Aisha al-Debs

Aisha al-Dibs is a Syrian civil society activist and the head of the Women's Affairs Office in the Political Affairs Administration of Syria's caretaker government. She became the first woman to hold an official position in the new Syrian administration that was formed after the fall of the Assad regime.

Career Al-Dibs promotes women's rights and civil society initiatives in Syria. Her appointment to the newly established Women's Affairs Office was announced by the Political Affairs Administration, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, as part of broader efforts to include Syrian women in political and social leadership during the national rebuilding phase.

The Political Affairs Administration highlighted the office's focus on legal, social, cultural, and political issues concerning Syrian women. Al-Dibs stated that she would "not accept any opinion of feminist organizations or others that contradict the government's ideological orientation, or are incompatible with the government model".

Her remarks were described as contradictory, particularly her rejection of secularism and civil governance, coupled with her insistence on Islamic law as the sole guiding principle for Syria. Critics argued that such a stance is incompatible with Syria's religious and ideological diversity.

A central issue was her call for international support to establish a "Syrian model" grounded in Sharia law, which critics noted contradicts international human rights standards. This was perceived as indicative of the broader challenges faced by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham in balancing its ideological roots with its pursuit of international legitimacy in the aftermath of the fall of the Assad regime.

Al-Dibs also criticized civil society organizations, blaming them for rising divorce rates in Idlib. This claim, viewed by many as an attempt to justify restrictions on independent organizations, was criticized for undermining divorce as a legitimate personal right.

She rejected discussion with those of opposing views, stating, "In the end, I will not open the door to those who disagree with me ideologically".

Al-Dibs' statements were viewed as part of a broader crisis in which HTS attempted to reconcile its policies with efforts to gain international recognition. Critics suggested that the contradictions were a challenge to the legitimacy of HTS as seen by different parts of the Syrian population. Sara Organisation to Combat Violence against Women described al-Dibs' statements as being "far from the different cultures in terms of sects that exist inside Syria, pluralistic, democratic and decentralized".