Sex and the Citadel

Résumé du livre

Shereen El Feki is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the Economist and the Huffington Post. She works out of Cairo and London, and Sex and the Citadel is her first book.

Women in the Islamic world face immense societal pressure to conform to strict sexual expectations, with their chastity and virginity heavily scrutinized. This has led to practices like virginity testing and hymen reconstruction surgeries in Egypt, where the cultural emphasis on an intact hymen often forces women into extreme measures. Similarly, homosexuality remains a taboo subject, with Arabic lacking neutral terminology and many gay individuals leading double lives to navigate societal judgment. Historically, the Muslim world embraced sexual openness, as seen in 19th-century Egypt, but colonization and subsequent cultural shifts brought about conservative values that persist today. Efforts to promote sexual freedom face challenges, as Western-imposed ideals often hinder progress, while local organizations advocating for change struggle with financial constraints. Despite these barriers, there are signs of progress, such as Egyptian talk shows addressing taboo topics and evolving conversations about sexuality in Arab cinema, though censorship remains a significant obstacle.

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