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Syeda Razia Faiz

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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

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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

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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 under President Ayub Khan,[4] 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.[4] She was placed under house arrest in Bangladesh after its independence.[4]

In 1979, Faiz was elected from the former constituency of Abdus Sabur Khan to Bangladesh's 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 the Bangladesh Nationalist Party until her death.[5]

Personal life and death

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

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "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. ^ a b c "Obituary". The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Badrul Ahsan, Syed. "The Bengalis who let us down in 1971". The Daily Observer. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Razia Faiz's qulkhwani held". The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
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