Fatma Alem Shargawi

Egypt's first female judge and a champion of legal reform who shattered gender barriers in the Arab world.

Fatma Alem Shargawi (1910–2001) was a legal pioneer in Egypt who became the first woman to serve as a judge in the Arab world. Born in Cairo, she graduated top of her law class at Cairo University in 1934 and later earned a doctorate from the Sorbonne in Paris. Her 1950 appointment to the Egyptian courts marked a historic milestone, challenging deeply entrenched gender roles in Islamic legal systems.

Shargawi championed women's rights through landmark rulings, such as upholding inheritance rights for female heirs and penalizing domestic violence. She co-founded the National Council for Women in 1980, shaping policies to combat gender discrimination. Her memoir, Breaking the Glass Ceiling in the Sharia Courts, remains a key text in Middle Eastern legal studies.

Despite threats from conservative factions, she mentored generations of female lawyers, including current Supreme Court Justice Nahla al-Mikawy. Her legacy is celebrated annually during Egypt's National Women's Day, with legal scholars citing her as a precursor to global movements like #MeToo.