The Lebanese Women's Union

Whoever follows the story of the Lebanese woman's charitable and social efforts knows full well that they rest upon the work of the many women's associations spread through all the cities and the large villages. And these associations have cooperated among themselves since the year 1923 by creating a Lebanese Women's Union, formed expressly to strengthen the spirit of union and cooperation among the women's associations, whatever their differing aims, so that they might work together for the advancement and happiness of family and society, for raising woman's standing in them to the level worthy of her, and for obtaining her social and political rights. For a long time the Women's Union labored alone toward this aim — a period that served as preliminaries and as preparation of public opinion and of the governing authorities, which would procrastinate and stall at every attempt.

The idea of demanding woman's rights ripened with the rise of several political parties whose programs included full equality in rights and duties. The women's section of the Lebanese Kataeb became active and called a general women's meeting, one of whose results was the formation of a committee representing the women's organizations of all tendencies, to pursue this cause to the end.

This committee performed its duty admirably, and kept up its effort, its demands, and its insistence within a peaceful and courteous compass, until it obtained the resolution of the Administration and Justice Committee, drawn up by His Excellency Mr. Habib Abou Chahla and published in all the newspapers.

This committee expects the question to be laid before the Chamber of Deputies at the earliest moment. What, then, is the responsibility of the Lebanese woman, now that her cause has climbed to the topmost rung of the ladder and stands waiting before the door of the Chamber of Deputies? The women of Lebanon and the women of the Arab lands await that happy day on which the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies will place on record its intellectual and liberating leadership, and be the first to place on record general, all-embracing equality and the ideal liberty granted to every member of the nation without distinction.

The Lebanese Women's Union, which has placed all its confidence in this committee, wishes to share with it this final stage of its unceasing struggle and to strengthen its arm in the most delicate hours of its long labor. It asks every self-respecting lady to prove worthy of its good opinion of her, and to help by appearing as befits her at the doors of the Chamber of Deputies and in its spacious halls, so that with tact and grace we may occupy the nation's assembly, upon whose word depends the conclusion of this cause that has occupied us for so long. We want approval by acclamation before this assembled gathering of women's organizations, that we may inscribe our thanks to them in letters of gold.

The Lebanese Women's Union calls upon all its associations, and likewise asks every Lebanese lady, to join it at the Chamber of Deputies on the appointed day.

Muneera Shehadeh
For the Committee on Publicity and Publication
The Lebanese Women's Union