Asma al-Ghul (born in 1982; also ''Al Ghoul'', ''Alghoul'' )( ar, أسماء الغول) is a secular Palestinian

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

journalist who writes for the

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...

-based newspaper Al-Ayyam, chronicling what she calls “the corruption of

Fatah Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...

and the terrorism of

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...

.” Al-Ayyam is sometimes banned in Gaza by

. Al-Ghul is described by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as "known for her defiant stance against violations of

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

in Gaza."

Biography

Al-Ghul was born in 1982 in Rafah, a Gazan city bordering

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

whose population is mainly Palestinian refugees. In 2003, she married an Egyptian poet and moved to

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

. She and her husband later divorced, and she returned to Gaza with their son. In 2006, al-Ghul permanently took off her Islamic khimār (headscarf). In 2009, al-Ghul reported being stopped and interrogated by Hamas after walking on a public beach near the Shati refugee camp in Gaza with a mixed-gender group of friends, while wearing jeans and a T-shirt with no headscarf, and laughing. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

said it was the first time since coming to power in 2007 that Hamas had tried to punish a woman for behaving in a way it viewed as un-Islamic. Al-Ghul says her male friends were subsequently detained for several hours, beaten, and then forced to sign statements saying they would not again "violate public moral standards." Hamas has denied that the incident took place. In February 2011, al-Ghul said she was beaten while covering a rally expressing solidarity between Palestinians and Egyptians. In March 2011, al-Ghul and seven other female Palestinian journalists said they were beaten and tortured by Hamas security forces while trying to cover rallies calling for Hamas to seek a peaceful reconciliation with Fatah. The Hamas government later apologized for some of the attacks, and promised to launch an investigation. At the age of 18, al-Ghul won the Palestinian Youth Literature award. In 2010, she received a Hellman/Hammett award from

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

, aimed at helping writers "who dare to express ideas that criticize official public policy or people in power." Her work has been translated into English, Danish, and Korean. In 2012, al-Ghul was awarded the Courage in Journalism Award by the

International Women's Media Foundation The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical so ...

."Asmaa al-Ghoul aims to keep thorn in Hamas' side"
in the ''Jerusalem Post'', October 23, 2012 She works for Lebanon's Samir Kassir Foundation, which advocates for media freedom. On August 3, 2014, at least nine members from her family were killed in an Israeli airstrike, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.Never ask me about peace again
in the ''Al-Monitor, Palestine Pulse'', August 4, 2014 In an essay, al-Ghul documented her experiences after hearing about the death of her family, entitle

In 2016, she published in French a book co-writing with Sélim Nassib,
L'insoumise de Gaza
', translated in English in 2018 by Mike Mitchell,
A Rebel in Gaza: Behind the Lines of the Arab Spring, One Woman’s Story
.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghul, Asma 1982 births Living people Palestinian women journalists Palestinian feminists Palestinian women writers People from Rafah Governorate