The Struggle of the Syrian Woman

During the Ottoman occupation of the Syrian lands, the Syrian man made several attempts at liberation. And the Syrian woman felt, in her heart of hearts, that she was the working hand in the building of her homeland, and she began at that time to form certain associations.

These associations aimed at charity and kindness toward the poor and the needy. And in Aleppo a women's association called for the unification of dress: the woman of refinement wore what the workman's wife wore, and took to saving the price of these luxuries and supporting with it certain families of straitened but concealed circumstances.

The Syrian woman championed the national products. She took great interest in the textiles, wearing them and no foreign products besides; she gloried and took pride in them, and so encouraged employer and workman to perfect their craft — and the result of this was the perfection and beauty which Syrian textiles have attained. She also took for the furnishing of her house an attractive Eastern furniture — and so the man felt that woman loves beauty and art, and he too perfected his work to please her — and thus she brought the man to love work and to give it new life.

The woman looked about her and saw children playing in the streets in dirty clothes. So one woman took upon herself a street through which she passed daily, in which there were about fifty children. She promised a number of them a present if, when she returned in the evening, she found them clean of face and clothes. She came back in the evening and found them all waiting for her — but just as they were, except for one little girl with combed hair, clean of face and clothes, intelligence shining from her eyes. She approached her and gave her her present, and the child danced exultantly before her playmates and said:

"They did not believe it; they said she is like our mother — she makes us promises and does not give." And on the second day most of the children had combed hair and clean clothes. And I believe that had this Syrian woman given the matter more attention, a "child welfare" association would have been among her first works.

The Syrian associations multiplied and grew strong until their number reached 15 in Damascus alone; and by means of these associations and this banding together, the Syrian woman was able to prove her existence and make her voice heard. And in 1944 these associations united in "the Women's Union."

Through her organizations the Syrian woman was able to display a tangible activity in the two fields of politics and society. For alongside the social services she rendered during these long years to raise the level of the people, she took an actual part in the revolts against the colonizer: she took part in the revolt of 1925 and the revolt of 1936 — and what Syrian does not feel pride at what the woman of Hama did in the last revolt, which led to independence?

The Syrian woman did not fear the fire of revolt; rather she bared her breast to the bullets, and hope and faith were her aim — to see her homeland free. She struggled for its sake, and at the same time she struggled to obtain her rights complete and undiminished. In the era of independence she proved to those in authority, at every opportunity, that she was a citizen like the man, with all that the man has as a Syrian citizen. And in 1949 came the first Syrian coup, headed by Husni al-Za'im. He gave the Syrian woman the right to vote, because he found that the time had come to reward woman for the work she had done. It was a blessed step in the life of the Syrian woman. The ladies formed for every quarter a committee, likewise of ladies, and these committees supervised — with all sincerity, honesty, and devotion in the work — the first women's elections. The educated Syrian woman went with all pride to the ballot box and elected the person whom she believed to be the best representative of the people and the best guide and steward. The atmosphere in which the election took place was free and calm — but how great was the difference between its calm and the atmosphere of the houses over which ignorance hung! For the untutored Syrian woman awoke and began to demand learning of her husband and her brother — why should she be the dead element in society? Let her stand with her educated sister in the service of the homeland.

And the Syrian remembers with pride the first election in which the Syrian woman voted, for the atmosphere of the election gave the man, too, a great measure of calm, integrity, and honesty.

And although the Syrian woman glories and takes pride in being the first among the Arab states to win the right to vote, she still strives and struggles to obtain her political rights in full. And there is a group of young ladies who hold that political rights are a secondary matter compared with civil rights and social rights. They are in revolt against the social order! In revolt against blind traditions! In revolt against man! And at the same time they are guarded and reserved in their speech and in their conduct and their sincerity.

And the principle upon which the Syrian woman has proceeded in her struggle — upon which she still proceeds and will continue to proceed until her rights and duties become equal to the man's, until the day comes when the words "Syrian citizen" embrace man and woman alike — and her aim is: "Rights are taken, not given!"