Malak Hifni Nasif facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Malak Hifni Nasif
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 25 December 1886 |
| Died | 17 October 1918 (aged 31) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Saniyyah Teacher Training College |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Union for the Education of Women |
| Main interests | Feminism |
Malak Hifni Nasif (born December 25, 1886 – died October 17, 1918) was an important Egyptian feminist. She played a big role in discussions about how to improve the lives of Egyptian women in the early 1900s.
Contents
Malak's Early Life and Education
Malak was born in Cairo in 1886. Her family was middle-class. Her father, Hifni Bey Nasif, was a lawyer who believed in education. He strongly encouraged Malak to learn and go to school.
From a young age, Malak loved reading Arabic poetry and started writing in her free time. Her father also taught her a lot about the Arabic language and Egyptian culture.
Malak was one of the first girls to graduate from the Girls’ Section of the ‘Abbas Primary School in 1901. She then went to the Saniyyah Teacher Training College. She graduated at the top of her class in 1903. After college, Malak taught at the ‘Abbas School for two years.
Marriage and New Beginnings
In 1907, Malak married Abd al-Satar al-Basil Pasha. At that time, Egyptian law said married women could not teach. So, Malak had to quit her job.
She moved with her husband to al-Fayyum, a desert area. There, she started writing under a secret name: Bahithat al-Badiya. This means "Researcher of the Desert."
It was in al-Fayyum that Malak discovered her husband already had another wife and a child. This experience, along with seeing how other women were treated, made her think deeply about women's lives in Egypt. She started writing openly about these issues.
Malak wrote many letters to other writers and friends, like May Ziadah. She also wrote responses to famous male writers of her time, such as Qasim Amin. Malak stayed married for 11 years. She died in 1918 from influenza during the global pandemic. She was only 31 years old.
Malak's Feminist Ideas
Malak lived during a time when many people in Egypt were discussing women's roles in society. Important thinkers like Huda Sha'arawi and Qasim Amin were part of these talks. People were also debating the future of the Middle East. Malak joined these conversations and shared her own ideas for improving Egypt's future.
She began publishing her writings in Al Jarida, a major newspaper. Malak also gave speeches at universities. In 1909, she published a book called Al-Nisa’iyyat. This book was a collection of her speeches and essays. Through her writings and talks, she became a strong voice for women's progress.
Many feminist ideas at the time linked women's advancement with becoming more like European societies. For example, some women, like Huda Sha’rawi, supported women removing their face veils. They saw this as a sign of "progress" towards a more European and free life for women.
Malak agreed with some of her fellow feminists. However, she also had unique ideas. She believed that true progress for women came from combining Western ideas with Islam and traditional Egyptian culture. She wrote about many topics, including unveiling, marriage, and education.
Views on Unveiling
In the early 1900s, some wealthy women started removing their face veils in public. They used this as a symbol of feminism. Writers like Qasim Amin encouraged this, saying it showed women's power and freedom.
Malak, however, disagreed with this idea. She did not think unveiling should be used this way. She felt that many rich women unveiled because they were obsessed with European fashion. It wasn't always because they truly wanted freedom or felt held back by the veil.
She also argued that the veil had been part of Egyptian culture for a long time. Banning it would be too sudden for many women. Malak was careful about Western ideas and colonial stories that were hidden in arguments for unveiling. She warned women to be careful of men who first told them to wear a veil, and then suddenly told them not to for their "freedom." Her views on the veil were different from other Egyptian feminist writers popular in the West.
In her book Al-Nisa'iyyat, Malak explained her arguments against unveiling:
- Women were used to wearing veils. If they unveiled too quickly, they might not know how to act.
- Men who supported unveiling did not understand women's experiences. For example, they didn't think about women being harassed in the streets if they unveiled.
- She believed that Egyptian society was not ready for women to unveil. She felt women were too innocent and men lacked good manners.
- Instead, Malak suggested society should change step by step. First, women should be educated, and men's morals should improve. Only then could women decide whether to veil or not.
Views on Marriage
Malak wrote a lot about women's rights in marriage. This was an issue she knew about personally. The fact that her husband had two wives made her strongly against polygamy (a man having more than one wife). In an article called “Or Co-Wives,” she called polygamy “women’s mortal enemy.”
She believed big changes were needed in marriage:
- Polygamy must end.
- Both men and women should be able to get a divorce.
- The age at which women marry should be raised to at least sixteen.
Malak argued that all these changes should come from one main idea: love must be the reason for marriage. She disliked marriages based on money, like a man marrying a woman just for her wealth. She also argued that women who married too young often faced health problems.
Views on Education
Malak saw education reform as one of the best ways to solve many problems women faced. She wrote that any girl who didn't get to finish school was treated unfairly. She shared this belief with other feminists of her time.
However, she didn't think just any education was enough. She was against missionary schools in Egypt. She said, “the most ignorant of girls are the graduates of the missionary schools.” Malak wanted Egyptians to have more control over public education. She wanted schools to teach girls a full range of subjects, including the history of Egyptian culture.
Malak also believed that formal education alone could not solve all of women's problems. She thought much of the unfairness women faced started at home. She felt that tarbiya, or how a child is raised, shaped a woman's future.
She pointed out differences between European and Egyptian mothers in raising children. She felt Egyptian mothers didn't care for their daughters’ physical health and mental growth as well as European mothers did. Malak argued that mothers must teach their girls to:
- Feel empathy for others.
- Take care of themselves.
- Care for their own children.
Malak suggested reforms to:
- Better teach religion to girls.
- Create more schools for female nurses.
- Increase access to healthcare for women.
- Teach good hygiene practices.
She thought some Westernization would help Egyptian society in child-rearing. But she also strongly believed in teaching Islam to children. Overall, she felt most parts of women's education needed big changes.
Malak's Political Actions
Malak didn't just write about her ideas; she also took action. She started organizations and pushed for political change.
One of her political activities was connecting with women from other countries. She founded the Union for the Education of Women. This group brought Egyptian women together with other Arab and European women. Malak also started an emergency health service, like the Red Cross, and a nursing school for women in her own home.
A very important political action was when Malak presented a ten-point plan to the Egyptian Legislative Assembly in 1911. This plan was for improving women's lives.
- She suggested five points for education: it should include religious teaching; it should be required up to primary school; it should include hygiene, child-rearing, first aid, and economics; it should train women for nursing and teaching jobs; and it should be open to all women for higher studies.
- The other five points focused on other women's rights, like marriage age and unveiling.
Even though the assembly ignored her plan, it was a major example of a woman leading the fight for feminism in a political setting.
Malak's Legacy
Malak died from influenza on October 17, 1918, at the age of 31. Many feminists and government leaders attended her funeral.
Seven years after Malak's death, Huda Sha’rawi held another event to remember her. Important feminist thinkers like Nabawiyya Musa and May Ziadah were there. Malak Hifni Nasif left a strong legacy and was remembered by her friends and fellow activists. However, her unique way of thinking about feminism, which blended Western ideas with Islamic and traditional values, became less common after her death. Huda Sha’rawi then became the most important feminist thinker of that time.
