Women's Solidarity in Lebanon

The Women's Solidarity in Lebanon, founded a little over four years ago, continues to hold its regular meetings, on the first Monday of every month, at the home of its president, Mrs. Laure Georges Tabet, to examine the various public matters that concern the Lebanese woman.

At the meeting the Solidarity held on the fourth of February 1952, it resolved to submit a petition to His Excellency the Prime Minister demanding the prohibition of begging, in view of the grave consequences that may follow if it is allowed to spread unchecked. This petition was carried to the head of the government by Mrs. Laure Georges Tabet and Mrs. Sumayya al-Sheikh Hanna al-Khazen.

His Excellency the Prime Minister promised the delegation that he would instruct the competent authorities to apply the laws in accordance with the substance of the petition. The delegation thanked him for his concern in the matter.

At an extraordinary meeting, discussion took up the question of the representation of the women of Lebanon at the International Congress on Women's Affairs, which is to convene in Geneva between the twenty-fourth of this March and the sixth of next April, 1952. The assembled women resolved to protest to the authorities against the assignment of Lebanon's Minister Plenipotentiary in Switzerland to represent the women of Lebanon at the said congress. The president of the Women's Solidarity dispatched the following telegram to Their Excellencies the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of Social Affairs:

"The Women's Solidarity in Lebanon protests strongly against the assignment of the Honorable Mr. Jamil Makkawi to represent Lebanon at the International Congress on Women's Affairs to be held in Geneva in March 1952, and considers representation at this congress the right of the Lebanese woman alone.

The Women's Solidarity in Lebanon therefore requests the annulment of the decision and the consultation of the women's organizations in Lebanon."

The government yielded to the wish of the women's organizations that protested against this appointment, and invited them — through the Honorable Director of Social Affairs — to meet in his office. The said director informed them that the government had decided to grant their request, and asked them to choose Lebanon's representative to the International Congress on Women's Affairs. The choice fell upon the president of the Women's Solidarity, Mrs. Laure Georges Tabet.

Mrs. Tabet accepted the mission with thanks, and departed for Geneva on March 22, 1952.

*

On the third of March 1952, the officers of the Solidarity's bureau went to Tripoli, in response to the request of the northern branches, where a meeting was held in the hall of the Al-Nahda An-Nisaiyah school, at which seventeen northern women's associations were represented.

The talk at this Tripoli meeting turned upon the possibility of finding educational dramatic motion-picture films especially for children. It was decided to charge Mrs. Alice Alfred Nakkash, vice-president of the Solidarity, and Mrs. Asad Karkaji with studying this project from all its sides and endeavoring to bring it about, in view of its far-reaching benefit, and then acquainting the Solidarity with the result of the study at the first meeting it holds.

* The editor-in-chief of this magazine, Mrs. Edvick Jureidini Shayboub, leaves Beirut on the first of April to spend a few days in the Jordanian capital, in response to a personal invitation extended to her by Her Majesty Queen Misbah, mother of His Majesty King Talal..

Mrs. Shayboub will inspect the conditions of the Arab refugees, and will become acquainted with the various women's circles and with what women are doing in Amman and in Jerusalem. In the next issue we shall bring our gracious lady readers the results of this journey.