The Wife of His Excellency al-Sharabati Speaks

On Syrian women's society
The Syrian woman and the European woman
The materialism of the West and the spirituality of the East
Mixed marriage
Palestine.

At an appointment with "The Woman's Voice," the lady wife of His Excellency Mr. Ahmad al-Sharabati spoke to this magazine's correspondent — the talk of an aware, cultured woman.

And "The Woman's Voice" honors in this noble lady such refined national feeling and such deep devotion to the homeland that has become for her a new homeland.

The correspondent of "The Woman's Voice" said:

... She came toward us, pacing the garden of the Grand Hotel in Beit Mery with long strides that harmonized with her slender figure. For the wife of His Excellency Ahmad Bey al-Sharabati, former Minister of Justice in Syria, enjoys a share of natural beauty joined to personality. And it seemed to me, as I talked with her, that she was abundant in courtesy and ample in taste — she is German by birth and culture, so it is no wonder that her personality should appear with all its merits.

I proceeded to converse with her, and she answered my questions with deliberation and thought.

— What, in your view, are the most important features that distinguish Syrian women's society from other, European, societies?

— The Syrian woman lags behind the European woman: she still disdains, to a certain extent, to tend her children herself, and she is in many cases unable to assist her husband effectively when the need arises. But she surpasses the European woman in her manners and her sedateness.

— Is it true that the European woman has become materialistic to the point that she has lost much of her spirituality?

— I do not agree with those who claim that the European woman is materialistic and the Syrian woman spiritual — quite the contrary. The proof of this is that when the Syrian girl approaches marriage, what most concerns her to know is: "What is the suitor's fortune?" — whereas the European woman relies in her marriage on nothing but love; love alone, in her view, is what guarantees her happiness, not money!

— Have problems arisen because of the difference of creed between you and your husband? And what is your opinion of mixed marriage?

— It would not be strange for great problems to have risen up in my face had I married a Muslim man other than Ahmad; but I thank God for his open heart and his breadth of mind, which he acquired from his culture and from residing for a time in the West, and which made it easy for our marriage to be a successful one, in complete harmony... I am not among the extremists in advocating mixed marriage; but once love has formed between two persons, it is absolutely not permissible that their difference of creed should be a reason to stand in the way of marriage...

— And do you, Madam, love life among us?

— Of course; my love for this country is great. At the beginning this love was derived from my love for my husband; but now it has become natural...

— What are the social works in which you take part, in your capacity as a Syrian lady enjoying a distinguished position?

— I am an active member of the Red Crescent Society and of the Cultural League, and an honorary member

of the supervisory committee over the Women Teachers' College in Damascus.

— Do you know any Arabic?

— I am not so pretentious as that! I learned the elements of Arabic reading with my son Issam and my daughter Abida... But I am proficient in the language of conversation — the proof is that I am conversing with you in it, as you see...

— Do you concern yourself with the Palestine question?

— The Palestine question occupies the first place in my mind and my thought. My concern with it began in 1938, in the first days of my acquaintance with my husband: I used to help him smuggle arms to the fighters of the struggle from Lebanon and Syria, and I ran great risks from the two authorities, the English and the French... And I too, as a Christian, am jealous for Jerusalem, lest it fall into the hands of the Jews, who observe no sanctity of religion and do not respect our holy monuments...

— What is your message to the Syrian woman?

— I would prefer her to take more interest in physical exercise, and to raise her children to love sports of every kind, because the athletic woman bears children sound of body and preserves her own beauty from being quickly ravaged by the autumn of life! ... And I have a word for the women who have lost their husbands or their children in the war of the sacred struggle in defense of Palestine: they must not surrender to grief, so long as their husbands and children fell as martyrs in defense of the sacred duty. Let pride, not grief, be their guide..

And Mrs. Sharabati believes that victory in the war for Palestine will inevitably be ours; but this is not near — it will take a long time, perhaps a hundred years hence — yet in the end we shall be victorious, God willing.

I learned in the course of my conversation with Mrs. Sharabati that she is accomplished in oil painting, and that she painted the Syrian Parliament after the French army's assault upon it. She is skilled in all the arts of physical exercise, and practices them as far as circumstances in Damascus allow... And she is her husband's right hand, keeping pace with him and assisting him in the requirements of his social and official life, and watching in person over his comfort and the upbringing of her two children..

And when I left the Beit Mery Grand Hotel, taking my leave of Mrs. Sharabati, her words were ringing in my heart:

"The women who have lost their husbands and children in the war of the sacred struggle must not surrender to despair, so long as their husbands or children fell as martyrs for honor."