Bushra Al-Assad
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Bushra al-Assad (; born 24 October 1960) is the first child and only daughter of
Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad (6 October 193010 June 2000) was a Syrian politician and military officer who was the president of Syria from 1971 until Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad, his death in 2000. He was previously the Prime Minister of Syria ...
, who was the president of
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
from 1971 to 2000. She is the sister of former Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...
. She is the widow of
Assef Shawkat Assef Shawkat (‎; 15 January 1950 – 18 July 2012) was a Syrian military officer and intelligence chief who was the Deputy Minister of Defense of Syria from September 2011 until his death in July 2012. He was the brother-in-law of former Sy ...
, the deputy chief of staff of the Syrian Armed Forces and former head of the Syrian Military Intelligence, who was killed in the
18 July 2012 Damascus bombing The 18 July 2012 Damascus bombing of the National Security headquarters in Rawda Square, Damascus, killed and injured a number of top military and security officials of the Syrian government. Among the dead were the Syrian defense minister a ...
, responsibility for which was claimed by a coalition of Syrian opposition rebel groups. As a result of the Syrian Civil War, in March 2012 she was placed on a list of Syrian government figures who were subject to European Union economic sanctions and travel bans. On 28 September 2012, it was reported that Bushra al-Assad had fled from Syria with her five children to seek refuge in the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
. In January 2013, Bushra al-Assad was joined by her mother
Anisa Makhlouf Anisa Makhlouf (; 5 November 1930 – 6 February 2016)Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
.


Biography

Bushra is reported to have enjoyed a close relationship with her father Hafez al-Assad and reportedly took a large role in leadership during the last years of his life, particularly as Hafez's health started failing during the 1990s. Administrative tasks and even much of the important decision-making was being delegated to Bushra, who set up her own office next to her father's in the Presidential Palace. During the late 1970s, she had accompanied her father on foreign visits and was very active in the decision-making within her father's inner circle, especially in matters relating to economic and foreign affairs, leading to speculation that she was being considered for a leadership role and even possible succession. Despite this, by the 1980s, her younger brother Bassel took on that role instead and after 1994, her second oldest brother, Bashar. In both cases, she mounted her own attempt at fighting for the succession, especially after Bashar's selection, believing him to be incompetent for the role. There has been widespread speculation that had it not been for her gender, she would have been groomed for the presidency. Bushra attended
Damascus University Damascus University () is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus, with campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 as the Syrian University () through the merger of the Faculty of Medicine of Dama ...
with Buthaina Shaaban, who became a member of the Syrian Cabinet. Despite family opposition, Bushra married Shawkat in 1995. Since the death of her brother
Bassel al-Assad Bassel al-Assad (; 23 March 196221 January 1994) was a Syrian military officer, engineer and politician. He was the eldest son of the 18th Syrian president Hafez al-Assad. He was expected to succeed his father as president until his death in a ...
in 1994, Bushra was credited with increasing influence in Syria. Bushra was also reported to have worked for her late husband to gain acceptance and recognition. Shawkat assumed key security roles within intelligence. It was reported that Bushra disapproved of
Asma al-Assad Asma Fawaz al-Assad (; Akhras; born 11 August 1975) is the former first lady of Syria, married to Bashar al-Assad. Her husband was president from 2000 until he was overthrown on 8 December 2024. Born and raised in London, to Syrian parents, ...
taking such a public role. Bushra moved to the United Arab Emirates in September 2012 following her husband's death in a bomb blast. Although rebels claimed responsibility, there was some suspicion the regime of her brother may have played a role. Bushra is living in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
with her five children. In 2019, it was reported that Bushra's daughter, Anisa, was studying spatial design at the
University of the Arts London The University of the Arts London is a public collegiate university in London, England, United Kingdom. It specialises in arts, design, fashion, and the performing arts. The university is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of ...
, despite being a member of a family subject to international sanctions. Later, the
National Crime Agency The National Crime Agency (NCA) is a Law enforcement agency#natlea, national law enforcement agency in the United Kingdom. It is the UK's lead agency against organised crime; Human trafficking, human, Arms trafficking, weapon and Illegal drug t ...
seized the remaining £25,000 in her bank account.


See also

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Assad family The Assad family ruled Syria from 1971, when Hafez al-Assad became president under the Ba'ath Party following the 1970 coup, until Bashar al-Assad was ousted on 8 December 2024. Bashar succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, after Hafez's deat ...


Sources

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References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assad, Bushra Al- 1960 births Living people Damascus University alumni People from Latakia
Bushra Al-Assad Bushra al-Assad (; born 24 October 1960) is the first child and only daughter of Hafez al-Assad, who was the president of Syria from 1971 to 2000. She is the sister of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. She is the widow of Assef Shawkat, t ...
Syrian Alawites Children of presidents of Syria 20th-century Syrian women 20th-century Syrian people 21st-century Syrian women 21st-century Syrian people Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region politicians