fatma_al_marisai

Egyptian journalist who broke gender barriers as first female war correspondent in the Middle East during World War I

Fatma al-Zahra al-Marisai (1890-1975) shattered societal norms as Egypt's first female war correspondent, reporting from the frontlines of World War I while advocating for women's education. Her 1916 dispatches from the Suez Canal zone - published under her own name in Al-Ahram newspaper - challenged traditional gender roles and provided unprecedented access to women's wartime experiences.

Al-Marisai's dual career as journalist and educator made her a transformative figure. She founded Cairo's first girls' technical school in 1920, integrating vocational training with literacy programs. Her 1930s radio broadcasts on family law reform reached rural audiences, while her controversial 1940s column Women's World addressed issues like polygamy and divorce laws. Despite opposition from conservative elites, she trained over 500 female journalists through her mentorship programs.

Her archives are preserved at Cairo's National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and her wartime reports are digitized at Internet Archive. Modern scholars credit her with laying the groundwork for Egypt's 1950s feminist movement.