Breaking stereotypes and resisting occupation: 10 Arab women who inspired us in 2024

In a year filled with tragedies and setbacks across all levels, it is no exaggeration when we say that the Arab region found little respite. Yet, many Arab women stood tall against occupation, stereotypes, and insurmountable odds.

Raseef22’s list of inspirational Arab women this year features journalists, sports champions, social activists, struggling mothers, and innovators.

1) Imane Khelif

In 2024, young Algerian boxer Imane Khelif offered us an invaluable lesson on how a woman can fight, both in the ring and outside of it.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif

Khelif faced accusations questioning her femininity, with some labeling her a “trans man,” implying she had transitioned genders and possessed "excessive strength," which gave her an unfair advantage over her "normative and conventionally female" competitors. Imane became the target of rampant online abuse and misinformation. She faced intense public scrutiny over her eligibility to compete in the women's category despite Olympic officials repeatedly verifying that she has been cleared to compete after complying with all necessary eligibility and medical regulations.

In spite of all of this, Imane won the gold medal in boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the 66kg weight category, thus becoming Algeria's first female gold medalist in boxing. She also filed a lawsuit against those who publicly questioned her gender identity and incited a major online hate campaign against her, determined to see her fight through to the end and to set a powerful example of what strong women can really do.

Fairuz, along with Egyptian activist Laila Soueif, Saudi feminist Manahel al-Otaibi, and Gazan journalist Nour Swirki, are among the Arab women who inspired us with their strength and resilience against oppression and occupation this year. These are the most valuable lessons we learned from them in 2024.

2) Fairuz

Iconic Lebanese singer Fairuz

As the clock struck midnight on November 21, 2024, one of the most iconic singers of the Arab world turned 90 years old, and countless fans and admirers expressed their love and gratitude to her.

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Nouhad Haddad—her birth name—was born in the popular Zuqaq al-Blat neighborhood of Beirut in 1934, grew to become the “Legend of the Arabs," the "Jasmine of the Levant," and the "Songbird of the East." Lebanon’s Fairuz also became known across the Arab world as “The Moon's Neighbor” from her popular song “Nehna Wel Amar Jiran (We And The Moon Are Neighbors).”

This year, her birthday coincided with difficult circumstances plaguing Lebanon and the Arab region, and served as a one-day truce for millions of Lebanese and Arabs. For one day, they breathed a sigh of relief and celebrated the “Queen of Arabic Song,” as if their woes had lifted, their struggles subsided, and the tragedies of their countries had come to an end.

At 90 years old, and with all the hardships and triumphs throughout her life, our beloved Fairuz, the “Voice of Homelands,” continues to inspire us daily with greater strength and hope.

3) Nour Swirki

Despite the harshness of life, the absence of basic necessities, and the escalating dangers in Gaza, Palestinian journalist Nour Swirki, 36, continues her coverage from the besieged enclave. She has been exposing Israel’s crimes against its people since the start of the genocide on October 7, 2023.

Palestinian journalist Nour Swirki

A few months after the war began, Nour and her husband, journalist Salem al-Rayyes, 38, made the difficult decision to send their two children out of the Gaza Strip to ensure their safety and to dedicate themselves fully to their professional and humanitarian work. Meanwhile, Israel continues to deliberately target journalists, killing dozens, often alongside their families.

With no protection from Israel’s killing machine, the complete collapse of infrastructure in Gaza, and repeated forced displacement to areas that are all unsafe, Nour found herself separated from her family, including her husband. Salem stayed in a tent designated for male journalists, while Nour lived in a separate tent for female journalists for months before they finally reunited. Despite these hardships, Nour bravely continues her journalistic work, driven by her belief in amplifying the voices of her people and conveying the truth through television screens and her social media accounts.

4) Laila Soueif

As of September 30, 2024, Egyptian academic and activist Laila Soueif, 68, began a full hunger strike—refusing even water—in protest of what she calls "a crime by the Egyptian authorities" against her son, prominent activist Alaa AbdelFattah. Alaa, an Egyptian-British blogger and political activist, was supposed to be released in September, but the authorities insist on detaining him until early 2027, which Laila considers "kidnapping and unlawful detention."

Egyptian academic and activist Laila Soueif

In an escalatory move, responding to what she deems British indifference and "complicity by the British government with its ally, the Egyptian regime, in his detention," Laila announced her intention to stage a sit-in outside the British Foreign Office every workday morning until her son is released—or until her body collapses and she is hospitalized. She has lost more than 20 kilograms since starting the hunger strike.

Laila is an example of the lengths women will go for their beliefs, and the sacrifices a mother is willing to make to protect her children, regardless of the risks to her safety, or even her life.

5) Christina Assi

The life of Christina Assi, 29, a Lebanese photojournalist at Agence France-Presse (AFP), changed on October 13, 2023, when she sustained severe injuries after Israel targeted a group of journalists covering its aggression on South Lebanon. The Israeli targeted strikes, which killed her colleague, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, and injured five other journalists, were labeled a war crime by a Human Rights Watch (HRW) investigation.

Christina Assi, Lebanese photojournalist at Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Christina, who was named one of BBC’s most influential women of 2024, suffered critical injuries that led to the amputation of her right leg.

Imane Khelif, Nada Hafez, and Hana Goda are Arab female athletes who have excelled in different fields but share a common thread of defying expectations and achieving remarkable success. They have proven that nothing can stand in the way of girls and women determined to succeed—not pregnancy, age, lack of experience, nor smear and intimidation campaigns.

She carried the torch for the Paris 2024 Olympics in honor not only of her and her courage, but also a tribute and an acknowledgment of all journalists who have lost their lives or been injured while reporting.

6) Nada Hafez

Many were stunned to see Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez, 26, competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a visibly swollen belly, apparently in the final months of her pregnancy.

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez at Paris 2024 Olympics

Some viewed Nada’s participation as a waste of Egyptian public funds, convinced that she wouldn’t win because she was pregnant. Others viewed it as extraordinary, challenging their perception of pregnancy as a disability that hinders women from performing even the simplest tasks.

Nada, who won her first match in the women’s individual sabre competition before exiting in pre-quarterfinals, was competing in her third Olympic Games—this time “carrying a little Olympian” while seven months pregnant.

In addition to her impressive athletic career, which began at the age of 11, Nada is a medical doctor. She graduated from Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine in 2022 and is currently a clinical specialist.

What this young Egyptian doctor and athlete accomplished serves as a reminder that pregnancy is neither a handicap nor an illness, and, if handled properly, does not prevent women from advancing in their personal and professional lives across all fields.

7) Manahel al-Otaibi

Saudi fitness trainer Manahel al-Otaibi, 29, is described by Amnesty International as a "brave defender of women's rights." In November 2022, she was arrested on “terrorism charges,” and by January 2024, she was sentenced to 11 years in prison—solely for supporting the social and economic "reforms" introduced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman since his rise to power in 2017.

Saudi fitness trainer Manahel al-Otaibi

Believing that Saudi women were now free to dress and act as they wished within the bounds of "modesty" and no longer required to wear the abaya, as Prince Mohammed had stated, Manahel went out in public without one. She took photos, shared them online, and expressed her newfound sense of freedom in her country after decades of oppression. For this, she was charged with "violating Saudi Arabia's Anti-Cyber Crime Law."

Amnesty International reported that the harsh sentence left Manahel devastated. She told her family that she had been beaten by another inmate before being placed in solitary confinement, barred from contacting her loved ones for months. She was left with a broken leg that went untreated, further deepening her distress.

Manahel is a living example that women in Saudi Arabia continue to face repression and patriarchal authority, exposing the falsity behind official claims that women are no longer persecuted for their clothing or personal choices in the Kingdom.

8. Hinda Abdi Mohamoud

Hinda Abdi Mohamoud is a Somali journalist and women’s rights advocate, also named on BBC’s list of the Most Inspiring Women of 2024.

Hinda Abdi Mohamoud, Somali journalist and women’s rights advocate

Originally from Hargeisa, Somalia, Hinda is the editor-in-chief of Bilan Media, the country’s first and only all-women, independent media team that challenges societal norms—especially those related to women.

Hinda works in one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, and one of the most conservative, sometimes hostile, environments toward women. Yet, she continues her brave work without fear, standing as a beacon for women and journalists across her country.

9) Ne’ma Hassan

Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Gazan poet, writer, and community activist Ne’ma Hassan has relentlessly raised her voice about the suffering of her people. She dedicates her social media accounts, connections, and time to amplify their plight, seizing every platform she appears on to serve this goal.

Gazan poet, writer, and community activist Ne’ma Hassan

A native of Rafah in southern Gaza and a member of the Taakhai Family volunteer organization, Naama has been working for nearly five years with various Arab and international entities supporting the Palestinian people. Her focus is on doing everything possible to aid children affected across different areas of Gaza. Additionally, Ne’ma documents the daily realities of war on her Facebook page.

Among them are women who champion the noble role of motherhood, those who defy the brutality of occupation, and those who shatter stereotypes that diminish women’s capabilities. Raseef22’s selection of inspiring Arab women for 2024 highlights these diverse choices.

10) Hana Goda

In an unprecedented achievement, 17-year-old Egyptian table tennis prodigy Hana Goda became the first Egyptian, Arab, and African player to win a medal at the World Junior Championships in a sport long dominated by Chinese and East Asian players.

17-year-old Egyptian table tennis prodigy Hana Goda

The young athlete secured bronze at the World Table Tennis Championship for Under-19 Girls in Sweden after clinching gold at the African Games in Ghana in March of the same year. This milestone came despite her exit in the round of 64 at the Paris 2024 Olympics, which reflects her solid and unwavering will to succeed.

In 2020, the International Table Tennis Federation stated that Hana had "set new, unprecedented standards" in the sport, rewriting the history of African table tennis. At just 12 years old, she became the first African player to top the world rankings for girls under 15.

Hana is a remarkable example of how girls and women overcome barriers, defy entrenched ideas and societal constraints, and achieve extraordinary accomplishments, regardless of age, experience, or other factors—so long as their will remains strong.