May Sayegh

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May Sayegh
مي الصايغ‎
Born
May Musa Sayegh

1940 (1940)
Gaza City, Mandatory Palestine
Died (aged 82)
NationalityPalestinian
Occupation(s)Poet, feminist

May Musa Sayegh (Arabic: مي الصايغ; 1940 – 5 February 2023),[1] also spelled Mai Sayegh, was a Palestinian poet, feminist, political activist, and writer.

Early life[edit]

Sayegh was born in 1940 in Gaza city in Mandatory Palestine. She received a bachelor's degree in philosophy and sociology from the Cairo University.[2] In 1954, she headed the women's section of the Ba'th Party.[3] In the aftermath of the Six Day War in 1967 and the occupation of the Gaza Strip, she fled Gaza and settled in Beirut.[4]

Career[edit]

Sayegh was the secretary-general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's (PLO) Women's Union from 1976 to 1986, and a member of the Palestine National Council (PNC).[5][6] The General Union of Palestinian Women was itself formed in 1965 as a result of a PNC decision in 1964.[3] She was a speaker at the 1980 United Nations Women's Conference in Copenhagen where she received "thunderous applause" for her speech on promoting peace, equality and development.[7] She stated that the results of the conference were a success not only for Palestinians but "for all peoples fighting against racism, exploitation and foreign rule".[8]

Beliefs[edit]

Israeli-Palestinian conflict[edit]

Known for her strong anti-Zionist views, Sayegh once said that the goal of Palestinians was the liberation of Palestine and that "any Palestinian who wanted less was a traitor".[5] She also wrote poems about the struggles faced by women in the Palestinian refugee camps.[9] Her poems have been published in prominent Arab magazines across the region such as the Al-Adab magazine in Lebanon, Aqlam magazine in Iraq. She has also participated in poetry festivals across the Arab World including in Beirut, Baghdad, Kuwait City, Oman, and Cairo.[6]

Women's rights[edit]

Within the Palestinian community, she was an outspoken advocate for women's rights, especially politically, calling for greater inclusion of women in the Palestine National Council and in policymaking. Sayegh believed that the segregation of men and women was a form of discrimination as it prioritised males. In 1968, she took a stand against Fatah's policy of men leading women based purely on their gender and eventually led to gender equality at grassroot levels of Fateh.[10] Her bold approach to empowering women has attracted criticism, with one commentator in 1981 stating that "she shouts too much".[11]

Personal life and death[edit]

Sayegh was married to Abu Hatam, a PLO official.[2][4] She died on 5 February 2023, at the age of 82.[1]

Recognition[edit]

Sayegh received the Ana Betancourt award in the 1980s from Cuban president Fidel Castro.[6]

Sayegh was also the subject of a 2001 documentary film Stories from Gaza (Arabic: حكيات من غزة), produced by Mer’ah Media and directed by Lebanese filmmaker Arab Loutfi.[12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b وفاة الشاعرة والمناضلة الفلسطينية مي الصايغ عن عمر ناهز 82 سنة (in Arabic)
  2. ^ a b Turki, Fawaz (1988). Soul in Exile. NYU Press. pp. 13–14. ISBN 9780853457473. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b Pappe, Ed (1999). The Israel/Palestine Question. Psychology Press. p. 220. ISBN 9780415169486. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b "The Jerusalem Post Magazine". 1980. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  5. ^ a b Kleinmann, Elliott (19 December 1980). "PLO is terrorist organization, foe of Israel and United States" (PDF). Daily Iowan. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "مي الصايغ (in Arabic)". culture.gov.jo. وزارة الثقافة. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  7. ^ "UN Women's Conference a Success for Progress". University of Arizona Library. 2 August 1980. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  8. ^ "UN Women's Conference a Success for Progress". University of Arizona Library. 2 August 1980. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  9. ^ Abdulrezak, Amal (2007). Contemporary Arab American Women Writers: Hyphenated Identities and Border Crossings. Cambria Press. p. 136. ISBN 9781621969570. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  10. ^ Matos, Christine De; Ward, Rowena (2012). Gender, Power, and Military Occupations: Asia Pacific and the Middle East since 1945. Taylor & Francis. p. 202. ISBN 9781136339349. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Women in the PLO: rifles, fatigues, but no veils". The Christian Science Monitor. 31 July 1981. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  12. ^ "Arab Loutfi". Arab Women in Films. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
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