zaynab_alghazali

Founder of Egypt's first women's political party and Islamic reformer

Zaynab al-Ghazali (1917-2005) was an Egyptian feminist and Islamic scholar who pioneered women's political participation in the Arab world. As a young woman, she established the Al-Nahda Party in 1948 - the first political party in Egypt created and led entirely by women. This groundbreaking organization advocated for women's suffrage and education while promoting Islamic principles.

Al-Ghazali's The Muslim Woman's Manual (1960) became a seminal text interpreting Islamic law through a feminist lens. She organized the first women's mosque in Cairo and trained female religious scholars, challenging traditional gender roles in Islamic communities. Despite being imprisoned for her activism during Nasser's regime, she continued advocating for women's rights until her death.