{{Short description, Women's organization in Lebanon and Syria
The Syrian-Lebanese Women's Union (al-Ittihad al-Nisa'i al-Suri al-Lubnani) was a women's organization in
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
and
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
, founded in the 1920s and active until 1946.
It has also been called Lebanese Women’s Union, Syro-Lebanese Feminist Union, Syrian Arab Women's Union and Arab Women’s Union.
It has been referred to as the starting point of the active women's movement in Lebanon and Syria, which were united until the split of the
Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon
The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (; , also referred to as the Levant States; 1923−1946) was a League of Nations mandate founded in the aftermath of the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire, concerning the territories ...
in 1946.
History
In both Syria and Lebanon, a women's movement developed early for the Middle East. During the
tanzimat
The (, , lit. 'Reorganization') was a period of liberal reforms in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Edict of Gülhane of 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. Driven by reformist statesmen such as Mustafa Reşid Pash ...
reform era, girls' schools and a women's press was founded in Syria and Lebanon, and the issue of women's position was discussed. In Damascus, the modernist
Nur al-Fayha
Nur al-Fayha ("Light of Damascus"), was a women's rights organization in Syria, active during the Faisal government, between January 1919 and July 1920.Intellectuals and Civil Society in the Middle East: Liberalism, Modernity and Political Discour ...
association and its magazine under
Nazik al-Abid
Nazik Al Abid (; 1887–1959) known as the "Joan of Arc of the Arabs" was a Syrians, Syrian women's rights activist, nationalist, and critic of Ottoman and French colonialism in Syria. She was the first woman to earn rank in the Syrian Army for he ...
played an important pioneer role in feminist organization in 1919-1920, although it did not last.
In 1920–21, several Lebanese women's groups formed an informal Union, which was formally established in 1924. It was founded by a group of several pioneering feminists: among them Nour Hamada, Adila Bayhum and
Nazik al-Abid
Nazik Al Abid (; 1887–1959) known as the "Joan of Arc of the Arabs" was a Syrians, Syrian women's rights activist, nationalist, and critic of Ottoman and French colonialism in Syria. She was the first woman to earn rank in the Syrian Army for he ...
. It was established under the leadership of Labibah Thabit.
The purpose of the Union was to function as an
umbrella organisation
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and iden ...
, uniting the women's groups of Lebanon and Syria. It was known as Arab (Lebanese) Women’s Union in Lebanon, and as Syrian Arab Women's Union in Syria. Most of the groups and individuals united under this organisation, were either leftists or secular nationalists.
The Union was a political organisation and hosted conferences and gave speeches and lectures on women's rights. It attended the 11th Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in 1929, and hosted the First Eastern Women's Congress in 1930.
In 1946, the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon split in Lebanon and Syria, and the Syrian-Lebanese Women's Union was in turn split. In Lebanon, the Syrian-Lebanese Women's Union was split in the Women’s Union under Ibtihaj Qaddoura, and the Lebanese Women Solidarity Association under
Laure Thabet
Laure Thabet (1896-1981), was a Lebanese women's rights activist. She was a pioneer figure of feminism in her country.
She belonged to the Christian aristocracy and married to George Bey Thabet.
She is noted as one of the pioneers of organize ...
. In 1952, the Women’s Union and the Lebanese Women Solidarity Association were united to form the
Lebanese Council for Women
{{Expand Swedish, date=November 2022, Lebanese Council of Women
The Lebanese Council of Women or Lebanese Women's Council (LWC) is a women's organization in Lebanon, founded in 1952. It is an umbrella organization for the Lebanese women's movement ...
, also known as the
Lebanese Women's Council
{{Expand Swedish, date=November 2022, Lebanese Council of Women
The Lebanese Council of Women or Lebanese Women's Council (LWC) is a women's organization in Lebanon, founded in 1952. It is an umbrella organization for the Lebanese women's movement ...
. In Syria, in 1967, the Women's Union was included in the Ba'ath party structure as the
General Union of Syrian Women
The General Union of Syrian Women (GUSW) is an organization founded in 1967 with the goal of mobilizing Syrian women by helping them to develop and further their education, political activism, and other skills to become more effective contributors ...
.Arenfeldt, Pernille; Al-Hassan Golley, Nawar (2012). Mapping Arab Women's Movements: A Century of Transformations from Within. New York, NY: The American University in Cairo. ISBN 978-977-416-498-9.
See also
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General Union of Syrian Women
The General Union of Syrian Women (GUSW) is an organization founded in 1967 with the goal of mobilizing Syrian women by helping them to develop and further their education, political activism, and other skills to become more effective contributors ...