Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution by Mona Eltahawy

I am a feminist. I have always been, even before I knew that there was a specific word that would describe me and my values. Nowadays calling yourself a feminist can have some seriously negative stigmas attached to the label. This could be from a variety of reasons: the people you are talking to are either misogynistic, they could also be so privileged as to not feel the weight of a truly misogynistic society, which aims to totally and systematically silence women. There is also a deeper issue within feminism and that is non-intersectional feminism, in other words, white feminism. This is defined as a feminism that doesn’t take into consideration other types of discrimination women suffer from e.g. race, ethnicity, sexuality, (dis)ability, class, etc. This is problematic because it is not inclusive, therefore meaning that the feminism can only work for their own group of women. The reason as to why I have started this review like this is because these two issues are part of the reason as to why we need to read this book. We cannot refute the term ‘feminist’ because it is no longer relevant to you, and we cannot keep abiding to this silly exclusivist conception of feminism either. This book allows those of us to understand a whole other part of the world, which is commonly spoken about but seldom understood.

Firstly, I ADORED this book. Not because the content was particularly pretty or pleasant but because all of the content is essential. I believe that every single one of us should at the very least be aware of what is happening to our sisters in the Middle East. This book exposes how the toxic mix of culture and religion has created an environment in which women are not only unwelcome but totally unwanted. Also, this toxic mix is not exclusive to Islam, but to many religions for example female genital mutilation (FGM) is practiced by both Muslims and Christians in Egypt. Their voices are nullified, their bodies are violated and their rights are practically non-existent. Eltahawy speaks of crucial matters such as FGM, sexual assault, veiling, virginity, and much more. In my opinion, the biggest issue is the lack of legislation for women, meaning a lack of protection, for example, girls in Yemen are allowed to be married off at any age, many as young as age 8. Another example, is that domestic violence and marital rape are totally acceptable as long as the marks cannot be seen and that the violence was done with ‘good intentions’. The issue of legislation is further exacerbated by ‘the trifecta’, which is the term Eltahawy uses to refer to the state, the street and the home. All three are places in which women have their human rights violated daily, not only in the Middle East but all across the globe. One reason as to why the legislation is not there is due to the fact that there has not yet a successful revolution against the misogyny apparent in the Middle East, as there has been in Western countries and culture. By this I do not mean, in any way, that the West is not misogynistic or that is has surpassed the patriarchy, I just mean that there has been a resistance that has had the opportunity to be manifested, at least more so than in the Middle East. In any case, Eltahawy is clearly vocal on why legislation is necessary to promote women’s rights in this region of the world and gives plenty of examples as to why it is urgent that we take action and promote these rights!

I believe that Eltahawy makes an important point throughout the book, which is that both the left and the right fall into the trap of allowing this perpetual misogyny to continue but in different ways. The left falls into this because they are often too afraid to offend or to come across as xenophobic, therefore would rather allow the injustice to occur unquestioned rather than speak out against it. The right, however, thrive off of the injustices against these women as it is yet another reason for them to justify their hatred towards the region’s cultures and religion. For the right, it is another excuse for them to exercise their racism, islamophobia and xenophobia. Both of these methods are clearly flawed and deeply problematic. By us taking these positions, we allow these countries to continue their campaigns against women and ends up benefitting nobody. Since reading this book, I have realised that I too easily fell into the liberal trap of being complacent for fear of being out of place, yet now I realise that the most important role is to lift the voices of the women from the Middle East and North Africa and allow them to break through the international silence. We must include these women in international affairs and allow them the space to grow and overcome these misogynistic institutions.

As you have probably gathered, I highly recommend this book. If there is one book you read this whole year it is this one! No matter what political background or interests, this is a book I feel that we can all agree on. I hope Eltahawy’s word gets magnified so that the whole world can profit from her wise words. Most importantly now, if you feel motivated to change the lives of these women, begin with your home, your streets and your state…slowly the whole world will eventually put an end to sexism and violence against women.