Najat Driouech

Najat Driouech Ben Moussa (born 1981) is a politician for the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC). She has served in the Parliament of Catalonia since the 2017 elections, and is the first Muslim woman in that legislature.[1]

The Most Illustrious
Najat Driouech
MP
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia
Assumed office
17 January 2018
ConstituencyBarcelona
Personal details
Born
Najat Driouech Ben Moussa

1981
Asilah, Morocco
CitizenshipSpanish, Moroccan
Political partyRepublican Left of Catalonia
ResidenceBarcelona
Alma materUniversity of Barcelona
OccupationActivist, politician

Biography

Driouech was born in 1981 in Asilah, Morocco[2] and moved to El Masnou in Catalonia in 1990.[3] She holds qualifications in Arab Studies and Social Work, and has taught the former at the University of Barcelona; she was the first female of El Masnou's Muslim community to have a university education.[3] Since 2001, she had worked for El Masnou city council in migrant-related affairs.[3]

Driouech was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia for the Republican Left of Catalonia in the Province of Barcelona in the 2017 elections. She became the first Muslim woman elected to the legislature, while two men from the faith had previously served.[3] She has worn a hijab since 2009, and has said "I have the right to be different, exactly the same as if a colleague decided to go dressed in pink".[4]

In December 2018, Driouech made a parliamentary speech against the far-right party Vox, after they entered their first regional parliament in Andalusia. Vox leader Santiago Abascal shared the video to his followers with the comment "And this one calls us male chauvinists... she should look at her own house first!" in reference to her religion.[5]

For the 2021 Catalan elections, Driouech was moved from tenth to fourth in the ERC's list.[2]

References
  1. "Najat Driouech, primera dona musulmana al Parlament: "Vull ser la primera de moltes"" [Najat Driouech, first Muslim woman in Parliament: "I want to be the first of many"] (in Catalan). RAC1. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  2. González, Sara (3 February 2021). "Najat Driouech, l'ariet contra els estereotips" [Najat Driouech, battering ram against stereotypes]. Nació Digital (in Catalan). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  3. Barnils, Andreu (7 January 2018). "Najat Driouech (ERC): 'Sóc una catalana nascuda al Marroc'" [Najat Driouech (ERC): 'I am a Catalan woman who was born in Morocco'] (in Catalan). Vila Web. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  4. "Najat Driouech, la primera diputada amb vel" [Najat Driouech, the first MP to wear a veil]. Ara (in Catalan). 17 January 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  5. "Santiago Abascal señala a la diputada musulmana de ERC y desata una ola de comentarios xenófobos contra ella" [Santiago Abascal points at the ERC's Muslim MP and unleashes a wave of xenophobic comments against her]. El Diario (in Spanish). 14 December 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
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