Senior JT reporter Husseini releases Arabic version of her book on women’s movement

AMMAN — The Jordan Times senior reporter Rana Husseini on Tuesday released the Arabic version of her book “Years of Struggle: The Women’s Movement in Jordan”. 

The book’s publication is supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Jordan office. 

This is Husseini’s second book after “Murder in the Name of Honour”, published in 2009.

“The main idea is to pass-on reliable information for the younger generation to inform them of what women in Jordan went through to bring us where we are today,” Husseini told The Jordan Times. 

Husseini, who is also a feminist and human rights defender, said that “society as a whole” should be involved in women’s issues.

“I want to spread the knowledge I gained throughout my experience in empowering other women and creating societal awareness of this important issue,” Husseini said. 

“Women’s empowerment in Jordan shall continue,” she added. 

Husseini noted that her book is available in Arabic and English, both as a hard copy and a PDF, and is free of charge, noting that she aims to create awareness of this “immense issue” by making the publication accessible to all.

“I want this book to be a reference for all historians, researchers and people interested in women’s movement in Jordan,” Husseini said during her remarks at the launch of the Arabic version of the book in Amman. 

Husseini added that she wants Jordanian women’s history to be reported on by Jordanians.

“This book is extremely important for women’s empowerment in Jordan and not only Jordan,” Magdalena Kirchner, Resident Director FES Jordan said during her remarks. 

Kirchner added that history has proved that any breakthroughs in the women’s right base were a result of sustained collective efforts and advocacy over many years.

According to Kirchner, “Years of Struggle” fits the description of last year’s burden on women worldwide. 

Women all over the world disproportionally suffered due to economic recessions, the pandemic, as well as global warming, she noted.

“Globally, almost one in three women has been subject to violence at least once during their lifetime,” she said. 

However, under the shadow of the pandemic, this number has further increased, according to Kirchner.

Husseini stated that she felt the need to document the changes that have occurred in Jordan with regard to women’s rights over the past 20 years.

 “Women’s issues are rarely mentioned in history, especially in our part of the world,” Minister of Legal Affairs Wafa’ Bani Mustafa said during the event. 

Mustafa added that this book is a historical reference for scholars and historians, which covers a societal issue that was neglected in Jordanian history books. 

“The path for women’s empowerment is still underway,” Mustafa said.