New Syrian Government's Head Of Women's Affairs Supports Hamas, Opposes Gender Equality, Believes U.S. Officials Are Criminals

On December 20, 2024, the Political Affairs Department of the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), which is subordinate to Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and currently serves as Syria's transitional government following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's regime, announced a series of governmental appointments. One of them is the appointment Aisha Al-Debs as head of the  Office for Women's Affairs, which oversees "judicial, social, cultural and political affairs affecting the women of Syria."[1]

Al-Debs is the first (and only) woman who has so far been appointed to the transitional government, and her appointment appears to be an attempt to allay the concerns of HTS opponents regarding the status of women under the new regime. These concerns increased after a series of statements made by the spokesman of the government's Political Affairs Department, Obaida Arnaout, regarding the new regime's stance on the status and role of women. In an interview on Lebanon's Al-Jadeed TV, Arnaout implied that women are unable to play certain roles in society due to their "biological, psychological and mental characteristics." He said: "With regard to the representation of women in government and in parliament, we believe that it is too early [to discuss this] and that it must be left to the jurists and constitutional scholars who will examine the structure of the new Syrian state. Women are important and deserve respect, and for this reason the roles must be suitable for women…" On the subject of wearing the hijab, Arnaout said: "There will be no coercion among Christian women or among any other denomination." He added that women deserve education in all fields, but that "the relevant elements must discuss and assess their appointment as judges… Women have biological, psychological and mental characteristics that must be taken into consideration in the context of particular positions and roles."[2]

The appointment of Al-Debs is unlikely to allay the concerns of Syria's more liberal circles or of the West, since her own views on women's status and role in society do not much differ from Arnaout's. In a statement she made in 2023, Al-Debs expressed support for "partnership" between men and women – but not equality as defined by the Western liberal outlook.

Born in Damascus, Al-Debs wears a hijab and comes from a religious family. Her father, Sheikh Muhammad Fahd Abu Rateb Al-Debs, is a religious scholar, and one of her brothers died in the Assad regime's infamous Sednaya prison.

Al-Debs describes herself as "an activist in the fields of women's development and in developing civil and humanitarian action."[3] During the Syria war she lived in Idlib and in Turkey and served as the executive director of the Zidne Organization, a Turkey-based charity that operates in Idlib and in the Syrian refugee camps in Turkey, often in cooperation with IHH, a Turkish radical Islamist organization that has been designated as a terrorist organization by several countries.[4] On December 13, with the fall of the Assad regime, she returned to Damascus.

Al-Debs has expressed extremist views, praising terrorism and criticizing the U.S. and the Arab regimes. She has voiced support for Hamas and its military wing, mourned the death of its leaders, and praised the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack and atrocities in southern Israel, calling the attack "the king of Arab Spring revolts." Moreover, she has expressed hope for the demise of Israel and of Arab regimes, and has commented, in the context of America's support for Israel and of Israel's war on Hamas, that U.S. officials are "murderers" and "criminals" who are destined for Hell.

Aisha Al-Debs. Source: Facebook.com/aishaa.debs

The following is an overview of Al-Debs' positions, based on her Facebook posts and statements she has made over the years.

The Syrian Revolution Is Jihad

As stated, Aisha Al-Debs, who has been appointed Minister of Women's Affairs in Syria's transitional government, is a devout Muslim, as evident from her appearance, from the terminology she uses, and from her Facebook account, which features many quotes from the Quran and Hadith and statements by Islamist clerics.

On November 28, 2024, with the start of "Operation Deterring Aggression," the military campaign launched by the HTS-led forces that culminated in the toppling of the Assad regime, Al-Debs posted: "Our revolution continues. This is jihad, victory or martyrdom."[5]   

Al-Deb's November 28 post: "Our revolution continues. This is jihad. Victory or martyrdom."

Rejection Of Secularism, Liberalism And Gender Equality

On the issue of gender equality, Al-Debs expresses conservative views. In a lecture to women at an Idlib book fair in 2023, she praised the status of women in Islam and stated that "secularism has produced ideas that have destroyed women." She added that, like the liberals, "we too support the liberation of women, but in accordance with certain requirements." As for gender equality, which is part of liberal thought, Al-Debs said: "The issue of equality requires examination and reflection. We are in partnership with men, in a strategic partnership with them."[6]

Support For Hamas' October 7 Attack: The Al-Aqsa Flood – The King Of Arab Spring Revolts

Like HTS, Al-Debs supports Hamas. This support has been especially evident since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks and massacre in southern Israel, which Hamas calls the "Al-Aqsa Flood."[7] On October 18, 2023, Al-Debs shared a video praising and honoring the contribution of Muhammad Al-Zawari to the October 7 attack. Al-Zawari was a member of Hamas' military wing, the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, who developed UAVs for the movement and was killed in Tunisia in 2016. Al-Debs wrote: "When we educate our children with useful knowledge, this knowledge and their actions are a victory for their nation, even after their martyrdom..."[8] On November 2, 2023, she wrote: "Hamas is strong."[9]

On November 3, 2023, Al-Debs posted: "To all the Zionists: We will not forget what you have done, and we will not forget our revenge. O our righteous martyrs, your blood and your bodies give us the strength and determination to remain firm and continue." [10] In two posts on November 5, 2023, she wrote: "To put it briefly, the Al-Aqsa Flood of is the king of the Arab Spring revolts"; "The Al-Aqsa Flood is the beginning of humanity's war against those who preach democracy and freedom and who have distorted human nature."[11] A few days later she shared a graphic depicting a Palestinian child standing over a puddle, where he is reflected as a jihad fighter, and commented: "Their childhood, dreams, imagination, and innocence will pave [the way to] a future that will wipe out the existence of the oppressive, occupying entity."[12]

On the same day, she changed her profile picture to an image of a Palestinian child looking into a mirror and seeing his reflection as a jihad fighter.

On November 25, 2023, Al-Debs delivered a lecture titled "The Al-Aqsa Flood – Why and Where?" The notice for the lecture stated that it would cover the following topics: the roots of the Jews and of the Zionist movement, the founding of the Zionist movement, the connection between the "blessed" revolution in Syria and the Palestinian resistance, and Syria's role regarding "our" Jerusalem and "our" people in Palestine.[13]

In an August 1, 2024 post, Al-Debs mourned the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on the previous day, writing: "A martyr mourns the death of a martyr through his martyred friend. This is the situation of the Muslims in the lands of Al-Sham. The jihad fighters Isma'il Haniyeh and [Hamas founder and leader] Isma'il Abu Shanab vied with each other to be the first to attain martyrdom. Isma'il Abu Shanab died a martyr, and Ismail Abu Haniyeh was deeply, deeply saddened by this..."[14]

U.S. Officials Are "Murderers" And "Criminals" Destined For Hell

Al-Debs also criticizes the U.S. for its support of Israel, referring to American officials as "murderers" and "criminals" who should be tried and who are destined for Hell. On November 5, 2023, she shared a report from Qatar's Al-Jazeera Network about a protest against U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and commented: "O murderers who parade around in fancy clothes… The curse of the blood of the children of Palestine will haunt you your entire life. If you are not brought to justice soon, you will hang yourselves when you grow old, and then you will go to Hell... That will be your future. We are certain of this."[15]

On November 16, 2023, she shared an infographic from Turkey's TRT Arabic titled "Unconditional Support for Israel," which listed Jewish American officials in the U.S. government, and commented: "Heads of crime."[16]

Calling For The End Of Israel And Arab Regimes

Al-Debs' Facebook account features many calls for the demise of Israel and of Arab regimes.

On December 30, 2023, about two months after Hamas' attack against Israel, she posted: "Five years ago or more, I had a theory regarding the continued existence of the Zionist entity that is occupying Palestine, known as the State of Israel. According to this theory, America itself will be the one to bring an end to this entity. It will be the one to deliver the final blow and destroy the so-called State of Israel. Allah was right when He said, 'They destroyed their homes with their own hands and the hands of the believers. So learn a lesson, all those who see and understand [correctly – Quran 59:2]'" Al-Debs repeated this in a post she shared on January 22, 2024, after the International Court of Justice convened in Hague to discuss the lawsuit filed by South Africa accusing Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza. She quoted the same verse, and added: "With each passing day, I am more and more convinced that the one who will destroy the false Israel is the one who created it. All oppression and oppressors will soon end, Allah willing."[17]

On October 30, 2024, Al-Debs quoted Sheikh Muhammad Al-Ghazali Al-Saqqa (1917-1996), who was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and a close associate of its founder, Hassan Al-Banna.[18] The post quoted Al-Ghazali as saying: "Israel's demise will be preceded by the demise of Arab regimes that mocked their peoples and by the destruction of Arab societies that imposed illusions and weakness upon themselves."[19]