El Saadawi was known as an advocate for women’s rights and fought strongly against the widespread practice of female genital mutation.
She was arrested and persecuted and received threats from conservatives throughout her life for her bold visions.
El Saadawi was the founder and president of the Arab Women’s Solidarity Association and co-founder of the Arab Association for Human Rights. In 1981, she founded a feminist magazine called “Al-Moawgaha” (which translates to “The Confrontation”).
El Saadawi’s most popular books are “Women and Sex” and “Memories of a Female Prison”.
“Women and Sex” was banned in Egypt for nearly two decades, and after it was published, El Saadawi lost her job as Director of Public Health at Egypt’s Ministry of Health.
“Women cannot be liberated in a class society or in a patriarchal society dominated by men. That is why we have to free ourselves, fight against class oppression, gender oppression and religious oppression,” El Saadawi told CNN in an interview in 2011. “We can’t talk about revolution without women,” she said.
There was a wave of regret at the news of El Saadawi’s death, with some prominent activists expressing their condolences on social media.
“Egyptian feminist Nawal El Saadawi died. Until I gather my thoughts: rest in power, Nawal,” she added in a tweet.