A Woman of History: Jihan al-Mosli

Jihan al-Mosli, the rebel parliamentarian as the journalist Ibtisam Bousaad called her [1], challenged customs and traditions as a Syrian woman, and practiced educational, political, and social work and practiced law with a high degree of competence and a sense of responsibility. Jihan al-Mosli is considered one of the first women to enter the Syrian parliament in order to amend personal status laws and demand women’s rights. Jihan’s biography was full of struggle in order to enhance the education and the rights of women and children, especially the rights of working women.

The presence of Jihan in the history of Syria is what drives us towards the hope of achieving radical access for women to the political world, which makes us believe that the role of women remains active, no matter how simple their participation is.

Jihan al-Mosli’s biography

Jihan al-Mosli was born in 1908 in a Damascene house in the Al-Midan neighborhood. Jihan was the sixth child in the house after an older sister and four brothers. Her mother died when she was three years old. She received great care and attention for her high ability to memorize passages from the Quran despite her young age.

Later she was sent to a local girls’ primary school. Jihan received her baccalaureate degree from the Teachers Training College, then she moved to the Higher Teachers College and obtained the Higher Teachers’ House Certificate. She worked as a teacher and then became headmistress of middle and secondary schools for girls. [2].

Jihan Al-Mosli’s Achievements

It is clear that her work as a school headmistress is what made her seize an opportunity to achieve her educational and patriotic mission, and to install the ideas of women’s liberation in a language that is firmly rooted in the minds of her students.

Jihan al-Mosli participated in a women’s demonstration in 1928 to support the national bloc demanding women’s rights to stand for elections. She chaired the Cultural Symposium Society in 1941. [3]

In 1944 she became secretary of Women’s Associations. Three years later she earned a law degree

In 1960, Jihan was appointed to the National Assembly of the United Arab Republic alongside Widad Haroun.

However, the first women’s access to a parliament in Syria was during the period of Syrian-Egyptian unity (1958 to 1961), the National Assembly comprised a total of 600 members, 200 of whom were from the northern region (Syria) and 400 members from the southern region (Egypt). For the first time in the history of Syria, women entered the legislative councils, as there were two women representatives of the Syrian country, Jihan al-Mosli and Widad Haroun. [4]

Jihan has written many books on law, the most important of which are: (Bankruptcy in Law), (and Public International Rights). [5]

The most important inputs of Jihan AL-Mosli in the Constitution

The participation of Jihan AL-Mosli in many issues is clear, most notably her membership in the Preparatory Committee for the Drafting of the Constitution, where we found that in the twelfth session on Tuesday, February 7, 1961, the Preparatory Committee for the drafting of constitution was elected from 90 members, and the name of Jihan al-Mosli appeared in the list of candidates for membership in the Committee Preparatory work for drafting the constitution (53 members from Syria). Looking at her inputs, it is clear that she followed up on family and child issues, and demanded the rights of working women in the Northern Territory. [6]

In the thirteenth session on February 8, 1961, the National Assembly convened and headed by Anwar AL-Sadat, and the secretaries were Muhammad Hamid Mahmoud and Muhammad Taha Haddad. Jihan AL-Mosli submitted the following question to the Central Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hussein Mahmoud Al-Shafei,” what the steps have been taken by the ministry to implement the Paragraph (a) of Article VI of the decisions of the General Conference of the National Union of the Republic (the chapter on women’s activity); related to the expansion of the establishment of nurseries in neighborhoods where working mothers abound in relation to women’s associations and in factories? [6]

The interventions of Jihan Mousalli were also in the field of education. At the seventh session on April 26, 1961, she presented a proposal “with a desire to take the necessary measures not to delay the printing of textbooks and to take into account that they were not modified before the lapse of three years,” and it was referred to the Education Affairs Committee. [6]

In addition, the issues of female teachers’ rights were also at the heart of Jihan al-Mosli’s interventions. At the 14th session, May 15, 1961, she submitted a question to the Central Minister of Education about giving female teachers and school employees the opportunity to work half-time with half-salary, in the presence of the Deputy of Education Central Minister Muhammad Ali Hafez. [6]

By reviewing and documenting the interventions of Jihan al-Mosli, we can conclude that she was presenting proposals calling for the unification of laws between the two regions. In addition to questions that revolve around education, women’s and children’s rights, and the rights of male and female teachers, especially the rights of working women in the Northern Territory.

Syrian women have always had the ability to bring about change in many areas, even in politics and the constitution. As the role of Jihan al-Mosli had a great impact on education and the advancement of women’s rights. We, at Uplifting Syrian Women, always strive to highlight the role of women in Syrian history and the role of women in the advancement of society.