Women’s position in academia may be under threat in the wake of Syria’s revolution, it has been warned.

The Middle Eastern country is being led by a caretaker government under the control of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), after rebel forces toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad, whose family had ruled Syria for nearly 54 years.

While HTS has attempted to distance itself from radical groups such as al-Qaeda in recent years, many remain unsure about the country’s future and whether its new leaders will respect the rights of women and minorities.

The country’s new education minister, Nazir Mohammad al-Qadri, attempted to quell concerns by  that “the right to education is not limited to one specific gender”. However,  demanding that strict Islamist rule is not enforced in the country.

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Women’s groups have been concerned by statements from the government’s spokesperson, Obeida Arnaout, that women may be  for roles in politics.

Sardar Saadi, an assistant professor in sociology and anthropology at the University of Carleton and a former co-director of the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities at Syria’s University of Rojava, warned that the future of women in academia may be under threat if the government enforces an Islamist regime and sharia. 

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He said that there had been an “absence of women” in higher education in the HTS-controlled region of Ibdil, which is “something really worrisome and bothering, and many people are quite afraid about what is going to happen to the universities and education system”, he said.

He noted that while Mr Arnaout said that he was supportive of women going to law school, the spokesperson also told media that women’s ability to “assume judicial authority” could be a “subject for research”.

“That’s an alarming situation if this is true because if they start with judges, they will come for university professors,” Dr Saadi told Times Higher Education. “They will come for teachers and professionals, and they will basically start by eliminating women in the public sphere. 

“Unfortunately, this is the reality of nation state building in the Middle East – that, as soon as, in most cases, an authoritarian government is established, they start their social planning by attacking women…If there isn’t outside pressure on them, [HTS] can very well continue with this.”

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A civil war that has been waging in Syria since 2011 has resulted in a “brain drain” of thousands of students and academics, and Dr Saadi said that until “there is assurance that this system is not going to intervene in the education system”, the country cannot hope to see them return. 

However, there will be “many” Syrians who would be willing to return to the country if change is established. The higher education sector was uniquely placed to help rebuild the society and economy, Dr Saadi said.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com