For the missionaries, the degradation of women in Islam was legitimate ground for their attacks on native culture, so missionary-school teachers actively attacked the practice of veiling by trying to persuade girls to defy their families and not wear one. He does not seek glory from his possessions and colonies, for he has enough of this through his intellectual achievements and scientific inventions. This is the noble duty that advanced civilization has given to women in our age and which she fulfills in advanced societies. Here, Ahmed deals briefly with the work of such figures as Huda Sharawi, Malak Nassef, Mai Ziyada, Alila Rifaat, and Nawal El-Saadawi. For the first time, Egyptian women themselves were exploring the implications of a male-gendered debate and its fixation on the veil.
Women wear robes in a variety of styles. . . .