By: Muhammad-Muhammad al-Masri and Karimah Zuhdi al-Qassas.
(Exclusively for al-Zaytouna Centre).
How Did Palestinian Christian women contribute to the Palestinian national struggle before 1948?
A new academic paper published by Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations, titled “The National Role of Palestinian Christian Women, 1903–1948,” by Muhammad-Muhammad al-Masri and Karimah Zuhdi al-Qassas, sheds light on the political, social and cultural contributions of Palestinian Christian women to the defense of national causes during the period of British occupation and amid the growing expansion of Zionist movement plans in Palestine.
The study notes that the Palestinian national women’s movement, established in 1921, provided a common platform for Muslim and Christian women and played a significant role in enhancing the participation and influence of Palestinian women both within Palestine and abroad across the political, social and cultural domains.
It further demonstrates that Palestinian Christian women actively engaged in charitable and social associations, political conferences, demonstrations and popular uprisings. They also organized political seminars to oppose the British occupation, challenge the Zionist movement, and advance the struggle for Palestine’s independence.
The researchers employed the historical descriptive and analytical research method. The study is divided into three main sections: the first examines the Christian women’s associations active in Palestine before 1948; the second explores the political and national activism of Palestinian Christian women between 1916 and 1936; and the third analyzes their political and national activism between 1936 and 1948.
The study concludes that Palestinian Christian women, through Christian charitable associations, played a significant role in advancing the social and cultural status of Palestinian women and actively contributed to national causes through political conferences, demonstrations, popular uprisings and political seminars. It further emphasizes that Palestinian Christian women represented Palestine in numerous regional and international forums, where they addressed Arab communities and the League of Nations, demanding an end to the British occupation. The study also notes that the Nakbah of 1948 disrupted the development of the Palestinian national women’s movement, as the displacement of the Palestinian people and the closure of most women’s charitable and political institutions across Palestine severely curtailed its activities.
The study recommends establishing a specialized research center dedicated to examining the activities and national contributions of Palestinian women, in addition to preparing a comprehensive study that documents and analyzes the national activism of Palestinian Christian women after 1948.
| Click here to download: >> Academic Paper: The National Role of Palestinian Christian Women 1903-1948 … Muhammad-Muhammad al-Masri and Karimah Zuhdi al-Qassas (Arabic)  (22 pages, 1.9 MB) |
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