Prominent Egyptian feminist Nawal al Saadawi dies at 89

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Writer, doctor, novelist and feminist activist, Nawal El-Saadawi has passed away at the age of 89, according to Egyptian media, after a struggle with illness.

Saadawi, born on October 27, 1931, was known for her bold opinions and her constant defense of women's rights, particularly in the fight against female genital mutilation, which she experienced as a child. 
 
She founded the Arab Women's Solidarity Association in 1982 and also helped establish the Arab Foundation for Human Rights, winning international awards for literature and human rights. She was the editor-in-chief of several Egyptian newspapers throughout the course of her career.

Saadawi visited Kurdistan in 2014, where she organized an open intellectual and dialogue seminar between her and local Kurdish women, and visited the martyrs memorial in Halabja. 

She spent decades expressing her views through her novels, articles, biographies, and lectures.

"Women are half of society. You cannot have a revolution without women, you cannot have democracy without women, and there is no equality without women," she wrote.