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 effective members in socio-economic settings. While Syrian women have historically held more rights when compared to the rest of the Arab world, the GUSW is working to put an end the isolation and marginalization of Syrian women as well as involve women to become more of an effective population in society. This movement was born out of the unification of various welfare associations, volunteer organizations, and welfare groups caused by various political shifts in Syria.
Adeni Jews, or Adenite Jews are the historical Jewish community which resided in the port city of Aden. Adenite culture became distinct from other Yemenite Jewish culture due to British control of the city and Indian-Iraqi influence as well as recent arrivals from Persia and Egypt. Although they were separated, Adeni Jews depended on the greater Yemenite community for spiritual guidance, receiving their authorizations from Yemeni rabbis. Virtually the entire population emigrated from Aden between June 1947 and September 1967. As of 2004, there were 6,000 Adenites in Israel, and 1,500 in London.
Naziha Jawdet Ashgah al-Dulaimi was an early pioneer of the Iraqi feminist movement. She was a co-founder and the first president of the Iraqi Women's League, the first woman minister in modern Iraq history, and the first woman cabinet minister in the Arab world.
Various styles of head coverings, most notably the khimar, hijab, chador, niqab, paranja, yashmak, tudong, shayla, safseri, carşaf, haik, dupatta, boshiya and burqa, are worn by Muslim women around the world, where the practice varies from mandatory to optional or restricted in different majority Muslim and non-Muslim countries.
The Women's National Committee of Yemen is a government-affiliated body working to empower women. Local Yemenis work on the committee in coordination with national and international partners to safeguard women's fundamental human rights. The Millennium Development Goals provide the framework guiding the committee's main policy priority areas.
Nazik Al Abid 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 Syrian Army for her role in forming the Red Star Society, a precursor to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, during the battle of Maysalun. She was a revolutionary for national independence and women's right to work and vote in Syria.
On 8 January 1936, Reza Shah of Iran (Persia) issued a decree known as Kashf-e hijab banning all Islamic veils, an edict that was swiftly and forcefully implemented. The government also banned many types of male traditional clothing. The ban was only enforced for a period of five (5) years (1936-1941), however, since then, the hijab in Iran has been a mandatory hallmark of the Islamic Republic for 44 years. One of the enduring legacies of Reza Shah has been turning dress into an integral problem of Iranian politics.
Amatalrauf "Raufa Hassan" al-Sharki was an educator, feminist and human rights activist from Yemen. She was a professor of mass media and the director of a Women's Studies Center at the University of Sana'a. Al-Sharki was the first female journalist in Yemen and wrote a regular newspaper column for many years.
Amal Muhammad 'Ali al-Shami (1956–2001) was a Yemeni writer.
Nour Haidar was a twentieth-century pioneer of girl's education in Yemen.
Mahiya Najib (1926-1982), was a Yemeni women's rights activist, editor and journalist. She founded Fatat Shamsan [The Maiden of Mount Shamsan] in 1960, making her Aden's first female editor of a women's monthly magazine.
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 was arranged by the General Union of Syrian Women under the leadership of Nour Hamada, with participants from the Arab World and Eastern Asia.
General Union of Yemeni Women (GUYW) was a women's organization in South Yemen, founded in 1968. It belonged to the National Liberation Front (South Yemen) (NLF) during the regime of People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.
The Syrian-Lebanese Women's Union was a women's organization in Lebanon and Syria, 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.
The Iraqi Women's Union (IWU) was a women's advocacy group founded in 1945 which lasted until the Iraqi government crackdown on leftist organizations in the late 1950s. Throughout the course of its operation, the IWU focused on advocating on behalf of key women's issues regarding education, marriage rights, and labour rights, while equally engaging in charitable social work first hand. Due to the political climate in Iraq at the time, the union is known for having heavily antagonized male traditionalists while simultaneously retaining close ties to the political elite. The organization built its foundation upon other female advocacy groups which had emerged prior in the Middle East, and acted as a coordinating body for these other groups' activities. The growth of the union was further catalyzed during the late 1940s as female advocacy groups had gained prominence during the Second World War.
Yemeni Women's Association (YWA) was a women's organization in North Yemen. Founded in 1965, as part of the emergence of the women's movement in North Yemen, it merged in 1990 with South Yemen's General Union of Yemeni Women (established 1968) to form the Yemeni Women's Union.
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.
Labibah Thabit, was a Lebanese women's rights activist. She was a pioneer figure of feminism in her country.
Laure Thabet, was a Lebanese women's rights activist. She was a pioneer figure of feminism in her country.
Radhia Ihsan (1933-2020), was a Yemeni women's rights activist, Politician and author.
