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Heba Ezzedine Reveals the Captivity of Alawite Women in Idlib
Feminist activist Heba Ezzedine, director of the "Justice and Empowerment" organization in northern Syria, sparked widespread controversy with a post on her Facebook account. She talked about observing a strange woman accompanying a fighter in the city of Idlib and claimed that this woman came from one of the coastal villages of Syria after recent events there. She also alleged that she knows that fighter.
Ezzedine's approach, which includes direct accusations against the people of Idlib of "capturing Alawite women," is seen as a continuation of narratives promoted by the orphans of the previous regime, who speak of their "victimhood." Earlier, Ghada Al-Shahrani from Sweida had promoted similar claims, alongside those made by Bashar’s orphans during sectarian protests in Geneva, who played on the theme of "kidnapping women and the captivity of Alawite women."
Responses to Ezzedine's narrative were numerous, with many activists considering her remarks part of a propaganda campaign specifically targeting the people of Idlib, accusing them of committing massacres in coastal areas. The activist attempted to build a negative image of Idlib, the place she belongs to.
Despite many activists contacting Ezzedine through her personal account and requesting her to provide accurate information about the fighter who married the woman, she evaded answering, indicating a lack of evidence and reliable information to support her claims, which led her to delete her post later. Additionally, she hid her Facebook account.
In recent weeks, the talk of "captivity of Alawite women" has become common, despite there being no prior mention of it following the bloody events on the coast. The "Association of Expatriate Alawites" organized a protest in front of the United Nations building in Geneva, demanding an end to what they described as "the captivity of Alawite women" and "genocide."
This protest comes at a time when some are trying to exploit the recent events in the Syrian coast, which began with attacks from remnants of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, to reinforce the narrative of "Alawite victimhood," with some calling for international protection or even separation from Syria. It's worth noting that no incidents of kidnapping of women were recorded during these events.
