SOURCE: El Saadawi, Nawal, and Angela Johnson. “Speaking at Point Zero: [off our backs] Talks with Nawal El Saadawi.” off our backs 22, no. 3 (March 1992): 1, 6-7.

In the following interview, El Saadawi shares her views on the political aspects of female liberation, discusses women's political oppression in Egypt, and outlines the impetus behind her writings.

At the recent National Organization for Women (NOW) 25th Anniversary Conference [off our backs] collective member Angela Johnson interviewed Egyptian writer and activist Nawal El-Saadawi.

[Johnson]: What did you think of the conference?

[El Saadawi]: I think it's a good conference. This global conception of feminism and women's liberation that NOW as one of the very big women's organizations here, is now starting to think that our enemy is global, and that we should have a global struggle, and work together.

I told them that in the plenary session today. I said I came...