Mona Eltawahy’s book was poised to be a manifesto of sorts. As with Eltahawy’s now infamous 2012 Foreign policy article “Why do they hate us?” (with its painted on naked niqabi), which MMW reviewed in two parts,there’s a lot to wade through before we even get started on the content. With Feki’s book, the flair came from the wordplay with Mona’s, it is the alliteration. However, both titles go for the bold I’m-tackling-taboos-and-I-know-it attitude. Having read both books, I feel Sex and the Citadel (reviewed here by Sya) was much better than Headscarves and Hymens for a variety of reasons – from Feki’s professional background in reproductive health to her historical contextualization of cultural attitudes about sex in the region. Tasnim: The title reminded me of Shereen El Feki’s Sex and the Citadel. Sya: What’s up with books about “the Middle East and North Africa” that are about female genitals, one way or another? In the meantime, here is a discussion on the book by three of our writers. We will soon have a full review of Mona Eltahawy’s Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution.
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