May Musa Sayegh ( ar, مي الصايغ; 1940 – 5 February 2023),
also spelled Mai Sayegh, was a Palestinian poet,

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, political activist, and writer.

Early life

Sayegh was born in 1940 in

Gaza city Gaza (;''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1998), , p. 761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory in Palestine, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza...". ar, غَزَّة ', ), also referred to as Gaza City, i ...

in Mandatory Palestine. She received a bachelor's degree in philosophy and sociology from the Cairo University. In 1954, she headed the women's section of the Ba'th Party. In the aftermath of the

Six Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

in 1967 and the occupation of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

, she fled Gaza and settled in Beirut.

Career

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). The

General Union of Palestinian Women The General Union of Palestinian Women or (GUPW) is the official representative of Palestinian women within the Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطي� ...

was itself formed in 1965 as a result of a PNC decision in 1964. 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. 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".

Beliefs

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Known for her strong

anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestine ...

views, Sayegh once said that the goal of Palestinians was the liberation of

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

and that "any Palestinian who wanted less was a traitor". She also wrote poems about the struggles faced by women in the Palestinian refugee camps. 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 Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...

, Oman, and Cairo.

Women's rights

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 Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...

's policy of men leading women based purely on their gender and eventually led to gender equality at grassroot levels of Fateh. Her bold approach to empowering women has attracted criticism, with one commentator in 1981 stating that "she shouts too much".

Personal life and death

Sayegh was married to Abu Hatam, a

PLO The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establishing Arab unity and s ...

official. She died on 5 February 2023, at the age of 82.

Recognition

Sayegh received the Ana Betancourt award in the 1980s from Cuban president

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayegh, May 1940 births 2023 deaths Palestinian women poets Palestinian feminists Palestinian activists Palestinian women activists Cairo University alumni People from Gaza City