▁treatment ▁she ▁received ▁from ▁al - Bas il , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁observations ▁she ▁made ▁of ▁other ▁women , ▁led ▁her ▁to ▁write ▁thought fully ▁and ▁directly ▁about ▁the ▁status ▁of ▁women ▁in ▁Egypt . ▁She ▁correspond ed ▁significantly ▁with ▁other ▁writers ▁and ▁friends ▁like ▁May ▁Z i ad ah , ▁and ▁she ▁respond ed ▁crit ically ▁to ▁major ▁male ▁writers ▁of ▁the ▁time , ▁like ▁Q as im ▁A min . ▁Mal ak ▁stayed ▁with ▁al - Bas il ▁for ▁ 1 1 ▁years ▁until ▁she ▁died ▁of ▁influen za ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 8 . ▁ ▁Fem in ist ▁writ ings ▁ ▁Mal ak ▁lived ▁in ▁Egypt ▁during ▁a ▁period ▁of ▁growing ▁intellectual ▁and ▁political ▁disc ourse ▁on ▁the ▁status ▁of ▁women ▁in ▁society . ▁This ▁time ▁period ▁included ▁influ ential ▁players ▁like ▁H uda ▁Sh a ' ar aw i , ▁Q as im ▁A min , ▁N ab aw iy ya ▁Mus a , ▁and ▁many ▁more . ▁During ▁the ▁same ▁period , ▁national ist ▁and ▁traditional ist ▁think ers ▁went ▁back ▁and ▁forth ▁with ▁different ▁ideas ▁about ▁the ▁future ▁of ▁the ▁Middle ▁East . ▁These ▁two ▁convers ations ▁were ▁intr ins ically ▁linked ▁and ▁had ▁a ▁large ▁overlap . ▁Mal ak ▁entered ▁this ▁dialog ue ▁and ▁presented ▁her ▁" att empt ▁at ▁reform " ▁for ▁an ▁Egypt ian ▁future . ▁ ▁Mal ak ▁first ▁began ▁publishing ▁works ▁Al - jar ida , ▁the ▁major ▁newspaper ▁of ▁the ▁Um ma ▁party . ▁ ▁Mal ak ▁also ▁spoke