Society News — The Annual Meeting of the General Arab Women's Union

The Annual Meeting of the General Arab Women's Union

The General Arab Women's Union — with its full membership — held its annual meeting in Cairo, at the house of the Egyptian Women's Union, from the 21st to the 23rd of this past March, 1956.

Mrs. Nahed Sirri, president of the Egyptian Women's Union, opened the meeting with an eloquent address consoling Lebanon, in the name of the ladies, over the earthquake catastrophe that had struck it, and asked the members to stand for two minutes in mourning for the innocent victims in the sister country; she also gave the delegations the warmest of welcomes.

Then Miss Ibtihaj Kaddoura, president of the General Arab Women's Union, spoke. She thanked them for their consolation of Lebanon, and saluted the spirit of the Union's founder, the fondly remembered Mrs. Huda Shaarawi, asking the members to stand for two minutes in tribute to her pure soul. She likewise saluted Egypt, government and people, thanking the Egyptian Women's Union for their splendid reception and their surpassing hospitality, which left the deepest impression upon our hearts, and thanked the members for their unity, mutual support, and devotion in the service of Arab society.

The secretaries of each union presented a report on their work, and all of them testified to the extent of the Arab woman's activity, her national consciousness, and her struggle in the service of the nation.

The delegations paid visits to the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, to President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and to the Arab embassies.

In the successive sessions the proposals submitted by the unions were discussed, and they arrived at the following resolutions:

1 — The General Arab Women's Union hopes to establish bonds of cooperation with the League of Arab States so as to remain in constant contact with it and to take part in serving Arab causes.

2 — To increase and continue attention to the causes of the Arab Maghreb, especially Algeria, which calls for swift intervention and a decisive solution, before tyranny annihilates a noble Arab people struggling for its right to freedom and life.

3 — To work to bring points of view closer together, to spread peace, and to strengthen fraternal relations among the Arab countries.

4 — To intercede with the Arab states to permit Arab refugees to work in the Arab countries without giving up their original nationalities, until their causes are resolved.

5 — To press the United Nations for the recovery of the Palestinians' property in Israel from the custodian of Arab property, and for the distribution to them of the frozen income of their property.

These five resolutions were submitted to Their Excellencies the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and the respected members.

The remaining resolutions each union submits to its own government.

6 — To curb the misuse of the Sharia in marital relations, especially where the woman's human dignity and personal freedom are injured, in keeping with the provisions of the noble Law: "retain them honorably or release them with kindness."

7 — To support the requests of the Arab women's unions for the amendment of the law of personal status.

8 — To demand of the Arab states that woman be prepared for actual participation in the defense of the homeland.

9 — To continue efforts with the Arab governments to apply the system of military training to girls as it is applied to boys.

10 — To strengthen and reinforce the National Guard.

11 — To request that elementary education be made compulsory and free for boys and girls.

12 — To increase cultural exchange among the Arab states.

13 — To continue efforts for woman to obtain her political rights in full.

14 — To continue efforts for woman to obtain her civil rights.

15 — To prepare woman for the exercise of her political and civil rights.

16 — To work with the governments to recognize the right of Arab refugees residing in the Arab countries to benefit from governmental and social assistance.

17 — That the Palestinian refugees not be removed far from the borders of their country.

18 — To work with the competent authorities to attend to the secondary education of the daughters and sons of the Palestinian refugees, with the separation of the sexes to be observed at the age of adolescence.

19 — To demand of the Arab governments that woman be included in international conferences, especially in matters concerning woman.

20 — Each union undertakes to prepare statistics on women's activity in all walks of life and to submit them to the bureau.