Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Majda Akram Nimr Fadda was born on August 14, 1960, in the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank. Her father, Akram Fadda, was a former director of education in the Nablus Governorate. She studied in Nablus schools, completing her primary education at Jamila Bouhired School, her preparatory education at Nablus Girls' School, and her secondary education in the science track at Aisha School in 1978.
Fadda briefly attended An-Najah National University before traveling to the Soviet Union to pursue her studies. She earned a master's degree in pharmacy from Moscow State Medical University in 1985. She completed several specialized media courses, including a documentary filmmaking course at the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center in Doha in 2005. She also earned a master's degree in political planning and development from An-Najah National University in 2014 for her thesis, "The Arab Spring and Changes in the Political Thought of Hamas." Fadda practiced pharmacy from 1986 to 2002. Between 2004 and 2005, she collaborated with others to establish a media production and website design company. She also managed a home-based cosmetics and beauty products business.
Fadda's interest in union and institutional work began early in her life. She was active among students during her university studies, serving as an active member of the committee monitoring housing for Arab students at the university. She also participated in conferences related to the Palestinian cause and advocated for it. She joined the Arab Women's Union Association in Nablus in 1986, and her Islamic-oriented list won the association's elections in 1992. She was entrusted with overseeing the performance and development of the association's projects and institutions, such as the orphanage, the Women's Union Hospital, and the textile factory. She also played a prominent role in activating the association's involvement in national issues during that period. She coordinated with several women's organizations and bodies to organize demonstrations and sit-ins for the wives of those deported to Marj al-Zuhur (1992-1993), and she addressed international institutions and bodies, submitting a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations demanding the return of the deportees to their homes to reunite with their families.
Fadda, along with other Palestinian Islamist women, established the Roots Center for Culture and Arts in 1994, and remained an active member until 2005. The center focused on social, volunteer, and cultural work. In 1998, Fadda ran for election to the Pharmacists Syndicate on a list comprised of Islamists and won, becoming head of the syndicate's scientific and social committee. Also in 1998, she launched a scientific forum called the "Pharmacists' Forum," aimed at advancing the scientific knowledge and performance of female pharmacists. The forum remained active until 2005. In 1999, she oversaw the Graduates' Cultural Forum, which contributed to revitalizing the cultural scene in Nablus and its surrounding areas. She co-founded the Islamic Association of Palestinian Women, which was officially established in 2000 and remained active until 2005.
Fadda served as the director of the Nablus office of the Scientific Medical Society from 2002 to 2003. This medical relief organization played a prominent role in Nablus and its surrounding areas, particularly during the escalating Israeli attacks on the city during the Second Intifada. Fadda won a seat in the Nablus municipal elections in 2005 as part of the Reform and Change list. She was an active member of several committees, including the Education Committee, the Women's Committee, the Cultural Committee, and the City Beautification Committee. One of the Women's Committee's achievements was the establishment of the Women's Corner Center, the first women's institutional framework within municipalities in the West Bank.
Fadda suffered harassment under the occupation. She was prevented from working at the Ministry of Health in 1989, arrested in 2005 upon her return from abroad, and placed under administrative detention for six months. She was also banned from traveling between 2005 and 2006. On July 15, 2008, the occupation forces raided her home to arrest her, but did not find her there. They returned on August 6, 2008, and arrested her. She was subjected to harsh interrogation and then placed under administrative detention for eighteen months. The occupation also prevented her from traveling between 2010 and 2015.
Fadda believes that the occupation will end, but the reality of the Palestinian cause is extremely difficult, and it is not possible to talk about a radical change in the near future in favor of the Palestinians. She believes that the Oslo Accords were one of the worst phases that the Palestinian cause has gone through, and the division is a harmful reality that does not serve the interests of the Palestinians. She believes that national partnership is a necessity, provided that it is consensual and based on a common national program. In order for a real partnership to occur, the institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization must be reformed and the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements must be included in them. However, what hinders this is the state of exclusion and unilateralism in the Palestinian political arena.
Fadda presented a number of research studies and working papers at academic conferences and workshops concerning Palestinian women and the women's movement in Palestine, such as:
A research study entitled "Women and Elections", Palestinian Research and Studies Center, Nablus, 1995.
Working paper entitled "The Role of Women in Trade Union Work and Institutions," First Conference of Muslim Women at An-Najah National University, Nablus, 1996.
A working paper entitled "The Importance of Preparing Leading Islamic Women Cadres," presented at a panel discussion in the Chamber of Commerce, Ramallah, 1998.
Working paper entitled "Female Prisoners in Israeli Prisons", presented to the International Conference on Palestinian Prisoners, Ramallah, 2010.
A research paper entitled “Supporting female prisoners: between the reality of need and the necessity of participation,” submitted to the United Nations Development Programme, Al-Dameer Foundation and the Palestinian Counseling Center, Ramallah, 2010.
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