Carolin Tahhan Fachakh or Sister Carol, is a

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

nun who cared for women and children in Damascus during the Syrian Civil War. She was awarded an

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

in 2017. This was despite her support of the 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 ...

Life

Fachakh was born in

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

. She joined the

Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco , image = Maria Dominika Mazzarello jpg..jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = Maria Mazzarello: Founder , abbreviation = FMA , founder = Saint Sr. Maria Domenica Mazzarello, , type ...

and became known as "Sister Carol". She ran a

nursery school A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

in Damascus that has remained open during the Syrian Civil War. The school is open to mothers and children irrespective of religion. The sisters also teach mothers to sew. left, Receiving her award from Melania Trump In March 2017 the work of Sister Carol was recognised by the

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

who awarded her an

. The award was given to her by the

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Melania Trump Melania Trump ( ; born Melanija Knavs , Germanized as Melania Knauss ; born April 26, 1970) is a Slovene-American former model and businesswoman who served as First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021 as the wife of 45th president Do ...

. Sister Carol who had been nominated by the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

under President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

. She spoke out against President

Trump Trump most commonly refers to: * Donald Trump (born 1946), 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) * Trump (card games), any playing card given an ad-hoc high rank Trump may also refer to: Businesses and organizations * Donald J. T ...

two weeks after the award. She said that he was making a mistake in bombing and she was in support of the Syrian president

. Fachakh doubted that Bashar al-Assad had ordered the

Khan Shaykhun chemical attack The Khan Shaykhun chemical attack took place on 4 April 2017 on the town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Governorate of Syria. The town was reported to have been struck by an airstrike by government forces followed by massive civilian chemical ...

that had gassed Syrian civilians. She told the press that the retaliatory attack by Trump was "a step back from peace". She said that she liked the Syrian President. After the award Fachakh visited other cities including a reception in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

with fellow award winner

Jannat Al Ghezi Jannat Al Ghezi (Arabic: جنات الغزي) is an Iraqi human right activist and the Deputy Director of Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq. She and her organization help people caught in the Iraqi Civil War and they helped Yazidis and wome ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fachakh, Carolin Tahhan Living people People from Aleppo 21st-century Syrian people 21st-century Syrian women 21st-century Christian nuns Year of birth missing (living people) Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award