Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain

Rokeya S. Hossain was a Muslim feminist. He was also a social reformer who dedicated her life to education and the empowerment of women in his life.  He was born in 1880 in Bangladesh, Rokeya was brought up in a Muslim family that followed a strict set of social rules. Whatever, the support from her brothers and husband would give her the strength to persevere through harsh criticism, and inspire her to become the author of several books as well as school for women.

Rokeya S. Hossain’s father was a rich landowner who had the means to educate his two sons. They was Abul Asad Ibrahim Saber and Khalil Saber. On the other hand, Rokeya S. Hossain’s father had little interest in educating any of his daughters.  Her brothers secretly taught Rokeya and her sister Bengali and English. After that, before the age of 15, Rokeya S. Hossain’s sister would be forced into a child marriage.

Rokeya S. Hossain would prove to be husband and encouraged Rokeya S. Hossain’s writings. He set aside money for this reason on that time, she would be able to start a school for Muslim women.  In 1905,  she published Sultana’s Dream, which became one of the highest regarded works in her life. On that year,  she opened the first school in Bengal for Muslim girls with only take  five  students.  Though, she was forced to close the school and reopen it in Calcutta, India in 1911,

In 1916, she founded  an organisation that name is the Muslim Women’s Association, argued for women’s education and employment.  In 1926, Rokeya presided over the Bengal Women’s Education Conference held in Calcutta, in India. The first noted attempt to bring women together in support of women’s education rights on that time.

Every year December 9th is observed as “Rokeya Day”.  She holds high recognition as being one of the first Muslim feminists in south asia And after that attempted to bring major social changes in Bangladesh. Althrough her actions, she earned the honorific title of begum which is only given to women who earn the right to a higher status in south easia.