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Huda Sha'arawi

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The Resume

    (June 23, 1879-December 12, 1947)
    Born in Minya, Egypt
    Birth name was Nour al-Huda Sha'arawi
    Founder and first president (1923-47) of the Egyptian Feminist Movement

Why she might be annoying:

    When she realized she was not being taught the same subjects as her brother, 'I became depressed and began to neglect my studies, hating being a girl because it kept me from the education I sought.'
    At age thirteen, she married her cousin Ali, who already had three daughters older than her.
    She did not stop wearing a hijab until after her husband's death (1922).

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was fluent in Arabic, Turkish, and French.
    In an early act of defiance against the restrictions placed on Muslim women, she insisted on going to department stores to buy her own clothes.
    She founded a school for girls that focused on academic subjects instead of housekeeping skills (1910).
    She led women in street demonstrations protesting the British occupation of Egypt (1919).
    She also organized Egyptian women in a boycott of British goods (1922).
    She led a successful campaign to raise the marriage age to 16 (1924).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying