Nawal El Saadawi Chosen Among Time's 100 Women of the Year

Time Magazine’s 100 Women of the Year chose Egyptian psychiatrist, feminist and novelist Nawal El Saadawi to be a part of their selection for the most influential women of the past century.

The magazine curated a selection of 100 women across the last century, selecting the most influential woman for each year across time in honour of International Women’s Day today. El Saadawi was picked for the year 1981.

In 1981, El Saadawi was jailed as a result of her feminist critiques, particularly her opposition to female genital mutilation, which was still legal in Egypt at the time.

From prison, El Saadawi used an eyebrow pencil and a roll of toilet paper to document her experiences, which was later published as the 1983 book 'Memoirs From the Women’s Prison'. El Saadawi has been labelled “the Simon de Beauvoir” of the Arab world, and went on to start the Arab Women’s Solidarity Association.