Syeda Razia Faiz
সৈয়দা রাজিয়া ফয়েজ
Member of Jatiya Sangsad
In office
18 February 1979 – 12 February 1982
Preceded bySalahuddin Yusuf
ConstituencyKhulna-14
Member of Jatiya Sangsad
In office
1 October 2001 – 29 October 2006
Succeeded bySyeda Zebunnesa Haque
ConstituencyWomen's Seat-35
Personal details
Born(1936-04-18)18 April 1936
Tabilpur, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India
Died15 November 2013(2013-11-15) (aged 77)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Political partyBangladesh Nationalist Party
Islami Jatiya Oikya Front
SpouseMohammad Abul Faiz
Parent
RelativesSyeda Sakina Islam (sister)

Syeda Razia Faiz (Bengali: সৈয়দা রাজিয়া ফয়েজ; 18 April 1936 – 15 November 2013) was a Bangladeshi politician. She served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in the 1960s. In 1979, she was the first woman to be elected in the history of Bangladesh as a member of the Parliament of Bangladesh, alongside 299 male members (out of 300 elected members of parliament).[1][2]

Early life and family

Faiz was born on 18 April 1936 into a Bengali Muslim family of Syeds from the village of Talibpur in Murshidabad. Her father, Syed Badrudduja, was a former mayor of Kolkata and a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly and India's Lok Sabha.[1] Through her paternal grandfather Syed Abdul Ghafur, she was a descendant of Ali, the fourth Caliph of Islam.

Meanwhile, her sister Syeda Sakina Islam, was among the 30 nominated/selected members of the reserved women seats (a quota for the winning party which holds the parliamentary majority) of the same national parliament.[3]

Career

Faiz (middle row, first from left) pictured on a diplomatic delegation, with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai

She was elected to Pakistan National Assembly in the 1960s, representing the country on a number of delegations overseas.[3] During the Bangladesh Liberation War she was also part of the Pakistani delegation to the United Nations. She was placed under house arrest in Bangladesh after its independence.

In 1979, Faiz was elected from the former constituency of Abdus Sabur Khan to Bangladesh's National Parliament.[4] She was the first female elected member of parliament in Bangladesh.[3] In 1989, she was appointed as the minister for women and social welfare[1] Later, she served as the vice president of Bangladesh Nationalist Party until her death.[5]

Personal life and death

Faiz was married to Mohammad Abul Faiz, the former chairman of Petrobangla. They had a daughter, Fawzia Alam, two sons, Osman Ershad Faiz and Aman Ashraf Faiz.[1] She died on 15 November 2013.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Razia Faiz dead". The Financial Express. Dhaka. 17 November 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Irani, Bilkis (12 January 2019). "Are reserved seats in the parliament sufficient for women's empowerment?". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Obituary". The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Badrul Ahsan, Syed. "The Bengalis who let us down in 1971". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Razia Faiz's qulkhwani held". The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.