Huda al-Rasheed

Huda al-Rasheed (or al-Rashid; Arabic: هدى الرشيد) is a Saudi Arabian broadcaster and writer. She was the first woman to present a newscast on Saudi television and was a familiar voice on BBC World Service for more than 40 years.

Early life

Al-Rasheed was born in Unaizah, Najd, Saudi Arabia and educated at boarding schools in Lebanon and Egypt.[1]

Broadcasting career

In the early 1970s she started working as an editor for Okaz, a daily newspaper in Jeddah, and broadcasting on Jeddah Radio, presenting political and arts programs.[2] In 1974 she moved from radio to television, becoming the first woman news presenter in the kingdom when she appeared on Channel One.[2][3]

Her tenure at Channel One proved brief. While in London to study English, al-Rasheed toured the studios of the BBC.[1] Shortly after returning home, the BBC World Service offered her a position as a radio broadcaster, so she returned to England, joining BBC Arabic on 10 September 1974.[1] She took a hiatus from the BBC starting in 1989 to complete a degree history and English literature at the University of Buckingham, and then master's degrees in media studies, linguistics and translation.[1]

Writing

In addition to broadcasting, al-Rasheed is a novelist and short story writer. Her first publication was a collection of short stories in 1973.[4] She has also published a number of novels.

Works
  • 1973: Nisa' 'abr al-athir (Women Over the Ether; short stories)[4]
  • 1977: 'Abath (Folly; novel)[4]
  • 1977: Ghadan sayakun al-khamis (Tomorrow is Thursday; novel)[4]
  • 1980: Misdemeanor (novel)[2]
  • 1993: The Divorce (novel)[2]
  • 2008: Love (novel)[2]
  • 2012: The Devil is Sometimes a Woman (novel)[2]

References
  1. Pukas, Anna (8 March 2018). "Saudi trailblazer Huda Al-Rasheed's message to women: never give up on your dreams". Arab News. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  2. Jarrah, Mohammed (2 October 2018). "Meet Huda al-Rasheed: Saudi Arabia's first woman broadcaster". Al Arabiya News. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  3. Bizawe, Eyal Sagui (6 September 2014). "There's More to Saudi Arabia Than Oil and Sharia". Haaretz.
  4. Ashour, Radwa; Ghazoul, Ferial J.; Reda-Mekdashi, Hasna, eds. (2008). Arab Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide, 1873-1999. American University in Cairo. p. 465. doi:10.5743/cairo/9789774161469.001.0001. ISBN 9774161467.
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