Women: DAA model, social contract represent ideal framework for Syria

Women from al-Raqqa region in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria spoke to ANHA's agency about the repeated attacks and assaults targeting Syria’s diverse components, as well as subsequent attempts to marginalize and exclude women. They called for an immediate end to these attacks and the establishment of a democratic system that protects the rights of all Syrians.

In this context, Aisha Shawish, a member of the Abdullah Ocalan Academy of Social Sciences, warned against ongoing marginalization and the spread of sectarian strife among Syria’s components.

Shawish affirmed that the autonomous administration model practiced in North and East Syria which unites Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, Yazidis, and others under one unified framework should serve as the foundation for the new Syrian constitution.

She cited the social contract ratified by the autonomous administration on December 12, 2023, which guarantees the rights of all languages, cultures, and religions, describing it as an “ideal framework for a unified Syria.”

She also cautioned against extremist trends adopted by the Syrian transitional government, noting that the so-called “National Conference” in Damascus failed to represent all components, posing a risk of repeating sectarian attacks like those in the Syrian coast and Sweida.

Shawish stressed that a new Syria can be built on the principles of equality in political and cultural rights, protection of religious and ethnic pluralism, and prevention of repeated genocides against the Syrian people.

Meanwhile, Ikhlas Ali, a judge at the Social Justice Council, focused on the devastating effects of the so-called “civil war” that has continued since the regime’s fall. She warned of its repercussions on youth, stating: “This group is personally affected and manipulated to ignite strife, which destroys the social fabric.” She urged Syrian families to educate their children to be builders, not destroyers.

Ali emphasized the necessity of women’s participation in drafting the new constitution and guaranteeing their rights alongside those of the youth.

On her part, Haifa al-Amr, member of the Women’s Economic Committee of the Zenobia Women’s Assembly, condemned the attacks against Syria’s diverse population, stating that they aim to sow discord and incite hatred. She rejected what she described as “the crime of Syrians killing their own brothers,” calling it unacceptable in Syria.

Al-Amr pointed to external agendas that work to instigate strife, but reaffirmed the resilience of the Syrian people: “We are one Syrian people, aware, loving one another, educated, and we reject the sectarianism these external agendas seek to spread among us.”

She also strongly condemned “all attacks and incitement campaigns spread on social media,” describing those who propagate them as “mouthpieces of discord and incitement based abroad” who try to sow hatred among Syria’s components.

Al-Amr expressed hope for Syria’s return to the peace, security, dignity, and freedom it knew before the revolution. She delivered a firm message to those she called “instigators of discord”: “External agendas have no place in Syria. We are one people, one heart, and one blood.”

ANHA