Kassem Amen

One of the leaders of modern Arab Renaissance, known as the liberator of the Arabic women.

His life:

Kassem Amin was born on 1863 in Alexandria, from a Turkish father and an Egyptian mother.

His elementary study was in "Ras Alteen", then he moved with his family to settle in Cairo.

He finished his secondary school and joined the high school of law and management from which he got his certificate on 1881.He worked for a short period as a lawyer.

His travel to France:

He traveled to France in 1882 and he studied in Montpellier, he finished his studies after four years.

He was open to the French society, philosophy and the modern system of life; he admired the political and social freedom in which the French citizen lives.

The return to Egypt:

He wrote for four years in the newspaper "Al Moayed" analyzing the social problems which prevent the Egyptian society from achieving advancement and modernity.

He participated actively in the early call for the foundation of the first Arabic university , Cairo University which was opened in the year of his death in 1908. 

 Figures influenced Amin:

During his studies in France, he strengthened his relation with the two well known eminent reformists "Gamal El Din Alafghany "and "Mohammad Abduh". They published the first issue of "Al Orwa Al Wothga" newspaper on 1889. During this period, he worked as an interpreter for "Mohammad  Abdo".

Kassem Amin was closely associated with "Saad Zaghlool" and "Ahmed Lotfy Al Sayed" eminent nationalist leaders of the time.

His call of liberation of women:

 Kassem's vision was that raising the status of women, through education as well as participation in undertaking her  responsibility  toward society is the correct starting point toward reform and advancement.

He based his call on the natural freedom and equality of both sexes, for which he was inspired by his study in France and on the idea that these values coincide with the Islamic religious laws.

 Many articles and several books written by thinkers were written against this call.

His books:

 Kssem Amin published his book in 1894 "Les Egyptiens" which was in French; he rejected negative claims against the traditions of oriental society.

In 1899, he published "Liberation of the women".

In this book, he addressed several issues concerning the status of women in Islam in an Islamic scientific manner. He published another book in 1900 recording his scientific and religious replies to his critics and requesting full political rights for women titled "The new women".