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Women
The story of Jamila and Madani
“I will make my famous Omlette! Nobody prepares eggs around here while I am at home!”
This wasn’t a traditional housewife fussing at the kitchen. Nor was it a retired husband accustomed to working around the house. These were the words of a very busy man, a giant scholar, a first-class politician, and a seasoned statesman used to the company of kings and presidents. His name was Madani al-Khiyami, and he was speaking to his beautiful wife—and friend—Jamila Mourad, a lady with charm, talent, and character.
It wasn’t a Syrian version of Romeo & Juliet. Nor was it an arranged traditional marriage, as is common in the Arab world. It started with a favorable and mutual first impression, transformed into companionship, love, and respect between the strong minded Jamila and the young medical doctor, Madani.
The story of Cynthia and Sulhi
A young woman from Wales, a princess in Damascus,
crowned the heart of the now well-known musicians in Syria. She started with them in
their first concerts at Abou Khalil Alkabani’s theater in Damascus
back in 1962, and in that marvelous Arabic house in Halbouni, the first
location of the Arab institute
of Music, along with her
husband Sulhi Al-Wadi. Sulhi, with whom her journey started 54 years ago in
London, and ended in Damascus.
Sami Arnaaout
A tough woman,a fighter, a combatant
Unlike many intellectuals, who went to Damascus,
Paris, or London
to develop their careers, Haifa Bitar stayed in
Latakia, next to her church, to struggle with the pen for women emancipation in
Syria.
Like other writers and artists I met in Syria, Latakia-based Haifa Bitar had opinions about the September 11th at-tacks and the subsequent US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Gender roles in literature and the media
Women and men are
usually depicted as having extremely different roles in society, evident in the
way both literature and the media portray them. Before elaborating some gender
roles that confine both sexes to traditional duties and responsibilities, it is
important to reveal the difference between one’s sex and one’s gender. <Sex’
is used to refer to the bio-logical, anatomical differences between males and
females, whilst <gender’ is used to refer to the social and cultural differences
between them. Hence, sex is a biological construct whereas gender is a social
construct. A person’s sex is a biological quality, but a person acquires
his/her gender through a process called gender socialization. The development
of gender roles often begins as early as childhood. Children learn from their
parents, society, and school the conception of «feminine» and «masculine.»
Celebrating the achievementsof Syrian women writers
Despite the fact that Syrian women writers are deeply
rooted in the social and political concerns of Arab society in general and the
Syrian one in particular, their literary achievements have largely been ignored.
Their creativity did not receive enough local acclaim. Although there are many
renowned Syrian women writers, most critics in the Arab world dissociated themselves
from women’s writings, and concentrated on the dominant works of men. There are
several books that are writ-ten on the status of the novel in Syria, without
a single woman writer being mentioned. In other words, female creativity is
deeply belittled in the dominant literary criticism, which did not celebrate
what Syrian women had achieved during the twentieth century. As for the global
literary scene, Syrian women writers have not been widely analyzed, except for
those who lived abroad, or those who managed to pave their way into public
politics. Hence, there is a dire need to revive the buried history of women and
to celebrate the achievements of Syrian women writers who have long been kept
in the shadow, and whose works are sometimes unknown even to Syrian readers.
Why Syrian women are so important?
Women
in Syria
are elected to office. They vote, run businesses, and families.
They act, sing, paint, and much more.
They act, sing, paint, and much more.
When I tell Americans about Syria, the land, the monuments, the people—and the incredibly warm and resilient families, they are surprised and pleased. The greatest source of interest is in Syrian women, who definitely break the stereotype. Syrian women are not submissive creatures who live in the shadow of their men. It’s true that some are especially religious, but they make their own choices. The women I have met in Syria are proud, independent, well educated, and resourceful. They decide to cover, or not; where to study; where to work; and whom to marry. Some of the women I have met work in government, others run their own businesses or have taken over the family business. Still others have served as elected officials. And my interest in art and writing has introduced me to a number of Syrian women who excel in these fields.
A progressive interpretation of women’s issues in Islam
Islam has evolved over the
course of historic and cultural events spanning more than a millennia. It has
proven to be a dynamic and progressive faith capable of adapting without conflicting
with modernity. The concept of ‘Ijtihad,’ or reinterpretation, is central to
this flexibility in Islam. It allows for the redefinition of religious laws and
practices in contemporary terms. Now more than ever, the Muslim world needs a
modern Islamic reinterpretation of women’s rights that is responsive to their
contemporary challenges and aspirations.
The Story of Fatina and Adib
On one cold morning in January 1948, a
young officer named Adib al-Shishakli came to his wife saying that he was
leaving home for a one-week military mission. He took some heavy clothing, bid
her farewell, and left.
The next day, she read in the papers that he had volunteered to fight in the Arab Liberation Army in Palestine, four months before the Arab states declared war on the newly created State of Israel. He left the family with no bread-provider, no money, or justification for his departure.
The Arab Oliver Hardy The story of Nabiha and Nihad
It was raining in Damascus
when the 15-year-old girl ran away from school to go to the cinema with her friends.
She was carrying a notebook of important notes for her upcoming exams. The
notebook slipped out of her hand, was muddied and damaged beyond repair.
Looking back 59 years later, she chuckled, “It was bad luck at the time—or
perhaps, it was good luck in the long run!”
The young girl returned home in tears. Her brother told her not to worry, saying that he had a friend who was a good typist, and would re-type the lost notes. That friend asked to meet the little girl, to find out exactly what she wanted to write. She agreed to see him, and this was how a long-lasting love story began. They were engaged for four years and were eventually married in 1949. Her name was Nabiha Mohammad, a member of a Turkish family living in Syria, who became a schoolteacher in the Souq Saruja district of Old Damascus. His name was Nihad Quali, and was destined to become one of the legends of Syrian television, theatre, and cinema.