Al-Qubaysiat

The activities of the Qubaysiat women started in the early 1960s. Munira al-Qubaysi, the group’s founder, was a certified school teacher in natural sciences. After graduation, she was appointed as a teacher in various schools in Damascus. Her position as a school teacher enabled her to combine her education work with Islamic preaching. These preaching activities were the reason for her imprisonment a couple of times during the early 1960s. ==Ideology==

There is controversy surrounding the ideology of the group. Some claim that the group is influenced by the Sufi ideology of the Kuftariya Naqshbandiya order. The basis for this assumption is the fact that Munira al-Qubaysi herself was a discipline of Sheykh Ahmad Kuftaro. Also, the nature of the group's work has a Sufi characteristic; it calls for elevating religious and moral consciousness of society by stimulating individuals’ ethical habits and behavior. The other assumption is that al-Qubaysiat’s ideology is influenced by Baathism due to some members of the movement being sisters and daughters of Baathists. This assumption is rather strong since the group assumed Baathi posts after the 2011 Revolution. ==Organization==

Like all Sufi orders, the group has a hierarchical organization. Women are distributed among various ranks within the organization. A rank of a member of the group is known by the color of her Hijab. Members of the group are often identified by their distinctive style of dress: a hijab tied with a large knot under the chin, and buttoned overcoats coming down the mid-shin level. White hijab is worn by newly recruited members or members with a low degree of commitment to the group's activities. Light blue hijab is worn by members who have been upgraded and are in the middle ranks. Besides working on recruiting new girls to the group, members of this rank are entrusted with organizational and educational tasks. Organizational tasks range between organizing events and arranging meeting places. Educational tasks are mainly about reciting the Quran and teaching the Sunna to young members of the group. Dark blue hijab is worn by active and senior members; these members are entrusted with the task of teaching and preaching texts about more sophisticated topics like fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and Shariah (Islamic law). ==References==