Nuun Magazine

views updated

NUUN MAGAZINE

arabic-language feminist quarterly magazine published in egypt by the arab women's solidarity association.

Members of the Arab Women's Solidarity Organization (AWSA) suggested during its 1988 conference the creation of a magazine that would raise public awareness about women's issues. The first issue of Nuun (also Nun ) appeared on 1 May 1989, and was originally distributed only to AWSA members due to limitations imposed by the Egyptian government on the distribution of materials published by nongovernmental organizations.

The magazine was concerned with the promotion of the general goals of AWSA: equality between the sexes, the advancement of women's rights and the promotion of cooperation between women, and the defense of democracy, development, and independence in the Arab world from a progressive feminist standpoint. Nuun aimed to serve as a forum in which Arab women could exchange views and experiences, and to promote a new consciousness about the liberation of Arab women. The name originated from the Arabic expression nun al-nisa, which refers to the formation of the feminine plural in the Arabic language. Because of its antitraditionalist, feminist, and progressive stance, the magazine confronted numerous attempts to curtail its dissemination. In 1991 the Egyptian government closed down the magazine for opposing Egypt's role as an ally of the United States during the Gulf War.

see also arab women's solidarity association international; gender: gender and politics; newspapers and print media: arab countries.