Nazik al-Abid

Al-Abid in military before the Battle of Maysalun, 1920

Naziq al-Abid (Arabic: نازك العابد)(1959-1898) was known as the "Joan of Arc of the Arabs" in the Western world. She was a pioneer and revolutionary for both national independence and women's rights.

Early life

Abid was born into a wealthy Damascus family in 1898. Her father was an aristocrat and an insider in the court of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II. She lived a life of luxury as a child, but when she began to think for herself, she left her luxurious life for a life of activism and fighting—on the battlefield, and off. As a young adult, Abid's feminist actions infuriated Damascus's conservative circles, and she was viewed as very different from everyone in her family and community—being called a rebel by many. She left her jewels and silks for simple attire that she could easily work in. In 1927, Naziq al-Abid and Jazairi created with others the Damascene Women's Awakening Society which offers English and sewing courses for poor young girls. She founded two associations with public funds: the Red Star and Light of Damascus which had been promoting the expansion of arab culture in girls schools as well as in the newspaper she created.

Further reading

• Moubayed, Sami M. (2006). Steel & Silk: Men and Women who Shaped Syria 1900-2000. Cune Press. p. 360-. ISBN 9781885942418.