The Woman's Voice Asks

It asks:
Khawla Farah
Basima Karima
Jannat Bitar
Salma Khallouf
Nadia Majdoub
Ni'mat Zu'bi
Najwa Baroudi

"These are questions put by The Woman's Voice's correspondent in Tripoli to a select group of students of the National School of the Greek Orthodox... and this National School is among the finest girls' schools in Lebanon..."

Has the Syrian government made its announcement granting woman the right to exercise the vote?

The Syrian government has shown national awareness and wisdom. As for the awareness, its proof is that it did not wish to deprive half the nation of exercising its national rights and of bearing responsibility for the duties incumbent upon it. And it was wise in not extending the freedom of the vote to every woman, but restricting it to the educated woman only. Thus it has created a strong incentive spurring woman on to seek learning, so that she will not feel she is a paralyzed limb in the body of the nation—and in that there is a progressive spirit that pushes the whole nation to march forward.

You stirred the enthusiasm of the audience by playing the role of "Fabiola" in the play The Victims. What feelings did you experience while performing this role?

My own inclinations... without recourse to acting lessons—allow me to say—... and perhaps my theory is an old one: that whoever plays a role must forget his own personality and try to understand well the role he is going to play, and then live—while acting—the life of the character he portrays. With this feeling I succeeded, and I was confident that I was succeeding, because I lived Fabiola on the stage.

Which of your lessons is dearest to you?

You ask about my lessons!... The truth is that there is nothing in them to call forth any energy, for they are all theoretical and are not fit for building a sound society. What justifies my inclination toward some of them is that they contain a principle for going out into the wider world, and thence a call to guidance. And here I have the right to ask myself: what will my inclination in life be? I cannot answer this question, because I have not yet gone out into life in practice.

Do you think it better to apply a unified program in all the schools of Lebanon?

Without a doubt. We in Lebanon are in the utmost need of unifying our educational program, for

Lebanon, with its sects and its partisanship for its parties and organizations, is in the direst need of a unified program imposed by the government upon all schools, private and otherwise; then it would become possible to create a rising generation unified in culture, unified in inclinations, unified in aims.

Nadia Majdoub

What do you expect from your studies?

I expect from my studies that my thoughts will crystallize and my faculties will advance, so that I may direct myself, in the light of this knowledge, along the course that accords with my particular aptitudes.
And let the future answer this question when the time comes.

Ni'mat Zu'bi

Does woman's life accord with professional life?

Although I call for woman's equality with man in the social sphere and for her work in guidance, I do not permit myself the exaggeration of saying that woman can practice all the professions that man practices, especially those that are arduous. For her physiological makeup—so the Creator willed—differs from the makeup of man. She is, then, a gentle creature whose makeup does not suit all professions, and for this reason I do not think it possible to open all professions to her.

Najwa Baroudi

We call for woman to be given a share in political life; is raising her for this running ahead of things, or does it keep pace with development?

We count ourselves in Lebanon the most advanced of the Eastern countries in general culture, and educated women very nearly equal the men, or fall only a little short. Why, then, should half the nation be deprived of shouldering the duties that the homeland requires of it?