Yasser Tabbara

Patriarchal Culture is the Most Important Challenge Facing Syrian Women Politician

Yasser
was born in Chicago in the United States of America, but he had gone to Syria
and studied up till the high school, then he returned to the USA to continue
his university studies there. He worked after graduation in a non-profit
organization that works on migrants’ affairs in the USA. He focused in his work
on the rights of Arabs and Muslims which were violated after the 9/11 attacks
in the USA. Following that, he worked in the field of international law and
human rights through his work in “The International Institute for Human Rights
in Chicago”. His work back then focused on rehabilitating law education in Iraq
after the invasion. Then he worked for two years as the CEO of an institution
that he established with a number of his friends to look after the affairs of
Arabs and Muslims in the United States in general and in Chicago in specific.

In
2006 he decided to go back to Syria, where he worked as a teacher for one year
in al-Qalamoun private university, in the department of International and
Diplomatic Relations. Yasser returned to the USA in 2008 and opened a law
office with two of his colleagues, in addition to his interest in public
affairs as he was one of the founding members of the Syrian-American Council.
In 2010, the International Association of Lawyers sent a mission to Syria, to
assess the judiciary and the work of lawyers in the country. It asked Yasser to
be part of that mission. He says that during that period, he formed certain
convictions about the general situation in Syria and the lack of independence
of the judiciary and the work of lawyers.

“No
one other than Syrians will change the reality of Syria, therefore we need to
continue defending our goals and principles that we stand for. The state of
despair and frustration should not be a justification for us to escape from our
responsibilities towards our country and our people.” 

Since
the beginning of the Syrian revolution in 2011, Yasser wrote opinion articles
in foreign newspapers on the importance of supporting the democratic movement
in Syria. Two opinion articles were published in Aljazeera English Newspaper,
then he participated in the demonstrations in Chicago and in organizing
meetings for the Syrian opposition there. He was also one of the founders of
the Syrian National Council and the Syrian National Coalition. Then he decided
to focus on a project for the public affairs that is not politicized, so he
started with his colleagues from the political circles to establish what is called
the Syrian Forum which focuses in its work on several fields, including relief
and sustainable development. They also established “Omran Center for Strategic
Studies”. Yasser says that it is one of the most important Syrian research
centers today. “We focus in our work on developing and supporting local
councils in Syria”, he says. In addition to his voluntary work, Yasser works on
legal issues with a number of Syrians who decided to invest in the Turkish
economy.

Yasser
says that he has been interested in working in politics since he was a student,
when he was the head of the Arab students union in the first college he went to
in Chicago. Ever since, he became more interested in human rights and the
rights of migrants, he would also be invited to protests and meetings for
solidarity by different communities there. In 2010, he was one of the founders
of an organization focusing on nominating Arabs, Muslims and non-Muslims to
positions in local councils and municipalities in Chicago; two out of the seven
they nominated for the municipal elections actually won. This is an example how
he had ideas about governance and the importance of local politics even before
the revolution, as he said.

“I expect SWPM would
accomplish a lot, due to the fact that it includes important figures amongst
its members who are introducing a mature political discourse away from the
traditional problems that emerged from the opposition political entities.”

One
of the biggest challenges facing political work in Syria, Yasser believes, is
the absence of a participatory approach, or the ownership in managing our
affairs and our society. He believes that the experience of local councils in
Syria in the past eight years, with their varying successes, is the fruit that
reaped after all the destruction, killing and displacement that occurred. We
ended up with a nucleus of a new culture, which is, by itself, a gain that
should be maintained. In terms of challenges facing Syrian women in their
political work, Yasser believes that these challenges can be brought down to
the extreme patriarchal culture in our society.

Yasser
is a member of the Syrian Women Political Movement which he expects would
accomplish a lot, due to the fact that it includes important figures amongst
its members who are introducing a mature political discourse away from the
traditional problems that emerged from the opposition political entities. He
also said “within SWPM, we have important women who I wish to see them hold the
office of the president one day, because they have amazing qualifications”.

Yasser
believes that no one other than Syrians will change the reality of Syria,
therefore we need to continue defending our goals and principles that we stand
for. “the state of despair and frustration should not be a justification for us
to escape from our responsibilities towards our country and our people” he
added.

Yasser says: “I hope to see more recognition that the reality
of Syrian women is problematic and needs to change. I hope to see enough sense
of responsibility and self-agency to change this reality”, and Yasser says to
Syrian women: “Be more confident in yourselves, because you are the one who
will determine your fate and change your reality”.