Zulaikha Abd ar-Rahman Abu Risha (born 1942; Arabic: زليخة أبو ريشة) is a Jordanian poet and activist.
[2][4] She later pursued a doctorate at the University of Exeter, where she wrote her thesis on "Women in Arabic Feminist Literature"[4][5] Abu Risha is perhaps best known for her work as a poet and fiction writer.
[7][8] In 1987, Abu Risha published the short story collection In the Cell, for which she won a prize from the University of Jordan.
[7][9] Abu Risha also writes nonfiction on feminist criticism, literature, art, and gender and language.
[4][10][11] Her women's rights advocacy since the early 1980s has made her a target of extremist groups, which have sought to incite violence against her.