Women

Iman al-Ghafari

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.

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.

“When you think of Syrian women, what’s the first image that comes to your mind?” I asked a friend in Washington DC over lunch. “Well, I imagine they’re like other women in the Middle East,” he stammered. “Some probably wear the hijab, but I don’t know.” He isn’t the only American that doesn’t know.