Arab Women by First Name A - D
Egyptian
1928-
Diplomat and Professor of Law
- educated in Cairo and Paris
- second woman to be appointed to the Egyptian Cabinet 1971
- Minster of Social Affairs and Social Insurance 1971-77
- first Egyptian woman to be appointed as an ambassador for Egypt
- Ambassador to Denmark 1979-81
- Ambassador to Federal Republic of Germany 1981-4
- Professor of International Law, University of Cairo
International Who’s Who of Women. 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2002. Print. p.468 (DWC collection REF CT3202.I58 2002)
Aisha Abdel-Rahman
(pen name: Bint el-Shati)
Egyptian
1913 - 1998
Writer and University Professor
- Educated at Cairo University.
- Began career as assistant lecturer at Cairo University in 1939
- became Professor of Arabic Literature and Chair Univ. Coll for women in 1962.
- Publications include: Rissalet el Ghofram by Abul Ala'a 1950, New Values in Arabic Literature 1961, The Koran: Literary Interpretation 1962, Ibn Seeda's Arabic Dictionary 1962, Contemporary Arab Women Poets 1963, as well as 2 novels and 4 volumes of short stories.
International Who’s Who of Women. 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2002. Print. p. 1 (DWC collection REF CT3202.I58 2002)
http://www.arabworldbooks.com/authors/aisha_abdelrahman.html
Amina Rizq
Egyptian
b. 1910
Actor
- joined Wahbi's Ramsis troupe in 1924 and appeared in first film in 1928 Su'ad al-Ghajariyya/ Su'ad the Gypsy
- appeared in Egypt's first talking picture Awlad al Dhawatt/Sons of Aristocrats (1932)
- acted in an exaggerated, melodramatic style and usually appeared in supporting roles
- has appeared in over 100 films
- latest film Ard al Ahlam/Land of Dreams (1993)
Leaman, Oliver, ed. Companion Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film. London: Routledge, 2001. Print. p. 121 (DWC collection PN1993.5.A65 C66 2001)
Asmahan
(Amal al Atrache)
Syrian
b.1912 - 1944
Dancer/Singer
- born into an aristocratic family in the Druze mountains
- moved to Egypt in 1925 after her uncle led an uprising against the French mandate in Syria
- began to work as a singer with her mother Princess Alia at private parties, later began to sing in night clubs with her brother Farid al Atrash
- attracted the support of the Egyptian royal family
- In 1937, she recorded her first song Aleik Salat Allah (For you is the prayer of God)
- briefly married to Prince Hasan al Atrash
- In the 1940s, Asmahan recorded her masterpieces Ya Habibi Ta'ala Lhakni (My Love Come Follow Me, Majnoun Layla (Layla Fanatic), Layali al-Uns fi Vienna (Nights of Companionship in Vienna)
- rivallry with Umm Kulthum
- 1942 started to co-star with her brother Farid in Egyptian feature films like Intisar al-Shabab (Victory of Youth) and Gharam Wa Intikam (Love and Revenge)
- she stopped her performances feeling she was too aristocratic to sing in public
- alledged to have worked with the British Intelligence during World War II. Using her connections in the Druze Mountain, she even facilitated the entry of Allied forces into Syria, through the mountain, to expel the pro-German regime of General Henri Dentz
- died in a car accident in 1944
Zuhur, Sherifa. Asmahan's Secrets: Woman, War and Song. Austin: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin, 2000. Print. (DWC collection Biography ML420.A92 Z85 2000)
Assia Djebar
(real name Fatima-Zohra Imalayen )
Algerian
b.1936
Novelist, poet, film director
- first Algerian woman to be admitted to the prestigious Ecole Normale Superieure de Sevres in Paris
- first novel "La Soif" published in 1957, she has since published numerous novels and collections of stories, a collection of poems and the essay "Chronicle of an Algerian Summer" (1993)
- directed "La nouba des femmes du Mont Chenoua"/Noubat Nissa Jabal Chnouwwa in 1978. This innovative film explores time, legend and collective memory as it weaves together the stories of the various characters
- Zerda wa Aghani al-Nisyan/The Zerda and the songs of forgetfulness (1982) is a personal work which views women's place in history and society and focuses on music as a factor of Maghreb life
- 1990 co-directs Femmes en mouvement/Women on the move
http://www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/Bahri/Djebar.html
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/djebar.htm
Assia Djebar. Wikipedia. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assia_Djebar
Leaman, Oliver, ed. Companion Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film. London: Routledge, 2001. Print. p. 463 (DWC collection PN1993.5.A65 C66 2001)
Attiyat Al-Abnudi
Egyptian
b. 1939
Film maker
- educated at Higher Film Institute and London Film School
- director of over 20 film and video documentaries
- first film produced in 1971 Husan al-Tin/Horse of Mud
- 1989 film Iqa 'al Haya/Rhythm of Life most clearly exemplifies her style and interests
- one of few independent film-makers in Egypt
- many of her films are concerned with women, notably Bihar al-Attash/Seas of thirst (1981), al-Ahlam al-Mumkinna/Permissible Dreams (1982), Rawya (1994), Nisa' Mas'ulat/Responsible Women (1995).
- 1996 films a full length documentary Ayam al-Dimuqratiyya /Days of Democracy which covers the problems surrounding female participation in Egyptian parliamentary elections.
Leaman, Oliver, ed. Companion Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film. London: Routledge, 2001. Print. p. 89 (DWC collection PN1993.5.A65 C66 2001)
Emirati
Artist / Business woman
- Daughter of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Mohammed Al-Qasimi Ruler of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Educated at the
Higher Colleges of Technology
Dubai Women's college
Higher Dimploma in Banking and Finance
B.Sc in Business Administration (2000) - Masters in Forced
Migration
University of Oxford- St. Antony's College - Currently a D.Phil. candidate at the University of Oxford Oriental Studies Department- Modern Middle Eastern Studies
- exhibited in group exhibitions in United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, China, United Kingdom
- works in mixed, collage, prints and oil on canvas
Lloyd, Fran, ed. Contemporary Arab Women’s Art: Dialogues of the Present. London: WAL (Women’s Art Library), 1999. Print. p. 239, 209-212.(DWC collection N6260.C65 1999)
Badria al-Awadhi
Legal and environmental consultant
- graduated from Cairo University and University College London
- 1979-88 Dean of Faculty of Law and Sharia, Cairo University
- 1983 -1993 appointed as Deputy Director to the Regional Organisation for the protection of Marine Environment in the Arabian Gulf Region
- consultant to Red Cross on Application of International Humanitarian Law
- member of the task force on international terrorism
- 2000 challenges Kuwait's electoral law which denies women the right to vote
Badriya Al-Tamimi
Business woman
- graduated from Dubai Civil Aviation College in Business Administration
- worked at SOS, an international recruitment agency
- acting manager for Dubai Quality Group
Batool al Fekaiki
Iraqi
b. 1952
Artist
- educated at Institute of Baghdad
- exhibited works solo and in groups in Iraq, Kuwait, Italy, France, Spain, Jordan, Brazil, UK, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, and Germany
- works in oil on canvas and drawing
Lloyd, Fran, ed. Contemporary Arab Women’s Art: Dialogues of the Present. London: WAL (Women’s Art Library), 1999. Print. p.230, 170-172. (DWC collection N6260.C65 1999)
Algerian
1934 -2000
Diplomat
- educated at University of Algiers
- Minister Plenipotentairy, and Deputy Chief Div of International Organizations and Chief of Service for Multilateral Co-operation 1971-77
- Deputy Permanent Representative to UN in charge of UNCTAD 1977-81
- Deputy Secretary General to Third Women's World Conference 1983-5
- Director of Division for Advancement of Women 1981-87
- Director for Division for Economic Cooperation among Developing Countries and Special Programmes
International Who’s Who of Women. 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2002. Print. p. 374-375 (DWC collection REF CT3202.I58 2002)
Dori'a Shafiq
Politician
- established first Egyptian women's political party "Bint al Nil" (Daughters of the Nile) in 1948
Doria Shafik. Wikipedia. Retrieved September 8, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doria_Shafiq