Syrian woman activist wins American courage award
Syrian activist Majd Izzat is the third Syrian woman to win the award for her activist work in support of those held prisoners since the start of the Syrian uprising, and for her work on empowering women.
2 min read
The award will be made on International Women's Day [Getty]
Syrian activist Majd Izzat Shurbaji has won the "International Women of Courage Award", presented annually by the US State Department on International Women's Day. Shurbaji will receive the award on 8 March in Washington. Michelle Obama, US first lady, will attend the event.
"I played a peaceful role in the revolution. Before I was arrested and detained for seven months, I would organise sit-ins calling for those detained to be released. After my release I continued campaigning for detainees, and for the economic, social and political empowerment of women,” Shurabaji told al-Araby al-Jadeed. She believes women have a major role to play in
resolving the Syrian conflict.
Shurabji was born in the town of Darya outside the capital Damascus in 1981. A mother of three, she has faced many challenges during the Syrian revolution. She has been displaced, detained, exiled and her husband was tortured to death last October. The activist insists that the difficulties she has faced have been the biggest motivation for her to continue working.
"The award is a platform for the oppressed. There many courageous Syrian women whose voices have not been heard. However, it is painful to receive an award from a country that calls for human rights but has done nothing to protect civilians in Syria,” she explains.
The activist insists that her dream will not be realised until Syria is free and democratic, something she will not give up fighting for.
Two other Syrians have already received the award: Sister Marie-Claude Nadav in 2010 for supporting battered women; and human rights activist Razan Zeitouneh in 2013, who was kidnapped along with her colleagues in the city of Douma in the suburbs of Damascus, and whose whereabouts remain unknown.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
"I played a peaceful role in the revolution. Before I was arrested and detained for seven months, I would organise sit-ins calling for those detained to be released. After my release I continued campaigning for detainees, and for the economic, social and political empowerment of women,” Shurabaji told al-Araby al-Jadeed. She believes women have a major role to play in
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It is painful to receive an award from a country that calls for human rights but has done nothing to protect civilians in Syria. - Shurbaji, award winning activist |
Shurabji was born in the town of Darya outside the capital Damascus in 1981. A mother of three, she has faced many challenges during the Syrian revolution. She has been displaced, detained, exiled and her husband was tortured to death last October. The activist insists that the difficulties she has faced have been the biggest motivation for her to continue working.
"The award is a platform for the oppressed. There many courageous Syrian women whose voices have not been heard. However, it is painful to receive an award from a country that calls for human rights but has done nothing to protect civilians in Syria,” she explains.
The activist insists that her dream will not be realised until Syria is free and democratic, something she will not give up fighting for.
Two other Syrians have already received the award: Sister Marie-Claude Nadav in 2010 for supporting battered women; and human rights activist Razan Zeitouneh in 2013, who was kidnapped along with her colleagues in the city of Douma in the suburbs of Damascus, and whose whereabouts remain unknown.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
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