The New York Times reviewed the life story of Doria Shafik [Durriyā Shafīq] who led Egypt’s women’s liberation movement in the mid-1940s; she is the founder of a feminist organization, and earned a doctorate in philosophy from the Sorbonne University. Shafīq was also the editor-in-chief of two women magazines, and competed in the Miss Egypt Contest.

According to the New York Times, it was what Durriyā Shafīq did on February 19, 1951, that had the biggest impact on Egyptian history. She convened a crowd of 1500 women at a lecture hall in the American University of Cairo for what she called “a feminist congress.” But that was merely a ruse to fool the police, for she had other plans.

“Our meeting today is not a congress but a true women parliamentarian session,” Shafīq said.