Woman of History: Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi

One of the pioneering Syrian women who deserved the title of “The Princess of Arab Female Pioneers in the Twentieth Century.”

Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi, pioneer of the women’s movement in Syria and holder of the title “The Princess of Arab Female Pioneers in the Twentieth Century”. [1]

this title is not granted by historical researchers unless the holder of this title has great and remarkable achievements.
At a time when women used to consider their right to education and decent life as a charity and not a right, a woman, who was not satisfied with taking her rights, appeared and fought to obtain the rights for as many women as possible.

Who is Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi?

Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi was born in Beirut in 1900 into a cultured family. [2]

She gained her share of societal interaction at a time that witnessed the Ottoman occupation in the last days of its glory and Turkish tyranny at its most intense.
During her upbringing in an educated family that respects intellect, she received her education at the German “Deaconess” Institute, and her Arabic language teacher was the scholar Sheikh Abdullah Al-Bustani. [2]

Adila got married to Prince Abd al-Qadir Al-Jazairi and lived in Damascus. [2]
She gave birth to two children; Amal and Zain al-Abidin. [3]
However, this did not stop Adila’s from resisting but rather strengthened it hoping that she would leave a better world for her children.

She resorted to the press and literature to fight against colonial attempts to obliterate the Arabic language, the Turkification and Francization attempts, and to resist all forms of oppression and violence. She wrote lines of the struggle against injustice and the deprivation of rights in general, and appealed for women’s rights in particular.

Not only did she struggle on a local level, but also expanded her work to include the Arab and international world, so that she became the destination of many fighters and pioneers of liberation with the aim of cooperation to achieve the unified goal.

Most important stages of Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi’s life

From a young age, she participated in the march towards the supreme goal. She rushed at the age of sixteen as a volunteer to serve the afflicted, providing them with food, medicine, and clothing. She became involved in a society exhausted by decadence and tyranny through secret societies calling for Arabism and independence. [3]

Adila got educated within a society that did not believe in the importance and necessity of women’s education at that time. Therefore, she co-founded the “Arab Women’s Awakening Society” alongside her fellow fighters in 1915. [2]

Their goal was to spread national and Arab feminist awareness and to demand the education of girls whose circumstances have stood in the way of their education. Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi wrote her articles in “Al-Fata Al-Arabi” and “Al-Mufeed” newspapers, and published them under the pseudonym “The Arab Girl”.

In 1916, she headed a committee supervising the House of Industry, which participated in providing free meals to about 1,800 female workers working in several industries such as weaving, spinning, and handicrafts.[3]
Then in 1920, as the situation escalated from the French occupation to the Maysaloon War, she concentrated all her efforts on demanding the complete independence of the Arab countries. Hence, Adila Bayhum supported the resistance using all the available means.

She participated in many demonstrations and contributed to providing food, clothing, and treatment to the fighting revolutionaries. Despite the tyranny of occupation, mandate, and instability on all fronts, Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi did not neglect the rights of women – the oppressed party – and struggled during conflicts and victories to obtain women’s rights.

During the following years, with the help of her fellow female fighters, they established many associations and organizations, and opened schools. She gave seminars and participated in dialogues with activists and heads of other associations about allowing women to take their rightful place in society with all the entailed burdens, whether economic, military, or societal.

Among her most prominent works

She laid the cornerstone for the Arab Feminist Union and was elected its president, due to her mastery of the French and German languages. Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi demanded the right of Women’s suffrage and nomination.

She submitted a memorandum to President Gamal Abdel Nasser, demanding that women be trained in the military. She represented Syria on the UN Women’s Rights Committee more than once. [3]

The female activists who advocated for Adila in her case

That period of time was full of struggle and rush to obtain full rights, restore all lands, and liberate all detainees. Therefore, all the female fighters rushed in search of a way for their voices to be heard, and the most supportive of Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi in her struggle was her daughter, Amal Al-Jazairi. This is because she stood by her mother and was her companion, and even completed the course of struggle after her. Then there was, of course, Nazik al-Abid, the great female fighter who stood up against both the Ottoman and French occupations. Besides, the educated women of society such as Mrs. Badia Orfali, Jihan Al-Mawsili, Rima Kurd Ali Al-Azma, Suad Halabi, Olfat Idlebi, and many other female writers and fighters. [1]

The Recognition of her efforts

In 1975, Mrs. Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi has awarded the Syrian Order of Civil Merit – Excellent Class, in recognition of her work and struggle in the field of women’s rights and the renaissance of the local community. This coincided with the recognition of the International Women’s Year, but she passed away before receiving the medal. Thus, It was received on her behalf by her daughter and partner in social struggle, Mrs. Amal Al-Jazairi Hawash, during the great memorial ceremony.

That ceremony was held for her by the Women’s Union in the amphitheater of Damascus University On the occasion of 40 days after her death. [3]
In commemoration of Mrs. Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi, President Hafez Al-Assad instructed the New Girls High School to be named after her in the Al-Muhajireen neighborhood, next to her former residence. [2]

We, at the Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative, recognize the struggle and efforts of Adila Bayhum Al-Jazairi and her colleagues, and we hope these efforts will not be lost in vain. Therefore, through our platform, we seek to contribute to pushing the convoy and directing the path towards the goals set by their efforts.