Asma al Asad: Syria's First Lady or dutiful wife?

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After projecting herself as a caring, human rights activist whose heart bled for victims of violence, Syria’s glamorous First Lady Asma, who met her husband while she was holidaying in Syria, has made it to clear to the world that she stands by President Bashar al Asad and his brutal regime that has been responsible for killing thousands of innocents.

When journalist Martin Fletcher, who works for The Times, wondered in print what Asma had to say about the continued bombings by Bashar in the city of Homs, (her family is from there) the First Lady’s office emailed the newspaper with the following reply, “Bashar al Asad is the President of Syria, not a faction of Syrians, and the First Lady supports him in that role.” The email then goes on about all the good she is doing for the people in her country.

The email, while intended as a regular bit of PR, effectively ruined the former investment banker’s image in the West, so much so that she is now just being seen as a dictator’s glamorous and beautiful wife who is nothing more than a shallow, selfish person. She is now her country’s Marie Antoinette.

A dictator’s wife — no matter how good looking— especially in today’s environment, is never going to get brownie points, but what should a wife do when her husband is in the wrong? Hillary Clinton did nothing. Even Princess Diana refused to join a campaign that banned hunting as her sons and ex-husband enjoyed the bloody sport.

So can you really expect the wife of a Middle Eastern dictator to revolt? Sociologist Akhila Sivadas says it is unrealistic to expect women like Asma to revolt because they are like many of our politicians.

“They sound so endearing, compassionate and good while addressing the public and especially the global media, but it’s all talk. It’s just good PR.” It’s only when reality sets in do you get to see their true colours.

Nandini Sardesai, another popular sociologist also agrees with the above opinion. She says ladies like Asma and even Hillary are their own worst enemies. Why? “These women are excellent at keeping up appearances and pretences.

Either they do not have the courage of their convictions or do so because they perceive themselves as appendages of the male.” Asmas of the world do not have an identity of their own. “Hilary who comes with the best of credentials too succumbed to ‘traditional’ norms,” adds Nandini.

Guess Asma is nothing more than the pretty faces of cruel regime.