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. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. 1 2 3 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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