Fatima Amir

Egyptian feminist and journalist who championed women’s rights and press freedom in the mid-20th century.

Fatima Amir (1918–1995) was an Egyptian journalist and activist who broke barriers in both journalism and gender equality. In 1940, she became the first female editor of Al-Ahram Weekly, a leading Arabic newspaper, and used her platform to advocate for women’s suffrage and legal reforms. Fatima co-founded the National Women’s Society in 1948, which lobbied for laws against workplace discrimination. Her investigative reports exposed systemic gender-based violence, leading to parliamentary debates on women’s safety. She also pioneered radio broadcasts in Arabic targeting rural women, educating them on health and voting rights. Fatima’s influence is documented in Encyclopedia Britannica and the Egyptian History Archive. Despite her death in 1995, her writings remain a cornerstone of feminist discourse in the Arab world.