Zulaykha al-Shihabi

Biography

Zulaykha al-Shihabi (1903-1992) was a pioneer of the Palestinian women's movement and one of the foremost figures of organized civil society in Mandate-era Palestine. Born in Jerusalem in 1903 to a prominent family with deep Ottoman-era roots, she received an advanced education at the Convent of the Sisters of Zion, unusual for a woman of her time. In 1929 she was a founding member of the Arab Women's Association of Palestine, established in the wake of the first Arab Women's Congress, serving as its first treasurer. That same year she helped co-found the Arab Women's Society in Jerusalem, building the institutional foundations of Palestinian women's organizing around social welfare, education, and national rights. She became a long-serving leader of the Arab Women's Union in Jerusalem, devoting decades to charitable, educational, and political work. Her activism extended into the national struggle: after Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, she was among the first figures deported to Jordan, returning only after international and UN intervention to resume her leadership of the union. In 1965 she chaired the preparatory committee and oversaw the founding conference of the General Union of Palestinian Women, convening representatives from across Palestine and the diaspora, an effort that linked her early Mandate-era organizing to the later national framework of the PLO. Al-Shihabi's lifelong work made her a foundational figure in Palestinian women's civil society, bridging charitable association work, education, and national political mobilization across more than six decades.

Why This Person Matters

Al-Shihabi co-founded the earliest Palestinian women's organizations and led them for decades, making her a foundational pillar of women's civil society.

Historical Context

Zulaykha al-Shihabi was born in Jerusalem in 1903 to a prominent family with deep Ottoman-era roots, and received an advanced education at the Convent of the Sisters of Zion, rare for a woman of her time. Her organizing began in 1929 amid the upheaval of Mandate Palestine, in the wake of the first Arab Women's Congress and the tensions that erupted that year. She built women's institutions through the decades of the Mandate, the Nakba, and the 1967 occupation, when she was among the first figures Israel deported to Jordan from East Jerusalem. Her life spans the entire arc from late Ottoman society to the PLO-era national framework.

Historical Context

1. 1903 — Born in Jerusalem, Palestine
2. 1948 — The Nakba – Palestinian catastrophe and mass displacement
3. 1967 — Six-Day War and occupation of West Bank and Gaza
4. 1992 — Passed away at age 89

Legacy & Influence

Al-Shihabi was a founding member of the Arab Women's Association of Palestine in 1929 and its first treasurer, co-founded the Arab Women's Society in Jerusalem, and led the Arab Women's Union there for decades of charitable, educational, and political work. In 1965 she chaired the preparatory committee and oversaw the founding conference of the General Union of Palestinian Women, linking her Mandate-era organizing to the later national framework of the PLO. She is remembered as a foundational pillar of Palestinian women's civil society, bridging social welfare, education, and national mobilization across more than six decades. Her name endures in histories of the Palestinian women's movement.

Topics & Themes

• Ottoman Era
• Jerusalem

References & Sources

1. Zulaykha al-Shihabi - Palquest — https://www.palquest.org/en/biography/9765/zulaykha-al-shihabi
2. Zulaykha al-Shihabi - Jerusalem Story — https://www.jerusalemstory.com/en/bio/zulaykha-al-shihabi