Arab Feminist Union (AFU)

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<a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arab-Feminist-Union/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Arab-Feminist-Union">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-questions"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 pb-0 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-15"> Related Questions </div> <ul> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/Who-were-some-early-feminist-thinkers-and-activists">Who were some early feminist thinkers and activists?</a> </li> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/What-is-intersectional-feminism">What is intersectional feminism?</a> </li> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/How-have-feminist-politics-changed-the-world">How have feminist politics changed the world?</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-read-next"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: All-Arab Feminist Union, General Arab Feminist Union</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Lisa-Leitz/9454668" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Lisa Leitz</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Assistant Professor of Sociology, Hendrix College. Author of <em>Fighting for Peace: Veterans and Military Families in the Anti–Iraq War Movement </em>(2014). Her contributions to SAGE Publications's <em>Encyclopedia...</em></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Lisa Leitz</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arab-Feminist-Union/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also called: </dt> <dd>All-Arab Feminist Union or General Arab Feminist Union</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Areas Of Involvement: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/feminism">feminism</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Arab-Feminist-Union"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1223347"></span>Arab Feminist Union (AFU)</strong>, transnational organization of feminist associations from Arab countries, which first <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="convened" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convened" data-type="MW">convened</a> in 1944. The Arab Feminist Union (AFU) focused on achieving social and political <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/gender-equality" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">gender equality</a> while promoting Arab <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="nationalism" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalism" data-type="MW">nationalism</a>. The Egyptian Feminist Union (EFU) and its founder, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Huda-Sharawi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Huda Sharawi</a>, played a critical role in founding and organizing the AFU.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The seeds of pan-Arab <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/feminism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">feminism</a> were sown in the 1920s and ’30s, when feminists in the Arab world, led by Sharawi and the EFU, sought to connect with the international <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/womens-movement" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">women’s movement</a>. The EFU was accepted by the International Women Suffrage Alliance (IAW; later called International Alliance of Women) as an <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="affiliate" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affiliate" data-type="MW">affiliate</a> in 1923, and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Womens-International-League-for-Peace-and-Freedom" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom</a> added an Egyptian section in 1937. The established international women’s organizations, however, remained largely dominated by European and North American feminists, and representatives from the colonized countries of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Middle-East" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Middle East</a> as well as those of Asia, Africa, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-America" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">South America</a> often saw their concerns pushed to the margins. Of particular concern to Arab feminists was the ongoing Zionist migration to Palestine, which they saw as a violation of the rights of Palestinian Arabs. Sharawi, a strong supporter of Palestinian rights, continued to raise the issue at international women’s conferences but to no avail.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1938 Arab feminists attended a separate conference, the Eastern Women’s Conference for the Defense of Palestine. Sponsored by the EFU and held in Cairo, it was intended to voice support for the Palestinian rebellion against the British <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="mandate" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandate" data-type="MW">mandate</a>. During the conference Sharawi suggested that the individual countries establish feminist unions and that those unions could then be gathered together into a single organization spanning the Arab world.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In December 1944 the EFU convened the Arab Feminist Congress in Cairo. That progressive conference established the AFU, which brought together <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="diverse" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diverse" data-type="MW">diverse</a> women’s organizations to promote both feminism and pan-Arab unity. The EFU administered the AFU, which was headquartered in Egypt; Sharawi became the AFU’s first president in 1945. Its treasurer and secretary were also Egyptians. Each of the other member countries—Trans-Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon—had two representatives on the board. Sharawi drafted the AFU’s constitution in 1945.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Among the issues addressed by the AFU were the rights accorded to women under Islam, the use of Arab women as prostitutes by Western militaries, and the gendered nature of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arabic-language" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Arabic language</a>. However, from 1950 to 1960 several totalitarian <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="regimes" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/regimes" data-type="EB">regimes</a> in newly independent Arab countries cracked down on feminist organizing. The Egyptian government forced the closure of the EFU in 1956, compelling the AFU to transfer its headquarters to Beirut. The organization declined, but it was revived during increased feminist activism at the end of the 20th century.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Lisa-Leitz/9454668">Lisa Leitz</a></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":2041684,"pageLength":447,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"D","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Arab Feminist Union (AFU) | Britannica