She has been known to most of us, the Bangla-speaking people, as the pioneer of Muslim Female Education; though she was not the first, nor even the first woman, to take such initiative for the Muslim community in Bengal. In 1911 when Rokeya (1880-1932) established Sakhawat Memorial School for Moslem Girls in Kolkata, after the failure of her first attempt in Bhagalpur, Bihar, there were at least two other schools of that kind in Kolkata. The Fyzunnessa Girls' School of Comilla, named after its founder and patron Nawab Fyzunnessa, was established seven years before Sakhawat Memorial School. But like the others, Sakhawat Memorial School was not an end in itself. For Rokeya it was a part of her great mission. The mission was, needless to say, emancipation of women.
Of course, Rokeya's organizational activities, including Sakhawat Memorial Girls' School and Anjuman Khawateen Islam (Association for Muslim Women), were no less important as contributions to our society and history. But the major part of her greatness lies in her writings thought- provoking and at the same time rich in literary value.
In a male-dominated society, all the values and customs are based on male-interests. Rokeya realized it at the very