Doria Shafik
Doria Shafiq درية شفيق | |
---|---|
feminist, revolutionary |
Doria Shafik
Early life
Doria Shafik was born on 14 December 1908 to Ahmad Chafik and Ratiba Nassif in
While in Paris, Shafik married Nureldin Raga'i, a law student who was also on scholarship and working on his PhD.
Career and activism
Upon her return from France to Egypt in 1940, Shafik hoped to contribute to the education of her country's youth, but the dean of the Faculty of Literature of Cairo University denied her a teaching position on the pretext that she was "too liberal."[4]
In 1945, Princess
In 1948 Shafik created the Bint Al Nil Union to help solve women's primary social problems and to ensure their inclusion in their country's policies.[7] The union also worked to eradicate illiteracy by setting up centres for that purpose throughout the country, set up an employment office and a cafeteria for working women.
Storming Parliament
In February 1951, she managed to secretly bring together 1500 women from Egypt's two leading feminist groupings (Bint Al Nil and the Egyptian Feminist Union). She organized a march of people that interrupted parliament for four hours after they gathered there with a series of demands mainly related to women's socioeconomic rights. Mufidah Abdul Rahman was chosen to defend Shafik in court in regards to this.[8][2] When the case went to trial, many Bint al-Nil supporters attended the courtroom, and the judge adjourned the hearing indefinitely.[9]
However, in spite of receiving promises from the President of the Senate, women's rights experienced no improvements.[2]
Female military unit
In 1951, Shafik "started a uniformed paramilitary unit of the Daughter of Nile". In January 1952, she led a brigade of its members to surround and shut down a branch of
Bint Al Nil Party
After the
First hunger strike
On 12 March 1954, Doria Shafik undertook an eight-day hunger strike at the press syndicate, in protest at the creation of a constitutional committee with no women on it.[10] She ended her strike upon receiving a written statement that President Naguib was committed to a constitution that respected the rights of women.
Trip around the world
As a result of the interest sparked by her hunger strike, Doria Shafik was invited to lecture in Asia, Europe and the United States about Egyptian women. She travelled to Italy, England, France, the United States, Japan, India, Ceylon and Pakistan.
Right to vote
As a result of Doria Shafik's efforts, women were granted the right to vote under the constitution of 1956, with the proviso, however, that they must be literate, which was not a prerequisite for male voting.
Second hunger strike
In 1957 Shafik undertook a second hunger strike in the Indian embassy, in protest over President Gamal Abdel Nasser's dictatorial regime. As a result, she was put under house arrest by Nasser, her name was banned from the press and her magazines from circulation.[2]
Literary work
In addition to her magazines, Shafik wrote a novel, L'Esclave de Sultane (Slave of King) about slavery of a woman to a man,
Daughter of the Nile
I have demanded women’s rights
My fight was enlarged to human freedom
And what was the result?
I have no more friends.
So what? Until the end of the road
I will proceed alone.
— Doria Shafik
Seclusion and death
Following her house arrest Doria Shafik led a solitary life, even when her movement was no longer restricted. She spent her last years reading, and writing. She came to her death after falling from her balcony in 1975.[6] The New York Times regretted not printing her obituary and finally printed one in 2018.[2]
Personal life
Shafik married Nureldin Ragai in Paris in 1937. He would go on to become a prominent lawyer in Egypt and to support all of her efforts. They were together for 31 years until 1968, when they divorced, and had two daughters Jehane and Aziza. Doria Shafik was living a solitary life and was visited by her daughters and her grandchildren.[citation needed]
Tribute
On 14 December 2016,
Notes
- ^ Also spelled as Durriyyah Shafīq.
References
- ISBN 978-0-19-514890-9.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- OCLC 34514021.
- ^ .
- ^ "Bint al Nil Journal". digitalcollections.aucegypt.edu. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- ^ a b Kheir, Mohammed (8 March 2012). "Durriya Shafiq: Rebellious Daughter of the Nile". Al Akhbar. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ Nadje S. Al Ali. "Women's Movements in the Middle East: Case Studies of Egypt and Turkey" (Report). SOAS. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
- ISBN 978-977-424-413-1.
- ISBN 978-0-7876-4073-6.
- ^ Mariz Tadros (March 1999). "Unity in Diversity". Al Ahram. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ Doria Shafik (1952). L'esclave Sultane. Nouvelles Editions Latines. GGKEY:8KTWB8112X2.
- ^ Shaker, Nadeen (May 16, 2018). "Daughter of the Nile". The Cairo Review of Global Affairs.
- ^ "Doria Shafik's 108th Birthday". 14 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
Further reading
- Asunción Oliva Portoles, Recuperación de una voz olvidada, Madrid: Huerga y Fierro editores, 2010. ISBN 9788483748237
- Cynthia Nelson, Doria Shafik, Egyptian Feminist: A woman Apart, Gainesville: University Press of Florida (EE.UU.), 1996. ISBN 9780813014555
External links
- Doria Shafik official memorial website
- "Doria Shafik (1908-1975", sister-hood magazine, —9 August 2016
- Selections from the Bint al-Nil journal