Salwa Abdul Rahman: Real change requires uniting efforts

 

Salwa Abdul Rahman was
born in Idlib, but after her marriage she moved to Aleppo to live there. She
studied English literature for three years in Aleppo University, but she had to
stop before graduation because she gave birth to her first baby. She went back
to study during the revolution and she graduated from the Institute of
Journalism and Media.

Salwa says that before
the eruption of the revolution in Syria in 2011, her role in society was
limited to being a housewife and a mother. She wasn’t satisfied with that
limited role, and despite having good financial conditions at the time, she
still had a desire to work. When bombardment on al-Izaa Neighborhood, where she
was living in Aleppo, intensified, families left the neighborhood and Salwa
left with her kids for Idlib, whereas her sick husband remained in Aleppo to
continue his medical treatment. During one of his visits to Idlib to check on
his family in 2015, his health condition deteriorated, and Salwa couldn’t take him
to a hospital, as medical facilities were targeted with bombardment, so he
passed away leaving her with their three kids.

Salwa says that she
started to feel uncomfortable as her parents were financially providing for her
kids, and she didn’t want to increase the burden they already have. She was
interested in writing and blogging, but she didn’t have a personal computer, so
she was using the traditional way to write, using a pen and paper. One of her
friends offered her a job to work for one of the news websites, and that marked
the beginning of her journalistic work in 2015.
During her study in the
Institute of Journalism and Media Salwa learned new skills and she moved from
working in written to visual Journalism and she worked with several media
outlets. Currently, she is a correspondent for Aleppo Today TV channel.

Salwa speaks about her
participation in the revolution saying: “I started to get involved when I moved
to Idlib, where people had already broken the wall of fear so early. I used to
take part in the demonstrations and chant for freedom with the peaceful female
and male protesters. By time, I cooperated with the activists to be a link
between the revolutionaries and civilians. I was happy to support the peaceful
unarmed protesters who were faced with bullets and tanks”. Salwa tells us about
why she took part in the revolution. “When Hafez al-Assad bombarded the city of
Hama in 1980s I was a child, but I remember well the panic we felt back then,
and we heard stories about the brutality of this regime. When Syrian men and
women started to take to the streets in 2011, the regime confronted them with
fire and detention”. Salwa says.

“Sharing experiences
and knowledge is very important; a woman experienced in a certain topic can transfer
her knowledge to others, because real change requires communication, expansion
of knowledge, having different opinions along with agreement on principles and
uniting efforts.” 
 

Speaking about her
interest in politics, Salwa says that in the beginning she was interested in
listening to the news, without being aware of the politics behind what she
hears, or being aware how influential politics were on individuals’ personal
lives. “As a Syrian, who studied at regime schools the curricula developed by
the regime,” she says, “I learned the concepts of Unity, Freedom and Socialism
as slogans pursued by al-Baath Party. However, after 2015, my interest to enrich
my political knowledge increased, so I started to participate in the available
events to learn more and I joined online courses on political affairs such as
negotiations, the constitution and the rights and obligations.”

“My interest in
politics was reflected in my work in journalism,” Salwa adds, “so I tended more
to write and cover political issues, or issues that are related in one way or
another to politics”.

Salwa believes that one
of the key obstacles facing political activity in Syria is the presence of
military forces dominating the political sphere, which at the end of the day,
imposes the notion of survival of the fittest. “The limitedness of women role
in political life and the doubts casted on the importance of women opinion rest
at the top of the list of obstacles facing political activity.” She adds.

When asked about the
challenges facing Syrian women in political work, Salwa said that she
considered that the role of Syrian women was nominal only and that social norms
and traditions contributed to stereotyping women and limiting their role. “The
lack of women awareness of laws leads them to accept the reality imposed by the
authorities, be it governmental or patriarchal authority.” She added. “Even
when there were initiatives to support women and give them a space for
political participation, these opportunities were limited to certain names,
which targets specific groups, although there are plenty of women who have the
ability to improve and have the required commitment, had they had the
opportunity to be seen and take part.”

“We need to overcome
our differences and employ them as a strength. We need to learn lessons from
this experience on which we can build new work mechanisms to fulfil our
demands. Religious and sectarian disputes contributed to the fragmentation of
the revolution and its main goal.” 
 

Salwa talked about
joining the Syrian Women’s Political Movement saying: “joining SWPM was an
opportunity to share ideas and aspirations with other women and a way to
utilize my interest in politics in the right place. Sharing experiences and
knowledge is very important; a woman experienced in a certain topic can
transfer her knowledge to others, because real change requires communication,
expansion of knowledge, having different opinions along with agreement on
principles and uniting efforts”.

Salwa spoke about her
expectations from SWPM: “I believe that by time, we will have more influence
and we will see genuine participation of women in political life. I am hopeful
that we will contribute to bringing about the desired change in Syrian
society”.

In a revision of the
revolution and where it has become after nine years of its beginning, Salwa
said: “We need to overcome our differences and employ them as a strength. We
need to learn lessons from this experience on which we can build new work
mechanisms to fulfil our demands. Religious and sectarian disputes contributed
to the fragmentation of the revolution and its main goal.”

Despite the above,
Salwa insists that the suffering of people pushes her to continue the path of
political work. “A large part of Syrians has been absented from continuing the
causes they believe in because of hard living conditions that were imposed upon
them. We cannot give up now, we want to work for each other and to empower and
support those who need to continue.”

Salwa describes Syria
she dreams of to be free of Assad, injustice and the corruption of power. A
Syria inclusive of all religions and faiths, welcoming all its displaced and
migrated people, providing them with a dignified life to protect them from
wasting their lives in pursuit of their livelihoods, while they can improve
themselves and utilize their capabilities for the good and advancement of their
country.

Speaking about the most
beautiful moments she has had in the past nine years, Salwa says: “I lived beautiful
moments in the revolution anniversary last March. I participated in the event
that was staged in commemoration of the beginning of the revolution and I
recalled the beautiful chants, waved our flag and met with people who were
still committed to the revolution’s goals.” Another moment Salwa recalls with
joy was the day she graduated from the Institute of Journalism and Media,
despite all the challenges she faced. “I was studying together with my daughter
who was studying at the same time at the faculty of dentistry.” She said. Salwa
doesn’t hide her happiness for the liberation of Idlib, despite the resentment
she has about the forces that are currently in control of the governorate.

On the other hand,
Salwa remembers the day her husband died, and how she was incapable of taking
him to a hospital because of the bombardment and the blockade of the roads, as
one of the hardest moments she has experienced in the past years. “I felt
helpless and confused between staying with my kids under bombardment or seeking
to leave with zero financial capabilities. I saw people leaving, some of them
chose to travel to some other place, and others left this life for good.”

Salwa addresses the
women of Syria saying: “your role is way larger than your own homes. The
society needs you; it needs you to be educated, aware, active inside the house
and in all political, economic, social and cultural fields. Work on building
your capacities.”