Today is International Women’s Day, so here are some Extraordinary Coptic Women You Should Definitely Know About!
In no particular order:
Nadia Henry:
Nadia Henry, Egyptian MP, was one of the most famous Coptic voices in Egyptian politics after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.
She frquently challenged Islamist governmental policies. She co-sponsored legislation to abolish Article 98(f) of Egypt’s Blasphemy Law, she criticised the 2016 bill that would impose restrictions on church building, and campaigned for gender equality in judicial appointments.
During the Muslim Brotherhood’s governance post-Revolution, Henry threatened to resign from the Shura Council after a Catholic nominee was violently attacked and withdrew his candidacy.
Iris Habib ElMasry (1910-1994):
Iris Habib Elmasry was a pioneering Coptic historian and public intellectual whose nine-volume Story of the Coptic Church reshaped global understanding of Coptic history.
She represented the Coptic Church at the World Council of Churches, fought for women’s right to vote for the Patriarch, helped rewrite the Coptic Synaxarium.
She was later appointed by President Anwar Sadat to Egypt’s Shura Council,who once told her, “I owe you a lot; I was a student of your books.”
Dina Powell McCormick:
Born Dina Habib to a Coptic family in Cairo, she would go on to become one of the most influential figures in U.S. foreign policy. McCormick was the youngest to ever hold the position Assistant to the President (George W Bush) for Presidential Personnel. She then worked as a Senior Advisor to President Trump and was part of a meeting between President Trump and the Saudi de-facto leader Mohammed bin Salman, and shared responsibility for overseeing a $200 billion US-Saudi arms deal.
In 2017 she was appointed Deputy National Security Advisor. McCormick was at the Kushner peace process trip in 2017, and was then one of the ‘core four’ drafting a comprehensive Middle East plan that would later grow to become the Abraham Accords, which brought peace between Israel and the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, and Sudan.
Ester Fanous (1895-1990):
During the 1919 Revolution, Fanous wrote a petition to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson that gathered hundreds of signatures, co-founded the Women’s Wafd Central Committee and the New Woman Society, mobilising thousands.
Fanous led protests, spoke across religious lines, and famously addressed political meetings in mosques,unveiled and proudly Coptic.
Mariz Tadros:
Mariz Tadros is a Professor of Politics and Development at the University of Sussex.
Tadros convened the Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID), a major global initiative that produces research on the discrimination faced by religious minorities.
She also leads the British Academy project on “Heritage Repertoires for Inclusive and Sustainable Development,” which works with Coptic communities in Egypt to preserve oral traditions, stories, and cultural practices while empowering young people to document and protect their heritage.
Helena Sidarous (1904-1998):
Sidarous attended one of the earliest schools for girls in Egypt and in 1922 was awarded a scholarship to continue her studies abroad.
She studied medicine in London and became THE FIRST WOMAN to practice medicine in Egypt.
She worked at the Kitchener Hospital (later Shoubra General Hospital) and the Coptic Hospital performing surgeries. Her professional focus was obstetrics and gynaecology.
Eva Habil:
Eva Habil was EGYPT’S FIRST FEMALE MAYOR and was appointed in 2008 as Omda of Kom Buha.
She defeated five male candidates including her own brother, and in a rural community.
She later served in the Egyptian Shura Council.
Mariam Wahba:
Mariam Wahba is a political research analyst at the FDD (The Foundation for Defense of Democracies) focused on Egypt and minorities in the Middle East. Currently, she serves as the Associate Director of Communications at FDD. She cofounded and co-host “American-ish,” a podcast and digital platform highlighting Middle East ethno-religious minorities and promoting American values.
Amma Sara (3-4th Century):
A powerful Desert Mother
“If I prayed God that all men should approve of my conduct, I should find myself a penitent at the door of each one, but I shall rather pray that my heart be pure towards all.”
One passage records how two great anchorites went to visit Amma Sarah and, upon arrival, decided to humiliate her by reminding her that she should not become conceited in believing they had come to visit her, in response she says to them: ‘According to nature, I am a woman, but not according to my thoughts’
Saint Euphemia (3-4th Century):
During the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, Coptic Christians were dragged through the streets in chains by his deputy Barsiros. A brave woman, Saint Euphemia, stepped forward from the crowd, condemning the emperor, his idols, and the governor for their cruelty. When she boldly professed her Christian faith before the emperor, she was brutally tortured and martyred.
(in no particular order)
