Najah al-Attar

Najah al-Attar نجاح العطار
Second Vice President of Syria
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 March 2006
President	Bashar al-Assad
Preceded by	Zuhair Masharqa
Minister of Culture
In office 1 December 1976 – 19 January 2000
President	Hafez al-Assad
Preceded by	Position estabilished
Succeeded by	Maha Qanout
Personal details
Born	January 10, 1933 (1933-01-10) (age 78) Damascus, Syria
Nationality	Syrian
Political party	Independent
Profession	Linguist, writer
Religion	Islam

Najah Al-Attar (Arabic: نجاح العطار‎; born 10 January 1933) is the first woman Vice President of Syria and the Arab World, serving since 2006.^[1]

Personal background

Najah Al-Attar was born on 10 January 1933 and raised in Damascus. Her father was among nationalist leaders who took part in the 1925-1927 Syrian revolt against the French in Syria.

Career

She studied at the University of Damascus, graduating in 1954, and obtained PhD in Arabic literature from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom in 1958. She also received a number of certificates then in international relations and in literary and art criticism. She is an accomplished translator and started teaching in high schools within Damascus after her return from the UK, then worked in the Department of Translation of Ministry of Culture. In 1976, she was appointed as Minister of Culture till 2000. She has a collection of novels, editorials and significant literature contributions.

Political alignment

Although she is currently vice-president and served as a long-term minister in Syria, a state largely controlled by the Baath Party. Her brother, Isam al-Attar is the leader of the Damascus Faction of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and has lived in exile in Aachen, Germany since the 1970s.

See also

• Politics of Syria

References

1. ^ "Syria’s First Female Vice President Hailed as Progress for Women". Arab News. 24 March 2006. http://archive.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=79682&d=24&m=3&y=2006. Retrieved 18 February 2011. 

Persondata
Name	Attar
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	10 January 1933
Place of birth	Damascus, Syria
Date of death
Place of death