Hind Kabawat: Syria's Peace Ambassador Between Two Worlds

Hind Kabawat came from a Syrian Christian family with a tradition of political and civic engagement. She trained as a lawyer, became active in interfaith dialogue, and eventually settled in the United States where she pursued work in conflict resolution and diplomacy.

Before the 2011 revolution, she was already known in Syrian civil society circles as a figure who moved between different communities — Christian, Muslim, Druze, Kurdish — and who was committed to the idea that Syria's ethnic and religious diversity was a strength rather than a liability. She worked on interfaith programs and brought Syrian religious leaders together for dialogue.

This work had been possible in Syria under a specific condition: it had to avoid any political criticism of the Assad government. Civil society in Assad's Syria operated in a narrow lane — cultural and civic programs were tolerated, political organizing was not. Kabawat worked within that constraint for years.

When the revolution began in 2011, the situation changed entirely. The narrow lane of civil society became a front line. She was now in a position where her connections across Syrian communities — and her presence in Washington — made her valuable as an interlocutor, a bridge between people who were not talking to each other.