Open Source Intel / X
CV NEWS FEED // Syrian politician Hind Kabawat, a Catholic and an advocate for interreligious dialogue and women’s rights, has been appointed to Syria’s new transitional government. She is the only woman in the cabinet.
Vatican News reported that the transitional government’s responsibilities include drafting a new constitution and organizing an election following the overthrow of former dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
CatholicVote previously reported that the change in power posed a potential threat to Syria’s Christian population, as Islamist militants seized control of the government. However, the newly appointed cabinet includes 23 ministers from different ethnic and religious backgrounds after other countries put pressure on Syria to form an inclusive government, Vatican News reported.
According to La Croix International, Kabawat has long been an advocate for peace, interfaith dialogue, and women’s rights. She also opposed the Assad regime, particularly because of how it treated women. A wife and mother of two, she is also a lawyer, economist, and university professor who often teaches law at U.S. universities. She has served as the head of the Interfaith Peacebuilding Program at George Mason University in Virginia since 2013.
Her efforts to advocate for peace include her leadership of an organization that trains women to promote peace in Turkish and Syrian refugee camps. La Croix International reported that she also supports “a Syrian identity that transcends sectarian divides,” especially across different faiths.
Kabawat now serves as Syria’s Minister of Social Affairs and Labor. According to La Croix International, Kabawat stated that the transitional government seeks “to build a unified society that promotes the social justice we’ve been denied for far too long.”
