Hedaya Zawawi

An Egyptian feminist and educator who pioneered women's universities and challenged Islamic gender norms in the 1930s-50s

Hedaya Zawawi (1902-1987) revolutionized women's education in Egypt by establishing the first women's university in the Arab world. As founder of Cairo's Al-Ahliyya Faculty for Women in 1934, she created a space for 1,500+ students to study medicine, law, and engineering at a time when women were excluded from higher education. Her vision combined progressive Islamic scholarship with modern education, arguing that women's roles in Quranic history justified their participation in public life.

Zawawi's 1948 book Women in Islam sparked national debates about gender equality, while her mobile schools brought literacy to rural areas. She faced backlash from conservative religious groups but gained support from King Farouk's wife. Her legacy continues through the Hedaya Zawawi Scholarship Fund supporting female STEM students. Modern scholars like Nawal El Saadawi credit her as a foundational figure in Arab feminist thought.