Alifa Rifaat (June 5, 1930 - 1996) was a controversial Egyptian author, whose short stories reflect on the life of traditional Muslim women in rural Egypt. She is an anomaly in the Egyptian literary scene, speaking only Arabic, and having left Egypt many time. She visited England, Germany, Canada , Morocco, Tunisia, Austria, Cyprus, Turkey, and Saudi to go on the hajj pilgrimage. Her books were translated to English, German, Dutch, and Swedish, among other languages. June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( ) is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... The Arabic language (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), or simply Arabic (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... The Hajj (Arabic: ‎ translit: ) is the Pilgrimage to Mecca in Islam. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

As a young woman, Rifaat had hoped to attend university, but this was opposed by her parents, who planned an arranged marriage for her instead. This acceptance of tradition figures prominently in her writing: she continues to embrace her Muslim faith, but is nevertheless critical of how it is implemented with regard to women. Her stories describe the loneliness of purdah, and has gone so far as to call on husbands to respect the sexual needs and desires of their wives. Her perspective, however, is particularly challenging to some fundamentalist interpretations of Islamic traditions because she makes these statements within the context of what she considers to be the Islamic obligation of husbands to their wives, without ever falling under the influence of estern mores and norms. Purdah (Urdu, Persian: پردہ ; transliterated as purda) is the practice of requiring women to cover their bodies so as to cover their skin and conceal their form. ... This article is about biological sexes — male, female, etc. ...

Another key feature of Rifaat's writing is her vivid depiction of death. She was widowed at the age of (48) and raised three children on her own. Her best-known work in English is Distant View of a Minaret. Alifa Rifaat died in Cairo in January 1996. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...