Zeenat Haroon Rashid

Zeenat Haroon Rashid (Urdu: زینت ہارون راشد, Born: January 21, 1928 - Died: April 8, 2017) was women’s rights supporter and founding member of the Women’s National Guard. She was daughter of Abdullah Haroon and Lady Abdullah Haroon and daughter in law of Mian Abdul Rashid, the first Chief Justice of Pakistan.[2]

Zeenat Haroon Rashid
زینت ہارون راشد
Born
Zeenat Haroon Rashid

January 21, 1928
DiedApril 08, 2017
NationalityPakistani
Known forFeminist, Founder of Women’s National Guard Movement, 'Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize For Women'[1]
Parent(s)Abdullah Haroon (father)
Lady Abdullah Haroon (mother),
Mian Abdul Rashid (father in law)

Politics and Feminism

Women’s National Guard

Rashid was a feminist, a supporter of women in public roles and politics. She was active member of the Muslim League and founding member of the Women’s National Guard at the time of creation of Pakistan. As a member of "Women’s National Guard", she learned self-defence, first aid and helped people to register to vote. She claimed the women in the guard as a symbol of progress.[3][4][5]

Rashid became famous for women's empowerment, when Margaret Bourke-White, captured her photograph while she was practising with the Women's National Guard. The photograph was published in Life (magazine)’s cover story on Pakistan in January 1948.[2][6]

Sadia Shepard, a Pakistani American filmmaker made a documentary named “The other half of tomorrow” for which she also interviewed Rashid. The documentary was about perspectives of different Pakistani women who worked to improve the contemporary Pakistan.[2][7]

She is survived by her husband, Safdar Rashid and three children Haider, Samyra Rashid and Syra Vahidy.[2]

Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize For Women

To honour the memory of Rashid, the “Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize For Women” has been set by her daughter Syra Rashid Vahidy.[8][9] The prize will be awarded annually in the hope that it works to support the women who want to pursue writing as a career.[10][11]

The panel of judges for the prize include Ameena Saiyid, the former director of Oxford University Press in Pakistan, and Moni Mohsin, the author of the best-selling novel, The Diary of a Social Butterfly, (2008).[4] Most of the stories given prizes are about violence against women including child sexual abuse, domestic abuse, restriction for women going to higher education, murder, forced marriages, the double standards being applied between women and men and place of women in public spaces.[5]

References
  1. "HOME". ZHR WRITING PRIZE.
  2. Report, Dawn (9 April 2017). "Obituary: Jinnah's young aide Zeenat passes away". DAWN.COM.
  3. "Pakistan's women get their own writing prize". The Friday Times. 13 December 2019.
  4. "Writing prize for women to honour Women's National Guard stalwart Zeenat Haroon Rashid". Daily Times. 12 March 2019.
  5. "The Writing Prize In Honour Of The Woman Who Set Up Pakistan's National Women's Guard". Mashion. 15 December 2019.
  6. "THE DAWN OF PAKISTAN". DAWN.COM. 11 August 2018.
  7. "THE OTHER HALF OF TOMORROW - ZEENAT HAROON RASHID". Vimeo.
  8. Azeem, Sarwat Yasmeen (15 December 2019). "INTERVIEW: 'WOMEN WANT TO TELL SOMEBODY ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES AND THEIR IDEAS' — SYRA RASHID VAHIDY". DAWN.COM.
  9. "In conversation with Syra Rashid Vahidy". The Nation. 3 December 2019.
  10. "Pakistan's Zeenat Haroon Rashid writing prize speaks of a legacy". Arab News PK. 1 December 2019.
  11. "Story wins award". www.thenews.com.pk.
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