An Appeal on Behalf of Nawal El Saadawi
Posted by the Bookshop
Our Author of the Month for February is the Egyptian feminist, novelist, essayist, physician, psychiatrist and activist Nawal El Saadawi. We were very saddened to learn from our friends at Saqi Books that El Saadawi is currently critically ill following complications arising from an eye operation. Diana Fox, a family friend, has set up a campaign to raise money towards her medical costs, and writes:
Nawal El Saadawi, the first woman Egyptian physician, feminist writer, activist, and psychiatrist has committed her life to the liberation of women and speaking truth to power through her writings on the subject of women in Islam, paying particular attention to the practice of female genital mutilation in her society. She has suffered imprisonment and censorship in the name of freedom, and has been described as “the Simone de Beauvoir of the Arab World”. Now in her late 80s, she is ill, facing expensive surgery and post-hospital care bills beyond her means. She and her family continue to be watched and constrained by the state, limiting their earning power. As she lies in hospital, let’s show her how much we care and appreciate her decades of self-sacrifice and courage.
If you would like to make a donation, Diana’s fundraising page can be found on GoFundMe.
