Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (561)

The exalted in Istanbul

Hoda Shaarawi, the undisputed leader of the Egyptian feminist movement, looked to the Turkey of Kemal Ataturk, which granted its women their rights in full after an era of slavery, as a role model. A conference in Istanbul on the advancement of the Eastern woman was thus the perfect forum from which Sharawi would expound her views. By Professor Yunan Labib Rizk

---

Click to view caption

Hoda Shaarawi served as the head of the Egyptian Women's Federation since its founding in 1923 until her death in 1947. In other words, for a quarter of a century, she remained the uncontested leader of the Egyptian feminist movement, for which role she earned the epithet, The Exalted Lady. The only other contemporary figures to have the honourific -- exalted -- attached to their names were the Wafd leaders Saad Zaghlul and Mustafa El-Nahhas. Even Safiyah Zaghlul, the nationalist leader's wife and a force in the nationalist movement in her own right, was merely dubbed The Mother of the Egyptian People.

It is difficult to draw a comparison between these two powerful and widely respected women: The Mother of the Egyptian People and The Exalted Lady, but it is worth a try. Safiyah Zaghlul's renown initially stemmed from her status as the wife of Saad Zaghlul, whom she supported during the 1919 Revolution that he led and who even accompanied him into exile in Gibraltar. But, even after his death in 1927 she remained a formidable figure in the Wafd, keeping her home popularly known as The House of the People open to Wafd meetings, and until her death in 1946 she continued to play a symbolic role within the nationalist movement, in the words of an American historian.

Nur Hassan, a prominent figure in the Saad Zaghlul Women's Committee, recognised this role. In her address on the Egyptian woman and her contribution to the national awakening, which she delivered to the Wafd National Convention on 8 January 1935, she made two references to Safiyah Zaghlul. She said, "If we only had the Mother of the Egyptian People, with her bravery, self-sacrifice and steadfastness, to represent us in the arena of the nationalist struggle, we women could take pride in that unparalleled honour alone. Safiyah Zaghlul arose with the dawn of the nationalist movement. She stood side-by-side with her husband, sharing his deep faith and courage, and when the military authorities tore him away, as a thorn tears silk, she valiantly volunteered to go with him into detention. Eventually, however, the struggle required her presence among us in Egypt and she, therefore, left her dearly departed husband to the care of God and chose to remain with us and nurture our national revival."

Later in her speech, when talking on former prime minister Sidqi's clampdown on nationalist activists, she said, "He wanted to forcefully keep the Mother of the Egyptian People from coming to the aid of the oppressed. However she, the partner of the great Saad Zaghlul, accepted this challenge with the same fortitude of her husband, saying, 'Nothing will prevent me from performing my duty in this humanitarian cause. Let the powers that be do as they will.'"

Hoda Shaarawi had many traits in common with Safiyah Zaghlul. Both were from well-established families, Safiyah the daughter of Mustafa Fahmi Pasha, a member of the Turkish aristocracy in Egypt and prime minister for 13 years from 1895-1908, and Hoda the daughter of Mohamed Sultan Pasha, an Upper Egyptian notable of such influence that some dubbed him King of Upper Egypt, and who served as speaker of the Chamber of Deputies at the time of the Orabi Revolution. Both women married individuals who eventually played a major part in the nationalist movement. Safiyah, as we know, was the wife of the widely revered Saad Zaghlul, whose repute as the leader of the 1919 Revolution was only eclipsed by that of Gamal Abdel-Nasser. Hoda was the wife of Ali Shaarawi Pasha who was one of the three men who would trigger the 1919 Revolution after their famous meeting with British High Commissioner Sir Reginald Wingate on 13 November 1918. Eventually, however, Ali Shaarawi had a falling out with the leaders of the Wafd and decided to retire from political life and devote himself to the management of his vast estate in Minia.

On the other hand, the two women also differed in many ways. Most importantly, here, Hoda Shaarawi's native Egyptian origins helped her to become more integrated in the nationalist movement and in public life in general. She was thus able to become more than a symbol both inside and outside the Wafd.

The Exalted Lady was eminently suited to her political role. In 1909, when not even 30, she helped organise Mubarrat Mohamed Ali, a women's social service organisation. In 1914, she was among the first to participate in the founding of the Educated Egyptian Women's Federation. She was in the front lines of the women's demonstrations that took place on 16 March 1919 and in which took part the wives from well-to-do families who cheered for women to be free and independent and called for the downfall of the protectorate. In addition, she chaired the Wafd's Central Women's Committee until 1923. Some historians hold that she resigned over an ideological dispute between her and the Wafd leadership over the constitution that was promulgated that year. Others maintain that she was prompted by personal reasons, having decided to side with her husband, Ali Shaarawi, following his falling out with the Wafd leadership. In either case, henceforward she would head the Egyptian Women's Federation, which she had founded before her resignation from the Wafd's Central Women's Committee.

It should be stressed that neither she nor the organisation she founded harbored any animosity towards the Wafd, as was often the case with many others who broke with the large populist party. To a large extent, this was because this federation was non-partisan and focussed entirely on its advocacy of women's economic and social rights. In fact, many Wafdist women were members of the women's federation, without this in any way posing a conflict of interests with their party membership. In fact, in her speech to the Wafd convention, Nur Hassan paid tribute to Hoda Shaarawi who, she said, made a significant contribution to the nationalist movement and is now working in the field of the advocacy of the rights of women.

Hoda Shaarawi herself returned the compliment two days later in a lecture she broadcast on the national radio station on women's culture and activities in society. How delighted she was, she said, to have seen Egyptian women take their place among the speakers at the Wafd Party convention. "This constitutes an open recognition by the Wafd Party, which represents the vast majority of the people, of the competence of women and their right to speak for half the nation, that half that has unjustifiably been kept silent and idle for so long. I take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the Wafd and its exalted chairman for following in the footsteps of Saad Zaghlul in its support for the advancement of the Egyptian woman."

Hoda Shaarawi's radio broadcast marked a new page in the history of Egyptian women. What would have particularly drawn her audience's attention was her focus on young Turkey. This was the Turkey of Kemal Ataturk, which after having been liberated from the degradation of slavery and the oppression of colonialism, would not rest until its emancipation was complete. It thus granted its women their full and complete rights. "Turkey, like all emerging nations, could be built on the ruins of decay," Shaarawi said. "If only all civilised Eastern governments, above all the government of Egypt, would emulate the Turkish revival, thereby shortening the road that they must inevitably follow if they are not to land back among the lagging nations at times of political and economic adversity when relative strengths and abilities most determine their share of benefits and rights."

Towards the end of her lecture, Shaarawi revealed why she had devoted such attention to Turkey in particular. A delegation of women who have obtained the confidence of their governments was scheduled to arrive in Egypt to promote the call to international solidarity and brotherhood and to rally support for a conference they would be holding in Istanbul in April. She herself would be hosting the members of the delegation. She concluded with an appeal to her fellow citizens to "accept the invitation that you will receive to attend this conference", adding that she prayed the turnout would be excellent. "This will be the first conference of its like in this age and it will have a great and memorable impact in the history of the advancement of the Eastern woman. The Turkish government is planning a magnificent official celebration for the conference and Turkish streamliners are prepared to undertake all the necessary arrangements for transport, for which they will offer reductions in fares."

The Exalted Lady and her colleagues in the women's federation campaigned energetically to drum up enthusiasm for the forthcoming visit of the international women's delegation. In fact, Nur Hassan composed a short poem for the occasion:

In the home of the federation,

Friendship greets affection.

Egypt extends the hand of reason

When reason reaches out its hand.

Visitors to the Nile, and to the Federation,

Welcome to you and your association.

At the same time, Shaarawi took every opportunity this visit offered to promote and draw attention to the feminist cause. When, for example, the delegation was invited to the Worker's Federation Club, headed by the noble Abbas Halim, Shaarawi made a point of stressing the sympathy that all Egyptian people, especially Egyptian women, had for the workers' cause.

The women of the visiting delegation did likewise. In her address to the Egyptian Women's Federation, the delegate from the International Feminist Federation noted that some men regarded the feminist movement with alarm. "They wonder what will happen when women obtain more rights than they currently have. They fear that the additional burdens that this will place on women's shoulders will upset the harmony, health and well-being of the family. Such apprehensions were ill-founded, especially given that the more education women received, the more they would realise the importance of their duties. The greater women's knowledge of the affairs that determine the fate of their nation, the easier it will be for them to raise their children properly and to help their husbands in their affairs, without in any way diminishing their love and affection for them, sentiments, which in all events, abound in the heart of women."

The Egyptian Women's Federation also took advantage of the interim between the visit of the delegates from the International Feminist Federation and the departure of Egyptian delegates to the conference in Istanbul. Top on the federation's agenda was its anniversary celebration in early March, which this year featured an outstanding play by the eminent Tawfiq El-Hakim. Daughters from prominent families undertook all arrangements for this splendid event, which included a live performance by the talented Sami El-Shawa of some of his new compositions and many other surprises, which combined to make this celebration a completely original and rare occasion.

Then the following day 3 March 1935 Al-Ahram 's front page blazoned: A branch of international women's society opens in Egypt. Under the headline the newspaper reported, "A group of upper class women met in the home of the well-known scholar and author Fatma Naemat Rashed whom the International Federation for Mothers and Educated Women for Peace delegated to establish a branch of this society in Egypt. Many prominent women in the intellectual movement in Egypt are expected to participate." Adjacent to the article was a large group picture of some of the women who attended the reception.

Just over a month later, the newspaper announced that Hoda Shaarawi, at the head of a delegation of Egyptian women, had set off to Alexandria from where they would depart to represent Egypt in the 12th convention of the International Feminist Federation which would be held in Yildiz Palace in Istanbul from 17 to 25 April. Contrary to its custom, Al-Ahram on this occasion listed each member of the delegation. The list was impressive. In addition to Shaarawi, it included Nafisa Mohamed Ali, Amina Fouad Sultan, Esther Fahmi Wissa, Fatma Naemat Rashed, Ceza Nabrawi, Ellen Sarrouf, Hawa Idris, Houriya Idris, Jean Arqash, Leila Khalil Thabet and Nelly Di Shadid. The newspaper also noted that the 12-member delegation was much larger than any Egypt had ever sent to this conference. Indeed, the women must have felt proud at having mustered such a force considering that the Egyptian delegation to the federation's first conference, held in Rome in 1923, consisted of no more than three: Shaarawi, Nabawiya Moussa and Ceza Nabrawi.

What the newspaper did not remark on was that the 1935 delegation included many women from families of Lebanese origin. But this perhaps is not surprising. Not only had many of these women been long-term members of the Egyptian feminist movement but also by this time they and their families had been thoroughly Egyptianised.

In all events, Al-Ahram officials clearly felt that the occasion was important, for it dispatched one of its correspondents to Istanbul in order to keep readers abreast of the events of the conference. But, even before the delegation arrived in Istanbul, the newspaper had a source on board the ship bound first for Piraeus and then for Izmir. Described by the newspaper as a writer accompanying the delegation, this source reported that representatives of the municipality of Izmir greeted the visiting delegation upon its arrival in the Turkish port, adding: "Madame Shaarawi dispatched two telegrams on behalf of her delegation, one to the chairman of the conference and the other to the head of the Turkish Feminist Federation, expressing the delegations delight to have arrived in Turkey and its eagerness to meet with the other delegations in defence of the rights of women."

The Al-Ahram correspondent in Istanbul filed his first report on 18 April. "Yildiz Palace thronged with the participants of the conference, who first assembled in the palace's grand reception hall. At the specified time, the mayor of Istanbul arrived and inaugurated the conference on behalf of the Turkish government. The Egyptian delegation and its leader, the Exalted Hoda Shaarawi Hanem, were received with the greatest warmth and enthusiasm. Madame Shaarawi took this occasion to express how pleased she was at the progress achieved by Turkish women in their foray into the domain of work of public life alongside men."

In his next dispatch, appearing two days later, the correspondent reported on Shaarawi's speech to the conference on cooperation between the East and West. She discussed the great practical benefits for all mankind that could arise from such cooperation. The Turkish newspapers published her address in full and the accompanying commentary reflected the greatest admiration for her remarks.

Several days later, the text of the address itself appeared in Al-Ahram. Shaarawi took as her starting point the former capital of the Ottoman Empire which, straddling the Bosporus, combined the beauty of both the Asian and European continents and visibly displayed the possibilities of fraternity between these two worlds. This potential was also apparent in the fact that Turkey no longer knows national, racial or religious bounds, a reference to the reforms instituted by the reviver of its magnificent glory, Kemal Ataturk. Certainly, too, the warm and enthusiastic welcome that was accorded to the four new women's associations, representing Arab and Oriental women from Damascus, Beirut, Palestine, Iran and India, was indicative of the desire to bring the East and West closer together.

There followed a lengthy discourse on what Shaarawi perceived to be the obstacles preventing Oriental women from cooperating with the Western women's movement, whose members clearly admired and desired to encourage their eastern sisters. The most formidable of these obstacles were unjust traditions, beliefs and laws pertaining to the sexes. Nevertheless, she believed, "Ataturk's magic wand had demonstrated to the world that these obstacles could be overcome and that the eastern revival was firmly set on a course towards success and progress."

As for the obstacles to East-West cooperation, in general, she seemed to lay the onus on men. "Work to stop the causes of war, then the wounds of war will mend," she said. However, she then exhorted her fellow participants from the East and West to recall the words of the conference chairman from the previous day. Miss Corbett Ashley had said that women were as responsible as men for the good or bad policies their governments followed. Addressing the conference participants, she said, "Instead of demanding peace with cries and tears, you must, in all free countries, criticise the policies of the political parties and work to make your voice heard in the newspapers, public forums, the radio and the cinema."

The Al-Ahram correspondent also knew readers would be interested in the address delivered by Ceza Nabrawi at the reception for international press representatives. Nabrawi commended the Egyptian press for the support it gave to the feminist movement in Egypt, adding that women journalists were frequently invited to the most important banquets and conventions for the press. "I can proudly tell you that our most prominent writers and journalists in Egypt do not merely support our cause, but are also members in our federation, which does not represent the cause of our sex alone, but other causes that strengthen the hope for advancement and progress."

On 11 May 1935, after its correspondent returned to Cairo, Al-Ahram published his complete report on the Egyptian women's delegation and the Istanbul international conference. "Gratitude should be extended to each member of the Egyptian delegation," he said, "for their considerable efforts to promote Egypt and the cause of the advancement of the Egyptian woman, whether in the conferences forums, in interviews and in articles in the press. All this was instrumental in focussing special attention upon Egypt and its representatives in the conference."

The general interest in Egypt and the cause of Egyptian women was reflected in the enthusiastic response to the several speeches given by the delegates. Naturally, there was the speech by Hoda Shaarawi, delivered in French, although she preceded it with an introduction in Turkish to express her gratitude to the Turkish authorities and the Turkish women's federation for their generous hosting of the conference. But, there were also the addresses by Ceza Nabrawi and by Esther Fahmi Wissa, in English, on the reasons why women should demand equal political rights.

More significantly, the Egyptian delegation was influential in the formulation of the conference's resolutions, two of which were based directly on the delegation's proposals. The first of these read:

"In the interests of advancement, all women of the West should support all women of the East in their struggle to eradicate the legal, social and economic causes of their degradation and in their fight to win equal rights along with men in the countries to which they belong."

The second resolution stated:

"The conference has adopted the Egyptian report regarding the principle of equality between men and women with respect to the question of nationality; the said principle being impossible to put into effect in light of the Capitulations System that imposes a new form of inequality as it places the Egyptian family before two incompatible sets of laws."

Although the participants returned to their home countries when the conference ended on 25 April, the impact of the conference continued to be felt for at least four months afterwards. Of particular note was the letter the Egyptian Women's Federation sent to the prime minister on 15 August urging him to support the appeal launched by Indian Muslim women to outlaw polygamy. "This practice," they wrote, "conflicts with the law of nature and the traditions of the modern age. It also violates the spirit of Islamic Law, which only permitted for multiple wives on certain conditions which are impossible to obtain."

The letter concluded with the restatement of the belief, established in the conference, that any just government of the future must nurture the well-being of women and children for the sake of society as a whole, and it must enable women to participate in the formulation of the policies of the future and the application of laws and regulations in the nation.

While the letter from the Egyptian Women's Federation to the prime minister brought this chapter in the history of the Egyptian feminist movement to a close, the work of the Exalted Lady Shaarawi would ensure that there would be many more chapters to come.