Huda Sha'arawi
Egyptian feminist leader and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union.
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Huda Sha'arawi was a pioneering Egyptian feminist leader, suffragette, nationalist, and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union. She is known for her activism in women's rights and Egyptian independence, including leading protests during the Egyptian Revolution of 1919 and publicly removing her veil in 1923.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 23 June 1879
- Died
- 12 December 1947
- Field
- Feminism
- nationalism
- philanthropy
- Nationality
- Egyptian
Facts from the source article.
Background
Huda Sha'arawi was born Nour Al-Huda Mohamed Sultan Shaarawi in Minya to the Shaarawi family. Her father was Muhamed Sultan Pasha Shaarawi, later president of Egypt's Chamber of Deputies, and her mother Iqbal Hanim was of Circassian descent.
She was educated alongside her brothers in grammar and calligraphy. At age thirteen, she was married to her cousin Ali Sha'arawi, but a subsequent separation gave her time for extended education and independence. She wrote poetry in Arabic and French, and later published her memoir Modhakkerātī, translated as Harem Years: The Memoirs of an Egyptian Feminist, 1879–1924.
Did You Know?
- She removed her veil and mantle in 1923 after returning from the 9th Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance Congress in Rome.
- In 1938, she and the Egyptian Feminist Union sponsored the Eastern Women's Conference for the Defense of Palestine in Cairo.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Huda Sha'arawi (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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