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‘Living in constant fear’: Life as a journalist in Syria
By: []
Date: None
I can still picture the scene at my grandfather’s house in Syria in the summer of 2002.
Sitting between my two aunts silently, my head down, I listened as they preached at me about the “sin” I was committing. “A Journalist!” one shouted in condemnation while hitting her chest with the palm of her hand.
The other spoke with a calmer tone, “My daughter, don’t you care about our reputation? Are you that selfish? You know that you are bringing shame to your family? Women can’t be journalists.”
I was 17 years old, had just finished my science baccalaureate and passed the first test to become an architect at Aleppo University. Instead, I decided to take another path.
At the time, I was the only girl from Idlib, a city in the country’s north-west, to study journalism at Damascus University, the only media faculty in Syria. Some say I was the first from the province to do so and to work as a journalist after graduation. There were records of a couple of women who had studied journalism but worked as elementary teachers afterwards. Apparently, that was seen as a more acceptable role for the women in my community.
My mother told me, “You can be whatever you want, but you should get ready to deal with the consequences.” I said I was ready but I never imaged that those could include facing the death penalty and dealing with the constant fear that has haunted my career.
[1] Url:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/living-in-constant-fear-life-as-a-journalist-in-syria/
