Tooba Syed (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: طوبیٰ سید, born May 29, 1991) is a Pakistani

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

organiser, writer, and gender researcher. She is the secretary information and publishing of the feminist organization

Women Democratic Front Women Democratic Front (WDF) is a Pakistani independent socialist-feminist organization. It was founded in the federal capital Islamabad on March 8, 2018, by hundreds of delegates from Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab and Khyber-Pakht ...

Activism

Syed is associated with left-wing politics since 2012 when she participated in arranging study circles at the university in Islamabad. She worked in anti-eviction housing rights movement in Islamabad’s katchi abadis (

informal settlements Informal housing or informal settlement can include any form of housing, shelter, or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state. As such, the info ...

) with the All Pakistan Alliance for Katchi Abadis, protesting when the Capital Development Authority decided to demolish twelve such settlements in the capital. Syed has also organized the landless peasants movement and Okara’s women’s resistance movement. Syed arranged political schools to deepen the understanding of methods of organizing progressive political resistance in Pakistan along with social, economic and political structures of inequality and oppression. Syed also worked with the Awami Workers Party.

Feminism

As a feminist, Syed is interested in feminist theory, its practice, issues of women, gender and politics of South Asia. Syed, supported the

Me Too movement #MeToo is a social movement and Consciousness raising, awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment and rape culture, in which women publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was init ...

in Pakistan while describing the incident of Khaisore. She supported

Sheema Kermani Sheema Kermani (also spelled Kirmani) (Urdu: ; born 16 January 1951) is a Pakistani classical dancer and social activist. She is the founder of Tehrik-e-Niswan Cultural Action Group (Women's Movement). She is also an exponent of Bharatanatyam d ...

’s Dhamal in

Sehwan Sehwan (; ; also commonly referred to as Sehwan Sharif or ''Noble Sehwan'') is a historic city located in Jamshoro District of Sindh province in Pakistan situated on the west bank of the Indus River north-west of Hyderabad. The city is renowned ...

, after the attack (Feb, 2017) on shrine of

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Sayyid Shah Hussain Jafari al-Marwandi , (1177 - 19 February 1274) popularly known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (), was a Sufi saint and poet who is revered in South Asia. In Taqaiyah, his maternal grandfather changed his name to Usman al-Marwandi o ...

. Syed organized an event on

International Women’s Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights, women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, r ...

2017 and invited South Asian feminist

Kamla Bhasin Kamla Bhasin (24 April 1946 – 25 September 2021) was an Indian developmental feminist activist, poet, author and social scientist. Bhasin's work, that began in 1970, focused on gender education, human development and the media. She lived in ...

Women Democratic Front

Syed is the secretary of the

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

women collective and organization

(WDF). The group was founded along with other left-wing workers from across country with an aim to involve the working-class women in political struggle and ensure their representation from federal to basic unit levels. In 2018, under the banner of WDF, Syed condemned the

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

(KP) government order of banning media coverage of all events in females’ schools across KP province. As a WDF member Syed participated in women's emancipation march 2018, 2019 and 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Syed, Tooba Socialist feminists Living people Women in Pakistan Pakistani Marxists Pakistani socialists Pakistani feminists Feminism in Pakistan Pakistani women's rights activists 1991 births