Feminists, Insha’allah! The Story of Arab Feminism

From reformer Qasim Amin who advocated women’s emancipation in 1899, and pioneer Huda Shaarawi who took off her veil in 1923, to the high-spirited activists of today: Arab feminism has been around for a while. What has a century of struggle for women’s rights produced? Supported by extensive archive material and interviews, Ben Mahmoud outlines the often difficult emancipation of women in the Arab world, particularly in Tunisia and Egypt. Feminists have not only been shaped by the tension between Western ideals and religious conservatism; the colonial domination and struggle for independence have left their mark too. In the courtroom and in the streets, in parliament and on the Internet: there is always a new generation of feminists searching for the limits of their freedom.