Nawal El Saadawi
Nawal El Saadawi
Nawal El Saadawiis an Egyptian feminist writer, activist, physician and psychiatrist. She has written many books on the subject of women in Islam, paying particular attention to the practice of female genital mutilation in her society. She has been described as "the Simone de Beauvoir of the Arab World"...
NationalityEgyptian
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth27 October 1931
CountryEgypt
christian egypt baha
I've lived in Egypt among Christians and Muslims, and we never had a conflict. Now you have a conflict between Christians and Muslims and Baha'is and Sunni and Shia.
egypt colonialism feds
We here in Egypt are fed up with U.S. colonialism.
religious military egypt
Women are suffering because they are being excluded. The high military council excluded women from the committee to change the constitution [of Egypt]. We cannot be liberated as women in a society built on class oppression or gender oppression or religious oppression.
egypt mainstream-culture circumcision
Here the oppression of women is very subtle. If we take female circumcision, the excision of the clitoris, it is done physically in Egypt. But here it is done psychologically and by education. So even if women have the clitoris, the clitoris was banned; it was removed by Freudian theory and by the mainstream culture.
husband egypt world
The family code in Egypt is one of the worst family codes in the Arab world. Polygamy. The husband is having absolute power over the family.
We here in Egypt are fed up with U.S. colonialism.
courage criminals israel war
War criminals in the U.S. and Israel are not punished: no international court has the courage to put them on trial.
convinced people power words
I don't think that people in power can be convinced by words or articles. They will never give it up by choice.
afraid alone divorced proud three women
A lot of women are afraid of loneliness, so when they see a woman who can live alone, then they think, 'Hmm, I can do that.' But you need an example, and that is why I am proud to say I have divorced three husbands.
against british fighting king medical mubarak pushed since
I've participated in many demonstrations since I was a child. When I was at medical college, I was fighting King Farouk, then British colonization, against Nasser, against Sadat who pushed me into prison, Mubarak who pushed me into exile. I never stopped.
achieved countries determines false freedom governed liberated military power system women
Women in most countries have not achieved much, because they can't be liberated under the patriarchal, capitalist, imperialist and military system that determines the way we live now, and which is governed by power, not justice, by false democracy, not real freedom.
believe education god home matter people personal telling totally
Education should be totally secular. I am not telling people not to believe in God, but it should be a personal matter which should be done at home.
increasing oppressed oppression power religious women
When you have increasing power of religious groups, oppression of women increases. Women are oppressed in all religions.
age european face hide life tells whenever wrinkle york
Whenever I go to New York or any European country, they say: 'Nawal, why don't you get a facelift?' I tell them, 'I am proud of my wrinkles. Every wrinkle on my face tells the story of my life. Why should I hide my age?'