She added: "Why should we adopt the secular or civil model?" On the activity of women's organizations in the country, she said: "I will not make room for anyone who refuses to accept my way of thinking. We have suffered in the past from campaigns of foreign organizations that harmed our women and children." She added that these organizations increased the rate of divorce in Syria.[17]  In a lecture she gave in 2023, she advocated "partnership" between men and women, rather than equality in the Western-liberal sense.[18]

The new Syrian administration also appointed some additional senior officials whose views on women's issues are problematic. As stated, conspicuous among them is the new justice minister, Shadi Al-Waysi, who, in a 2015 video, was seen supervising the execution of a woman in Idlib on charges of  adultery and reading out the verdict meted out by the shari'a court.

Another problematic appointment is that of Alaa Barsilu, the new director of Syria's Broadcasting and Television Authority. In videos he posted on a pro-HTS Facebook account he administered, Barsilu expressed opposition to women working outside the home.[19]

In addition, there have been reports from around Syria of intolerance towards women, sometimes on the part of HTS activists. For example, there were reports of religious fliers being distributed urging women, including non-Muslim ones, to wear the hijab or even the burka,[20]  and of HTS activists attempting to prevent men and women mixing in an event celebrating the downfall of the Assad regime at Homs University and in a shop in Damascus.[21]

An HTS-affiliated official in a Damascus bussing company reported on January 10 that men and women would soon be segregated in the city's public transportation system, following a successful model used in the past in the Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Homs districts.[22]

Flier instructing women how to wear a veil according to the laws of the Islamic shari'a (Facebook.com/LN443, January 23, 2025)

Protests Across Syria: Women Must Not Be Excluded From Any Sphere

In light of the concerns that women may face restrictions or be excluded from the political arena and from other spheres, Syrian women and men who advocate gender equality took to the streets to voice their opinion on the desirable character of the future state. One of the protests, held December 20 in Umayyad Square in Damascus and attended by hundreds of men and women, called for the establishment of a democratic state and for the inclusion of women in its construction. Among the slogans chanted was "religion for Allah and the homeland for all," and one of the demonstrators, Syrian actress Raghda Khateb, said: "Women are partners and nobody can exclude women, certainly not the Syrian women, who have suffered so much yet remain standing." She stated that the protest was being held to preempt the establishment of an extremist regime in Syria.[23]

Several days later, on December 23, Syrian women held a demonstration near the Hejaz Railway Station in Damascus to champion women's rights and stress that the woman's voice in society is crucial.[24] Another demonstration took place on December 21 in the city of Shahba in the Druze-majority Suwayda governorate, which to date is not under the full control of the HTS. The protesters stressed that they will not compromise on the full integration of women in all domains of life and called to include them in decision-making circles.[25]

The city of Qamishli in the Hasakah governorate, the seat of the autonomous Kurdish government in northeastern Syria, which is known for promoting women's status and is not under HTS, also saw a demonstration by thousands of women who exhorted HTS to respect women's rights and refrain from excluding them.[26]

The protest in Umayyad Square in Damascus (Syriacpress.com, December 20, 2024)

Protester holds up a sign saying "No to a free society in which women aren’t free" (Alarabiya.net, December 20, 2024)

Furthermore, on January 8, 2025, the Syrian Women's Political Movement, which was founded in 2017 and, according to its website, has 200 members, men and women from Syria and other countries, held its first press conference in Damascus, in which it stressed it would work to promote the role of women in building a future Syria with freedom and diversity, and called to advance gender equality and to include women in decision making.[27] However, the movement refrained from directly referring to HTS or to its positions on women's issues.[28]

In addition, in response to fliers hung up in various parts of Syria instructing women on how to wear a veil in compliance with the Islamic shari'a, other fliers were put up instructing women on how to dress "freely."[29]

Flier instructing women on how to dress "freely"

Syrian Women Activists: We Will Not Surrender Our Rights Or Allow Outdated Ideas To Impede Our Struggle For Equality

The demand of equality for Syrian women also found expression on social media, where women activists came out against the statements of HTS officials  about women’s rights, specifically the remarks of government spokesman Obeida Arnaout and of the head of  Women's Affairs, Aisha Al-Debs. Among these activists was Suzan Khawatmi, a Syrian diplomat and member of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement, who took to Facebook to respond to Obeida Arnaout's claim that women’s biological and psychological nature prevents them from performing certain roles. She wrote: “We, the girls and women of Syria, are activists, politicians, jurists, journalists, economists, academics, laborers and homemakers; we are rebels, prisoners and fighters – and above all we are Syrian citizens. The discourse of Obeida Arnaout and his gang is unacceptable. The Syrian woman, who has struggled and suffered along with millions of her fellow Syrian women, is not waiting for you, [Arnaout], to choose a place and a space for her that suits your mentality in building our homeland. There are numerous examples in the past and the present of women politicians, judges, fighters, doctors and working mothers. I wish you would read [about them].”[30]

Suzan Khawatmi's post

Alaa Al-Muhammad, a Syrian activist and member of Women Now for Development, an organization for the empowerment of women in Syria and in Lebanon, also responded to Arnaout  on Facebook, writing: “As women, we will not agree to surrender our rights or let [anyone] belittle our value and abilities. Our knowledge and achievements cannot be denied, and we will not allow outdated ideas to impede our struggle for justice and equality.”[31]

A feminist activist  whose X handle is "Caroline" criticized the Women’s Affairs Office, headed by Aisha Al-Debs, saying: “The office for women’s rights is a new office [created] in order to obscure the fact that men dominate political life and the entire scene! Chosen [to lead it] is a minister who defends this male [dominance] and supports the rights of the men! Are we really demanding an office for women’s rights, or is it obvious that both men and women should be present in all government ministries?”[32]

"Syrian writer Lina Al-Tibi likewise slammed Al-Debs, writing: “Does a transitional government need a head of women’s affairs who comes out and declares that she won’t make room for anyone who holds an opinion different from her own[?]!!! One who will only accept the model that exists in her own mind[?]!!... Who are you, [Al-Debs], and where are you taking us[?] Syrian women have no need for a guide to teach them about their rights and obligations; moreover, a great and tremendous number of us obviously believe that the rights and obligations of women are completely different from what Mrs. Aisha Al-Debs has in mind…”[33]

Syrian Journalist: Women’s Rights Must Be Enshrined In The Syrian Constitution

Harsher criticism against HTS and its treatment of women was voiced by Syrian journalist Maisa Salih, who expressed concern about the rise of HTS commander Ahmed Al-Sharaa to the presidency, given his history which is rife with violations of women’s rights. She wrote that, although Al-Sharaa is currently seen as the savior of Syria and there are attempts to burnish his image, the harsh treatment of women by the organizations he led must not be ignored or forgotten. She stressed that women’s rights must be a significant part of the new Syrian constitution.

She wrote: “I felt deeply conflicted before I wrote this article. Part of me was flooded with the collective feelings of joy and liberation due to [our] salvation from the Assad family and its barbaric regime, and the historic opportunity that has emerged for Syrian men and women to erase [the memory of] that eternal tyrant. [But] another part of me was aware of the uncertain situation in which Syrians find themselves today. [Yet another] part of me was filled with sorrow and concern about the rule of Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani and what he represents, and about the speed with which a narrative has been constructed that completely contradicts the role he has played from the moment he first appeared in the Syrian conflict and to this day. This narrative attempts to conceal the numerous crimes committed by the [Al-Qaeda and  ISIS] organizations, to which Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani pledged allegiance, or by the organizations he founded and whose ideologies he espoused and still espouses in his process of transforming into Ahmed Al-Sharaa. This is a narrative of pinkwashing[34] that assumes that we women will be  tolerant and forgiving toward the factions and organizations that barbarically violated and eroded our dignity…

"After he pledged allegiance to ISIS in late 2011, Al-Joulani chose to join the [Syrian] conflict… in order to transfer this [organization’s] experience to this country. He thus contributed to the establishment of ISIS in Syria, an extremist organization whose violations have been documented for years, especially those that harm women… [And] when Al-Joulani, [aka] Ahmed Al-Sharaa, repented and decided to distance himself from ‘the extremism of ISIS,’ he did not join the  acting authorities and factions  [of the Syrian opposition], but chose to embark on a new adventure and established Jabhat Al-Nusra as a Syrian branch of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization… Like ISIS, Jabhat Al-Nusra controlled women's lives, forced them [to wear] the hijab and the veil, restricted them and stifled their freedom…

"The next [step in] the evolution of Abu Mohammad Al-Joulani Ahmed Al-Sharaa was to split off from Al-Qaeda and distance himself from the global [movement of] Salafist Islamic jihad. [He started] to present himself as a representative of the local Salafist jihad by changing the name [of his organization] – but not its activities – [and establishing]  what is now known as HTS… and embarked on founding an Islamic mini-state [in Idlib]. He appointed a government, the so-called ‘Salvation Government,’ as a civil ‘political’ guise for the aspirations to form a caliphate and enforce Islamic law. The Salvation Government mandated the hijab and the veil for women, [including] schoolgirls and university students, controlled their personal freedoms and oppressed them, and determined the type of presence they could have in public life.

"Today, as feminists and as Syrian women involved in this existential struggle, we have no choice but to defend our narrative and mobilize against the pinkwashing and the political launching of Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani Ahmed Al-Sharaa, which presents him as the savior of Syria who liberated it from the Assad family and thus [justifies] the normalization of relations with him.

"Syria has a historic opportunity to recover and to rectify everything that happened in  the cruel and difficult years of the past. Therefore, it must not turn the experience of desecrating the bodies of Syrian women and stripping them of their freedom, their dignity, and their rights [by Al-Sharaa's organizations] into an episode that can be glossed over, and into a bridge on which Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani can arrogantly stride as he goes through all his ideological permutations, his reexaminations of [the concept of] jihad and his evolving perception of the struggle for control in all the organizations he founded and led.

"This issue [of women’s rights] must be part of clear and significant articles of Syria's new constitution, so that Syria will be a safe place for women and for all the excluded and weak groups that lack the means or the space to negotiate their rights, a state that protects the dignity of all [its citizens], without exception.”[35]

*O. Peri is a research fellow at MEMRI.