Muzna Dureid (born 1991) is a Syrian human rights activist and former refugee, based in Montreal, Canada. Shortly after her uncle was assassinated at the start of the Syria Civil War, Dureid and her family fled the country. She relocated to Canada after seeking asylum while attending an

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

conference. Dureid founded the ''Women Refugees, not Captives'' campaign and the ''Indigenous – Refugees'' movement. She was a 2022 recipient of the first International Development Research Centre's ''Canada's women, peace, and security'' award.

Early life

Dureid was born in 1991 in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

. She has both an older and a two-years-younger brother named Monzer.

Adult life

In Syria

She was studying the work of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

at Damascus University when the Syrian Civil War started. Her uncles and cousins were arrested while attending street protests against the government. Several months later, another uncle was assassinated during a street demonstration.

As a refugee

Her family fled Syria to Saudi Arabia, France and then Turkey. While in France, she was provided with human rights training by the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

. While attending a 2016 ''Sister to Sister Mentorship'' event in

, Canada, Dureid applied for political asylum and relocated to Montreal and enrolled at

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

where she studied politics. Her application for refugee status was accepted in January 2017.

In Canada

She has worked at the ''Centre Social D’aide Aux Immigrants'' and as the Canadian liaison officer for the Syrian

civil defense Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, miti ...

organization the

White Helmets White Helmets may refer to: * White Helmets Commission, a body of the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship * White Helmets (Syrian Civil War), a volunteer organization in Syria and Turkey ** ''The White Helmets'' ...

. She helped found and sits on the board of the Paris-based ''Syrian Women’s Political Movement'', and also founded the ''Women Refugees, not Captives'' campaign against forced child marriages in Syrian refugee camps. In Canada, Dureid founded the ''Indigenous – Refugees movement'' organization to improve solidarity between refugees and

Indigenous peoples in Canada In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them ...

. In 2018, Dureid called for tougher action against Syrian president

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

and in 2019 she won the

CanWaCH The Canadian Partnership for Women and Children's Health, most commonly known as CanWaCH, is an umbrella not for profit organization that unites Canadian organizations working on women and child's health. It has a focus on reproductive health. H ...

Young Leader Award. In 2022, the Canadian federal

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

Mélanie Joly presented Dureid with the International Development Research Centre's first ever Canada’s women, peace, and security award. She is a member of Network for Refuge Voices and serves on the advisory committee of the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network. She featured in Khadija Baker's 2022 exhibit ''Birds Crossing Borders'' and her account is featured in Ozlem Ezer's 2018 book ''Syrian Women Refugees Personal Accounts of Transition.''By Ozlem Ezer (2018) Drawing a Narrative Landscape with Women Refugees, a/b: Auto/Biography Studies, 33:3, 612-619, DOI: 10.1080/08989575.2018.1499493

References

External links

2021 op-ed ''Here’s why Canada should modernize its immigration policy to respond to people displaced by climate change''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dureid, Muzna Living people Syrian human rights activists Syrian emigrants to Canada Damascus University alumni Concordia University alumni Syrian feminists Syrian refugees Women founders Organization founders 1991 births