Laila Soueif facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Laila Soueif
Soueif with her daughter Mona Seif
Born	1956 (age 68–69) London, England, UK
Nationality	Egyptian and British
Alma mater	Cairo University
Occupation	Mathematician, academic, human and women's rights activist
Spouse(s)	Ahmed Seif El-Islam
Children	Alaa Abd El-Fattah Mona Seif Sanaa Seif
Relatives	Ahdaf Soueif (sister)

Laila Soueif (Arabic: ليلى سويف) was born in 1956. She is an Egyptian activist who works for human and women's rights. She is also a professor of mathematics at Cairo University. Laila Soueif was married to fellow activist Ahmed Seif El-Islam. All three of their children, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, Sanaa Seif, and Mona Seif, are also well-known activists. Her sister is the writer Ahdaf Soueif.

Early Life and Learning

Laila Soueif was born in London, England, in 1956. Her parents were both university professors. She went to her first protest in 1972 in Cairo's Tahrir Square. She was only 16 years old at the time. She later said that she learned it was "easier to defy the state than to defy my parents."

Soueif studied mathematics at Cairo University in the mid-1970s.

Her Work

As of 2014, Laila Soueif was a professor of mathematics at Cairo University.

She also started a group called the 9 March Professors' Movement. This group works to make universities more independent.

Standing Up for Rights

Laila Soueif is well-known for her activism. She often speaks out for human rights.

In 2014, her son, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, was given a prison sentence. This happened because he was accused of breaking a new protest law. Later that year, her daughter Sanaa Seif also received a prison sentence for similar reasons.

In September 2014, Laila Soueif and her daughter Mona Seif started a hunger strike. They did this to protest their family members being held in prison. They stopped their hunger strike after 76 days.

Fighting for Her Son's Freedom

In December 2021, Laila Soueif's son, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, was sent to prison again in Egypt. He was accused of spreading "false news."

On September 30, 2024, her son was supposed to be released from prison. However, Egyptian officials said he would stay until 2027. Because of this, Laila Soueif, who was 68 years old, started another hunger strike. She wanted her son to be released.

She asked the Egyptian and British governments to follow their own laws. She held protests almost every week outside the UK government's Foreign Office in Westminster. She wrote on the pavement how many days her son had been unfairly held. She only had water, rehydration salts, and sugar-free tea and coffee. She also spent an hour each day outside 10 Downing Street.

In January 2025, Australian journalist Peter Greste joined her hunger strike for 21 days. He had been in prison with her son in 2013.

By February 2025, doctors warned Soueif that her life was at risk if she continued her hunger strike. She was taken to a hospital in London. Her blood sugar, blood pressure, and sodium levels were dangerously low. Her family asked UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to help get her son released.

On May 20, 2025, Soueif announced she had restarted her near-total hunger strike. She also continued her daily vigil outside Downing Street. She urged the UK government to make her son's release a top priority. In June 2025, it was confirmed that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had tried to contact Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. However, Sisi had not returned their calls.

Family Life

Laila Soueif met her husband, Ahmed Seif El-Islam, in the mid-1970s at Cairo University. They were married until he passed away in 2014.

Because she was born in the United Kingdom, Laila Soueif has citizenship in both Egypt and the United Kingdom.

She and Ahmed Seif El-Islam are the parents of activists Alaa Abd El-Fattah, Sanaa Seif, and Mona Seif. Her sister is the writer Ahdaf Soueif.

See also

In Spanish: Laila Soueif para niños