Asma al-Assad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Asma al-Assad
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| أسماء الأسد | |
Assad in 2008
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| First Lady of Syria | |
| In role 13 December 2000 – 8 December 2024 |
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| President | Bashar al-Assad |
| Preceded by | Anisa Makhlouf |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Asma Fawaz Akhras
11 August 1975 London, England |
| Nationality |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including Hafez |
| Parents |
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| Alma mater | King's College London (BSc) |
Asma Fawaz al-Assad (Arabic: أسماء فواز الأسد; née Akhras; born 11 August 1975) is the former first lady of Syria, as the wife of Bashar al-Assad during his tenure as president from 2000 until he was overthrown on 8 December 2024. Born and raised in London to Syrian parents, she became First Lady when she married al-Assad, then President of Syria, on 13 December 2000.
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Early life and education
Assad was born Asma Fawaz Akhras on 11 August 1975 in London to Fawaz Akhras, a cardiologist at the Cromwell Hospital, and his wife Sahar Akhras (née Otri), a retired diplomat who served as First Secretary at the Syrian Embassy in London. Her parents are Sunni Muslims and of Syrian origin, from the city of Homs.
She grew up in Acton, London, where she went to Twyford Church of England High School and later a private girls' school, Queen's College, London. She graduated from King's College London in 1996 with a first-class honours Bachelor of Science degree in computer science.
Finance career
After graduating from King's College London, she started work as an economics analyst at Deutsche Bank Group in the hedge fund management division with clients in Europe and East Asia. In 1998, she joined the investment banking division of J.P. Morgan where she worked on a team that specialised in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. She credits her banking experience with giving her "analytical thinking" and an ability to "[understand] the business side of running a company."
She was about to pursue an MBA at Harvard University when, on holiday at her aunt's in Damascus in 2000, she was reacquainted with Bashar al-Assad, a family friend.
First Lady
After Hafez al-Assad's death in June 2000, Bashar took over the presidency. Asma moved to Syria in November 2000 and married Bashar in December of that year. The marriage surprised many since there had been no media reports of their dating and courtship prior to the wedding. Many interpreted the union as a reconciliation and sign of progression towards a reformative government as Asma grew up in the United Kingdom and represents the Sunni majority, unlike the Alawite Bashar.
After the wedding, Asma travelled throughout Syria to 100 villages in 13 of the 14 Syrian governorates to speak with Syrians and learn where she should direct her future policies. She went on to create a collection of organisations that functioned under the charity sector of the government, referred to as the Syria Trust for Development. Due to this work, she earned a spot as one of the Middle East 411 Magazine's "World's Most Influential Arabs."
Public life
According to media analysts, Assad focused on women's rights and education but ultimately stood by her husband on political matters. The United Nations Development Programme spent US$18,000,000 to help organise a complex set of reform initiatives showing the Syrian government was working toward a more modern and progressive form of government, a key part of which was helping to create "a reformer's aura" for Assad, highlighting her participation in the Syria Trust for Development until the programme was suspended as the country descended into civil war. As a Sunni Muslim by birth, Assad's leading role was also important for the view of the Syrian government and President among the Sunni majority of Syria.
Syrian civil war
Asma was criticised for remaining silent at the beginning of the Syrian uprising. She issued her first official statement to the international media in February 2012, nearly a year after the first serious protests.
On 23 March 2012, the European Union froze her assets and placed a travel ban on her and President Bashar al-Assad's other close family members as part of escalating sanctions against the Syrian government. Assad herself remains able to travel to the UK because of her British citizenship.
On 16 April 2012, Huberta von Voss Wittig and Sheila Lyall Grant, the wives of the German and British ambassadors to the United Nations, released a four-minute video asking Assad to stand up for peace and urge her husband to end the bloodshed in her country.
She had not been seen in public regularly since the July 2012 bombing of the Syrian Military Intelligence Directorate, leading to press speculation that she had fled the capital or the country. She made a public appearance at the Damascus Opera House for an event called "Mother's Rally" on 18 March 2013, refuting the rumours. She made another public appearance in October 2013 and again refuted rumours of her departure, stating: "I was here yesterday, I'm here today and I will be here tomorrow."
In late November 2024, she reportedly fled Syria to Russia alongside her three children, following the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives and preceding the ousting of her husband.
Personal life
She initially met her future husband during childhood holidays in Syria, but they became closer when he moved to London in 1992 to train as an ophthalmologist at the Western Eye Hospital and subsequently got married following his succession to power in 2000.
Assad and her husband have three children. Their first child, a son named Hafez, named after Hafez al-Assad, was born in 2001, followed by a daughter in 2003, and their second son in 2004. In January 2013, Bashar stated in an interview that Asma was pregnant; however, there were no later reports of them having a fourth child.
Assad enjoys theatre, opera and visiting the cinema.
On 8 August 2018, it was announced that she had begun treatment for early stage breast cancer. On 4 August 2019, Assad publicly stated that she had fully recovered and is officially cancer free.
On 21 May 2024, the Syrian presidency announced that Assad had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, following the emergence of several symptoms and clinical signs, which would force her to refrain from direct work and participation in events as part of the treatment plan.
See also
In Spanish: Asma al-Ásad para niños
