Malak Hefny Nassef – Egypt

1886-1918
A prominent teacher, writer, thinker and advocate of social reform in Egypt. A pioneer in defending women's rights. She linked the status of women to the progress of the nation. In her public speeches, articles and writings, she called for family reform, rejection of wrong customs and traditions, emancipation of women, equality between them and men, and granting them full rights in education and work. She was a pioneer in introducing the concept of “feminism” she was also named as “ Bahethet el Badya”

Naziha Aldulaimi-Iraq

1923-2007
One of the most important pioneers of the Iraqi women's movement and the first president of the League Defending Iraqi Women's Rights. She was a political activist, and was the first woman minister in the Arab world. She had contributed to the issuance of the Personal Status Law in Iraq in 1959 known to have granted Iraqi women an advanced legal status.

Khadija Al-Jahmi - Libya

A Libyan writer, journalist and pioneer women advocate, also named "Bint Al-Watan". One of the first women defenders for women's rights in Libya, she contributed to the establishment of the Libyan Women's Union, and was its first presidet in 1972.

May Ziadeh - Lebanon

A Lebanese poet and writer, in her articles and literature, she called for the liberation of women and their rights, especially the right to education and equality between men and women. She was known for her famous salon in Cairo, where she gathered the elite writers of the era, illustrating the active participation of Arab women to the intellectual Arab renaissance.