Matiel Mogannam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 15 1899 Lebanon |
| Died | 1992 United States |
| Nationality | Lebanonese, Palestinian, American |
| Occupation(s) | Feminist and Activist on Palestinian Issues |
| Notable work | The arab women and the palestinian problem |
Matiel Toohem Mogannam (Lebanon.1899 - United Sates, 1992) was a leading figure in the Palestinian women's movement during the British Mandate and foresaw the Palestinian catastrophe (Al-Nakba). She organized women's groups including the Congress of Palestinian Arab Women in 1929 and was the Secretary General of the Executive Committee of Christian and Muslim women. She also created the Union of Arab Women of Ramallah in 1939 and is the author of the book "The Arab Woman and the Palestinian Problem" (London: Herbert Jospeh, 1937).
Biography
editMatiel Mogannam was born in the Bekah Valley of Lebanon on February 15, 1899, into a Christian family. She moved to New York, United States with her parents and two sisters in 1907. She later returned to the MiddleEast specifically Jerusalem, Palestine. There, "she met her husband, the lawyer and member of the National Defense Party, Mogannam Mogannam." Notably, she did not come from a prominent family, as did most of her companions in the women's movement of the time in Jerusalem. For some reason, "Christian women involved in the movement tended to be from the less favored professional middle class."
This did not however limit their effectiveness. In 1929, motivated by "the illegality of the actions of the British Government in Palestine, the continuous acts of violence towards local society, the loss of land at the hands of European Jews who were immigrating from Europe and British Imperialism, resulted in the greatest change in the life of Arab women in Palestine and in the concentration of their forces ". Together with Tarab Abd al-Hadi she organized the First Congress of Palestinian Arab Women. From this event, an Executive Committee was created of which she was the General Secretary, and there was a first consolidation of the Palestinian women's movement in the face of the political and social dynamics that were appearing, among them, "the Balfour Declaration, Zionist immigration, the Collective Punishment Ordinance and the mistreatment of Arab prisoners by the police. "
In 1938, she participated in the Conference of Eastern Women held in Cairo led by Hanan Ashrawi. However, from "the division into factions of the Association of Palestinian Arab Women created, taking a more charitable current (of the division between the political and the charitable), the Union of Arab Women in Ramallah in 1939, through which carried out relief and charity activities, including sewing and embroidery workshops for women. "After the Palestinian catastrophe (al-nakba) of 1948, her political activity declined. She continued to preside over the Palestinian Women's organization and in 1980 he finally returned to the United States until her death in 1992.
Contributions
editMatiel Mogannam gained notoriety not only for being the chief spokesperson for the Arab Women's Executive Committee, but for her written works and leadership within the movement. One of the most representative actions was the speech given in front of Sir Edmund Allenby, the British commander who took the power of Jerusalem from the Ottomans, leading the creation of the British Mandate Government in Palestine. Her speech was promulgated when Allenby visited Jerusalem in 1933 to inaugurate the Young Christian Women's Association (YMCA) building and stated:
“It is the second time in the history of our movement that we have held such a demonstration. In this way, we wish to show everyone the serious situation we have reached, due to the unjust and oppressive policy imposed on us under the Colonial Administration that has been configured in the country under the guise of Mandate. It is the second time that we have proclaimed through a peaceful demonstration that the Arab nation living in the neighborhood of these two holy sites, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Holy Sepulcher, celebrated in veneration and holiness by both the Eastern and Western world, We will not tolerate any injustice or surrender to such humiliation. We wish to let all nations in the East and West know that, despite such imperialist administration, we will continue to work, fully united, until we achieve our national promises.“
The Allies made an alliance with us when they needed our help. We fought alongside them side by side. Many of our men met their death as martyrs on the battlefield, and their blood covered many places to restore our lost freedom and regain our violated rights. But when the Allies achieved their goal, they looked down on us and reneged on the promises they had given us. In this country, the Holy Land, they endeavored to apply an unjust policy that will result in the annihilation of the Arab nation, expropriating their land and depriving them of their resources. A mixed administration of Colonial and Zionist tendencies was established in the country contrary to the wishes of the people. Our short experience has shown that as a result of the policies of this Administration the National structure of the Arabs was undermined and their aspirations frustrated.
We see before us the shadow of our complete extermination as a nation, and the eviction of our land on which we and our parents and ancestors have lived for centuries. However, we do not lose hope. We are sure that, once they realize their mistake, the British Government will find a remedy to change this deplorable situation.
For fifteen years we have made repeated requests to the Mandate Government for a change in its destructive policy, but it seems that they have 'ears and do not listen, they have eyes and do not see.' It is now common knowledge that independence is not taken, and that the struggle of any nation to obtain its rights infringed and restore its sovereignty usurped must ultimately bear fruit. Do not let that day come when the most effective and overwhelming collective action is exercised by every Arab in this country, for the consequences of that day will not be desirable.
It behooves us, my dear sisters, now that we reverently position ourselves in front of the Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the great Arab Conqueror, to review for a moment our past and draw from our glorious history a lesson for our future work and an incentive to our national struggle. Let us pray that the Almighty will grant this nation enough strength and courage to stand as an imposing stone in the face of all temptations and their efforts will be successfully accomplished. "
"The Arab Woman and the Palestinian problem" by Matiel Mogannam
In 1937 she wrote "The Arab Woman and the Palestinian Problem" where she evidenced her thinking as a strong defender of bourgeois liberal thought (due to her experience with American feminist currents of the 1920s and 1930s where the greatest achievements were achieved through changes in law), where reform is directly accompanied by a legislative transformation. Changes are built from above and come to society as an application of law and social policy. It is only through legislation, within a representative government, that it is possible to obtain rights, mostly linked to the political rights of universal suffrage and therefore of the construction of a modern national state. An example of this is her account of why "the government of the mandate could not pass legislation to increase the minimum legal age of marriage for a girl (to fourteen years) as it did not have a legislative council elected by the people."
The work divides it into two books: the first of them, called "the Arab woman", in which she makes a historical journey that would allow questioning the social reforms related to marriage, divorce, discrimination against women and their rights, and thus arrive at the current situation of women organized in political and resistance movements. Always focused on the importance of religious coexistence within the territory that includes the Holy Places, Jerusalem, Palestine.
In this way, she approaches the second book called "The Palestinian Problem", where she provides a general explanation of what her experience (and that of her husband) has been as political and resistance actors. In this sense, it highlights the influence of a Great Arab Nation as an idea that has been developing since those years from Damascus, Syria, but that finds a great limitation that will be the British Mandate on Palestine and the recent arrival of Jewish European immigrants to the territory. that has caused a problem for the land and for national identity. Now, in her second book, she is not limited to a mere description of the events, but she analyzes in retrospect the same movement of which she is part, showing the divisions and limitations of the Palestinian political movement of the moment, with the political parties as the main actors. , but always in relation to the government of the moment and its legislation.
Finally, it should be noted that Matiel proposes at the end of his text a solution to the problem afflicting Palestine, maintaining, however, an attitude of hopelessness and desolation in the face of events. Any scheme or solution that is proposed to be embarked must contain sufficient lifesavers against the occurrence of future disorders similar to those for which Palestine has not been saved; it must be such that it will enable the people of Palestine to work for the construction of a modern state worthy of its name, forming, as it should be, an important part of an Arab Federation and making its contributions to world peace. "
References
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[[Category:Palestinian feminists]]