Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is working to extend its influence on civil society in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, seeking to get rid of the jihadist character of its administrative and executive institutions.

As part of these efforts, HTS is highlighting women’s role in society through its Women’s Preaching Office, which regulates the work of female preachers and oversees their activities at mosques and in the streets in Idlib and its environs.

The Women’s Preaching Office has recently increased its activities. Through this support, HTS is seeking to raise a new generation of female preachers that can get its ideological message to every person in the areas under its control. This shows that HTS is aware of the role women can play in expanding the group’s popular base and influencing society. 

“The office organizes cultural events and campaigns that target female youth and encourage them to become preachers," Umm Hafs, an official at the Women’s Preaching Office, told Al-Monitor. "It also offers almost daily religious courses and preaching training for women. These activities cover most of the [displaced] camps.”