Women in Syria

Situation for women in Syria is much better than the surrounding countries. “An important one is the custody of children till the age of 15 years in case of marital disputes. Another hard-won right on the cards is the right to children of marriages between Syrian women and non-Syrian fathers to take the nationality of their mother.”(Hubha Singh, April 25, 2009) Syria has a very high percentage of women who are literate.  “Women’s literacy levels went up from 33 per cent in 1980 to 79 percent in 1999.”(Hubha Singh, April 25, 2009)  The women in Syria still have to marry who ever their family tells them to, which is common in many Middle Eastern countries. A young woman is Syria was being forced to marry her cousin but on their wedding day she ran away to the man she truly loved. She claims that her family now wants to kill her because of her actions. “In Syria, where women's organizations estimate more than 200 women are murdered every year by brothers, cousins or fathers” because of the daughter running away from an arranged marriage.(Lina Sinjab, October 12, 2007) A step forward for Syria was in 2010; they opened its first licensed shelter for abused women. “The situation of women in Syria in compare to the rest of the Middle East is pretty positive about women's work insertion. They are the 29% of the manpower in Syria, in the last years women have been capable of becoming owners of their own enterprises and many different organizations.”( Syrian Women’s Evolution, October 26, 2010)

Hubha Singh. Striding ahead without fear. The status of Women in Syria-A debate. April 25, 2009. http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=2796. (December 30, 2011)

Lina Sinjab. Honour crime fear of Syria women. BBC News. October 12, 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7042249.stm. ( December 30, 2011)

 Syrian Women’s Evolution .Syrian Women’s Role in the 21^st century. October 26, 2010. http://nirvanaseattlehotmailcom.blogspot.com/ (December 30, 2011)

Religious Traditions

Sunni is the main religion in Syria. Sunni consists of about 80% of Syria’s population. “The Muslim year has two canonical festivals - the Id al Adha, or "sacrificial" festival on the tenth of Dhul al Hijjah, the twelfth Muslim month; and the Id al Fitr, or "festival of breaking the fast," which celebrates the end of the fast of Ramadan on the first of Shawwal, the tenth month. Both festivals last 3 or 4 days, during which people wear their best clothes, visit and congratulate each other, and give gifts. People visit cemeteries, often remaining for some hours, even throughout the night. The festival of the Id al Fitr is celebrated more joyfully than the Id al Adha because it marks the end of the hardships of Ramadan. Lesser celebrations take place on the Prophet's birthday, which falls on the twelfth of Rabia al Awwal, the third month, and on the first of Muharram, the beginning of the Muslim new year.” In Islam there are four main schools, the Hanafi, the Hanabali, the Shafii, and the Maliki. In Syria the main schools are Shafii and Hanafi, “which places greater emphasis on analogical deduction and bases decisions more on precedents set in previous cases than on literal interpretation of the Quran or Sunna”.

Sunni Islam. About.com.

http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/islam/countries/bl_SyriaIslamSunni.htm (December 28, 2011)

Role of Islam

Islam plays a large role in Syria. Islam reached Syria in the first half of the 7^th century. Syria has “mixed legal system of civic and Islamic law” in its country. “This alignment is best represented by the liberal/conservative Sunni bloc rooted in the traditional urban marketplace, or suq. This bloc combines economic power and neo-liberal leanings, but with Islamic coloring, conservative social values, and high social standing. It is "organic" and deeply rooted, and distinct from those recently enriched regime figures (and their sons) who could quickly lose legitimacy should the regime fall. This liberal/conservative bloc is strong and well organized, if muted and latent. It has a reservoir of untapped social power and could be a potential force for maintaining political-economic stability.” The top two religions in Syria are Muslim and Christianity. These two religions get along pretty well. There are different court systems however for each religion due to different beliefs. The two religions are kept pretty separate. If you look at a map they live in different areas, which helps with conflicts.

Muslim Conquest of Syria. Wikipedia. December 14, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquest_of_Syria (December 26, 2011)

Middle East: Syria. The World Factbook. December 20, 2011. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html (December 26, 2011)

Scott Lasensky and Mona Yacoubian. Syria and Political Change. United States Institute of Peace. December 2005. http://www.usip.org/publications/syria-and-political-change (December 26, 2011)

Christianity in Syria. Wikipedia. November 14, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Syria (December 26, 2011)

Religion

Syria's main religions are Sunni Muslim, Christianity, Shia Muslim, Druze and Yezidi. Sunni Muslim is 80% of Syria while Christianity is 8%. Religion plays a large roll in Syria. The President of Syria must be Muslim, which could cause religious problems for the country. There are economic religious rivalries through out the country. “Islamic education in Syrian schools is traditional, rigid, and Sunni. The Ministry of Education makes no attempt to inculcate notions of tolerance or respect for religious traditions other than Sunni Islam. Christianity is the one exception to this rule.” The country is divided into separate parts due to ones religious beliefs. The Sunni Muslims take over way more than half of Syria.

http://www.google.com/imgresq=religion+of+Syria&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1206&bih=680&tbm=isch&tbnid=TXzBeq0mrUiNaM:&imgrefurl=http://geocurrents.info/geopolitics/syrias-ethno-religious-complexity-and-potential-turmoil&docid=T02qXF8lMjeJAM&imgurl=http://geocurrents.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Syria-ReligionMap.jpg&w=815&h=734&ei=KXrzTtKbFMixiQKDmtiNDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=291&vpy=143&dur=4895&hovh=213&hovw=237&tx=147&ty=136&sig=110115473274738196956&page=1&tbnh=136&tbnw=151&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0

Religion in Syria. Sacred Destinations. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/syria/syria-religion (December 22, 2011)

Freedom of Religion in Syria. Wikipedia. December 7, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion_in_Syria (December 22, 2011)

Joshua M. Landis. Islamic Education in Syria: Undergoing Secularism. November 2003. http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/L/Joshua.M.Landis-1/Islamic%20Education%20in%20Syria.htm (December 22, 2011)

Food and Hospitality

FOOD

Syria has many different types of traditional foods. Some of their well-known foods consist of hummus, kibbeh, tabbouleh and flat bread. Hummus is made from chickpeas, tahini, olive oil and lemon juice. Dipping flat bread into hummus is very common is Syria. Kibbeh is made of rice and chopped meat and then fried. Tabbouleh is a type of salad, which consists of bulgur, mint, tomato, cucumber, onion, garlic and is topped with lemon juice and olive oil.

Hummus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummus

Kibbeh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibbeh

Tabbouleh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabbouleh

HOSPITALITY 

Hospitality is very important to the Syrian people. They are known for their warm welcoming to tourists. If you ever needed a place to stay or a wonderful meal, the people of Syria would welcome you in to their homes, no questions asked! If you were ever lost in Syria never hesitate to ask for help because the people of Syria love to give a helping hand to people in need.

A QUICK GLANCE AT SYRIA. About Syria. December 22, 2011. http://www.halabia-travel.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180&Itemid=171 (December 21, 2011)

RECIPE 

FATTOUCHE 

Ingredients
500 gr. tomato
500 gr. cucumber
100 gr. onion
75 gr. green mint
75 gr. purslane
1 bunch of parsley
1 lettuce
2 cloves of garlic
50 gr. of black olives
1 lemon juice
3 teaspoons of vinegar
1 teaspoon of sumac
125 ml. olive oil
Vegetable oil
Bread cut into triangles as desired
Salt

Local Traditions and Culture in Syria. Virtual Tourist. November 11, 2011. http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Middle_East/Syria/Local_Customs-Syria-MISC-BR-1.html (December 21, 2011)

Map of Syria

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Syria_Topography.png

Three major geographical features are:

Jabal ad Durūz- one of the largest mountains 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabal_al-Druze

Syria touches the Mediterranean Sea 

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/middle-east/syria/

Syro-Arabian desert

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Desert

Stereotypes

If someone was to ask you to describe a stereotype, could you? People around the world have different views due to their surrounding, childhood, and many other thing. What would your views be on Syria. I'll tell you a few things about Syria, then see what thoughts come to mind. Syria is located in the Middle East and surrounded by Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Israel. Syria is mostly Muslim. After reading those few things about Syria one would assume they are all terrorists who hate America. The men are totally in charge of their wives. Women have to cover their faces and are oppressed. Another key stereotype would be that the country is extremely dangerous due to its surrounding countries like Iraq. With these stereotypes what Westerner would dare to visit. With no Western visitors how will these stereotypes change?