CAIRO: The British Guardian named prominent Egyptian feminist and secular writer, Dr. Nawal el-Saadawi, among its list of the 100 most important women in the world. The list is published as a celebration of International Women's Day. El-Saadawi was listed in the category for activists and campaigners. She is an Egyptian doctor, psychiatrist, feminist, university lecturer and writer, who has published almost 50 novels, plays and short stories. El-Saadawi had her first taste of activist during the demonstrations against British control of Egypt, and at the age of 80 took to the streets with her fellow Egyptians to participate in the massive demonstrations that led to the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak on February 11. The Guardian commended El Saadawi for tackling controversial issues such as prostitution, domestic violence and religious fundamentalism. It also said her campaigning against the practice of female genital mutilation during the beginning of her career as a physician led to her losing her job as director general of public health. The article also said her continuous criticism of patriarchal religion led to an unsuccessful legal attempt to strip her of her nationality and dissolve her marriage, in lawsuits filed against her known as Hesba cases. The category of activists and campaigners also included prominent female figures such as Iranian Nobel Laureate and opposition figure Shirin Ebadi and the Sudanese writer and women's rights campaigner Lubna Hussein. El-Saadawi was also included in Newsweek's 150 most influential women in the world, as was prominent Egyptian opposition figure and women's rights activist Gameela Ismail. BM
