Background
Abid was born into a wealthy Damascus family in 1898.
Abid was born into a wealthy Damascus family in 1898.
She was a pioneer and revolutionary for both national independence and women's rights. Her father was an aristocrat and an insider in the court of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II. She lived a life of luxury as a child, but when she began to think for herself, she left her luxurious life for a life of activism and fighting—on the battlefield, and off. As a young adult, Abid's feminist actions infuriated Damascus's conservative circles, and she was viewed as very different from everyone in her family and community—being called a rebel by many.
She left her jewels and silks for simple attire that she could easily work in.