Abstract—Ameen Fares Rihani (1876-1940), a Lebanese-
American prophetic writer and social activist, is widely looked
at as a forerunner of modernization. As a staunch activist, his
prolific writings were dedicated to humanity in general and
women in specific—he was aware of the extent to which
women suffered from oppression in the East. Through his
writings, Rihani displays a profound interest in women’s issues,
encouraging their search for independence and modern
identity. Consequently, the profile he delineated for women a
century ago is about to be realized in our epoch. This paper
will exhibit the way Rihani acts as a spokesperson on woman’s
behalf, emphasizing her voice and focusing on her concerns;
thus increasing everyone’s consciousness of her educational,
economic, and social rights. Finally, it will illustrate the degree
to which Rihani, as an irrefutable social reformer, offers
matter-of-fact proposals that enable women to attain liberation.
This is primarily witnessed in his rhetorical flourishes in The
White Way and the Desert—written in English at the age of
20—and his collection of essays,
Al Qawmiyyaat(
Nationalisms),
written in Arabic; both books express his contemporary vision
of an independent modern woman.
Index Terms—Ameen fares rihani, plan for emancipating
women, women and economy, women and education, women
and society.
Savo Karam is with the University Louaize, Lebanon (e-mail:
savokaram@hotmail.com).
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Cite:S. Karam, "Ameen Rihani’s Visionary Support for Women a Century
Ago," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 488-493, 2013.