Hind Nawfal and Al Fatat. The First Women's Magazine in the Arab World

illustration: DALL-E

Since the emergence of the first newspaper, women have tried their hand in this field. Although men viewed these efforts with skepticism, women did not give up and proved that journalism was not an exclusively male profession.

In past centuries, they were not only writers or poets but also printers, like Helena Ungler, who ran a printing house in Kraków from 1536, and editorial heads, like the Danish Sophie Morsing, who managed the newspaper Wochenliche Zeitung from 1658, or the Swedish Maria Matras, known as N. Wankijfs Enka, who published Ordinarie Stockholmiske Posttijdender between 1690 and 1695. It is unclear whether she authored articles, but the Frenchwoman Anne-Marguerite du Noyer was undoubtedly the most famous journalist of the early 18th century. She wrote for several newspapers, covering not only gossip, scandals, and women`s issues but also politics. Her reports on the peace negotiations in Utrecht appeared in multiple European newspapers, and her simple language and unique style brought her immense popularity, which still resonates today.

Women fought for their rights not only in Europe but also in North America. The Baroness Frederika Charlotte Riedesel reported on the American Revolutionary War, while the Canadian Sophia Dalton edited the newspaper The Patriot in Toronto between 1840 and 1848.

However, special attention must be given to the women of the Arab world. In the male-dominated countries of the region, women still face various challenges. Education, healthcare, and employment are just a few of the many issues they contend with. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Lebanese feminist and journalist Hind Nawfal defied this system by founding and editing the first Arab women`s magazine, Al Fatat (The Girl).

Orthodox Girl from the Arab World

Hind Nawfal was born in 1860 in Tripoli, in what was then Ottoman Syria and is now Lebanon, into a family of Orthodox Christians. Her parents, Maryam Mikha`il Nahhas and Nasim Nawfal, were writers, and her father was also a journalist and publisher. Maryam, an Arab activist, authored the first biographical dictionary about women, Maʻrid al-Ḥasnā` fī Tarājim Shahirāt al-Nisā (A Dictionary Inspired by the Lives of Famous Women), published in 1879.

Both Hind and her older sister Sarah attended missionary schools. They were raised in a Christian spirit but were also exposed to views that did not always align with the ruling authorities.

This ideological conflict forced the Nawfal family to leave their homeland in 1870 and settle in Egypt, specifically in Alexandria. There, both sisters continued their education at an alliance school and later pursued careers in writing and journalism. Sarah was the first to venture into the journalistic wilderness, working for the newspaper Al-Ahram, run by Salim and Bishar Taqla since 1876, and in 1898, she collaborated with the independent Cairo newspaper Lisän al-Hal Reirut.


In the 1870s and 1880s, the Egyptian press enjoyed great freedom. During the reign of Khedive Isma`il Pasha (1863-1879) and even after the British occupation (1882), censorship was nearly nonexistent. Newspapers, magazines, and thematic publications flooded the media market in Cairo and Alexandria. Readers devoured every piece of content, literacy thrived, and printers and publishers rejoiced.

"Only Unmarried Women May Rebel"

Women also became avid readers of books and newspapers. However, the popular newspapers of the time contained few topics related to women. Sarah Nawfal, who had already made a successful start in journalism and whose father was a publisher, decided to fill this gap. For years, she and Hind, who assisted their father in publishing and occasionally wrote articles, dreamed of having their own newspaper. Sarah applied for a newspaper license and received approval, but in the meantime, she got engaged and planned to marry—an obstacle she could not ignore. A married woman was not supposed to work for a living—that was not her purpose. Only unmarried women could rebel, express their opinions, and voice their views. To prevent the approval from going to waste, it was transferred to the then-32-year-old, unmarried Hind.

Hind Nawfal had journalism and writing in her blood. Her fluid writing style, serious approach to issues concerning the status of Arab women, and familiarity with contemporary European women`s magazines allowed the newly appointed editor to spread her wings. She was supported in these endeavors by her journalist uncle and her father, the publisher, who also managed her office.

The first issue of Al Fatat was published on November 20, 1892, entirely edited by its owner. In her six-page introductory article, she justified the necessity of such a publication:

• it would be a magazine about women and for women, edited by women
• it would contain no politics or religious disputes
• it would highlight the virtues of a noble woman, from a maid to a queen
• it would showcase the value of literature, history, and humor
• it would introduce topics related to science
• it would feature biographies of renowned women from antiquity and their achievements
• it would provide guidance on household management and child-rearing
• it would not forget about fashion
• it would be published monthly

In short, as the editor wrote: Al Fatat is a scientific, historical, literary, and humorous newspaper, specializing in its genre, innovative under the Eastern sky.

A Monthly Magazine Is Not Enough: Readers Want More

In the same article, Nawfal appeals to her readers:

I ask my virtuous sisters and literary women to consider Al Fatat the only newspaper in the East, for it expresses their thoughts, reveals the secrets of their hearts, defends their rights, and seeks their manners and education. We are proud to publish our knowledge and the virtues of our works. We believe that a woman writing for newspapers does not compromise her modesty, nor does she violate her purity and good conduct.

In this matter, she refers to the names of prominent female editors who led women`s publications worldwide, such as:

• Mrs. Wellesley of New York, owner and editor of Wellesley Illustrated,
• Miss Cutley from England, who successfully ran the newspaper Belford,
• and the first-ever female sports editor, Maria Morgan, who wrote for The New York Times.

Looking at the first issue of the Arab women`s magazine, one gets the impression that it was handwritten and reproduced in hundreds of copies. It had 40 pages and was, of course, in Arabic. The title page contained a motto and message:

O God of knowledge and generosity, overlook what I have written. Accept it with kindness, grace, and bless it. This "Girl" among the Arabs is knowledge, O Lord.

Hind Nawfal envisioned her magazine, adorned with pearls from the pens of women, as a monthly publication, but its popularity exceeded her wildest expectations. Readers demanded more content, topics, and opportunities to express themselves. Within just a few months, Al Fatat became a biweekly publication.

The Egyptian Phenomenon of the "Mother of Female Journalists"

Sarah eagerly helped her sister, and with her broader connections in writing and journalism, she promoted Hind`s Alexandria-based magazine among her colleagues, which resulted in a diverse range of contributions.

The editor herself was keen on introducing Arab women to the issues faced by American and European women, citing articles from international newspapers. However, The Girl also gained recognition in those foreign markets. The Egyptian magazine was a phenomenon of its time. In the insular Arab world, where men dominated and a married woman`s primary role was to bear children and manage the household, The Girl was revolutionary. It sparked a large-scale feminist movement, and Hind Nawfal, unafraid to use sharp words in defense of her fellow women, earned the title of the mother of female journalists.


As she had declared in the first issue, she did not engage in politics. Her primary principle was the defense of women`s stolen rights and the pursuit of their rightful duties. Inspired by the lives of women in Europe and America, she openly addressed topics such as:

• divorce
• veiling
• marriage
• education
• work
• entertainment

She introduced debates on beauty standards across different countries, posing questions that were later answered in the magazine. This was the case in February 1893, when women engaged in a discussion on Is work more exhausting for men or for women?

With "The Girl" Around the World

Women, who had long been ignored in Arab newspapers, finally had the opportunity to express themselves, debate, and demonstrate their views. Hind showed her compatriots that women can, too. Although things were not always ideal in other countries, women studied, worked, educated others, and ran their own businesses. They built careers.

The first major and significant female figure featured in Al Fatat in a specially created section was Queen Victoria. In subsequent issues, Hind introduced working women from around the world. The Egyptian magazine featured Hannah Skye, the first female judge in the United States, as well as Hanna K. Korany, a Syrian writer and Nawfal`s personal friend.

In May 1893, Korany was invited to Chicago to speak at the World`s Congress of Representative Women and to present Syrian women`s crafts at the World`s Columbian Exposition. She published her account of the event in the July issue of Al Fatat.

A year later, she gave a series of lectures and participated in the annual convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Washington. She reported her journey to her editor friend, who, with her consent, published extensive excerpts from her private letters in Al Fatat.

The Editorial Office of Rebels

Hind often referenced Arab mythology. Semiramis, the Queen of Sheba, and women from the pharaonic era were role models. Gentle yet refined, they achieved their goals and earned social respect.

Al Fatat`s popularity attracted female writers. One of Nawfal`s collaborators was Estera Moyal, a Lebanese journalist of Jewish origin. She was an activist involved in women`s organizations, first in Beirut and later in Cairo. Her experiences, published in Al Fatat, drew even more readers from Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. Fluent in French, English, and Arabic, she translated novels by Alexandre Dumas and Émile Zola, whose reviews Hind Nawfal featured in her magazine.

Another contributor to Al Fatat, more progressive in her actions and life, was Zaynab Fawwaz, a Lebanese writer, poet, and women`s rights advocate. She came from a poor family and started her professional life as a maid, where she learned to read and write. When she joined Nawfal’s magazine, she was a seasoned double divorcée in her third marriage. Although she was knowledgeable on the topic, she was more interested in women`s rights, particularly education. She also believed women deserved access to politics, administration, and economics. She signed her articles with the pseudonym Durrat al-Sharq (Pearl of the East).

Besides rebellious women, Al Fatat also featured contributions from the noble princess Najlā Abī al-Lamaʻ Maʻluf. Coming from a well-off family of doctors and educators, she graduated from the American missionary school in Shwayfat. She was known as Amirat al-Manabir (Princess of Orators). She wrote about fashion, encouraging her compatriots to wear clothing produced in Arab countries.

It was not only women fighting for their rights and debating these issues. Around the same time as Al Fatat, Alexandria also saw the launch of Al Ustadh (The Master), a satirical, literary, and political magazine founded by Abdullah Al-Nadim, a national hero and spokesperson for Orabi`s Revolution. Readers of both magazines often engaged in lively debates on women`s rights and gender equality.

"The Girl" Gets Married and Disappears

In August 1893, Hind Nawfal followed in her sister’s footsteps and got married. Her husband was Habib Dabbana, a legal department employee at the Ministry of Finance. The news appeared in the magazine, worrying readers. Given the status of a married woman, they wondered: Will Al Fatat continue to be published?


Until February 1894, nothing changed. The editorial team worked, the magazine was published, and readers eagerly consumed every issue.

In February, Hind’s father, Nasim Nawfal, announced her resignation as editor and assured readers that the magazine would continue. However, in March, the last issue was released, and Al Fatat disappeared from the market.

With heavy hearts, Arab women accepted this decision, believing that what they needed most was an educated mind and their own will. Perhaps Hind, as a married Arab woman, dedicated herself to home life, but she did not abandon the fight for women’s rights. She remained active in this cause until her death in 1920 at the age of 60.

The Most Important Two Years for Arab Women

Although the magazine lasted only two years, it laid the foundation for the feminist movement in Arab countries. While the movement in its full form emerged a decade later, The Girl was the first of what would later be called Al-Majallat al-Nisa`iyya (Women`s Journals).

It is considered the first fully feminist publication in the long history of Arab women`s magazines, and Hind Nawfal is recognized as a pioneer of this movement in the Arab world.

The legacy of this pioneering editor and her magazine endures to this day, not just in Egypt but throughout the Arab world. Many women followed her example.

• Alexandra Avierino, a Lebanese writer of British-Greek descent living in Egypt, founded the magazine Anis Al-Jalees (The Companion) in 1898.
• Labiba Hashim became the owner and editor of Fatat Al-Sharq (The Girl of the East) from 1906 (or possibly 1900).

Such examples abound. Hind Nawfal inspired not only women of her generation, such as Malak Hifni Nassef and Aisha E’ismat Taymur, but also 20th-century feminists like Nola Darwish.

Arab women continue to fight for their position and rights. While much has changed, the road to full equality remains long and difficult. Yet, as Hind Nawfal believed, the day will come when the Arab world is adorned with pearls from the pens of women.

Timeline

• 1860 - Hind Nawfal is born
• 1870 - Nawfal emigrates to Egypt with her family
• 1870-1890 - Studies at missionary schools and the Alliance School
• 1891 - Begins work in journalism and publishing
• November 20, 1892 - First issue of Al Fatat
• 1893 - The editor marries
• February 1894 - Hind Nawfal resigns as editor
• March 1894 - Last issue of Al Fatat
• 1920 - Hind Nawfal passes away (Lebanon)

Sources:

• https://online-exhibit.aub.edu.lb/exhibits/show/women-pioneers-in-arab-press/nawfal-biography
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hind_Nawfal
• https://www.almodon.com/culture/2022/4/3/يوم-كان-للصحافة-النسائية-اللبنانية-نهضتها
• https://www.aub.edu.lb/Libraries/News/Pages/ArabWomenPress.aspx
• https://books.google.pl/books?id=XVzaAAAAMAAJ&q=Hind+&redir_esc=y
• https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2017/03/her-magazine-her-voice-foremothers-of-womens-journals-in-africa-and-the-middle-east/
• https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/আল_ফাতাত
• https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/32/1169/193604/Heritage/Inspiring-Women/Republished--Women-and-the-press-II-The-right-to-a.aspx
• https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/312392/Egypt/Politics-/-years-of-the-Egyptian-women%E2%80%99s-movement.aspx
• https://online-exhibit.aub.edu.lb/exhibits/show/women-pioneers-in-arab-press/nawfal-biography/al-fatat
• https://www.hindawi.org/contributors/15862507/
• https://online-exhibit.aub.edu.lb/exhibits/show/women-pioneers-in-arab-press/maaluf-biography
• https://www.masrawy.com/news/news_various/details/منسيون-ومنسيات-2-هند-نوفل-تطلعات-امرأة-في-صحافة-القرن-الـ19-بروفايل-