The oppression of women is historical. We have to liberate women economically, socially, psychologically, physically, religiously. – Nawal el Saadawi Nawal el Saadawi was one of the foremost, and most controversial, feminists in the Arab world, whose fierce and uncompromising…

‘I’m an artist. My musical world is in mourning…Even if they send me into exile, I won’t be destroyed. I’ll set up a music club and dance, sing and play.’ – Khadija Gayibova Khadija Gayibova was a the first professional…

The woman at the beginning of her second marriage was a different woman from the one she was at the end of it, and during both these phases, she was different from the woman who entered the City Prison in…

Indian educationalist Fatima Sheikh is known for her commitment to universal education in India, as shown through her collaboration with the social reformers Savitribai Phule and Jyotirao Phule in teaching women and lower-caste children. The Phule couple were major social…

I gave birth to her daughter and her name was Egyptian Cinema – Aziza Amir Aziza Amir was a pioneer of Egyptian cinema, creating and starring in a series of motion pictures, often melodramas. She was born in Alexandria, as…

Kurmanjan Datka is regarded as the mother of the Kyrgyz peoples for her efforts to make peace with Russia and preserve the Kyrgyz identity. Kurmanjan was the daughter of Mamatnay, a nomadic Kyrgyz tribesman and stockbreeder from Mungush. She was…

The feminine perspective is extremely important, because no one has paid attention to it in any of the translations (of the Qur’an) into other languages. So it is very easy to misintpret the role of women in Islam, or ignore…

‘I want to be the mother of all Uyghurs, the medicine for their ills, the cloth with which they dry their tears, and the cloak to protect them from the rain.’ – Rebiya Kadeer Rebiya Kadeer is a businesswoman and…

Aisha al-Manoubia, also known as Lalla Manoubia, was a Berber woman who rose to become the highest authority on Sufism in Tunisia. She was considered one of the four spiritual guardians of the capital city Tunis. Aisha was born in…

‘Perhaps because no woman before me took steps toward breaking the shackles binding women’s hands and feet, and because I am the first to do so, they have made such a controversy out of me.’ – Forough Farrokzhad Forough Farrokzhad…

What was most important was that no person inside our place stole, fought, or killed. So long as that was true, I treated the wives and daughters of every warlord. – Hawa Abdi Hawa Abdi was a Somali physician, peace…

Known as the Joan of Arc of the Arabs, Naziq al-Abid was a suffragist, humanitarian social reformer, and a pioneer for Syrian independence against both the Ottoman and French Empires. Naziq was born into a wealthy Kurdish merchant family with…

The most important thing for the happiness and preservation of our nation and the most necessary thing for strengthening our religion is educating our women and adorning them with knowledge  – Mukhlisa Bubi Mukhlisa Bubi was the first woman to…

Dayfa Khatun was an Ayyubid princess, daughter of Sultan al-Adil I, who served as Regent of Aleppo during her grandson’s minority. She was a politically able ruler, engaging in the military struggles of the time and developing the city. She…

Life is never just humorous, never just tragic – Yasmin Ahmad Director and scriptwriter Yasmin Ahmad was known for her touching films and television commercials that explored multiculturalism in Malaysia. She also worked as the executive creative director at Leo…