Harem Years
...ted measures for veiling their women. In poor households, men and women were grouped together due to a lack of space. However, lower class women, who frequented the outside world far more than their wealthier counterparts, also wore the veil when in public. There were those who did not abide by the laws of the harem and went outside without wearing a veil—these were the peasant women who dwelled in the countryside. As a consequence, these families had no prestige and were considered the lowest class of society. The values and interests the harem system represented was the honour of the family because in Mediterranean societies like Egypt, the sexual purity of the female dictated the honour of the men and the family. Although religion did no govern the importance of the harem system, social rules linked to economic standing did. Islam, according to the memoirs had no implications regarding veiling and the harem system and actually bestowed women with more justice than previous religions. One quote signified this point as Mme Rushdi explained to Huda that it was social customs and not Islam that gave rise to gender inequality. “I decided to attack the problem of backwardness of Egyptian women, demonstrating it arose from the persistence of certain social customs, but not from Islam, as many Europeans believe. Islam, on the contrary, has granted women greater justice than previous religions.” (81) The harem system slowly deteriorated in the 19th century and by the early 20th century it was broken down. European morals and social values were becoming increasingly significant in the Middle East. Monogamy had become progressively more common by the turn of the 20th century and harems were becoming rare. However, most Islamic families still maintained control over the movements and activities of female household members. Extreme cases pertaining to the outlawing of harems were put forth by such countries as Turkey in which the Turkish government banned polygamy and the harem system in 1926. For the wealthy, technological advances and material opulence changed the conditions of everyday life in urban Egypt. During this time frame, Huda’s generation was the last to experience the harem system from childhood through to adulthood. Although the early 20th century was when the breakdown of the harem system occurred, the 19th century paved the way. The government understood that the country could not make progress if women were not elevated along with men— sick, perpetually pregnant, and uneducated women could not bear and nurture males who would grow strong and healthy to modernize Egypt into a world class metropolis. At the same time, Muslim clerics maintained that women's oppression was contrary to Islam and that women's rights according to the Quran had been kept from them. For women like Huda, the old harem life had become unsatisfying and women were eager exploit the advantages that came with the new contemporary way of life, thus supporting innovation. However, it was the same class of women who wanted to keep their dignity and seclusion and the harem system was essential for this. Although the harem system separated the men from the women, in doing so it also separated women in different classes. Not only was this patriarchal prototype challenged by feminists but it also challenged the old harem ways which were incorrectly knit into Islam. Another contribution to the breakdown of the harem system includes the intellectual awakening of the upper-class women who had been emerging over the years in part through lecture series’. Luckily running into Princess Ain al-Hayat, she decided to personally sponsor the lectures. This eventually led to the birth of the Intellectual Association of Egyptian women in April 1914. Throughout Huda’s life, key incidents or moments, as well as influential individuals in her family and group of friends contributed to the development of her critical feminist consciousness—an awareness that would modernize a vast region. As a young girl, Huda wanted to learn Arabic grammar but when her tutor brought an Arabic grammar book, her eunuch ordered the tutor to take it back saying, “The young lady has no need for grammar as she will not become a judge!” (40) Her eunuch’s words depressed Huda and she immediately began to neglect her studies hating being a girl because it kept her from the education she longed for. However, shortly after meeting Sayyida Khadija, it impressed her that she used to sit with the men and talk about literary and cultural issues. This showed her the command of education as women with no education would tremble with embarrassment and fright if asked to speak a few words to a man. She writes, “Observing Sayyida Khadija convinced me that, with learning, women could be equals of men if not surpass them.” (42) Huda’s feministic consciousness regarding the limitations of women was becoming clearer by the day. Since their early childhood, Huda and her brother shared the same friends which were nearly all boys. The boys were her friends until she was about eleven years old at which point she was restricted to the company of girls and women. Being separated from her childhood friends was a painful experience for Huda as she mentioned that their ways left a mark on her. In a depressed emotional state, she comments on the company of girls, “I felt a stranger in their world—their habits and notions startled me.” (52) Her next excursion into social reform happened a short while later when Princess Ain al-Hayat asked Huda to establish a dispensary for the poor, which, at Huda's suggestion, was eventually expanded to teach classes in infant care, family hygiene, home management, and the like. This is significant because shortly after the death of the princess, whom Huda was very fond of, she reappeared in a dream. “One night, in a dream, she entered my study dressed all in black followed by her daughter, Princess Kazima, who was carrying a closed book placed on a pillow. I approached the princess to greet her. After returning my greeting, she nodded to her daughter, who gave me the book.” (96) After seeing the revelation, Huda interpreted it as a sign that the princess...