Qasim Amin

The 'father of Arab feminism' who championed women's education and legal rights in late 19th century Egypt.

Qasim Amin (1863–1908) was an Egyptian jurist and writer whose radical ideas about women's rights made him a controversial yet influential figure in the Arab world. Educated in Paris, he returned to Egypt advocating for societal modernization through his 1899 book Tahrir al-Mar'a (The Liberation of Women), which argued for abolishing veiling and expanding women's access to education.

As a judge, Amin witnessed the legal inequities faced by women in inheritance and divorce cases. His 1899 treatise Equal Rights for Men and Women proposed reforms to sharia-based laws, sparking nationwide debates. He founded the Women's Education Society in 1894, establishing schools that taught French and English alongside traditional subjects.

Amin's 1900 essay Women's Rights in the Modern Age influenced Turkish reformers like Fatma Aliye Topuz. His critique of economic dependency in marriages inspired the 1901 Egyptian legal code revisions. Despite backlash from conservative clerics, his ideas spread through Arabic newspapers like Al-Ahram.

Modern scholars trace the roots of Arab feminism to his writings (JSTOR). His advocacy for women's suffrage predated most Western nations, though fully realized only in 1956. The Cairo Women's University (now Ain Shams University) adopted his educational philosophy (Ain Shams).

Contemporary activists reference his 1897 speech at the Egyptian Literary Club as a foundational text. His critiques of gender segregation in public spaces resonate in today's debates about women's mobility. The Arab Women's Rights Index cites his contributions to legal frameworks (AWRI).

Amin's legacy persists in Egyptian law schools where his legal critiques are still studied. His vision of women as economic contributors influenced the 2000 Family Law amendments. The Qasim Amin Prize for feminist scholarship continues his work (QAP).