Tarab Abdul Hadi ( ar, طَرب عبد الهادي), also
transliterated
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or L ...
Tarab 'Abd al-Hadi, (1910–1976) was a
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
activist and
feminist.
In the late 1920s, she co-founded the
Palestine Arab Women's Congress (PAWC), the first women's organization in
British Mandate Palestine, and was an active organizer in its sister group, the Arab Women's Association (AWA).
Biogragraphy
Tarab Abdul Hadi was born in
Jenin in 1910.
She was the wife of Awni Abd al-Hadi
Awni Abd al-Hadi, ( ar, عوني عبد الهادي) aka Auni Bey Abdel Hadi (1889, Nablus, Ottoman Empire – 15 March 1970, Cairo, Egypt) was a Palestinian political figure. He was educated in Beirut, Istanbul, and at the Sorbonne University ...
, who was himself active in politics and went on to become a prominent member of the Istiqlal party
The Istiqlal Party ( ar, حزب الإستقلال, translit=Ḥizb Al-Istiqlāl, lit=Independence Party; french: Parti Istiqlal; zgh, ⴰⴽⴰⴱⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵍⵉⵙⵜⵉⵇⵍⴰⵍ) is a political party in Morocco. It is a conservative and ...
. Abdul Hadi and other women from notable Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
families, established the Palestine Arab Women's Congress (PAWC) to make clear their opposition to the Zionist
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
presence in Palestine and their support for the men's national struggle for independence.
The first meeting of the PAWC was held at Abdul Hadi's home in Jerusalem on 26 October 1929, with the event since heralded as the "first time" that Palestinian women entered the political arena. Abdul Hadi became one of the members of PAWC's Executive Committee, which consisted of fourteen women, drawn primarily from notable Jerusalem families (such as the Husseinis, Alamis, Nashashibi
Nashashibi ( ar, النشاشيبي; transliteration, Al-Nashāshībī) is the name of a prominent Palestinian family based in Jerusalem.
After the First World War, during the British period, Raghib al-Nashashibi was Mayor of Jerusalem (1920–1 ...
s, and Budeiris). Besides writing letters and telegram
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
s to raise awareness of the Palestinian plight, the PAWC also engaged in prisoner advocacy. This involved the attempt to shorten harsh prison sentences by appealing to the British authorities and raising money to support families who had lost their breadwinners to imprisonment.[Karmi, 2002, pp. 31-33.]
Abdul Hadi was also active in the Arab Women's Association (AWA), also founded in 1929, which became the most prominent feminist organization in Palestine. In her capacity as an AWA organizer, she delivered a speech at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in April 1933, during a visit by British General Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, (23 April 1861 – 14 May 1936) was a senior British Army officer and Imperial Governor. He fought in the Second Boer War and also in the First World War, in which he led th ...
, stating: "The Arab ladies ask Lord Allenby to remember and tell this to his government ... The mothers, daughters, sisters of the Arab victims are gathered here to make the world witness the betrayal of the British. We want all the Arabs to remember that the British are the cause of our suffering and they should learn from the lesson."
Abdul Hadi was also active in the campaign against the veil
A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has been prominent ...
, an initiative launched by local women encouraging Palestinian women to remove their veils.
After the 1948 Arab–Israeli war, Abdul Hadi ended up in Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...
, 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 Medit ...
with her husband, Awni Abd al-Hadi. Her husband died in Cairo in 1970, and she died there in 1976.
See also
* Arab Women's Executive Committee
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Arab Women Organization's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdul Hadi, Tarab
1910 births
1976 deaths
People from Jenin
Arab people in Mandatory Palestine
Palestinian activists
Palestinian feminists
Palestinian women