Syria’s Minister Hind Kabawat Advocates For National Reconciliation
- Hind Kabawat sits at a desk dominated by a photograph of Italian Jesuit priest Paolo Dall’Oglio.
- Appointed following the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, the lawyer, professor, and activist serves as Syria’s Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the transitional...
- Operating within a transitional administration largely composed of former Islamist rebels, Kabawat operates inside a political reality caught between Islamist and secularist tendencies.
A Mentor’s Portrait in a Transitional Office
Hind Kabawat sits at a desk dominated by a photograph of Italian Jesuit priest Paolo Dall’Oglio. There are no pictures of political figures or family members.
Appointed following the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, the lawyer, professor, and activist serves as Syria’s Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the transitional government. She identifies the late priest as her mentor who taught her the principles of interreligious dialogue, according to Vatican News.
Balancing Secularism and Islamist Factions
Operating within a transitional administration largely composed of former Islamist rebels, Kabawat operates inside a political reality caught between Islamist and secularist tendencies. The Syrian population remains divided into numerous ethnic and religious groups, including Sunnis, Kurds, Druze, Ismailis, Yazidis, Alawites, and Christians.
Building a stable future requires compromise from all factions. According to Vatican News, she states that radical groups cannot make all of Syria radical, just as secular groups cannot impose universal secularism, making a strong constitution and the rule of law essential for national equality.
Kurdish Integration and Alawite Massacres
Among the transitional government’s primary achievements, Kabawat points to the completion of the integration of previously autonomous Kurdish civil and military institutions into the Syrian state, an announcement finalized in late August according to Vatican News reporting.
Despite this administrative consolidation, post-Assad stability faces severe localized friction across the country. In March 2025, massacres targeting the Alawite minority left approximately 1,500 people dead, with a Reuters investigation attributing involvement to government-aligned forces.
Persistent Security Threats Across the Regions
Additional security challenges persist outside the capital. In southern Syria, the Druze population has engaged in clashes with Bedouin tribes, while the Islamic State remains active in the eastern regions, launching sporadic attacks against both government and Kurdish forces.
Acknowledging these hurdles, Kabawat notes that decades of war, poverty, and oppression have left deep societal wounds and fostered sectarian attitudes among segments of the population. She maintains, however, that civil society initiatives and national dialogue are steadily improving conditions.
Fighting for Female Representation in Government
As the sole female minister in the current administration, Kabawat has frequently addressed the gender imbalance within the governing body. She has publicly noted that women played a decisive role in preserving Syria’s social fabric throughout more than a decade of civil war.
Expressing initial disappointment regarding the low representation of women when the government was first formed, Kabawat stated in an interview with the BBC earlier in the year that President Al-Sharaa assured her additional women will be appointed to senior roles in future cabinet adjustments.
“If we work together, we can achieve great things. If we don’t, we won’t go anywhere.”
Hind Kabawat, via Vatican News
Rebuilding Institutions and Protecting Minorities
Addressing the broader economic and social crisis alongside her cabinet colleagues, Kabawat stresses that the state must protect minority populations to curb further emigration.