{{Expand Swedish, Syrian-Lebanese Women's Union, date=March 2022
The Syrian-Lebanese Women's Union (al-Ittihad al-Nisa'i al-Suri al-Lubnani) was a women's organization 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 ...
and
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, founded in the 1920s and active until 1946. It has also been called Lebanese Women’s Union, Syrian Arab Women's Union and Arab Women’s Union. It has been referred to as the starting point of the active women's movement in Lebanon and Syria.
History
In 1920–21, several Lebanese women's groups formed an informal Union, which was formally established in 1924. It was founded by a group of several pioneering feminists: among them
Nour Hamada
Nour Hamada (born between 1887 and 1898, died in 1962) was a Lebanese poet and feminist. She is one of the major figures that strived for feminism causes and gender equality in the Arab region.
Biography Early life
Hamada was born in the rural v ...
Nazik al-Abid
Nazik Al Abid ( ar, نازك العابد; 1887–1959) known as the "Joan of Arc of the Arabs" was a Syrian women's rights activist, nationalist, and critic of Ottoman and French colonialism in Syria. She was the first woman to earn rank in the ...
. It was established under the leadership of Labibah Thabit.
The purpose of the Union was to function as an
umbrella organisation
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...
, uniting the women's groups of Lebanon and Syria. It was known as Arab (Lebanese) Women’s Union in Lebanon, and as Syrian Arab Women's Union in Syria. Most of the groups and individuals united under this organisation, were either leftists or secular nationalists.
The Union was a political organisation and hosted conferences and gave speeches and lectures on women's rights. It attended the 11th Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in 1929, and hosted the
First Eastern Women's Congress First Eastern Women's Congress, also known as First General Congress of Oriental Women and First Oriental Women's Congress was an international women's conference which took place in Damascus in Syria between 3 July and 10 July 1930. The conference ...
Laure Thabet
Laure Thabet, was a Lebanese women's rights activist. She was a pioneer figure of feminism in her country.
She belonged to the Christian aristocracy and married to George Bey Thabet.
She is noted as one of the pioneers of organized women's mo ...
. In 1952, the Women’s Union and the Lebanese Women Solidarity Association were united to form the
Lebanese Council for Women
{{Expand Swedish, date=November 2022, Lebanese Council of Women
The Lebanese Council of Women or Lebanese Women's Council (LWC) is a women's organization in Lebanon, founded in 1952. It is an umbrella organization for the Lebanese women's movement ...
, also known as the
Lebanese Women's Council
{{Expand Swedish, date=November 2022, Lebanese Council of Women
The Lebanese Council of Women or Lebanese Women's Council (LWC) is a women's organization in Lebanon, founded in 1952. It is an umbrella organization for the Lebanese women's movemen ...
.
See also
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General Union of Syrian Women The General Union of Syrian Women (GUSW) was founded in 1967 with Saud al Abdallah serving as the original president. It aimed to mobilize women while developing their education, political activism, and skills that helped women become more effectiv ...