Salima Abi Rashed (1887–1919; ), was a Lebanese lawyer and journalist, considered the country's first female lawyer. She founded one of Lebanon's earliest women's magazines, ''Fatat Lobnan'', in 1914.

Biography

Salima Abi Rashed was born in 1887. Her family were

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

from the village of in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

Baabda District Baabda District ( ar, قضاء بعبدا, transliteration: ''Qada' Baabda''), sometimes spelled ''B'abda'', is a district (''qadaa'') of Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon, to the south and east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The region is als ...

. Abi Rashed is considered the first woman to become a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

in Lebanon. She practiced in the courts of Baabda District. She is also considered a pioneer among Lebanese women journalists. In 1911, she was tasked with managing the newspaper ''al-Nasir'', a daily political publication owned by her brother. Then, in 1914, she founded a monthly magazine called ''Fatat Lobnan'', meaning "The Woman of Lebanon," in Beirut. Considered one of the earliest women's magazines in the country, ''Fatat Lobnan'' covered both scientific and literary topics, and it advocated for an equal place for women in the workplace. "A woman is capable of following a man's suit in the majority of life's tasks," Abi Rashed, who edited the magazine, wrote in the debut issue. The magazine was part of an influential wave of women's publications across the region in this period. It was discontinued after an eight-month run due to the onset of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In her work, Abi Rashed also emphasized the importance of women's education, connecting women's liberation with the aim of bringing the nation into the modern era, and viewing women as key players in Lebanon's future. However, she and her contemporaries "sought not merely to imitate Western women but to define an autonomous, 'Eastern' vision of modern womanhood," the scholar Charlotte Weber writes. While managing her publication in Lebanon, Abi Rashed also lived for a period in

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 ...

, where she worked as a teacher. She died in 1919, while she was only in her early thirties. After her death, she was memorialized in the publication ''

Fatat al-Sharq ''Fatat al-Sharq'' ( ar, فتاة الشرق; ''Girl of the East'') was an Egyptian women's periodical first published in 1906 by Labiba Hashim when she was 18 years old, Though some sources date the magazine A magazine is a periodical publi ...

'' as "an exemplar for women in gravity, pleasantness, well-considered opinions, and fine principles," an "excellent literary woman."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abi Rashed, Salima 1887 births 1919 deaths Lebanese women writers 20th-century Lebanese lawyers Lebanese women journalists People from Baabda District Lebanese emigrants to Egypt